I'm putting a new fuel tank in our '69 Mach 1. My question is, were the fuel tanks painted at the factory? I had the tank and trunk area sprayed with undercoat when we had the body work and paint done. I seem to remember it was bare metal. Any thoughts on this?
Here are some excerpts from the Mustang Club of America judging rules:
1969 - 1970 MUSTANG CONCOURS TRAILERED / DRIVEN
5. UNDERCARRIAGE Points
A. Undercarriage:
Undercoating: No undercoating allowed in Trailered Class.
Undercoated Cars: Everything must be covered except drive shaft, transmission, rear-end housing, exhaust pipes, mufflers, clamps, springs and plates. Gas tank, fully undercoated or have overspray around leading front edge and two sides. Must show some evidence of overspray. Convertible plate must be undercoated.
Non-undercoated Cars: Undercarriage primer - red oxide (majority of 69s), dark gray or black with some body color and pinch weld paint overspray. (Primer paint drips should be visible for non-undercoated cars). Convertible plate, black or natural.
...................................................................................................................................................... 20
Workmanship, condition and cleanliness of undercoating. (Workmanship of undercoating must be poor quality or excessive to deduct points). Workmanship, condition and cleanliness of underside of floorpans .................................................................................................................................... 15
E. Gas Tank: Original type and Ni-terne steel finish. Drain plug, 69 - either. 70 - no plug. 70 cars with DSO 71 and 72 may have special tank with vapor return system ..................................... 2
Workmanship, condition and cleanliness .......................................................................................... 3
I feel this could make your gas tank last much longer from rust . If you are going to drive it . That,s is needed . If you plain on points or having it sit and used wants in a while . This should be up to you . C . L .
I replaced the fuel tank on my 73 Convertible about 6 years ago and left it natural. So far it still looks new, no rust or corrosion. Although I do not drive it in the rain or any bad weather.
I can't speak for the 69 Mach 1 - too many moons ago. On my son's 70 Maverick the tank was never painted. When we did his car we took the tank down to clean it up inside and out and then used a clear to return it to factory look but protected. We ended up with some small pin holes from cleaning it on the inside (I used small gravel and soap) and since I could not find one to purchase I used an awl to make the holes larger and used JB Weld to patch them. Well over a year and all is well.
Thanks for all the tips. Fed-Ex delivered the new tank today. Decided to undercoat the bottom side. We live on a gravel road 2 miles from the highway. Undercoating helps with the rock noise. While we do take it to local shows, we restored it to drive for fun. Car show in Manhattan, Ks May 7, we plan on going to, hoping for good weather.