Hi All,

Sorry for asking a question that has probably been asked before.
I have looked at many pics and searched the forum, but I cannot find a clear cut answer to my question.

What colour would an Oz delivered 66 Mini be underneath?
Were they painted body colour or a with a black(ish) underbody spray deadener?

If black, where was the transition to colour? Under the bulkhead in the engine bay? What about under the sills?

MANY thanks

They were all painted the body colour

Excellent. Thank you.

I am not sure if Brad means the whole underside was painted body colour.

My 1969 K, bought new and still going after 2 'refreshes', had most of the underside as black sound deadener but ripples - just a slightly smooth surface but not body colour painted.
The sides were colour coated below the external seams and under the sills where the sill panels curve in to join the floor pan. The colour faded out around the edge of the sill panels.
Wheel arches were colour coated over stone guard.
The rear panel was obviously painted which included the rear-facing side of the battery box.
All the engine bay and both inner guards were body colour. The colour extended down past the rack bracket and faded out at the bottom of the toe board where the floor pan began.

These are from my memory of the original paint pattern and I accept the problem with memories.
I have tried to replicate the same patterns with each of my 'refreshes'.

Thank you Bill, that's an excellent description.

The sills and engine bay are same colour as the body, inner wheel arches are same colour as body but with stone guard underneath. The floor pan probably fades out to stone guard. I need to find some good pics

You mean the underside of the floor pan I guess.
While I could well be wrong (memory issues) I think the underside of both my cars (which were not previously repainted) was black sound deadener. I do remember noticing the colour coat fading away to black at the edge line of the sills.

It is only circumstantial evidence but film of the paint booths I have seen show the bodies being sprayed in an upright position, making the underside hard to access at that point of the process but doesn't exclude the possibility of being sprayed elsewhere on the line. Would seem unnecessary for a cheap car, though.
Welcome other observations.

I just assumed the floor was the body colour before they put the underbody stoneguard on. But its probably the over spray around the sides that make it look like that.

there was a stone guard under the car and wheel arches, then painted over it

_________________