Under hood paint

[Andrew C]

Hi all,

I own a Feb 66 US spec MK1 LC (happy 50th old girl). She has never been restored and is very original (down to the wiring loom stickers). Behind the cylinder head, the ermine white paint has rubbed and a dull green paint (a bit like SE cam cover colour green) is clearly visible here and at a couple of other spots. I believe the paint under the hood to be original. Interestingly, I have seen another very original US spec car here in Australia and noticed the exact same thing. Any thoughts? did Lotus or Ford apply an undercoat in these areas? Is it a sealant?I will take a pic tonight and post.

Look forward to hearing from others.

Cheers
Andy

 

[MLI]

You can usually see areas painted in primer + some Ermine White "overspray" underneath the car (the chassis on these cars weren't fully painted/top coated, it looks like some areas underneath were done in primer only).
But haven't spotted any green(ish) primer in the engine bay on my LHD 66 LC yet.

 

[Andrew C]

Thanks for the reply. I'll try an take pics tonight. I have two young boys, so it is easy to achieve nothing when I get home

 

[Rob]

I owned a 66 US spec Lotus Cortina around 8 years ago
This car had pale green primer under the ermine white top coat
Also had a one piece front bumper.

Regards

Rob

 

[DaveC]

I seem to recall that when my 66 RHD engine bay got treated to a re spray, the old paint that was removed revealed a pale green undercoat in the scuttle area.

 

[Bruce Miles]

I have a 66 original LHD 32000 ml car.It appears these cars were dipped in a brown pre paint tank then partially painted from each side as you can see up the transmission tunnel and down from the engine bay the original dip colour shows through with the ermine white not completely sprayed over.
My cars paintwork is original save the bonnet and lower front panel which I had to respray due to light denting.
Could exposure to sun or age in some climates cause this coat to change.
My car had extensive time in garages by the one owner as he was a career airforce pilot and posted overseas.
Cheers

 

[johnwest]

I see the light green on my 66 LHD as i am stripping all the paint off, It seems to be visible more in the areas where seam sealer was used, I wonder if it was something used which didn't react to seam sealer?

 

[Andrew C]

Thanks for the replies folks - Interesting.. I assume the same treatment was applied to rhd cars of the same period? The three rhd cars I have owned had all been repainted (all spent some time in the UK prior to arriving in Australia).

Regards,

Andy