View Full Version : Frame & Body Factory undercoated DeLoreans
DMC3165
08-25-2012, 03:46 AM
On a recent trip over to PJ Gradys I spotted a car up on the lift with a black frame. I asked Rob if this chassis was refinished with POR-15. He said no that's the factory undercoating that was put on the east coast cars. I'd never heard of this before. My car was originally from califonia so it has the grey epoxy finish. The car had similar milage to mine and while I've had to touch up a few spots over the years Rob said the frame on this car had never been touched. It had held up really well over the years. But I forgot to ask him what it was. Anyone familiar with it?
Bitsyncmaster
08-25-2012, 05:01 AM
My car has the same undercoating. It's a tar like spray that hardens (sort of). You can still buy it at most auto shop parts stores. This was the standard around 1970 for all cars as a dealer option.
WelmoedJ
08-25-2012, 05:45 AM
At the time the manufacturers didn't care much of protecting the underbody.
Companies stepped in and introduced underbody protection that was applied both on the outside of the underbody as well on its inside (door insides too).
Brand or product names that come to my mind were Dinitrol, Tectyl etc.
Some of them were wax based, some of them were tar based like Dave M. mentioned.
In Europe there also are some cars that have black underbodies.
I have not been able to check the inside of the centre frame, but I presume the inside also has been treated.
vwdmc16
08-25-2012, 06:43 AM
My Massachusetts car didnt have any coating, I wish it had....
Iznodmad
08-25-2012, 09:21 AM
Was the car you looked at an 83? Very common on the later cars. It had to be done to hide the rust that was forming as the cars were starting to pile up at the docks waiting to be shipped to the USA.
dmc6960
08-25-2012, 10:28 AM
And by no means did it actually help prevent rust any more than the regular epoxy. And in addition to not helping any better, it makes working on the underside a bigger pain in the rear. Every nut and bolt is coated and stuck together.
DMCMW Dave
08-25-2012, 11:18 AM
And by no means did it actually help prevent rust any more than the regular epoxy. And in addition to not helping any better, it makes working on the underside a bigger pain in the rear. Every nut and bolt is coated and stuck together.
And anything you would normally clean up with solvent is a disaster.
82DMC12
08-25-2012, 11:35 AM
My car has the under coating. It's horrible and is one of the reasons I'm planning a frame-off.
Jeff K
08-25-2012, 12:05 PM
My car has the under coating. It's horrible and is one of the reasons I'm planning a frame-off.
I totally agree. My car has it too, it just makes it look filthy and gums up the bolts and screw holes.
I was to take the frame off so bad and get it restored.
DMC3165
08-25-2012, 04:00 PM
Was the car you looked at an 83? Very common on the later cars. It had to be done to hide the rust that was forming as the cars were starting to pile up at the docks waiting to be shipped to the USA.
I'm honestly not sure. I didn't ask and I only saw the bottom of it so I didn't see any of the later styling cues like the hood or anything. I have to admit aside from the fact that it was a local car that had no signs of rust or rot on it. Aesthetically it looked terrible.
john 05141
08-27-2012, 03:51 AM
Now this is interesting. I have that too. I was never able to figure out why this was. I always assumed a previous owner did this as an extra protantant, but I found pictures where he has sanded that away under the tank plate to re-coat. My car came from a deamer in california but drove in Florida for 20 years. I admit it does look a bit dirty but that does look better than gray with rust. It did help to protect my frame becasue for as far I can see there is no rust at all, and I check the frame every year in detail, and Belgium has a wet climate.
A frame off is not necessary for me yet (A new roof cage may be better in my case) but if I had to remove and renovate the frame I would have it coated in dark gray, not light gray.
John
82DMC12
08-27-2012, 08:22 AM
I like the black color too. I think I'm going to powdercoated my frame black just as a tribute to its history.
Sidaries
08-29-2012, 02:00 AM
Can someone post a picture about the black frame? I never heard of it.
David T
08-29-2012, 09:22 PM
One way a Delorean got undercoated was the selling dealer. It was very popular for the dealers to offer undercoating as a service on new cars. They made a lot of money doing it. Takes about 15 minutes and uses around $15 worth of materiel. They could charge as much as $150 for it. New owners also did it too. You could take the car to a shop and have it done before you drove the car much and got it all dirty. One of the more popular ones was wax based. They would drill holes all over the car and shoot it into the doors, the rockers, the inner quarter panels, etc. Really of no value on the Delorean with the fiberglass underbody, epoxy coated frame and S/S panels. It was mainly done for cosmetic purposes, to cover any surface rust. Many believe it was done at the QAC centers for that purpose and seems to be very common on the late '82's and all of the '83's. It is very messy to remove and by now is just a hard, caked on mess. Moisture would get behind it (just like the epoxy) and rot the metal underneath. Best way to remove it is by mechanical means. Snap-On makes a pneumatic tool that chops it right off in tiny chunks but it is still a messy job.
David Teitelbaum
Dangermouse
08-29-2012, 09:42 PM
Waxoyl I think it was called iirc
john 05141
08-31-2012, 04:38 AM
Here are some picutures. I cannot find pictures I took once when the D was on the bridge, but you can clearly see the black coating on the frame, it is like that everywhere. But the frame appears to be in excellent condition. Only I can not tell if this is because of this coating or not. It may be hiding rust underneath, I should scrape away some to see what it looks like under the coating. But it was not done in the smallest corner. You can see that on thr second picture. But where the original grey color is visible, I can not see any rust either, so I guess I'm fine.
John
DMCVegas
08-31-2012, 07:13 AM
One way a Delorean got undercoated was the selling dealer. It was very popular for the dealers to offer undercoating as a service on new cars. They made a lot of money doing it. Takes about 15 minutes and uses around $15 worth of materiel. They could charge as much as $150 for it. New owners also did it too. You could take the car to a shop and have it done before you drove the car much and got it all dirty. One of the more popular ones was wax based. They would drill holes all over the car and shoot it into the doors, the rockers, the inner quarter panels, etc. Really of no value on the Delorean with the fiberglass underbody, epoxy coated frame and S/S panels. It was mainly done for cosmetic purposes, to cover any surface rust. Many believe it was done at the QAC centers for that purpose and seems to be very common on the late '82's and all of the '83's. It is very messy to remove and by now is just a hard, caked on mess. Moisture would get behind it (just like the epoxy) and rot the metal underneath. Best way to remove it is by mechanical means. Snap-On makes a pneumatic tool that chops it right off in tiny chunks but it is still a messy job.
David Teitelbaum
Every time someone mentions undercoating, all I can think about is this guy:
http://veggiemacabre.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/425fargo101707.jpg
I too thought that I had read somewhere that the New Jersey QAC had commissioned batches of '82 & '83 cars to have the undercoating sprayed on because of cars that had sat on the docks in salt air from the ocean for a prolonged period of time and caused rust. They were either trying to cover up some rust, or were preventing it from happening again after a batch of cars had the problem.
Bitsyncmaster
08-31-2012, 08:29 AM
What I see on my undercoated car is the sharp edges on the frame have a little rust but nothing on flat surfaces. I guess the undercoating got thin on edges and after the epoxy cracked it rusted. I like the black color looking at the back end of the car. It keeps your eyes looking at the car and not a gray frame under it. Any solvent will strip it off but what a messy job to do.
skipwater
04-29-2013, 07:56 PM
Has anyone used Waxoyl Exterior Protection Hardwax (http://www.waxoyl-usa.com/products/corrosion-prevention) for touch up of their under coating? I have a few sections that I need to apply the coating to. And was wondering how close of a match it would be?
It sounds like the same material that in on the car.
"A wax based underbody sealant for all types of vehicles and metal structures that forms a tough flexible barrier against corrosion causing elements. Combines the strongest chemical protection with a protective wax layer that will not crack, chip, drip, or dry out."
After 30 years it still has not failed.
Skip
Jonathan
04-29-2013, 09:36 PM
What I see on my undercoated car is the sharp edges on the frame have a little rust but nothing on flat surfaces.
Mine would also be described in much the same way.
john 05141
04-30-2013, 03:54 AM
Still I'd like to know if the black frame looks like what I have. It is not a smooth surface at all.
Earlier in this thread it said it was done for east coast Deloreans, mine was Delivered in California.
So still wonder..
Jan
Bitsyncmaster
04-30-2013, 04:26 AM
Still I'd like to know if the black frame looks like what I have. It is not a smooth surface at all.
Earlier in this thread it said it was done for east coast Deloreans, mine was Delivered in California.
So still wonder..
Jan
That is pretty much what all undercoat looks like. I think you can still buy it in spray cans if you want to do touch up. I used some on my heat shield so it matched the rest of the car under the back.
skipwater
04-30-2013, 09:35 AM
That is pretty much what all undercoat looks like. I think you can still buy it in spray cans if you want to do touch up. I used some on my heat shield so it matched the rest of the car under the back.
I ordered a spray can and will see how it go's.
What happened was I change a water hose under the car and used break clean to clean up around the pipes. And what do you know break clean removes the under coating instantly from everything it touches.
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