VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Engine color?

Does anyone know the correct engine colors for a 1928 Coach, specifically the push rod sheet metal covers? Just received rebuild head, can't wait to assemble!

The complete engine is painted a color somewhat like the SW Bell trucks many years ago and army vehicle colors. To make it simple you can purchase a correct can of paint from the www.filingstation.com

Thanks, will do.

As found on my original unrestored 28 truck. Valve cover, intake manifold, engine control brackets all black. Pushrod cover painted the off green same as engine block. Filling stations paint is the closest I have found to the original paint on my truck engine.Now for the kicker. I found traces and evidence the engine was brush painted the green color! My starter has green paint brush marks slopped on the side closest to the block like the starter was installed when the engine was painted. Also the inside of the pushrod covers have runs and drips going down the exhaust manifold holes where the brush was dragged down and the paint scraped off the brush before the manifold was installed. The black parts all looked to be sprayed and painted before installation. Not sure of carb color, but suspect they were black. Gas, carb rebuilding and time usually remove the paint from those. The brass bowl would have also been painted, but paint doesn't like to stick to brass well and would have came off within a couple years if not sooner if the carb bowl gasket leaked. The hot air pipe on my truck shows no trace of ever being painted but looks like the tern plate (lead plating)that was also used on the gas tanks.

It was my experience while working at GM that castings were painted before they were machined leaving the machined surfaces free of paint. Does anyone else know how they did it at their plant?

My 28 coach had engine, valve cover and side plates green, it was a very low mileage unmolested car and even had the original floating linings clutch. My belief is that engines were SPRAY painted as they went down the assembly line, and if this correct, the covers needed to be fitted first.
This topic has been talked about before and I posted photos the green covers (and the air cleaner)
Chris

My trucks air cleaner is green and the bracket holding it is black. All the paint on that truck is factory and pretty much intact especially under the hood but covered in old oil and dust. I had to be very careful when cleaning the parts I have cleaned so the original paint wouldn't rub off. I have a picture of the brush marks on the starter I can post if I can find it. You will have to look close though as it is a small smear and the camera flash wanted to wash it out. The smear is where someone bumped the brush when getting paint between the starter and block. It is possible they brush painted hard to reach areas like that and sprayed the rest but there was no overspray anywhere I have found so far. Look for the starter picture in Members Photos.