VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 1950 3100 Engine paint

I'm a rookie working on my first restoration, and I am trying to find out what the original paint colors would have been on the engine of my 1950 3100. Looking for any info on the colors of the valve cover, the block, the pan etc. Any thoughts on where I might find this info? Many thanks!

CallMeBen, welcome to Chevy Chatter and I incourage you to join the VCCA. There are wonderful people here that will help you with your truck or will just BS with you. I couldn't have done my truck without the help of this sight. The Filling Station sells the Engine blue Grey color for your truck. Don't buy the Bill Hirch paint because it is the wrong color even though he swears it's the right color. The valve cover, block, oil pan and water pump all get painted blue grey. Hope to see you on this site more often...Oscar

Ben,If you go to the 1933-36 forums you will find a recent discussuion of the engine colors and what gets painted gray. Your 1950 truck will have the same appliction. If you have more questions fell free to ask.
Thanks for asking the color question.

Thanks Gene, I know this topic has been brought up many times...Oscar :)

Oscar and Gene,
Thanks so much for the help! The conversation from the 1933-36 forum was terrific as well. Glad to know I'm not the only one that needed this info!
The link to join the the VCCA on their homepage is down. I couldn't get it to open yesterday or this morning. I'll shoot an email over to the membership folks and see what the scoop is.

Thanks again! I'm sure I'll catch up with you here again soon, tires and rear end are next on the agenda!

Ben

I just clicked on the link to the VCCA homepage and it worked fine for me.

:) :grin:

Ben, the link you clicked on isn't the one that works the one in the column down the page will work, but try this one:
BECOME A VCCA MEMBER

Got it, thanks guys!

So the paint from Chevs of the 40s is incorrect? I believe it is Bill Hirschs?

That is incorrect! Both Chev's of The 40's and the Filling Station sell the correct engine paint. The paint from Bill Hirsch is totally wrong and it is not even close to being correct.

:) :grin:

I ask because the paint I got from Chev's of the 40's is Labeled as Bill Hirsh Paint??!!???

If thats true I will never recommend their paint again. Up till now the '40's paint has been correct and they know better than to sell the B.H. porch floor gray.

I have a can of paint from Chev's of The 40's that I am currently using and it has their own label. That paint is the correct color of dark blue-gray. Chev's of the 40's may also sell the Bill Hirsch paint, I don't know, but if you have a can of the Bill Hirsch "gas meter" gray paint it is the incorrect color and if you want your engine to be correct don't use it.

:) :grin:

Thanks! I'll be giving them a call!

I just checked Chev's of The 40's web site and their catalog and they don't list Bill Hirsch engine paint. The photo of the can of dark blue-gray engine paint that they show on their web site is the same can that I have and the paint in that can is the correct dark blue-gray engine paint.

:) :grin:

Ben:
Welcome to the group! Once you join the national VCCA you are eligible to join a local region, and we have an active one right here in Connecticut (Area 11 is the Southern New England Region).
We have 11 members with pickups, including 51's and 52's, so we can definitely help! Send me a PM (private message; see my Profile) and I will hook you up with membership info.

Well I checked the paint they sent again, It is Bill Hirsch Chevrolet Gray- Chev of 40s number sticker 986959S 29-52 on the can. I have not opened and sprayed to check color. I will give them a call. I do NOT want that light gray color.

Ya, give them a call and then report back to us with the information.

:) :grin:

Ok, called them. They claim that the Bill Hirsch paint is correct and the light gray is correct. They are happy to take it back, shipping my cost of course. He says they sell a lot of it. I'll be reordering from the filling station.

Weird! I have a can from Chevs of The 40's, and it is the correct dark blue-gray engine paint. I have also compared their paint to the Filling Station paint and it is almost identical! As a matter of fact, when Chevs of The 40's first came out with the correct paint they acknowledged that the Bill Hirsch "gas meter" gray paint was incorrect and that they (Chevs of The 40's) were now selling the correct paint. At any rate, if they now say that the Bill Hirsch paint is correct and if that is what they are now selling, I will no longer recommend Chevs of The 40's to anyone. Obviously, like Bill Hirsch, they are more interested in making a buck than selling a quality product that is correct. No doubt that the Filling Station will increase their sales of the correct dark blue-gray engine paint.

:) :grin:

OK, last Summer, 2007, I ordered two cans of engine paint from Chevs of the 40’s on the recommendations that I found here. It was packaged by Krylon Products Group, Industrial under the Omni-Pak brand, Enamel Blend, EN-16, 25116. Chevs of the 40’s had relabeled it as their. It was the correct Dark Blue/Gray as described here by the old timers and apparently the only tint that the VCCA would accept. In fact, at first I thought it was to dark, almost a charcoal gray, but in the sunlight it lightens up quite a bit. On my 1950, 216 I painted the newly rebuilt cylinder head, the VC, Push Rod cover, new water pump, thermostat housing and water outlet with it.

Fast forward to January, 2008. Anticipating rebuilding the short block soon I re-ordered a couple more cans from them. This time the same number, i.e., Engine Gray, #986959S came packaged in the Bill Hirsch Engine Enamel, Hi-Temp … Hi-Gloss can. I tried it on a bare spot on the block below the head, behind the water pump and above the generator. Light gray, looked like Rust-Oleum machinery gray. As Dr.Scotti noted, tain’t worth the cost to send it back so I’ll use it for the porch swing.

I just want to make the guys here aware that Chevs of the 40’s aren’t selling the correct color anymore.

Two weeks later I placed an order with The Filling Station and threw in a couple of cans of their Engine Gray, #FS-359 to fill in the order. They are still selling the Krylon, Omni-Pak EN-16, 25116 enamel so stick with them if ya want the right stuff.
I don’t know how the supply chain works with the vendors but I hope The Filling Station continues to get their paint from Krylon Industrial under the same formula.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I've followed (read) all of the many paint color threads for several years.
The "answer" always seemed so easy once one of the knowledgeable folks spoke up. Now this Chev's of the 40's / BH situation puts a whole new wrinkle in it.

I'll sure be interested to see what more develops about all this....

Bill.

Denny and I must have been typing at the same time...Wow! How about that info he just posted!!!

I just talked with the owner of Chevs of the 40s and he is telling me that the BH paint is correct and the FS paint is wrong. He said they did a lot of research on this paint. I used the FS paint when I painted my motor. :confused: :confused: :confused:

When Chev's of the 40's was a much smaller company I assisted with the engine paint color. The paint they sold at that time was the same paint that the Filling Station sold. I also worked on that paint color.

The Filling Station also sells the correct 4-cylinder paint.

Chev's of the 40's is now a much bigger company and obviously has chosen the most economical source. BH.

When I make my next trip out I will again broach the subject of the paint color. I am sure they are not knowingly selling it as the correct color. Will also discuss that point.

If you order paint from them be sure to specify that you do NOT want the BH paint.

Back when Steve Kassis of the Filling Station was working on the correct dark blue-gray engine enamel, besides Raymondo several of us VCCA dudes around the country worked on the research with Steve for some time comparing samples on original new old stock, in the box, engine parts such as oil pans, valve covers, timing covers and etc. The paint that the Filling Station came out with reflected an exact match to those parts. Shortly thereafter, as I remember, Chevs of The 40's came out with almost the same formula and they have been selling the correct stuff for years. Now, for them to say that they have done "research" and that the paint the Filling Station sells is incorrect and the Bill Hirsch paint is correct is pure HOGWASH!!!!