68 GT350 sealant question

[Corey Bowcutt]

I am in the process of stripping the undercoating off the bottom of my car and in doing so am removing the factory/PO installed sealant as well.  I want to make sure I only replace the sealant that is supposed to be there.  I have already looked at Pete's amazing section on sealant at Thecoralsnake.com.  It as well as the painting section is really helping me a lot.  However I have a question,  I had sealant along the pinch weld that seemed factory but can not be certain.  There is no mention of this area in Pete's description which would lead me to believe it should not be there. Should there be sealant along the pinch weld between the pinch weld and the floor?

Thank you,

Corey

[Coralsnake]

There is sealant there. To seal the floor to the rockers.

I believe its brushed after primer, but lets see what others can add...

[Corey Bowcutt]

Thank you Pete, that is what I figured.  So from Petes sealant guide it seems there should be sealant around the 4 seat belt doublers, around the rear torque torque box, around the 4 floor plugs and between the pinch welds and the floor.  Are there any other areas that got factory sealant?

Corey

[Royce Peterson]

Lots and lots of them. Around the rear wheel houses at the bottom. Many places where sections of the cowl are welded together. Too many to describe using a keyboard!

Thank you Pete, that is what I figured.  So from Petes sealant guide it seems there should be sealant around the 4 seat belt doublers, around the rear torque torque box, around the 4 floor plugs and between the pinch welds and the floor.  Are there any other areas that got factory sealant?

Corey

[Bob Gaines]

Thank you Pete, that is what I figured.  So from Petes sealant guide it seems there should be sealant around the 4 seat belt doublers, around the rear torque torque box, around the 4 floor plugs and between the pinch welds and the floor.  Are there any other areas that got factory sealant?

Corey

They are not all the same sealant. The floor plugs sealant were similar to strip caulk that NPD or Virginia sells for example. FYI make sure they are installed properly and not upside down because it is a common mistake .Confirm and don't take for granted which way is right side up.You can't change them without taking out the interior so do it right the first time.

[Corey Bowcutt]

Thank you Bob.  The attached picture shows what mine look like installed.  I have not removed them yet to clean them up.  Does this look like they are installed correctly?

Corey

[Bob Gaines]

Thank you Bob.  The attached picture shows what mine look like installed.  I have not removed them yet to clean them up.  Does this look like they are installed correctly?

Corey

Yes . They were galvanized originally and installed after painting process. Hammertone silver in a spray can is the easiest faux finish .The are more convincing but more labor intensive ones too.   

[J_Speegle]

There is sealant there. To seal the floor to the rockers.

I believe its brushed after primer, but lets see what others can add...

Applied with a caulking gun/applicator then wiped with a rage dipped in solvent or kerosene can't recall which one the assembly manual calls for but then each plant might have used a different solvent. I find a 1 inch chip brush with all but the last 1/4" of the bristles cut off helpful in reproducing the effect

[Rodster-500]

Thank you Bob.  The attached picture shows what mine look like installed.  I have not removed them yet to clean them up.  Does this look like they are installed correctly?

Corey

Yes . They were galvanized originally and installed after painting process. Hammertone silver in a spray can is the easiest faux finish .The are more convincing but more labor intensive ones too.

I forget....what was the purpose of these?

[J_Speegle]

I forget....what was the purpose of these?

It appears that Ford engineers sort of automatically included the ribs and drains in all floor plans created during this era. For more expensive cars that were dipped in primer sealer it allowed paint inside the car that would flow downward and collect on these lower panels, to flow out of the car (ribs  strengthened the panels and channeled paint to the drains) back into the vat

Sine Mustangs, Falcons and other models were not dipped they were not used or needed but still included in the design since the ribbing of the floor was a positive factor.