[2BlueLS6's]

I'm back on the '70 Chevelle again after a vacation from it of a couple of years, and think I got into this discussion before, but can't find it with a brief search.

Anyway, seems like the general consensus at the time was that the floorboard color was red primer. (background: this car was original paint when I bought it and although stripped now, don't believe anybody has ever messed with it underneath or otherwise)

I've looked high and low for any residue of red primer. I've even scraped a little of the factory undercoat from the transmission tunnel to look underneath it, and of course all the obvious areas like under where the gas tank was. Everything is black........... not one hint of red primer anywhere that I can find. Car is bare hull now, and on the way back up. (it was built in Atlanta) It's on a rotisserie with the chassis out, and even the new looking areas where the body mounts touched the underside of the body braces, everything is black.

So what's the deal here. Last time this was brought up, seems like I remember everybody being adamant that the car absolutely positively should be red primer, but since I can't find a trace ANYWHERE, I'm hesitant.

 

[69396ss]

1'st Question, what assembly plant? The application varied.

Edit: Atlanta, sorry missed it.

Arlington was one of the Plants that used a heavy Red Oxide primer. Other Plants used grey and Black top coat.

We'll let others chime in, but I didn't think Atlanta was a big "Red Oxide" user, and Black should be correct.

 

[Keith Tedford]

In stripping our late '69 Baltimore built Chevelle. All that I have found on the underside is also black paint and sound deadener. What is, is. Do it the way you found it. I am.

 

[bookmaker19]

This has been covered before- Atlanta used grey sealer. The black from firewall reaches into bell houseing area and correct color overspray into the sides. Norman

 

[2BlueLS6's]

This has been covered before- Atlanta used grey sealer. The black from firewall reaches into bell houseing area and correct color overspray into the sides. Norman

Might've been covered before, but couldn't find doing a search by relevant terms that I could think of. In any case, mine doesn't have any grey sealer either, and the black under the recently removed body mounts looks brand new............... NO red, NO grey............. so I guess I'll just take some good pics of underneath from a dozen different areas in case it comes up sometime.:thumbsup:

 

[blacina]

This has been covered before- Atlanta used grey sealer. The black from firewall reaches into bell houseing area and correct color overspray into the sides. Norman

X2 http://photobucket.com/blacina69SS396 :thumbsup:
Exactly what I have found on my ATL 69 SS396 L35 under the body. Interior floor pans have splotches of red primer showing through same dove / olive drab colored gray sealer.
Bruce

 

[2BlueLS6's]

Wow, 4 year old thread back to the top.

I washed this car clean to bare metal with laquer thinner and scotchbrite pads, both inside the car and under the floor. (Atlanta car) There was not a smiggin' of red primer anywhere. There was some purplish color residue underneath on the outside, which I suspect was a mixture of both red and grey, and may be the result of running low on materials, or even using up leftovers at the end of the workday. EVERYTHING under this car was coated black on top of whatever that other color was. Even under the body mounts,where the metal looked brand new was black. The floors inside the car were very nice (with the exception of one small area under the back seat where the rear window had leaked) and everything inside the car was black. This was washed clean all the way up the cowl inside the car. This car was unmolested when I bought it in 1981 and has been in storage since then. I just completed in in the late summer of 2011. I guess what that proves is that nothing is for sure, and there were inconsistencies in factory configurations, probably based on time and efficiency with no regard to consistency.

 

[Dave Birdwell]

Wow, 4 year old thread back to the top.

I washed this car clean to bare metal with laquer thinner and scotchbrite pads, both inside the car and under the floor. (Atlanta car) There was not a smiggin' of red primer anywhere. There was some purplish color residue underneath on the outside, which I suspect was a mixture of both red and grey, and may be the result of running low on materials, or even using up leftovers at the end of the workday. EVERYTHING under this car was coated black on top of whatever that other color was. Even under the body mounts,where the metal looked brand new was black. The floors inside the car were very nice (with the exception of one small area under the back seat where the rear window had leaked) and everything inside the car was black. This was washed clean all the way up the cowl inside the car. This car was unmolested when I bought it in 1981 and has been in storage since then. I just completed in in the late summer of 2011. I guess what that proves is that nothing is for sure, and there were inconsistencies in factory configurations, probably based on time and efficiency with no regard to consistency.

What is the exterior color of your car?

 

[2BlueLS6's]

Both of my '70 LS6 cars are Fathom Blue w/white stripes, hence the screen name. The Chevelle was built in Atlanta and the El Camino in Kansas City.

 

[blacina]

Wow, 4 year old thread back to the top.

I washed this car clean to bare metal with laquer thinner and scotchbrite pads, both inside the car and under the floor. {SNIP}.

Check out the photos in my signature link: A-Most recent work; and Floor pan resto folders show the interior and exterior colors I encountered during the strip down. Mine was an April 69 car, when was you ATL car put together?
Bruce

 

[Dave Birdwell]

Just wondering, as I did a February Atlanta LS6, and it was definitely Grey underneath... even had GY written on the firewall above the tunnel...

 

[2BlueLS6's]

...............when was you ATL car put together?

I can't remember. I'll try to remember to look at it tomorrow.

 

[Dave Birdwell]

Mine was an April 69 car,

I think you meant April of 1970.... Atlanta was still building the '69 model in April '69..

I forgot to add, my '70 was Fathom Blue as well. Actually I had two FB ATL '70s... :yes: no idea what the other was underneath originally, as I didn't strip it, it was done when I bought it.

 

[thedyeguy]

I am restoring a 67 Malibu. It is Butternut Yellow and built in Atlanta. We pulled the frame this past week and put the body on a rotisserie. Under the body mounts they were pink not RO but PINK. What do you say to that, would you paint the underside pink.

 

[blacina]

I think you meant April of 1970.... Atlanta was still building the '69 model in April '69..

I forgot to add, my '70 was Fathom Blue as well. Actually I had two FB ATL '70s... :yes: no idea what the other was underneath originally, as I didn't strip it, it was done when I bought it.

Bill,
Here is the Gateman's pass showing 04/18 build date - must have been one of the first 69 production models from ATL. Ooo - that would be something if it was the first! No way for me to tell...

Steve,
That's really going to be up to you. I am struggling with what my final result will be. I know I'm going to go as far as restoring to factory colors in and out on the pans, but may undercoat the underside of the body afterward, and may go with foil lined sound deadener on the inside pans afterward. Since I don't plan on this car being a concourse level restoration, but not sure if it will be used more than occasionally yet...
If you aren't sure you will like the factory pink/salmon(ish) color underneath, you can always undercoat it or paint it another topcoat color at that point.
Bruce

 

[thedyeguy]

Bruce,
Thanks for your response. I'm thinking pink sealer and red oxide undercarriage. I am doing as close to concourse correct "period correct" as I can. At the same time I plan on driving this car. The only undercoating on this car was the rear wheel wells and the undercarriage shows no signs of black paint.

 

[Dave Birdwell]

Bruce- didn't see your car was a '69... that coincides with the April '69 build date. I just figured it was a '70 since that what the original post was about...

 

[blacina]

Dave, sorry to create any confusion with my comments. I rend to think that the build process would be prety similar between 69 and 70 for Chevelles in the Atlanta, GA plant. Then again, Chevrolet put out three different models of Camaros in that time span... The 69, 70 and 70 1/2.

I have some current photos of the finished interior and exterior floor pans, trunk and wheel wells on my Photobucket site here:
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b308/blacina/1969 Chevelle SS396 Restoration/A - Most Recent Work/

and here:
http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b...1969 Chevelle SS396 Restoration/Body Pan Resto - I hate 40 yr old undercoating/

I went with an epoxy infused with zink on the exterior and found some spray bombs for the interior. I think the colors are very close to the original. Best of luck with your restoration work !
Bruce