[TR] do I paint the radiator duct fiberboard?

[terryrs at comcast.net]

>The rats found my fiberboard this
>winter, so I ordered a new one.  Am I supposed to paint it before it's
>installed?  

Hi, Ann.  A lot depends on how much you drive your car.  If you just tow it to meets and drive it on beautiful days (totally cool), you might get away with original or painted (black, I think, to match the shadow behind your grill.)  On the other hand, my '59 TR3 is a daily driver.  My experience was painting the cardboard with rubberized undercoating.  Still it disintegrated after about four years.  Yes, I got caught in downpours a few times.  

I would suggest a different paint than the rubberized coating, at least.  Maybe a primed Rustoleum, something like that.  Still, I think the common experience is that even the originals fell apart in very little time.

What I did second time around was order the new fiberboard, then used it as a template to fabricate a replacement using an vinyl shower surround found at a garage sale.  Painted it black and it's impervioius to water  ...or rats....   Then again, I drive mine an hour and a half every day at speeds I dare not confess....

Have fun!

Terry Smith, '59 TR3A  TS 58667
New Hampshire