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MG MGB Technical - Inner fender paint

I am having my car repainted and am wondering what colour to paint the inner fenders. Is it body colour or as I have noticed most of the cars in my area are painted black.
Bill Mason

Bill-
If "Originality" is important to you, the wheel wells were painted the same color as the body on every car that left the factory. However, unless you're building a "Concours-correct" show car, there's a much more practical approach. Do all of the following with the splash panels and fenders off of the car. First, spray the inside of the fenders, the splash panels, the area between the splash panel and the door, and the wellwells with three coats of zinc-based rustproofing primer. Next, spray with at least one coat of black epoxy, urethane, or something else that is close to bulletproof. Finally, coat with Dupont rustproofing. This stuff dries into a practical rubber-like black coating that will do a great job of protecting against rust as, being rubber-like, flying stones won't scratch through it. It looks a lot like black asphalt. One of the best cosmetic aspects of black wheelwells is that if you're fitting polished aluminum or chrome spoke wheels, they'll stand out much better. I did the entire underside of my car this way. No rust anywhere.
Steve S.

You know, if the DuPont rustproofer that Steve talked about will take a coat of paint you could shoot over it with your body color and then the car would be "original," if that's what you're after. At least in 1970, they sprayed(?) that tar/asphalt like stuff on the undersides and under fenders, etc. onto 'Bs and then put paint over that.
Do you get that stuff at body shop supply places, Steve?
Wade Keene

Both of my cars, a 71 BGT in original condition and my 72 B had some sort of rubberized coating on the inside of the fenders and had factory paint on top. It gives the best of both worlds. Looks like the 71BGT came like that because there is no paint on grommets or anything else that should not be blue. The 72 has been repainted a couple of time so I can't say on it. FWIW
gerry masterman

Wade-
Yep, you can get it at any autobody supply shop that handles Dupont products, which is just about any autobody supply shop in the USA. I don't know if it can be painted. I'll check with my supplier and post the information this evening.
Steve S.

On my V-8 restoration, we used a European stippled "schutz" paint of the type that Mercedes uses on their rocker panels. We did the whole underside with this paint, which was then painted with body color. You have the double advantage of chip resistance plus the OEM body color look. Don't remember the exact brand, but most paint shops will know it as rocker panel paint.

BTW, Wade, I noticed your letter in this month's issue of British Car Magazine. I hope you check out the 3-part restoration article on my GT V-8 (first part is in the current issue). Although I had a professional do the paint and body work, most of the disassembly, component restoration, and assembly was all mine. And although the car has a V-8 engine and has the steering wheel on the "wrong" side, the rest of the car is MGB-GT, not a rare design.

Cheers,
Paul Kile
Paul Kile

Hi Paul,
And likewise I noticed your article, which is very good. The funny thing is, I wrote that letter to the editor nearly a year ago after seeing quite a few of the British Car issues focusing mainly on obscure makes at the expense, as I still see it, of information that I could use and writing on cars that I may someday SEE, and possibly own. I found it interesting that they finally printed my letter in an issue that starts to cure some of my gripes in that respect.
Wade
Wade

This thread was discussed between 15/11/2001 and 16/11/2001

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