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1st Generation 1964 1/2 - 1973 - Questions & general discussions that apply to a specific year => 1968 Mustang => Topic started by: A12pilot on April 19, 2017, 10:58:55 PM

Title: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: A12pilot on April 19, 2017, 10:58:55 PM
Hey folks,

My Mustang is just about down to the shell ready for a power wash and then blasting.   Couple things I found while tearing the body down, which I'll post later,   but here's one of those neat "recycle" things you don't see often,  I guess.  My body buck tag is a Mercury door tag.  After some soaking in some thinner,  the black paint is off and the Highland Green is clearly visible.   I thought the fenders were painted off the car?  Why would this tag,  up in the front, get some green paint?  Thoughts? I also have a radiator support chalk number that's clearly on top of the black paint.  I'll post that up tomorrow.

Cheers

Dave
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: A12pilot on April 19, 2017, 11:01:04 PM
Another
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: J_Speegle on April 20, 2017, 04:57:13 PM
My Mustang is just about down to the shell ready for a power wash and then blasting.   Couple things I found while tearing the body down, which I'll post later,   but here's one of those neat "recycle" things you don't see often,  I guess.  My body buck tag is a Mercury door tag.  After some soaking in some thinner,  the black paint is off and the Highland Green is clearly visible.   I thought the fenders were painted off the car?  Why would this tag,  up in the front, get some green paint?  Thoughts?

We've seen this before - Just Ford recycling parts when they needed some.  That is a full door tag (the base metal form). When used as a door tag the one section is stamped at the same time and becomes part of the temporary ID label for the warranty card - before the plastic one shows up in the mail or dealership.

Believe there is an earlier thread (if you want to search for it) that shows a few other examples of the same thing.

I also have a radiator support chalk number that's clearly on top of the black paint.  I'll post that up tomorrow.

Sounds like one of the second half rotation number locations and marks. Keep an eye open for that repeating itself on other assemblies. Might find a few but likely less than you would if it wasn't a Dearborn built car.
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: 67gtasanjose on April 20, 2017, 06:05:13 PM
Welcome

...  the black paint is off and the Highland Green is clearly visible.   I thought the fenders were painted off the car?  Why would this tag,  up in the front, get some green paint?  Thoughts?

I would say it got there at a re-paint job with somebody shooting the fender mounted on the car and loosely masked the area, then a rattle can touch-up and/or lacquer thinner clean-up on the visible side.
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: J_Speegle on April 20, 2017, 08:30:46 PM
Welcome

I would say it got there at a re-paint job with somebody shooting the fender mounted on the car and loosely masked the area, then a rattle can touch-up and/or lacquer thinner clean-up on the visible side.

Consider that the area with the green is the back side and since the buck tag was on the car when the car was painted (attached to the radiator support passenger side)  with the exterior color  the paint we see on the back side could be from the original application.  Might be the reason we're seeing what we are in the pictures
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: 67gtasanjose on April 20, 2017, 09:47:30 PM
Consider that the area with the green is the back side and since the buck tag was on the car when the car was painted (attached to the radiator support passenger side)  with the exterior color  the paint we see on the back side could be from the original application.  Might be the reason we're seeing what we are in the pictures

At first, I thought the same thing but look again at the image closely while it is on the radiator support, then again at the ones with the green paint. The imprinting shows it was mounted with the Mercury side out
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: J_Speegle on April 20, 2017, 10:37:13 PM
At first, I thought the same thing but look again at the image closely while it is on the radiator support, then again at the ones with the green paint. The imprinting shows it was mounted with the Mercury side out

Thanks for mentioning that - correct the green was on the face also since it would have been in place then painted over in black. Not sure what he used to strip off the black but it appears that it affected the green under Shown pic #2. If it had been the results of a repaint wouldn't that green be over the black instead of on the buck tag directly over the metal and design?
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: 67gtasanjose on April 21, 2017, 06:03:16 AM
Thanks for mentioning that - correct the green was on the face also since it would have been in place then painted over in black. Not sure what he used to strip off the black but it appears that it affected the green under Shown pic #2. If it had been the results of a repaint wouldn't that green be over the black instead of on the buck tag directly over the metal and design?

Yes, you would have to say there should be engine bay paint UNDER any green paint if it were the result of a repainted so that theory seems to fail. Only thing I could add to this would be it is an anomily in which the factory didn't initially paint that area (read as missed the corner of the radiator support ~then touched up later) or a previous owner cleaned the engine bay SGB paint off from the tag ~and later it was painted over black again. ...the mystery continues :)


Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: A12pilot on April 21, 2017, 11:58:37 AM
Thanks guys.  This car has never been apart,  nor repainted.   I know the history on it.  No accidents or anything like that either.  Here's the marking on the radiator support. Would it correspond to anything on the buildsheet?....

Cheers
Dave
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: 67gta289 on April 21, 2017, 12:49:01 PM
Looks like the rotation number.  Look for the same number (or last two digits) on the seat cushions, the side of the fuse block, and back of the instrument cluster, rear axle, just some places I and others have found them.
Title: Re: My buck tag is a Mercury tag
Post by: mtinkham on April 21, 2017, 01:39:10 PM
Assuming the car is green, could it be the painter on the line was simply testing, clearing, or adjusting the gun on a panel away from the body? Knowing the engine compartment is painted afterward, he/they wouldn't be concerned about body color being sprayed somewhere where it wouldn't normally be sprayed....especially a relatively hidden spot like the radiator support.