Underneath body

alpine5gt · Post by **alpine5gt** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:49 am

I have researched the web sites regarding the underneath colour of our cars. The general comment was it was "body colour". I beg to differ, I am in the process of a full rotisseri restore of a Tiger Mk1. This car was one owner and had a hard life, it had extensive impact damage. I have removed bonnet, boot, doors, both front and rear right guards (bugger of a job). It is now upsdie down and I have started to remove that sound deadining stuff. Underneath is pristine dull red primer, under that bare metal. Now this is all good. No rust. Our american friends (and a aussie or 2) are telling me the underneath was all body colour. I do not believe it. this car has all the origional rubber plugs, the doors had origional wax covering the screws. It has been repainted because of prangs but not underneath. What is the general feeling? comments please.

gtsmrt · Post by **gtsmrt** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 11:27 am

If your Tiger is un-touched from new, well that is proof that not all were painted the same underneath (can't dispute that). Is your Tiger an early Mk I?

martin172 · Post by **martin172** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:00 pm

I'd go along with that Robin.

I read somewhere that the MK1A was a cost cutting exercise and if this is the case, it shows that Rootes were always on the lookout for opportunities to save money.
Why paint something that can't be seen and the undercoat and underseal will do a handsome job of protecting?

If I get the chance I'll post some pics later to show what I found on my car.

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:53 pm

I am taking the underseal off of my car and no colour exists other than the red primer.

I saw another untouched Tiger last week having its underseal removed and that was the same ( although the owner says he has seen body colour under some cars he has worked on and he knows his Tigers).

It may be that overspray got underneath some cars when they were painted at the factory then undersealed afterwards?

If you are a purist black textured stone-chip is close but if you arn't do it how you want.

michael-king · Post by **michael-king** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 12:40 pm

While this is a discussion that started on another board (CAT) i will repost here for a broarder sample group. (of note should be the SV alpine given they share the MKIA/II body and the same cost cutting efforts)

Some period road test pics from the brooklands books from Alpine SII to SV and Tiger. All showing painted inner guards front and rear (of note is that many of the cars in other pics where lighting is not as good in other shots in the article make the wheel arches appear dark due to shadow) Click for larger images:

Motor Sport April 1965 Tiger MKI:

Sports Car Graphic 1966 February SV Alpine:

AUTOCAR 1962 February Harrington LM

AUTOCAR 1963 December SII Alpine

Road and Track 1961 October SII Alpine

I am gogin to view an unmolested, unrestored, low milage no accident SIV on the weekend.. i got the owner to inspect the car in regards to this.. and there is body colour in the guards, ends of the cross braces and apprears to have had templetes similar to those used to paint the grill area black to prevent underseal getting onto the sills and rear valence

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:12 pm

Just looking through some photos and a guy in California I speak with bought a very early completely original tiger recently. The car IS painted body colour inside the wheel arches.

garyv8tiger · Post by **garyv8tiger** » Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:50 pm

underseal was an extra ,in the old days .

michael-king · Post by **michael-king** » Tue Dec 06, 2011 8:24 am

Ok, apart from the period pics of both tigers and alpines.. i finally got to go view the original unrestored alpine SIVGT down here.. no repairs, fully documented car (not quite as nice as the John Boggis owned SIVGT auto in the UK) but comparable in originality.

A little belated.. but the pics from the unmolested SIVGT:

http://community.webshots.com/album/581938227YhwvTT

Some intersting things to come out of the crawl and tell..
Rootes maksed the rear 1/4 sills to ensure the black undercoating didnt get where you can see it.
They sealed over the gromets on the boot floor (you can see the body colour under the gromet when we took it out)
Where the sealer has chipped off the X brace under the car there is body colour, and the cross bracing shows runs of the sealer that go upwards indicating it must have been done on a rotiserie.
There is body colour over the sealer in the front guards AND UNDER it.
There is body colour at the end of the X brace where it meets the sills, they have masked it to ensure the selaer didnt go over the part you can see, they also seem to have polished it smooth too.
There is body color under the selaer in the rear wings.. as can bee seen where the tank bolts were removed.

A few more pics in the album so have a browse.