'67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

[Kirk M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Kirk, others -- well I took the battery panel off my early '65. Here's 3 pics of the inner fender, taken from the engine side, to show the state of the fiberglass under the bolt heads.

The first thumbnail is of the top outside bolt (you can see the A/C washer bag bracket). The second is down to the middle of the panel, outboard, near the vent gills (you can see the tire tread). The third is of the extreme bottom of the inboard panel hole. Position as taken from the steering box, pointing outboard.

I picked these 3 locations, as they'd be less subject to a "freshening" by spray bomb (that is, owners prior to 1980).

So, this is a sort of Rorschach test -- make of it what you may. IMO, the bolts were in place (hence the panel) when the interior engine compartment black-out was applied. OR .... as the bolts were tightened and loosened over the years, the paint was worn off; [take your pick].

Wayne,

Mine looks exactly the same, especially evident at the top near the window washer bag. So, that makes 2 cars that indicate that the bolts were in place and hence so was the panel before blackout occurred. I'm sold, and for me the question is answered.

[Michael H.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Wayne,

Mine looks exactly the same, especially evident at the top near the window washer bag. So, that makes 2 cars that indicate that the bolts were in place and hence so was the panel before blackout occurred. I'm sold, and for me the question is answered.

Are both cars St Louis built bodies? I agree, every one I've ever seen, or paid any attention to, appears to have had the panel in place during blackout/undercoat but maybe Smith bodies were different?

[Kirk M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Are both cars St Louis built bodies? I agree, every one I've ever seen, or paid any attention to, appears to have had the panel in place during blackout/undercoat but maybe Smith bodies were different?

No, mine is an AO Smith body. A-2731 with an April 3, 1967 time build code. I will snap a pic tonight and post just so there is photographic evidence. Kirk

[Wayne M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Are both cars St Louis built bodies? I agree, every one I've ever seen, or paid any attention to, appears to have had the panel in place during blackout/undercoat but maybe Smith bodies were different?

Michael -- my 51014xx coupe has St.Louis body S280; car was completed first day after the strike was over; body might have sat partially assembled for the 6 weeks or so of strike duration. I've seen a few things seem to indicate the UAW boys weren't in a mood to follow the AIM religiously. One point is that the battery panel itself has no foam strip on the top (and never had -- no evidence of glue). Then, when the panel was installed and wheelwell undercoat applied, the goo ran down from the top, between the overlap of panel to fenderskirt. I'll try to get some pics.

The undercoating on this car's battery door was not as heavy as that applied to my late St.Louis L78.

[Tony S.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

My '65 battery access panel has original undercoating and black out paint on the tire side. As for the engine compartment side, there is some blackout paint where the painter could reach, but as it bends in towards the outer fender, it is bare fiberglass. My car is a St. Louis car built July 29, 1965.

My 1967 C60 access panel looked very similar to the one on my '65 L78 car.

Hope that helps.
Tony

[Michael H.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Michael -- my 51014xx coupe has St.Louis body S280; car was completed first day after the strike was over; body might have sat partially assembled for the 6 weeks or so of strike duration. I've seen a few things seem to indicate the UAW boys weren't in a mood to follow the AIM religiously. One point is that the battery panel itself has no foam strip on the top (and never had -- no evidence of glue). Then, when the panel was installed and wheelwell undercoat applied, the goo ran down from the top, between the overlap of panel to fenderskirt. I'll try to get some pics.

The undercoating on this car's battery door was not as heavy as that applied to my late St.Louis L78.

That makes sense Wayne. If the panel weren't in place during the undercoat process, there would either be no undercoat near the lower edge, or there would be undercoat splattered all over the firewall. (unless some sort of shield was installed to prevent it)
I can't think of any reason why the body couldn't have been lowered on to the chassis with the access door bolted in place.

[Wayne W.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

From all indications looking at them over the years, I have come to the following determinations.

1) the battery panel was painted black before assembly

2) the rivets may or may not have been riveted. I see some that are and some that aint.

3) The cutout was done at body build.

4) the undercoat was done on the body first, before blackout.

5) The blackout was done prior to the battery panel instal

6) The undercoat on the panel was done separately and then installed on the body after body drop.

So that leaves us with a panel that has undercoating on the nuts and rivets on the wheel side, and unpainted bolts on the endine side. Undercoats of various amounts of coverage.

Thats my story and I`m sticking to it.

[Kirk M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Wayne W,

The only problem with the panel not being installed at time of blackout is the fact that several of us have no blackout paint under the bolt heads on the engine side, which would strongly suggest that the panel was bolted in place BEFORE engine side blackout was done. Can't explain it, except that is the way the cars look to several of us.

[Wayne W.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Wayne W,

The only problem with the panel not being installed at time of blackout is the fact that several of us have no blackout paint under the bolt heads on the engine side, which would strongly suggest that the panel was bolted in place BEFORE engine side blackout was done. Can't explain it, except that is the way the cars look to several of us.

Blackout was done long before body drop. If it had any black on the bolts on the engine side, either there was a touch up operation, or it was owner inspired.

[Michael H.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Blackout was done long before body drop. If it had any black on the bolts on the engine side, either there was a touch up operation, or it was owner inspired.

But, if some original cars show no engine compartment side blackout paint under the bolt, that means that panel was painted with the bolt, and the filler panel, in place.

[Kirk M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

The telling feature here isn't black on the bolts, but rather NO black on the fiberglass under the bolts. So, if the panel isn't there when the body is blacked out before dropping, the area around the access panel bolt holes should be black from blackout. In contrast, several of us with "unmolested cars" are observing UNPAINTED fiberglass under the bolt heads. The only functional way this could have happened is if the access door was in place when the car was blacked out. This would leave an unpainted ghost ring under each bolt as we are seeing. My car is an AO Smith, so I have no idea if St. Louis and Smith were done differently, but I believe the other cars mentioned were St. Louis. Also, if undercoating was done before panel install wouldn't we all be seeing undercoat splashes on the firewall around our battery areas? Obviously, I have no first-hand knowledge of what was actually done, and am only trying to surmise the process from the tell-tale clues I see on the car.

[Wayne W.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

But, if some original cars show no engine compartment side blackout paint under the bolt, that means that panel was painted with the bolt, and the filler panel, in place.

You were there. You tell me. Would those guys install that panel on the line, as hard as those bolts are to get to and start, run them down tight so that paint couldnt get under them, do the black out, and then remove it for body drop? I dont think so. I have examples that have paint under the bolts.

[Kirk M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

You were there. You tell me. Would those guys install that panel on the line, as hard as those bolts are to get to and start, run them down tight so that paint couldnt get under them, do the black out, and then remove it for body drop? I dont think so. I have examples that have paint under the bolts.

Wayne,

Why would the panel have to be removed to do the body drop?

From an evidence perspective, I can see how the bolts would have to be in place before blackout to get the "white" rings underneath them. I cannot fathom how or why owners would sand away blackout just under the bolts to make those rings in an effort to create what I'm seeing, if the panel wasn't in place before blackout. Guess maybe my panel could be a replacement panel that was painted that way with the panel in place after an accident or something?

From the opposite perspective. Let's say you have the white rings because the panel was originally in place during blackout, but then during later ownership the area is repainted without the door in place - bingo no rings.

I'm not trying to argue here, I'm just trying to understand the evidence we have in hand.

Kirk

[Wayne M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

I'll take pics of my early S-body '65 which shows panel in place when undercoat applied. Gotta remove the RF wheel to get the angle.

In the meantime, here's a buncha pics I posted last Oct 7th, or thereabouts; they're from a really late L78 S-body. Heavy undercoat. Caveat: I now realize I was overly agressive with lacquer thinner at the bolt holes; ie. I now am convinced the panel was painted black both sides before the foam strip or nuts were installed.

IMO, no rivets held the nuts on either the late battery cover below, or in my early '65 cover. Just found out am limited to 4 images; 3 to follow.

[Wayne M.]

Re: '67 AC Car Battery Access Panel Question

Here's the other Oct 7th pics from same late '65 L78 S-body panel.