This may be a dumb question, but I am cleaning the underside of my bird and am stripping the thick tar under the wheel wells. My question - Is this factory tar for "rust proofing" or road tar that I should strip off as part of the restoration? The more I pull off, the more it seems this might be a good protective coat to leave on....
If it is meant to be there, how do I clean it up or restore it? It comes off ok with heat gun though definitely a slow process. If it needs to come off, is there a better way?
It is factory sound deadener/chip guard/weatherseal. It's unsightly but reasonably effective for road stone noise dampening.
If you leave it on you can hit it with underhood black after washing with a soft scrub brush and letting it dry. There are a couple of brands of coatings designed to freshen it up but if it's otherwise in good shape just make it black again.
Vikki 1969 Goldenrod Yellow / black 400 convertible numbers matching
I had to get a new inner fender for the passenger side due to 40 years of battery acid leaks.
I had to strip the undercoating from the drivers side so I could have both inner fenders powder coated.
Then I made sure I re-applied the coating on both inner fenders after they were done. I buy the undercoating spray cans from Eastwoods. I figured the coating will protect the finish from stones and also cut down on the noise (from the debris hitting them).
2012 Mustang Boss 302 #1918, Competition Orange. FGF replacement 2006 Mustang V6 Pony, Vista Blue. Factory ordered. 2019 BMW X3 (Titled to the wife, but I'm always driving it for her. So I'm claiming it) Old projects, gone but not forgotten: 1967 FB 400, original CA car. After 22 years of work, trashed by the guy who was supposed to paint it. I had to sell it. 1980 Turbo Trans Am 1970 Mustang fastback, 351C 4Bbl, auto 1988 Mustang GT, 5 speed 1983 F-150 4x4, built 302 1994 Chevy K2500 HD 4x4, 454 TBI
Thanks, that helps. I have one spot where the metal is ripped that I need to repair, otherwise it looks good. Glad I asked before wasting too much time stripping it. I will re-apply the tar to seal it.
The original coating was asphalt. According to the '68 Pontiac Sales Manual page Q3; "The inner fender, or shield, designed to utilize wheel splash to rinse away dirt, mud and salt, is protected against corrosion itself by a special coating of asphalt latex."
I used OEM Paints Underbody Preservatek asphalt-based coating to try to duplicate the original protection and look on a new well, a repaired well, and to freshen the other two. I believe it took three cans for the four wells. The bad news is the stuff is about $14 per spray can.
I would not remove any original that is in good shape.
