Where can i find a list of colors the for the block, head, oil covers, fuel pump and other parts attached to my 52 engine? And a list of engine colors for a 54 corvette 6 cylinder engine? And the same for a 54 truck 6 cylinder engine? I have a 54 truck engine in my 52 car but i want to compare the two color differences first, if any. Then I would like to paint my 54 truck engine to look like a 54 corvette engine.
And what are the colors for a 52' 3 spd transmission and bell housing. I see a cool steel blue type color peeking through the rust on my 3spd and maybe the bell housing too but what is the colors correct name? And factory colors for the torque tube, rear diff, and brake drums and front suspension parts... i assume they were all the 50's semi gloss black but i cant find even a speck of paint left on those parts.
I'm aware many underhood parts were a semi gloss black but what level or percentage is the gloss? i've tried powder coating two parts one in 80percent gloss and its too shiny. The other part was 30-40 percent gloss and its not shiny enough. I see a powder sold in 55percent and another in 60percent. Wonder if someone knows which might be closer to the original gloss. I know the correct gloss black is sold in spray paint cans but i haven't seen what gloss level or percentage it is labeled as.
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All Chevrolet engines, car or truck, were gray in 1952. All passenger car and Corvette engines were blue from 1954 and up, All 235 truck engines were gray (never blue) up through 1962 Trans. case not painted. Torque tube black paint. fuel pump not painted. The engine was assembled and then painted. The water pump, balancer, flywheel housing and pans, oil pan, both manifols valve cover were painted as a unit. Starter, generator , fan, and distributor black. The black parts had a medium shine.
Thats good to know. Then, on second thought, ill paint the 54 truck engine gray i painted the frame rails white and all the cross members black so the blue engine would throw it all off. the grey engine will color coordinate nicely with a black and white color scheme. The car body is still the original factory black. The seats were a grey or silver vinyl before i stripped them.
So the cast iron grey paint for manifolds is not an original correct color? I prefer that look though which creates a visual separation of parts.
How do people restore a 3spd transmission to a factory appearance if its not painted? i assume sandblasting but then what to protect all the work? My transmission is entirely rust colored but i'm sure i've seen some type of steel blue color, like on some firearms, on the bell housing or maybe it was on an inspection plate for the clutch.
I don't understand what you are trying to do. Are you interested in having a vehicle with nicely color-coordinated parts and pieces, or a vehicle with factory-correct colors on all pieces? You can't have both!!
I've already wrecked "factory correct colors" by painting the frame rails white. i want to know what was factory correct color on all pieces and make my color decision based on that. Also i see so many variations on restored 49-52 cars that its hard to tell what the factory colors were or if a part was originally painted. For an example if i sandblast the transmission and can find a paint that looks like bare steel or a flat clear coat then ill use that. Im not concerned if any part is the exact shade of a factory correct color but if i can find a powder coat color thats close i'll use it.
So i want to know what were the factory correct color of parts so that i have a target to aim for. The car and parts are in less than good condition, most are pitted by rust but, they are now bare metal. I'm going to powder coat them instead of paint them b/c of their less than perfect condition. This is a 95 percent do-it-myself restoration and im tired of derusting and sanding and primer/paint fumes trying to make pitted parts look new again so im just gonna powder coat over the pits after light sandblasting.
should i repost my questions in that forum or should i leave them here?
also i now see that my engine block is blue which is baffling b/c its a 54 truck engine and there is some of the same blue on the bell housing so im not quite done with this question.
gene: the 53 corvette 235's were painted blue like the 54's and the half dozen 55 corvettes that were 235 ci equipped. the 55 265 corvettes were painted chevy engine orange. for some strange reason, the 56 265 ci engines were painted fire engine red. by 57 up thru the 67's , all were painted chevy engine orange(the l-88 and l-89's heads were bare aluminum). can't speak for the c-3 up corvette engine colors. regards,mike
Yes, I kind of skipped over 1953. The 1953 Power Glide AND Corvette engines were blue, thus the "Blue Flame" engine. Stick shift cars and 216 and 235 trucks gray.
i now stand corrected via my question in the 49-54 forum.
my 1954 235 engine with solid lifers is a passenger car engine that was paired with a 3spd manual trans, as noted by the Z stamped at the end of the serial number and has a bit of pale blue paint on the block which i found under grease and hidden by the starter.
i was sure i had a 1954 truck engine for over a decade. Its amazing what you don't know if you don't ask.
thanks for posting the paint tip and pic of the brake drum. i really like the understated, muted and plain color of the stove paint. thats just what i'm looking for to paint parts that are replaceable or were not painted from the factory.
Note that the 1939-1954 front crossmember with all suspension and brake parts was pre assembled and painted BLACK an installed to the frame on the assembly line as a unit. The differential was done in the same way. Everything including brakes and torque tube on earllier models painted and installed as a unit.
Good to know how the original parts were finished. Think i found a powder coat that matches the original gloss level. but so far no shop will powder coat the transmission or the crankcase vent tube b/c they are both full of oils. though i did stumble onto UV cured powder coating for wood, plastic, and i assume oil filled parts but, not in my area. so i'll have to use a spray paint.
on a side topic to your mention of 55 corvettes with blue 235 engines, how many were produced? what has been the lowest and highest selling price of one? just curious. i'm sure i can never afford one, though i'd like to see one in person.
The 1952 version of the Rochester type B and BC carburetors would have:
Bowl, and airhorn - zinc chromate Throttle body - Parkerized (black oxide is close) Steel pieces (including body screws) electroplate with yellow zinc.
Somewhere around 1955/1956 the body screws became black oxide instead of yellow zinc.
