HELP-Whats this discoloration on bottom of 328?

Correct, the picture was taken at the back of the car looking towards the front. Not sure what kind of "paint" it is and if it was meant to cover up something like an engine fire etc.

 

It's spray-on factory undercoat. It will be all over the place under there, and is kind of waxy. At least it looks it to me from the pictures. A fingernail will scrape it off.

You have no worries at all if that's what it is.

 

Long way from the accelerator cable.


Looks to me like OE undercoating on the brake line.

It was called Dinol. It stays somewhat soft forever.

 

Why would they spray it on partially? What is it intended to protect? It does not appear to have been sprayed on the right side of the car and cable.

 

This is not a guess.

The OD green/gold/copper/brown or whatever you want to call it is Dinol. The factory undercoating. It was often very haphazardly applied , especially in the early days of its use (I think it started in 85). It often looked as though they had hired Ray Charles to spray it on. On some cars the engine trans and body recieved more of it than the chassis.

Spray some carburettor cleaner on it. It will drip off onto the floor.


They even had a training school for applying it back in 86 or so, so that we could perform the "C" services. In fact I am a trained Dinol application specialist. Pretty impressive Huh? Ray Charles has nuttin on me.

That is not a cable, it is a brake hydraulic pipe.

 

More importantly, did you polish the underside of that car? It looks fantastic!

 

Sheesh, don't worry about!!!

The car is about 20 yrs old; a little discolouration here and there doesn't mean anything.

If all else seems good, buy the friggin' thing.

Even a new Ferrari will show signs of use, as they are driven before being put on the boat.

 

I don't know about the brake line and Dinol but I have a huch for the exhaust screen. I'd be willing to bet...... well not much when you get down to a few pics on the internet really! It looks like either the paint has come off the exhaust shield or the heat has gotten to it. If the 328 exhaust is laid out roughly the same as an old 308 the elbow from the rear bank comes very close to where that screen would be. That's a lot of heat for any metal to take without some sign.

Just my opinion but I'd quit worrying about this little stuff that nobody will ever see but your mechanic and worry about the big items like maintenance and rust!! Looks like a great car from the few pics you've posted!!

 

On my car (84 QV), it's completely randome where they sprayed that stuff.
The frame got most of it, but so did the a-arms, shocks, springs, differential, side of the transmission, etc. It's just a crude rust protection(at best), applied with some type of sprayer.

If you can't get to the car, just have someone who can go and scrape a little off. If it's wax-like, it's the undercoat.

You can see it all over the a-arm in the photo below from my car. Yes, the shot bushing in the photo has been replaced since this photo. Brake fluid removed it with some scrubbing from all the a-arms during my suspension rebuild. There was pretty black paint underneath. You can see how some of the Dinol came off when a wrench scraped across the a-arm.

good luck-
jwise
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one of the cleanest ones i've seen. if it checks out and the price is right, you should grab it fast.

 

LOL, Ray Charles...you're killing me brian.

oddly my `81 mondi is 'blindly' covered in this stuff. at least it was shot into the rockers and undersides of the panels. they even pulled the door panels and spit it here and there.

the gas tank has odd spots of it too. but brians right it was applied in the oddest fashion. i was just replacing more bushing on my suspenion and the aluminum dog link on the front sway bar had been hit with this stiff but only on one side.

reminds me of roofing tar or pitch. hey maybe it's more EPDM

 

The bottom of this car is completely different from mine. My one (europe 1986 GTS) has a black panel, no holes at all in it.
It seems aftermarket,ot reduce weight.
Ciao
Eugenio

 

Looks like my US market 87 328. Remember, we have cats, so there's more heat under there

 

Does Dinol perform the same function as the POR-15 coating?

 

I had overspray of that undercoating on my driverrs side area, the black skirt that runs the length of the car. I was able to scrape it with my finger nail off then I just grabbed some blech white tire cleaner and it came right off.

 

Here it is what mine looks like. Silver, not black...
Ciao
Eugenio
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Euro car, not a US car.

Apples and oranges