VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1955-1957 original …57 chevy six cyl engine color

Hi, I am a new VCCA member. Please help! I have been on the Chevy Talk forum regarding this subject. I am now seeking info from VCCA members.

I am restoring a 1957 Chevy 210 with six cylinder engine to original condition. I am seeking information on the original (correct) ’57 chevy six engine color. I have evidence that the original 1957 engine color was blue-green. I have blue-green paint remnants on my six cyl engine and have seen another '57 6 cyl engine, with blue-green color remnants. I have also seen mention of a blue-green color in reference books/literature. Since most restored '57s Chevy sixes have been re-built (and repainted) it has been difficult to find an original six with original paint.

Page 151 of the Classic Chevy Restoration and Judging Manual states "Engine Green/Blue for '55-'57 Chevy 6-cylinder." Note is says Green/Blue (and not blue).

The Classic Chevy World Magazine article "The Restorers Corner Original Paint", by Ron Peters who describes:

CHEVROLET ENGINE GREEN:
'57 6-cylinder
Harmonic Balancer

Page 158 of the Classic Chevy Restoration and Judging Manual. It lists the colors of the various 6-cylinder engine components. Under engine color it lists 18 parts that are painted engine color including the bell housing and the harmonic balancer.

I realize that what I am suggesting is contrary to the "accepted" Hirsh blue color. Is there anyone else who has seen or have evidence that the 1957 Chevy six cylinder was indeed not blue, but blue-green or or turquoise green color? Thank you.

Sorry to see no one offered any help. As I mentioned I would not offer my opinion. The 1955-57 technical advisor listed in the front pages of the G&D should be the next stop.
I will be away for some time but hope to see a reply when I get back.

Yes, 572106, it has been a while since we spoke, at length, with you on this subject on the chevy chat forum. We'll check back and view the replies on this thread.

This 57 sold on E-bay yesterday. An original solid 57 Chevy 210. Straight 6 cylinder (235) with a 3 speed on the column. Car has been in the same family for 20 years. Car has 47,000 original miles.

I am link to Ebay listing showing photos of engine. The engine is GREEN.

This supports that the original engine color of the 1957 Chevy passenger car was GREEN and not Hirsh Blue.

Scroll down on ebay page to see the listing and photos:
photos on Ebay

Being in the same family since 1990 means nothing.
The 47,000 miles mean nothing.
The tires are not original - see width of white wall.The tires used in 1957 never lasted more than 25,000, even for a consertive driver.
The engine color appears to be a light blue on my screen.
The correct engine color would be a blue much like the oil filter canister....which has the correct original paint so I knoe my colors are coming thru correct..
The vacuum line fitting on the side of the intake manifold is painted - sould not be painted.
The temperature sending unit is painted - should not be.
I would even have reason to belive it is not the original engine but from a later model.....coil up-side-down as the later were and the oil filter has the newer style lid that came along in 1959.
I would say its an original car that had a light restoration back in the late '70's.....and the last 20 years and the 47,000 mean nothing. It is solid.

Now that you are a member of the VCCA have you contacted the 1955-57 VCCA technical advisor? What did he have to say?

And there are no sings of the Blue Flame decal on the valve cover.....and only the passenger cars 235 engines were called Blue Flame and had the B.F. decal and they were painted blue as it was not a Green Flame engine.

I would say the engine has been painted a non-Chevrolet blue-green color, it looks like Onan green to me.
What difference does the paint prove anyway? none, nada,
you need to have the engine numbers, both casting numbers and the head casting number to determine the year model engine. If you wanted to make an issue of originality.

He has doubts to whether a 1957 235 passenger car engine was blue or green. On Chevy Talk there are some that claim the engine was green,
I was trying to make note of the fact that the ebay car not only has a repainted engine but it may not even be a 1957 engine.....as the car is said to be so original.
There is no doubt in my mind that ALL 1954 thriugh 1962 235 pasenger car engines were blue. Thats the advantage of being "connected" with the cars when they were new.
Some series truck engines were green in 1957 and they would not have had another application with a green engine.

Nothing in the photos suggest a restoration to the engine compartment for body/interior of any kind. Who would have restored a 4 door/6 cyl in the 1970s? In the event it was restored, or if the engine had been replaced or re-painted, it's unlikely the oil canister & lid would still be the correct (blue base/orange lid) color. The oil canister lid looks to me to be the same type as on my '57.
Coil could have easily been replaced and put back on the wrong side up. How do you know the temperature sending unit was not originally painted, or had received over-spray when assembled?

The VCCA tech guy could not verify anything one way or the other.

The I would suggest you paint the engine green

Hey Mr Forest Man, alias "572106" .....

I have never seen such a display of "knot-headedness" on your part .... first on the Chevy Talk forum, now on VCCA.

You, being the new guy on the block, both on Chevy Talk and VCCA, it would appear to me one should ask questions and accept answers in a grateful manner, without going into a "the responder doesn't know sh**' mode, as you do.

Can't speak for everyone, but Chevy Nut and I both worked for Chevy when the "57" was new, have had "hands on" experience with your concerns, have looked at many 235's over the years.

No, you do not have to believe what everyone has been telling you, but have the courtesy to accept the replies with a humble attitude, and not show your "anal side" to the world.

My suggestion to you is this, paint the engine green, then take it to a VCCA meet and have it judged.

Have fun with your restoration.

Bob ....

(One of the many folks who TRIED to assist you months ago on this issue on Chevy Talk).

You can always paint it the color of the engine on Ebay and when you have it judged and its the wrong color tell the judges that was the color of the engines on Ebay.
Sorry to hear that the VCCA technical advisor dosen't know what color a 1957 passenger car 235 engine is. There is no excuse for that.
Just remember the medium bright blue is the correct color when the paint was new....and don't paint the temperature (or oil) sending units or the wiper vacuum fitting as they were installed after the engine was painted. Chevrolet used a simular blue in 1977-79 on the 305/350 engines.

I have another idea. Contact Bob Hensel the tech. advisor organizer and ask him what color the engine is in his 1957 6 cyl station wagon. I have never seen the engine but would guess its original. It was an old U.S. Navy vehicle.

See ebay #290435808454....The valve cover has been repainted but its very close to the original blue. Too bad they do't have a better shot of the engine.

My apologies to the VCCA forum for my "rant".

Enough said.

Bob

I had a couple of color pictures of a original 57 truck w/261 engine and it was more of a Chartruse color on the block and head.

Sorry that I came across as unappreciative. I did not mean to be that way. I really do appreciate you guys (Gene and Bob, and everyone else) adding to the discussion with your wealth of knowledge and offering your opinions.
Let's keep the dialog going and maybe more VCCA members will add their two cents worth to this topic.

I'm sure no 'expert' and I've heard more crazy stories about 'guaranteed to be original' about all kinds of subjects/questions while having fun with these cars for 35 some years.

All I can say is "everybody" I know knows the 235 you speak of was blue. There's different ways to describe the blue - blue/grey - etc. etc. There's also the old worn out discussion about the Hirsch (old) color vs the Filling Station blue.

But, it's always blue. Never heard of green. For my eyes when I first saw the picture, I thought maybe it was just my computer's color. But then I decided that color wasn't so good. Should be darker....

My 6.5 cents worth.....

Bill.

Bill, that question was killed and buried and the discussion was the blue-gray paint and not the blue.


Or something like that.

I love that this comes up on one forum or another almost everyday.

Nut, I would love to hear what you know about the truck engines. That is another debate and there were green engines that make it even more confusing. Was there a green 235?

I enjoyed this debate for years before I got my 55 3/4 ton truck and found its 235 to be green down under the gunk layer. All the numbers match and if it was repainted it was done a long long time ago.

I am not looking to score points at a show but I am just curious if there was a green 235.

Mike

Back in the 1960 I had a one ton Chevrolet Panel wagon (wireline instrument logging truck) that was a 57 and it had a 261 engine, that was painted what I would call Chartruse (Yellowish green)

The truck was special ordered from a Chevrolet dealer in Houston. We needed a straight six engine because we mounted a small gasoline Onan generator under the hood beside the 261. I named the truck Frankenstine! I spent many nights sleeping on the bench seat mounted in the panel, and the 261 engine ran so dadgum cool I always put a flattened cardwood box in front of the radiator to get the heater to work!
It had a top speed of 55 MPH but would pull stumps.

I once had to pull our new 1964 GMC perforating truck(6500) with a V/6 Toroflow diesel up a steep hill when the GMC would not pull the hill.

From the 1955 Trck EngineeringFeatures book.
The standard 235 six cylinder engine furnished in the conventional 3000 and 4000 series trucks is is identified by the New Thriftmaster decal on the valve cover and is painted gray.
The heavy duty Loadmaster is painted green and is an option for the 4000 series and standard in the 6000 series.
The 261 Job Master is optional for the 6000 series and is painted yellow.
The above was used through 1962 and agrees with the engine colors listed in the 1958 shop manual.

The passenger cars engines turned blue with the 1953 PG and all 1954-1962 passenger car engines were blue - as it was called the Blue Flame engine.

The blue often changed colors after years of heat, oil and grease.

Note that in 1954 the first 261 engine was green.

The "small" truck 235 engines were gray from 1954-1962 as were the 8 cylinder engines for those trucks.

The early 265 engines used in 1957 passenger cars with a stick and 2 barrel were Chartruse - changes to orange during the year. This color was more green than the yellow truck engines

MrMack, That is too funny. I am a Wireline Specialist for Schlumberger. Not much has changed but the trucks are a little bit bigger.

I have hijacked this thread enough and will start my own with further questions on the engine.

Thanks,
Mike

Yes that is true, bigger isn't always better! I left shallow hole country in 1964 and worked for with HLS until 1983 before going into Halliburton management and retired in 1997.