VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1958-1960 To coat or not to coat.

That is the question.

I have every square inch of undercoating removed from the underside of Judy's Impala. I am down to what looks like old time red lead primer.

I don't want to put new undercoating on since I don't want to cover the detail of the undercarriage. This will also be a show car so rust is not really a concern. But I need advise on what color to finish this bottom off with. I'm thinking of matching the color of the red primer instead of the usual glossy black.

What do you think?

P.S. Retirement is great! Now I can work on this car almost every day.

Hi Ron,

Sounds like you are making really great progress!

There are two products I would recommend.

POR 15 - although the color is slightly darker than the original red oxide.

Or the 2k primer system from PPG, Sikkens, or Dupont. Most guys are using the PPG (why I do not know). It is not as bullet proof as the POR - but it looks more like the original. Being catalyized - it is waterproof - so you do not need to be concerned with corrosion down the road.

Keep that beer cold!

Ron,
If you ever looked under my car I used Corralas from Eastwood. It has that factory redlead look for the bottom of the floor boards. The finish of it is dead on, and it is not poruse as regular primer, so rust flares will not be a problem. It has held up now for about 10 years and a lot of miles with a minumum of maintinance.
John