my 71 R/T challenger still has its factory undercoating, does this make the value of the car go down when i go to sell it? Thank You Moparts..

I think it would depend on the condition of the rest of the car and rarity of the car. For example, is the rest of the car restored or is it original also? Is it a Hemi/440-6 car?

A lot will depend on the buyer and if the undercoating is "correct" in appearance when redone.
If the buyer wants a correctly restored car and you have a build sheet calling out the undercoating than to have the undercoating on the car done properly should not hurt sale value. My 2 ¢

I am curious,,,, what do you guys consider "factory undercoating" ?

"Factory" style undercoating is quite a bit different than what is offered today. The old "factory" undercoat had a higher base composition of petroleum Tar. The old stuff was thicker but the aspect that gave it the "original" look was the method by which it was applied. It was not sprayed on with a forced air (suction) setup but with a pressurized pot system. The material was forced into a large vat and the pressure was applied BEHIND the material via a pressure piston that forced the material through (and to) the application wand. The material came out EXTREMELY fast and HEAVY!! Large amounts of material could be quickly dispensed which is what gave the "correct" surface pattern that you see when documenting the unique appearance of a factory undercoating job!

I agree about the equipment and application methods,,, but still dont understand the "factory" terminolgy as it never was done at the "factory"...

Actually, it was.

are you positive Barry?

I really would have to dissagree...

I am positive Larry.

Some dealerships would & could do their own, but it was also factory applied option.

Larry,
If you get time, you should share your 'back in the day' undercoating story with us, I do not remember all the details.

Barry

Ok guys,, heres a lil insite...

in late 72 and early 73. I worked for a company called Convoy Company in Kent Wa. Convoy was the forwarder of the new AMC, Ford, and Chrysler vehicles when they were sent to the dealers. Forwarders were used everywhere..

The vehicles would come to us on railcars,they wre unloaded and then we processed them.

The first part of the processing was a bath, yes they would come in filthy.
Some would have to be ran through the car wash more than once to get clean..

Next the cars that were coded for undercoating went through the undercoating bay...wheelwel or complete jobs
Sorry guys but those cars came off the factory line and railcars like a babys bottom,,, nothing on them...didnt you ever wonder why there is no undercoating above the gas tank?

The cars were then masked off , undercoated and then sent to the detail bays.

The cars then were vacumed out, windows washed ect. Wanna ask where a lot of build sheets went?

The cars then went to a mechanic who double checked all lighting, heater, radio ext to be working.

The cars were then parked in their respective order to be transported to the dealers.

We processed thousands of cars for Wa, Id, Mt and the fridged state of Ak...

cool!

Could you describe the spray equipment used?

you bet

the undercoating came in 35 gallon drums.
It was pumped via the old style pumps that were air driven.
The air pressure drove the pump that sucked and then pushed the goop to the spray gun.
The spray gun was a Binks style of gun with a large tip. It attached to the pump with a long hose.


There was 2 guys in the UC bay One was the sprayer and the other was the masker.
It was a messy job.
They would tape their sleeves, cuffs and necks and anywhere else to try be as clean as possible. They coated themselves with vasoline to help to stay clean.
In the time that I was there, we had 4 different guys doing the spraying. There wasnt any set pattern as to how the UC was applied as long as the job got done...

Do undercoated cars also have a underhood pad?

340shorty, that is a great story.

My car is coded J55 and whether the factory did it or the forwarder, it was on the car pretty heavy and really protected the floors well.

BUT, I don't think we have really answered the original Poster's question. In my answer above, I was trying to find out more info. about the car because I think it would help us to answer his question.

DISCLAIMER> I'm no expert so the following are just my thoughts.

I would think if the car was a Survivor car, then value would not be hurt.

If the car were Restored back to "factory specs" and the original undercoat was not removed and shot with fresh "factory style" undercoating during the restoration then the value might suffer. Some people may be concerned with what lies between the undercoat and steel. Maybe rust has started but is hard to see because of the undercoat. Also, since money was spent to make the rest of the car nice, it may seem like a shortcut was taken by not removing the undercoat to a potential buyer.

As SAWDUST, said above, if the car was coded for it and it was Restored and the undercoating done "right" then value would not be hurt.

All that being said. Many people (that are non-purist) like the Over-restored look (ie painted bottom) on a "Restofied" car. Therefore, your market for those who like the factory undercoat is smaller.