Undercarriage Detailing
 

Well now that I got most of the bugs worked out of my 29 Phaeton I turned to degreasing the undercarriage. For the most part it cleaned up well but I found areas that had oil and grease that had eaten through the paint. So should I just sand and hit it with Rustoleum or would you recommend something different.

Thanks
Ron

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1618889194

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1618889194
That paint deterioration is a real pity on an otherwise very nicely detailed underside of your Model A Ford.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

It's only paint......I would be concerned if everything was rusty and rotted out. I could take things apart and use my spray gun but my car is a nice driver and not a show car. How would you go about fixing this?

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

i would like all of the undercarriage to look like this

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...p;d=1618890338
The under carriage on your Model A Ford is a credit to you. Looking good.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

Nice driver or show car...rust is rust..cracks are cracks...JB Weld is JB Weld....one way or the other, it will eat at you. Best find it before it is to late!

Best find it now...One thing I hate is not knowing just what the past owner did or did not do.

Nice looking car however! Be safe.

Pluck

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

I would just sand the lumpy spots smooth, looking for cracks or holes, and if none are found, hit it with black enamel aerosol. I use Plasticote gloss black enamel aerosols. On the muffler I sand lightly, hit with phosphoric rust converter, wipe off with a wet rag when reacted, and then spray with black Plasticote BBQ paint.
I do this on a hoist every few months using a piece of hand held cardboard to stop overspray.
I just want the underside to look clean and neat, but not to pass a inspection, since we drive a lot on gravel roads so there are always chipped areas needing touching up.
Using a spray gun involves too much work, specially cleaning it afterwards. The aerosol is the work of minutes literally. I always finish by spraying inverted into a waste bin to clear paint from the nozzle so it is ready for action next time.
SAJ in NZ

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

This.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

I wish ours looked that good!

Enjoy

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

I would expand this a little. Wipe down with solvent before sanding, you can drive grease into the sanding grooves, and that will cause issues with paint adhesion. Pay attention to fairing the edges of the lumpy chippy sections, new paint will highlight ridges. Wire wheels on a drill can also be effective. Wipe down again after sanding, orange peel is no fun, and you also want to provide an uninterrupted paint film for rust protection. Consider a primer coat. Don't obsess, as you said, it's a wear item for a driver.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

Thank you for the advise. My car was restored 12 to 15 years back by the PO but the undercarriage has not be touched until I just degreased it. I like your points and I agree on "Don't obsess". I do however feel it would be a shame to keep it in this condition when most of the undercarriage looks good. What brand paint and primer do you recommend? I have never used Plasticote gloss black enamel aerosols and I am not sure who has them in stock.

Thanks
Ron

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

You may want to look into what the cause is of some of your issues, if you haven't already, before you repaint. Looks to me like your carb may have been dripping gas on your wishbone. Do you have engine pans? Just a thought.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/attac...9&d=1618889194

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

That's a clean machine, very clean.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

There's lots of alternatives and opinions on paint, but lets narrow it down. If you aren't going to use a spray rig and are limited to easily obtainable spray cans, I've had very good results from good ol' Rustoleum. Use a fast drying automotive primer and you can resand if the primer shows flaws you want to correct before the finish coat. Keep the primer well away from the masked edge. Mask everything as the primer will show if it gets on other parts you aren't painting. Plastic painters film will work in areas carboard is too heavy or stiff. Mask well away from the repair area so you can blend the finish coat some. Topcoat with gloss black of your choice, applying several medium* coats, spraying onto the transition areas a thin coat, thinner and thinner as you approach the end of the repair area or the masking tape. Try to avoid any paint at all on the masking tape that's on the workpiece. The idea is to avoid a hard edge that stands out like a sore thumb.

*Medium meaning more than a thin spotting, apply enough to get a visible gloss and some minute degree of film flow (the surface can self level), but stopping well short of so much paint you develop sags and runs. This is way easier said than done, especially on vertical surfaces. Practice on some vertical surface scrap if you aren't confident. Review good spray technique if you think you need it.

The $3 spray can trigger handles work great, keep paint off your fingers and give better control. Control of the spray pattern and film thickness is key.

For a really good job, let the paint harden for 30 days and then wet sand with 800, then 1000, and on up to 1500 or 2,000, then compound to a flawless finish and get the edges well blended. Oh, wait, we aren't obsessing.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

My car is a driver also. For under the car I prep like others have suggested and apply Rustoleum Painter's Touch Semi-Gloss with a 4" foam mini-roller. And a brush in hard to get to places.

Not as smooth as spray but less masking involved and all I am trying to do is prevent rust and look decent.

Not too many people see the bottom of my car... unless I run them over!!:eek:

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

A few more thoughts:

Use bright lights, they show flaws.

In tough to reach areas, and areas the spray can't reach like the top of the wishbone, consider brushing the paint. Yup, more steps and more paint cost.

Realize that if you get up close and it looks ok from 18 inches, it's going to look fabulous from 10 feet. Who's going to get within 18 inches of your wishbone?

Control dust and clean the floor before spraying.

If you're going to paint the entire wishbone, then no blending, mask all the edges and go.

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

Goggle NHOU they have oil based under coating, I've not used their products, just a different choise

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

As someone who grew up in Western NY (Rust Belt) and has lived my adult life Carolina I can tell you that I would never never never never use undercoating

Undercoating cracks over time and allows in water. The end result is major rust. Much worse than what you would have had by leaving the car alone and doing nothing.

Ron

Re: Undercarriage Detailing
 

It's not your normal under coating, it's oil base creeping oil, check their site