ConcoursMustang Forums
1st Generation 1964 1/2 - 1973 - Questions & general discussions that apply to a specific year => 1966 Mustang => Topic started by: drummingrocks on June 03, 2013, 10:25:35 AM
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Some of you may remember my thread about redoing my '66 fastback. What started as a simple engine repaint turned into an entire stripping and refinishing of both the undercarriage and the engine bay. One of the things I was really dreading was recreating the spray sealer originally applied to the firewall. Thankfully, I had pictures of the unrestored engine bay, so I had a good reference point. I was concerned about getting the appropriate build-up and thickness, as many of today's products just don't have the build qualities of what Ford used originally.
As you'll see from the pictures, my car had the greatest amount of sealer around the blower motor area. I had several products on hand to try. First, I had some leftover Fusor 805 spray sealer from doing another car's wheelhouses. I also went to Lowe's and picked up a can of Rustoleum undercoating, as well as a can of truck bed liner. In the end, however, the only product I used was the Rustoleum undercoat. It really surpassed what I was expecting out of an aerosol can. I tried several different test areas on some scrap metal, and it would allow several coats to build up, without each successive coat dissolving the one underneath it, as some undercoating products tend to do. I was very pleased with how this turned out. Though it isn't visible in the pictures, it appeared to do an excellent job of sealing grommets and heater hoses to the firewall, much like what Ford used.
So, for comparison, here's two pictures of the original, unrestored engine bay:
(http://imageshack.us/a/img811/671/66fastbackrestoration06.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/66fastbackrestoration06.jpg/)
(http://imageshack.us/a/img838/9871/66fastbackrestoration07.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/838/66fastbackrestoration07.jpg/)
And here's a picture of the almost finished product. I still need to install the master cylinder and A/C lines and spray sealer around them.
(http://imageshack.us/a/img268/9895/fbenginebay.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/268/fbenginebay.jpg/)
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That looks well done. Do you have a product ID number for the spray bomb you used in case there is more than one product available from Rustoluem? Am facing the same problem as you were dreading, appreciate you sharing your solution. Looks to be nice and black as was the Ford product. Some of the spray bomb stuff has a brown color that looks funky.
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That looks well done. Do you have a product ID number for the spray bomb you used in case there is more than one product available from Rustoluem? Am facing the same problem as you were dreading, appreciate you sharing your solution. Looks to be nice and black as was the Ford product. Some of the spray bomb stuff has a brown color that looks funky.
Thanks! I'll get the product number tomorrow when I'm back at the shop. And you're right--it is nice and black, not brown like a lot of aerosol undercoating tends to be. The flash actually makes the undercoat stand out more against the chassis black paint than it does in person.
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Thanks for sharing - hope that by example will make it easier for others. This step, I've found, is one of the most difficult for owners to do since they hate to "mess up" a perfectly nice firewall.
Great to see that you copied what your originally found (and took pictures;)
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One of the problems with replicating the sealer on the firewall that I have encountered was the "wide" spray pattern of the spray bombs. I found it difficult or impossible to get the undercoating where I wanted it to be in the thickness needed but NOT blast the surrounding area. Ford seemed to apply that stuff with precision while my feeble attempts looked more like a shotgun approach. Looked for a tip that would accept a "straw" but came up empty handed. How did you get such well controlled definition between the undercoating the painted area? did the brand you used have a tip that allowed this or did you invent a method to control the width of the spray pattern? Thanks for sharing!
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How did you get such well controlled definition between the undercoating the painted area? did the brand you used have a tip that allowed this or did you invent a method to control the width of the spray pattern? Thanks for sharing!
I've used several different brands of aerosol undercoat, and you're right--most of them seem to have a much wider spray pattern. This particular brand doesn't come with a straw tip, just a regular aerosol nozzle. It just seems to spray that accurately out of the can. One thing I did notice is that the undercoat tends to splatter on impact a bit more than I'm used to. This happened mostly in the corners of the engine bay, probably due to the product hitting both the firewall and fender apron at the same time. Definitely spray a test panel to get an idea of how this stuff sprays, and it might be worth masking surrounding areas if there's an area you want kept absolutely clean.
One more thing I should mention about spraying: keep an eye on the tip of the can. Since it's so thick, the undercoating tends to want to build up around the nozzle as you're spraying. Because of this, I cleaned the tip of the nozzle with lacquer thinner between coats to keep it spraying properly. I could see how the nozzle could stop up very easily.
Here's the product I used: http://www.amazon.com/Rust-Oleum-248656-Automotive-Undercoating-Professional/dp/B003CT49AS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370384931&sr=8-3&keywords=rustoleum+undercoat
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Drummingrocks: I think I may have enough courage to finally try the firewall sealant on my car. I know your post has been a while, so at least for me, the photos have disappeared. Would it be possible for you to post some photos of the final result? Now that it has been three years since the application, how does it look? Any browning of the sealant? Any cracking? If you are still happy with your application, I may go that way and use the Rust-Oleum. Thanks!
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Sure, here's probably the best photo I have handy at the moment. I haven't driven the car much at all since redoing the engine bay (hard to believe it's been 3 years!). I did get it out last weekend, and there's no browning, cracking, etc. It still looks like it did the day I applied it. Again though, I'm not sure how it would hold up on a regularly driven car.
(http://i.imgur.com/uQEITBZ.jpg)
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Thanks! That looks great. really appreciate the great photo. I will save it.
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Thanks! That looks great. really appreciate the great photo. I will save it.
Sure, you're welcome!
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Drummingrocks: I know this is an old post but that is exactly what I wanted. Now, after four years, how is the sealer holding up? Did any flake off? Did it change color? Are you satisfied with the application and the product you used? Any suggestions if I try the same product? Thanks.
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Sure, you're welcome!
I am also interested in a follow-up, nearly 7 yrs later. :)
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Just saw this post. To follow up, the sealer is still hanging in there and has held up fine, even over the course of a 4-hour drive. I've washed the engine bay several times and have had no problems with anything coming off in the process.