#3283 received a full undercoating treatment, likely at the selling dealership. When I say that everything was coated, I am not exaggerating. Springs, shocks, fuel lines, brake lines, fuel tank, A-arms, sway bars, front wheel well liners...nothing was left to spare.  Not to be outdone, the seam sealant and waterproofing mastic appliers at Lordstown were not to be outdone as sealer and mastic covered engine bay panels and the main wiring harness block, master cylinder and firewall fasteners with a think, coat of the stuff. 

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Removal required a relentless effort to remove every last bit of these materials.  What I discovered as layers (and pounds!) of undercoating were removed was sheetmetal that carried the blue metallic paint finish.  There was a debate amongst knowledgeable Cosworth advisors that the underbody was never finished in body color, but evidence was everywhere that it had been finished.  Going back to the signed paper I found, there seems little question that #3283 was, indeed, a very special car.

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After countless dozens of hours, once the underbody was down to the base coat of paint, I scuffed every area with an aggressive Scotchbrite pad, followed by a good cleaning with a pre-finish solution. It was now ready for paint.

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I constructed an underbody 'paint booth' isolating the exterior body and the floor of the garage with plastic sheeting sealed at the front of the car and vented out the rear with a large exhaust fan. Donning a full paint suit, googles and respirator, I methodically worked my way rearward with 3 coats of single stage paint leaving the finish dry to a natural semi-gloss finish approximating the finish I found once the undercoating was removed. 

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It was a massive task, but #3283 deserved it and it simply had to be done.  The result is exactly as the car left the assembly line in Lordstown, Ohio, which has been the guidance on the project from the start.