VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Which Color Engine Paint?

I have a 1953 Chevy 210 2-door sedan with manual transmission. Everything on it is completely stock and restored, except it turns out that I have a 235 made in 1959. The correct engine color for that engine is blue. However, the correct engine color for my car is gray. I want the car to look as originial as possible when you open the hood, so I'm thinking about using gray. But the engine is clearly not a 216. I'd like to get your opinions. Also, if this car is ever judged, do you think it will get dinged 15 points for wrong year engine, or 100 points for wrong engine altogether? Do you think the engine color will influence the judging in any way? The drivetrain is extremely sound so I'm obviously reluctant to swap engines for the correct one.

Thanks for your help.

This is going to be a good subject for sure. I'm going to watch it and see how it goes.

I don't build cars to be judged, I build them to run, stop and drive good, corse I like ratrods and ol skool customs JMHO...Virg

If you want it to look as original as possible and you do not care about "lost points", paint the engine the darker gray-blue that the Filling Station sells (supposedly) and use the old 216 two-bolt valve cover with adapter bolts.

You'll probably lose points but it will look right to most people.

Mrtclederman, the 1951, thru 1953 235 engines also used the "old 216 valve cover" and the 53 passanger 235 was painted blue, not dark blue gray.

And if you like rat rods don't paint it at all cover it with a nice coat of used 30 Wt. motor oil and throw a few buckets of dirt on it.

The 1953 standard transmission passenger car engines were painted the old gray (from 1929).

The 1953 Power Glide engines were painted blue and had the Blue Flame decal.

!953-1962 truck (1/2 through 1 1/2 ton 235) truck 235 engines were painted the old gray.

This is how I look at it. Paint one side blue and one side gray.

Or paint it all gray like a 1953 stick engine should be painted as the later engine could have come out of a truck.

At the present time you will loose only 15 points for VCCA judging, but that has been subject to change over the years.

MrMack,

"I have a 1953 Chevy 210 2-door sedan with manual transmission."

Yes, all 216/235 engine's through 1953 had the two-bolt valve cover. I was relying upon this old VCCA member's article on engine colors. As Chev Nut posted (and, as bigbob53 posted), it looks like the car manual 235 was painted the older gray-blue color. GM brochures used artists renditions and the engine colors could be confusing.

I probably should have posted "old 216-style (and 1941-1953 235-style) valve cover)" - the 2-bolt designation probably got my point across.

I did not get the impression that bigbob3 was considering the rat-rod look:
[i]"However, the correct engine color for my car is gray. I want the car to look as originial as possible when you open the hood, "[/i}