Should there be black paint behind the cowl vent?

[cabrachian]

Larry, pardon me for using your picture, but it's perfect for this.

I'm a sucker for details that only appear on handmade cars. The other day I noticed on a later 80s 911 that the body-colored metal behind the cowl screen and to which it attaches was handpainted flat black (just like the outside edges of the insides of the doors). Obviously, it's aesthetic so the color doesn't stick out from behind the screen.


My question, if anyone knows for sure, is when did the factory start doing this if they haven't done it all along?

[pwd72s]

I'm no expert on what years this was or wasn't done. But I can tell you that on my '72, those areas are black...as done at the factory.

[70SATMan]

I'd chime in but, the PO of my 70 repainted my silver car black...Bastard!!!

I can honestly say mine is black

Course, I agree...I think it should be black.

[pwd72s]

Poor Larry. He's probably out there scrambling for some black paint as I post.

[Zeke]

What you should see in there is the inside of the blower housing which is black plastic and the rubber gasket, also black. It seems like darn few mask it off during the whole painting process and they get primed and full of dust from the body shop. Each trip down this lane and it gets worse. I cleaned mine up with some rags and sticks using Laquer thinner while it was out. Looks a lot better. The support behind the screen would normally be the body color, to the best of my knowledge, but the screen covers most of the visible part.

[larry47us]

Cabrachian: Feel free to use any pictures you want.

Paul: OK, Now you've done it. Black paint, but with what kind of finish? Flat, satin, semi-gloss, full gloss, and which black . . . I mean, if I'm going to do this right . . . . .

Zeke: I'm with you, bud. Thanks for the rescue. When I pulled off that fiberboard cover, I was starting down a whole new voyage. Then I remembered. "Oh, this is COVERED." (big sigh of relief.)

larry

[cabrachian]

Well, the good news, Larry, is that the factory flat black paint finish appears to have been hastily and sloppily brushed on.

[pwd72s]

yep...looks like a brush job. In the same semi-flat but not quite semi-gloss that they used on the other black areas...