Spare Tire Tub Paint?

[Don L.]

I'm in the process of restoring my C3 tub, and see in an archived thread that "semi gloss" black is to be used for the "V" brace on the bottom tub. I've had great success with SEM paint products, but according to my local dealer, it's only available in matte and gloss. Does anyone have a tip or advice on what paint is the best choice?

[Jack C.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

Plasti-kote #361 is Semi Gloss Black

[Don L.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

Thanks, Jack. I hope I can find it and I hope it works as well as the SEM paints. That stuff is awesome!

[Kurt G.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

As an option, if you like the SEM product, get the matte, and hit it with some polishing compound until you get the desired amount of "gloss".

[Rich G.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

While your on the subject of spare tires, what do you suggest for the tub itself. Its clean but has 30+ years of exposure. ( and a few scrapes)

[Alan S.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

Hi Rich,
I cleaned my tub with lacquer thinner, did a little repair where it had been scraped and then put a dusting of semi-gloss clear on it. It looks pretty nice and natural.
Regards,
Alan

[Steven G.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

O.K. now I am a bit confused about 1970 spare tire tub finish. I am pretty sure the metal v brace is painted semi gloss black. Should the fiberglass tub be painted semi gloss black or natural fiberglass finish? I was thinking there may be black out on some areas of tub. Could someone add their openion? Thanks

[Jack C.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

I believe it's natural with maybe some undercoat on it from the factory. Use WD-40 to refresh the fiberglass look.

[Don L.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

The polishing compound sounds like a good idea. My local paint store manager suggested a coat of SEM clear semi gloss over the matte SEM paint, which I had been considering.

As for the WD 40, wouldn't this leave it attracting road dust, etc?

One more thing. When I removed the "V" brace, I found a very nice, clean Rockwell decal in tact. I had not seen these UNDER the brace before. Has anyone else found one there?

[Michael G.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

Yes Don,
My 71 has the label also in the indented slot that the bracket goes. The WD-40 would be a good solvent for the removal of the black overspray, but would definetely attract dirt if not removed. I found a product ( I think it was Turtle wax Ice) that was designed for the treatment of plastic pieces. Works well with no residual to attract dust.
Best of luck, Mike

[Chuck S.]

Re: Spare Tire Tub Paint?

The polishing compound sounds like a good idea. My local paint store manager suggested a coat of SEM clear semi gloss over the matte SEM paint, which I had been considering.

As for the WD 40, wouldn't this leave it attracting road dust, etc?

One more thing. When I removed the "V" brace, I found a very nice, clean Rockwell decal in tact. I had not seen these UNDER the brace before. Has anyone else found one there?

It's a date code tag, with the date being in a week/year format WW-YY.

Date decals on spare tubs are not uncommon, but not all the tubs have them. Existence of date code tags on other fiberglass panels is much more consistent in my experience. It's location UNDER the brace is coincidental...you can see them anywhere on the bottom of the tub. If the date precedes your car's build date by several weeks, it's likely the original; if not, then the date can't be seen anyway.