Hi All.. and as always... thanks in advance !

My simple throw-out bearing job (to finally get this 62 restoration back on the road), now expanded (Augghh.. more scope creep) into now refinishing the underside of the car while the clutch and bellhousing are out (see related threads)...

It is my understanding the underside of the 62's were the raw natural yellow-ish gel coat. As I strip and sand frame rails and the underside... (all coming down om my face as I lay on my back) I see areas that are blacked-out that to me seem like it was factory applied. The body seems to never have been off this car (looking at the body mount bolts and rust), but in many areas, especially the rear most area, spare tire well and nooks up into the rear bumper bracket area, seems too hard to get to to have been blacked out after the body was mounted.

Quick Question; Before I go too crazy sanding and stripping paint off the underside as part of my scope-creep TO bearing job... are there cases that any 62's came from the factory with any sections of the underside (incl rear wheel wells) blacked out ? The tranny tunnel area and floors under the seat are painted later, that seemed clear while I was scraping that paint off, but the underside paint that was in the muffler area back to the rear bumper was diff paint, and all those hard to get at nooks + crannies evenly covered, suggests these sections were blacked out before the body went on. If that is the case.. I can stop trying to strip those areas cleanly down to the gel coat (especially the spare wheel well area that I have not stripped yet) and focus on prepping the same areas for re-blacking those areas out.

PS: Owe an update with pics to my TO bearing thread.

Thanks !