Underbody coating, Factory or dealer? Options

[type4org]

My '76 has black undercoating that looks very professionally done, as if it came from the factory. On a German 914 board I am told no 914s ever came with undercoating from the factory. Who's right? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

[Pat Garvey]

Sorry, cannot speak to the Euro market. In the central-to-east US market, most 914's were cajoled into being rustproofed by the dealer. New 914's came un-rustproofed by the factory, but most customers in thos areas either gleefully had it done, or were coerced into it. In every US market, with the exception of the west coast, it was probably a plus "at the time". Through the 30+ years of these car, any have seen that rustproofing dry & split, allowing moisture to trap itself underneath. And, we all know what that leads to.

My '72 was "proofed". For 10 years it was a sticky as flypaper. Then, I noticed it wasn't sticky anymore & worried about splitting. As part of my regular regimen, I wipe down the entire areas coated with WD40. Makes it flexible again & almost sticky.

In the long run, I believe it was a good decision, since I drove my car to work everyday on salty roads for about 4 years.

Will I do it again on my next 914? No. Served its purpose on a garage queen, though. When/if the garage queen needs to be re-done, I'll remove it. Hasn't seen rain/snow/mud in over 25 years - doesn't need it & I'd rather have bahia red on the bottom. But that's just MHO.