Underbody finish

[unbeam]

I have a largely rust free Tiger, and debating how best to refinish the underbody. Doubt I will ever get it on a rotisserie, but I do have a lift. Looks like it has had undercoating applied in the past. I've given consideration to wire brushing, using the Eastwood "surface conditioning tool" (the flap thing), gentle torch and scraper, or water based sandblasting.
Once clear, which type of finish? Single stage "chassis black", epoxy, or other? Any need for seam sealer?
As always, thanks for the help. David

 

[IvaTiger]

these are the 3 products I used The Rusfre Is a great barrier and sound proofer The other two are really just cosmetic but gives a smooth finish. Mine was also very rust free with the original red primer and factory under shield which was standard. I did use a propane torch and scrapers to remove the old stuff. I used the Rusfre in the wheel arches and other areas that get a lot of road debris thrown at it It does not look as pretty as the painted bodywork but is weatherproofed and gives sound deadening benefits and was originally coated. I did use Delhi seam sealer in some of the areas where the rails met the floor panels. But the Rusfre can also be put on thickly to fill voids , brush on or use a putty knife and put out in the sun to make it more runny before applying. I like the results and the even black look.

 

[unbeam]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like scraping with selective heat would be best to remove. I/m not anxious to put back the undercoating, especially as the car will not see much bad weather driving in the future. Does anybody have recommendations regarding paint to be used underneath. Epoxy primer and paint? Bill Hirsch chassis black? One of the Eastwood products, including POR 15? Thanks

 

[Austin Healer]

Originally the cars were primed in the wheelarches and underbody in red oxide, then the car was undercoated along with the wheelarches. British Light Steel Pressings did all of this and the final painting. The wheelarches were oversprayed with body color paint.

I use a sprayable undercoat made by Dominion part # 1004 BUF. This comes in a large can that threads into a body Schutz spray gun. It leaves a pebble finish just light the original undercoating in the wheelarches. Original undercoat was applied pretty thickly to the underside. This product can be top coated. I usually spray a coat (or two) of epoxy primer before the application of color.

It is vile smelling and requires the use of a respirator at the very least... I use a fresh air system.

I just bought 6 cans of this off of ebay for a little under $19 a can with free ground shipping.

It cleans up with mineral spirits, dries and is easy to keep clean. Normal bomb can undercoat usually stays semi tacky, and is impossible to keep looking nice.

 

[VaCat33]

At the risk of opening a huge debate…that might not have a definitive answer I will offer a different view on the color of the underside.

It is my understanding that the Tiger bodies arrived at Jensen with the underside and wheel arches painted body color…BUT a black undercoating was added to these areas somewhere along the line.

 

[IvaTiger]

At the risk of opening a huge debate…that might not have a definitive answer I will offer a different view on the color of the underside.

It is my understanding that the Tiger bodies arrived at Jensen with the underside and wheel arches painted body color…BUT a black undercoating was added to these areas somewhere along the line.

Mine was just as Sean mentioned which is different to your understanding Mine has not been changed since my buddy who was the first owner received the car

 

[Austin Healer]

At the risk of opening a huge debate…that might not have a definitive answer I will offer a different view on the color of the underside.

It is my understanding that the Tiger bodies arrived at Jensen with the underside and wheel arches painted body color…BUT a black undercoating was added to these areas somewhere along the line.

you may well be correct... I was just doing my best to escribe the finished appearance! I have noted that the trans tunnel and bulkhead were NOT undercoated and were finished in body color, like the top hats. on the inside of the car the trans tunnel and bulkhead are black originally. I presume it was thought that as that part was under carpet and not visible it didn't need to be painted... if they had, it would have opened up a huge can o' worms as the interior would have to have been removed

 

[unbeam]

Thanks for the responses, learned something new. Thought the undercoating was always applied at the selling dealer. Not looking forward to cleaning the underside.... David

 

[Austin Healer]

Thanks for the responses, learned something new. Thought the undercoating was always applied at the selling dealer. Not looking forward to cleaning the underside.... David

one of the reasons I had my car dipped! It's just a bear to remove

 

[IvaTiger]

Thanks for the responses, learned something new. Thought the undercoating was always applied at the selling dealer. Not looking forward to cleaning the underside.... David

Why would you clean the underside of the old coating if you are not looking forward to doing it. I enjoyed playing with fire and breathing that old tarry undercoat up to a certain point and then just used the spray on stuff My car will probably never see any wet roads and never any salt again so it really is only an even black look but is also preserved , and how it looked almost 60 years ago

 

[Austin Healer]

Why would you clean the underside of the old coating if you are not looking forward to doing it. I enjoyed playing with fire and breathing that old tarry undercoat up to a certain point and then just used the spray on stuff My car will probably never see any wet roads and never any salt again so it really is only an even black look but is also preserved , and how it looked almost 60 years ago

If it were me, and it's not a restoration... I'd knock off anything that was loose, pressure wash it, let it dry at least a week and then fix and treat any rust... And then top coat it with the Dominion product I recommended... Just remember to wear a respirator... The stuff is pretty nasty smelling!!

 

[IvaTiger]

I can imagine that since these cars were assembled entirely by human hand that there really was not a lot of standardization, and some areas got the tar coating and some areas were missed the same scenario with the inside bulk head along with the trunk area as to how much primer or black or top coating was applied, and because of these variations the cars should not be judged on what is right or wrong so go ahead and do what feels good to the owner

 

[IvaTiger]

If it were me, and it's not a restoration... I'd knock off anything that was loose, pressure wash it, let it dry at least a week and then fix and treat any rust... And then top coat it with the Dominion product I recommended... Just remember to wear a respirator... The stuff is pretty nasty smelling!!

Yup. My thoughts as well

 

[michael-king]

On the Alpine Rootes applied the underseal on the underbody at the factory and on a rotisserie... You will note when looking at an untouched original car there are run marks heading upward...so the body was upside down when it was applied.

 

[65beam]

Check the photos and info concerning concorse guide lines and info on the TE/AE site. Lots of info supplied by various clubs there. Alpine bodies did not require adding any body parts before being trimmed out and having the drive train installed so some say the under side may have had a coating sprayed on it and then was painted body color. Tiger bodies required the installation of the tunnel as well as the cutting of floor pans, X frame and several other parts. I've never run across any photos showing how Alpine or Tiger bodies were originally primed but there are photos of Alpine bodies going into the paint tunnel. Were the bodies dipped in a tank of primer as later bodies were or was the primer applied using a sprayer? Did Tigers just get under coated after the conversion and did not receive a coating of paint as a cost cutting measure? That would be an easy way to cover up imperfections since welding could cause problems with a painted surface. I'm just asking because I've asked these questions many times over the years and gotten many answers. ????

 

[65beam]

On the Alpine Rootes applied the underseal on the underbody at the factory and on a rotisserie... You will note when looking at an untouched original car there are run marks heading upward...so the body was upside down when it was applied.

My green car came with Forest Green paint underneath when it was a new car. The photos show the bodies on a rotisserie as they were outside the paint tunnel waiting to be painted. The guidelines say that Alpines received under coating and then got paint. By 20K miles my car was mostly black underneath due to typical Alpine oil leaks.

 

[Agent 861]

I can imagine that since these cars were assembled entirely by human hand that there really was not a lot of standardization, and some areas got the tar coating and some areas were missed the same scenario with the inside bulk head along with the trunk area as to how much primer or black or top coating was applied, and because of these variations the cars should not be judged on what is right or wrong so go ahead and do what feels good to the owner

I once attended a club meeting were the guest speaker was an ex Jensen assembly foreman . There was a lively discussion amongst members regarding what bolts were used in a certain location. He burst out laughing they would use what ever they had -if they ran out they would steal what ever would fit from another assembly line and on ocassions they brought what they could get from local hardware outlets . Some times we take things to seriously .

 

[65beam]

Several years back there was a magazine that published an article about a Tiger owned by a lady. The article said that the Tiger bodies were stamped out of a heavier gauge metal than Alpines. Does anyone think that's a correct statement?

 

[Austin Healer]

Several years back there was a magazine that published an article about a Tiger owned by a lady. The article said that the Tiger bodies were stamped out of a heavier gauge metal than Alpines. Does anyone think that's a correct statement?

no. the differences between the Alpine and the Tiger shells was down to what Pressed Steel omitted, or added, to the shells

 

[65beam]

no. the differences between the Alpine and the Tiger shells was down to what Pressed Steel omitted, or added, to the shells

Yep, I'm aware of that including things like triangle brackets and maybe a tab. These photos show a good comparison of the bulkhead area of an Alpine versus a Tiger. Both of these cars are now Forest Green.