VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Motor Paint

Hello, I am rebuilding a 235 g-12-1 motor for my 53 truck. I don't know anything about the color this motor should be. Does anyone know the color it should be?.I keep getting differant answers from people. Also is the oil filter a certin color? Thanks...Oscar The Grouch.

Your 53 235 truck engine also falls into the quote....

Cars from 53 & 54 were blue, all 53 truck 235 engines were painted the 235 gray, the same as before.

Mr. Mack, I thought the letter and number by the starter on the block ment witch month, day, and year my block was cast. Mine is G 12 1. Wouldn't that be July 12 1961. I know the motor is not original for this 53. Would I still paint it grey? Thanks...Oscar

You appear to have a quandry, do you want the engine color to be correct for the year 61 (your code reading is correct) or do you want it correct for the model year in which it is installed. I would shoot for the 1953 color myself.

glyn, yes I want it for the year of the truck. I guess this means 235 grey? Thanks for the input
and sorry for the quandry

And you could use the early '53 cover and make it look more original. Use the long studs in the center of each rocker shaft...

Can I do that? My cover bolts on with four screws. I didn't know you could chang the bolt pattern. Thanks...Oscar :confused:

Yes you can do that ....with a 53 or older valve cover with the two top holes for mounting, rather than using the hex head bolts on the rocker stands under the holes, use 2 of the special rocker tower studs,rubber grommets and the castle nuts, they are sold by National Chevy Association. You will also need either a valve cover with the vents or use a vented oil cap or rig a draft tube to release the crankcase vapors, Of course you could also do the engine like a 54, it has the 4 bolts on the valve cover and the engine was painted Gray.

Unless you are having the truck judged at VCCA events this is ok, and if the truck is judged at a VCCA event you are already 100 points in the hole for having the wrong engine, doesn't matter if it is painted Blue, Orange, Gray or Chartruse!

By the way... Some Chevy truck engines were painted Chartruse anyone want to tell which engine and what year?

Mr Mack I do not know the answer to the Charturse
motor color, but I am curious to know.
Cleon

57 passenger 265 engines were chartuse
John

I believe that the 56 V-8 large truck engine was also yellow or chartruse.

Thanks for the info and my truck won't be judged
at the VCCA shows. I will look for a new cover and order parts. Thanks...Oscar The grouch

ALL light duty (1/2 thru 1 ton) 235 truck engines were the old gray color thru 1962.
Certain truck engines were yellow.Such as the 261 from 1955 and up.None were ever painted Chartruse from the factory-it was a light yellow/green....Only the early 1957 passenger car 265 engines were that color as John stated.

Chev-Nut, your defination of yellow and my defination of Charttruse may be the same for greenish tinted yellow, called Chartruse in one of my Chevrolet Truck books. (261 engine)

The 1955 truck book calls it yellow as well as Bob Hensel's paint/engine color list.It was a vivid yellow and may have changed color with age......just like us.

http://groups.msn.com/OtherChevCarsLive/theguyscars.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=2275

Don't know how to post a pic here but here's a Chartruce engine, or is it yellow?

Thats the Chartruse 1957 color-in real life it was just a bit more green.The color in the picture is a little fadded or the picture was over exposed.

Yes, that is the one I called Chartruse ,it was a 265 rather than a 261. I liked it so much when I first saw it that I painted my first closed car Chartruse with red wheels and a red stripe on the Model A F0RD. I used my mother's new Kenmore cannister vacuum with the accessory spray gun at the age of 15.