1965 Sound Deadener or Undercoating | Ford Thunderbird forum club group 1955-2005 models

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1965 Sound Deadener or Undercoating

  • Thread starter Thread starter MarkTBird
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MarkTBird

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Hi

New to the forum. Did some research here and on Mustang forums about this, didn't find a definitive answer.

My brother and I have a few classic cars, he has a Wimbledon White 1965 with "maroon" interior.

It was built at the Wixom, Michigan plant.

It seems to have factory undercoating / sound deadener underneath, wheel wells and engine compartment . Was this an option from the factory, standard assembly practice at the factory, a dealer installed option or only an aftermarket option?

The reason for the request, other than just knowing about it, is that this car has gone to a few Concours and we want to create signage for it that denotes the undercoating isn't Ziebart or other aftermarket additions.

The Mustang forums indicate that this sound deadener was sprayed on at the factory, at least in Mustangs, and the Concours restorers replace it when repairs are needed or a restoration occurs. Can't seem to find a definite answer.

Please let me know any thoughts you may have.

Thanks,
Mark

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MarkTBird said:
Hi

New to the forum. Did some research here and on Mustang forums about this, didn't find a definitive answer.

My brother and I have a few classic cars, he has a Wimbledon White 1965 with "maroon" interior.

It was built at the Wixom, Michigan plant.

It seems to have factory undercoating / sound deadener underneath, wheel wells and engine compartment . Was this an option from the factory, standard assembly practice at the factory, a dealer installed option or only an aftermarket option?

The reason for the request, other than just knowing about it, is that this car has gone to a few Concours and we want to create signage for it that denotes the undercoating isn't Ziebart or other aftermarket additions.

The Mustang forums indicate that this sound deadener was sprayed on at the factory, at least in Mustangs, and the Concours restorers replace it when repairs are needed or a restoration occurs. Can't seem to find a definite answer.

Please let me know any thoughts you may have.

Thanks,
Mark
Click to expand...
In the 50's, when I was a kid, undercoating was a dealer option on any car when you lived in snow country. Undercoating was a way to prevent the salt on the roads from rusting the car. Undercoating was not about sound deadening.
 
Hi, thank you for the response.

The sound deadening label isn't as important as whether or not there was any possibility of a material sprayed on at the factory.

Someone who was a line worker at Ford told us he could tell by where the holes were that it was a factory application vs. a dealer or aftermarket.

Does anyone know if this is accurate?

Please let me know.

Mark
 
My '57 has undercoating. I'm going to assume it was done by the dealer as even the engine hood is undercoated. Don't know If I have seen another one like that. It has every option other than power seats So I assume the original owner commissioned it as cost was no object. I don't mind it, It almost looks like the insulating panels in the hoods of all cars now.
 
MarkTBird said:
Hi

New to the forum. Did some research here and on Mustang forums about this, didn't find a definitive answer.

My brother and I have a few classic cars, he has a Wimbledon White 1965 with "maroon" interior.

It was built at the Wixom, Michigan plant.

It seems to have factory undercoating / sound deadener underneath, wheel wells and engine compartment . Was this an option from the factory, standard assembly practice at the factory, a dealer installed option or only an aftermarket option?

The reason for the request, other than just knowing about it, is that this car has gone to a few Concours and we want to create signage for it that denotes the undercoating isn't Ziebart or other aftermarket additions.

The Mustang forums indicate that this sound deadener was sprayed on at the factory, at least in Mustangs, and the Concours restorers replace it when repairs are needed or a restoration occurs. Can't seem to find a definite answer.

Please let me know any thoughts you may have.

Thanks,
Mark
Click to expand...
My ‘64 had undercoating that was 1/2” thick in some areas. It took me weeks to get the dried-up cracked stuff off. Underneath the surfaces were pristine. (I didn’t put it back).
My car was also built in Michigan, and I assumed because of the uneven thicknesses that it was dealer installed. I did lightly coat the wheel wells.
 
All 1964 - '66 Thunderbird's were undercoated at the factory - Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant.. A heavy layer of undercoating was sprayed onto the floorboards, in the wheel wells, on the trunk drop offs, etc... The factory NEVER drilled holes anywhere in the body to apply rust-proofing material.
Only aftermarket companies like Ziebart drilled holes in the bodies to apply their rust proofing into recesses in the body structure like inside rocker panels, hoods, deck lids, etc... The holes were then capped with rubber plugs. Some dealers would also offer an undercoating/rustproofing service as well.
At this point in time, the factory undercoating will be hard as a rock and has a pronounced texture from being sprayed on in fairly heavy amounts. The underbody if original and untouched will typically still have a significant coating.
 
6T6 Fan said:
All 1964 - '66 Thunderbird's were undercoated at the factory - Ford's Wixom Assembly Plant.. A heavy layer of undercoating was sprayed onto the floorboards, in the wheel wells, on the trunk drop offs, etc... The factory NEVER drilled holes anywhere in the body to apply rust-proofing material.
Only aftermarket companies like Ziebart drilled holes in the bodies to apply their rust proofing into recesses in the body structure like inside rocker panels, hoods, deck lids, etc... The holes were then capped with rubber plugs. Some dealers would also offer an undercoating/rustproofing service as well.
At this point in time, the factory undercoating will be hard as a rock and has a pronounced texture from being sprayed on in fairly heavy amounts. The underbody if original and untouched will typically still have a significant coating.
Click to expand...
No undercoating or rustproofing material was applied in the engine compartment on the 1964-'66 models. Blackout paint along with a minimal layer of sound deadener was sprayed onto the firewall at the factory, but it was not the same as the undercoating sprayed on the underbody. Aside from that, all the under-hood surfaces of the body structure were painted body color. If you see any rustproofing material sprayed onto the wheel housings or anywhere else in the engine compartment, that was done AFTER the car left the factory and is not 'factory original' or 'concourse correct'.
 
MarkTBird said:
Hi, thank you for the response.

The sound deadening label isn't as important as whether or not there was any possibility of a material sprayed on at the factory.

Someone who was a line worker at Ford told us he could tell by where the holes were that it was a factory application vs. a dealer or aftermarket.

Does anyone know if this is accurate?

Please let me know.

Mark
Click to expand...
Need to be careful with those year undercoating some contain asbestos
 
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