Topic: 1966 Dearborn Rear Wheelhouse Finish

[Building 3]

I was at a Mustang show this weekend.  I was admiring a very nice 1966 San Jose restored convertible and a 1966 Dearborn restored convertible. Both cars seemed to be restored to MCA rules.  That is, spray sealer on the dash panel, proper overspray of the body color on the underbody, etc.  The San Jose car had the exterior paint (red) covering just about all of the inner rear wheelhouse over the sound deadener.  The Dearborn car had the wheelhouse area blacked out so that no exterior paint was visible.  I was told that most of the Dearborn cars built in 1965 and 66 CY had the sound deadener applied after exterior paint or a blackout was applied to the rear wheelhouses. Also at the show was an original, or at least purported to be original, unrestored Dearborn car from July 1965.  The rear inner wheelhouses were black. I also saw a Metuchen unrestored car with the black inner rear wheelhouses. Based your observations, is what I found consistent with the build practices of the 1965 and 1966 CY? 

[CharlesTurner]

Most original Dearborn cars I have seen have had body color in the rear wheel housings.  Think the problem is that a lot of these cars went to Northern/Eastern/Mid-West locations where applying undercoat at the dealerships was common practice.

The May '65 Dearborn GT convertible I restored had all body color in rear wheel wells, it was an Arcadian Blue car.

[J_Speegle]

Most original Dearborn cars I have seen have had body color in the rear wheel housings. .........

+1 That is what I've got and seen. Often the paint wears away from stuff thrown up by the wheels over the years. Also to add to confusion many owner blacked out the wheelwells with rattle cans in the 70's especially on lighter color cars and in the 80's since clubs/judging didn't want to see body color there in those days.

Check behind the inner fender lips at the top and for body color over sound deadener on the frame rail in the wheel well. Always seem to find at least one spot where the previous owner missed or that has remained untouched by gravel and such from driving. More often than not the condition makes it difficult to tell with out a careful cleaning


A couple of early Dearborn examples from 65 (choose red since they stand out well

5F08D114168




5F07D117308

[Building 3]

Thank you very much for the clarification and the photos.  It is crystal clear.  All the plants painted the rear quarter panel in the same manner which deposited the exterior paint into the wheel well over the sound deadener.

[Rsanter]

I have been stripping my 66 mustang conv down for panel replacement and resto
Metuchen built car.
There is a ton of undercoating in the rear wheelhouses and on the frame rails.
I have been using a descaler on the undercoating which seems to disrupt it and it comes off without to much trouble after that.
I have been shocked at how nice and undesturbed the paint under it is.
Me wheelhouses are red like the body. The outer part of the fram rails are red and the bottom part of the frame rails to the inner part are a redish-pinkish color primer

It is impossible for me to tell what is original sound deader verses undercoating

Bob