| Q: |
Engine Compartment Detailing
|
| |
I am detailing my engine compartment and am wondering what were the original colors.
|
| |
| A: |
- What color is the transmission dip-stick handle?
....The Handle should be painted Engine Color.
- I have stock exhaust manifolds and a heat shield. The shield appears to
have been painted black. Is this original or should it be left its natural
silver color?
....I've seen restored cars with this part painted Black and I've seen
unrestored cars
with it left natural (Silver Zinc Finish). Also, early magazine road test
photos show it to be Black. I'll do some more digging thru photos and get
back to you.
- Is the fuel line supposed to be painted like the motor? If so, how far up?
....Fuel Pump and Line would have been installed after Engine Assy was
painted.
|
| |
| A: |
Dip stick tube should be natural
heat shield should be black
leave the fuel line natural
filler cap should be painted if valve covers are
Fan should be aluminum in color
Cast aluminum brackets should be left natural. I have mine polished it looks
pretty sharp.
|
|
| Q: |
Heater Hose Bracket Color
|
| |
My '68 350 2-BBL was missing the bracket which attaches to the front of
the engine and helps keep the heater hose away from the exhaust manifold
(NOT the bracket which sits on the right fender well). I purchased a
new bracket from Ames Performance. The part came in the same satin
black color as many other parts in the engine compartment are colored.
I can't recall, is this bracket supposed to be the same color as the
engine or should I leave it black?
|
| |
| A: |
Sounds like the bracket that bolts the pass. side head with the tang.
This bracket is black and if seen it mounted in different hole(s) with the
tang in different places. Think the far outside hole under the freeze plug is
correct with the tang in the hole directly under it. In lower left corner of
the head.
|
|
| Q: |
Engine Painting
|
| |
I have a '68 Pontiac 350 engine that needs repainting. How was this engine originally painted. Was all of the engine painted Pontiac Blue or just certain parts and were there any other colors involved. Any info appreciated.
|
| |
| A: |
The block, heads, balancer, water pump, timing cover, intake manifold, oil
filter bracket, and tin (except chrome of course) are painted blue. Black
goes on pulleys, power steering pump, accessory brackets, motor mounts,
heater hose bracket and coil mount bracket. Hope I did'nt forget anything.
|
| |
| A: |
When using this engine paint be SURE you use engine temperature primer first. It is made for very high temperatures. If you don't use it first you can be sure your engine paint will peel off in sheets after you've run the engine a while. Any automotive store that sells the correct PMD engine paint should carry the primer too.
|
|
| Q: |
Repaint Engine Block
|
| |
I want to repaint my engine block but it appears greenish blue. I thought it
was suppose to be Pontiac Blue.
|
| |
| A: |
The greenish blue is the color the original blue metallic goes after the
motor has been hot and cold for 30 years. I have seen people attempt to
reproduce this "aged" color, but I think that if you want to paint the
motor - do it as advised on this list - the bright metallic blue looks
sensational - people who are ignorant think that its not original its
such a pretty color.
|
| |
| A: |
I was reading through some of my old Firebird-L emails, and ran across the
thread about engine colors. This reminded me about a conversation I had
with an original owner with a 1967 326 Convertible this past summer. He had
restored his car a few years ago, and it is now an AACA senior car.
Anyway, the engine is painted Buick Green. I asked him about this, since it
was a very nicely restored car. He said that he gets in trouble for that
all the time at shows. The story is that early in the production of 326
engines, there was a fire at a plant somewhere in the supply chain. Pontiac
Blue (Plasticote #227, that we are all familiar with by now) was not
available, so they painted the engines in a metallic green that was for
Buicks. I don't know the dates, but maybe some people with original cars
could try and determine a range. His car was purchased in March of 1967, so
it probably occurred in cars that were built in February.
I would guess that this only applies to 326 engines, as the OHC6 and 400
were probably built in different plants/assembly lines. Does anybody know
where these engines were built?
Just adding a little fuel to the fire, and maybe helping those that thought
their engines were green gain some sanity.
|
| |
| A: |
I was able to buy the correct 1969 Pontiac Engine paint at Parts
America, which is now Advance Auto Parts. The brand they carry
is Plasticote and it is called Pontiac Blue Metallic. This is the
same paint that Performance Years sells and may be the same as
the others too, I don't know. When you paint with it, it will look
just like the factory brochures show the engines. However, as
noted in the Ames catalog, after exposure to heat it begins to
pickup a green hue, as the original factory paint did.
|
| |
| A: |
PEP Boys in California has a high temperature primer. Plasti-kote engine
enamel, good to 500 degrees F. I have found Plasti-kote to be very good
paint. Probably as good as Krylon. That is a big deal for me because Krylon
harbors so many good characteristics, not the least of which is fast dry time
and recoat any time. I think the number is #8334 for gray, but might be a
lot number. They make the good Pontiac (metallic) blue/green engine paint,
#228?
|
|
| Q: |
Pontiac Engine Paint in brush form
|
| |
I should be repainting my 68 Firebird's 400 in the next two weeks. I was wondering if you folks know of any place (chain or mail order) that sells the Pontiac Blue paint. The catch is that I don't want spray paint. I plan on using a brush, as sprays don't seem to get into cracks well. I haven't asked at any of the local stores, but I only remember seeing bright spray paint colors.
|
| |
| A: |
POR 15 by restomotive laboratories should have the brush on type. I bought some years ago and it has more shine to it that standard engine paint. Also, you could try Bill Hirsch. Both are reputable. Look them up on the net, or in Hemmings.
|
| |
| A: |
I too have used the POR-15 engine paint. My experiences were that it does seem to have a higher gloss than some others. It goes on rather thick (outside temps were in the 80s when applied), and would show the brush marks on any very flat surface such as the oilpan, valve covers, or valley pan. On rough surfaces such as the engine block or heads, the brush marks cannot be seen.
The sales person indicated that it was more heat resistant than other paints, but I managed to burn the paint off the exhaust ports during the cam break-in period. My carb was running lean at the time, so that added to the heat output.
If the block isn't cleaned of dirt and grease and hasn't been scuffed, don't expect paint to flow and adhere properly. It's sometimes a little like welding or soldering. The work must be free of contaminants for the best results. Those brush marks will only get more noticable with age, as the paint solvents out-gas and the paint tightens and shrinks slightly.
|
|
| Q: |
Correct Engine Paint for a Fanatic
|
| |
I have tried several different engine paints but none look correct or last for more than a year. Has anyone had success with any engine paint?
|
| |
| A: |
Well after much searching, I found an engine restoration Co.
on the East Coast Bill Hirsch Automotive that specializes in
these products. They have it in pints or aerosol cans.
They have tons of other restoration products, but I was hot to get
the correct engine paint, so I just got that and some 1,800
degree exhaust paint for the headers.
So I answered my own question! But here is the link just in
case anyone else is looking for this type of product in the
future or for reference in the Q & A section! This is just
one place to find it, I'm sure there are more, but I jumped
at the first one!
http://www.hirschauto.com/
|
|
