Made some nice progress on Ol' Mater. However, on engine paint and assembly, it's clear that I've got the wrong valve cover color. I used POR-15 engine enamel, which so far looks like great paint. My engine's a 215-6, 1953 vintage. Kevin here on the board has been kind enough here to give me a pic of the appropriate colors. He spent a lot of time finding and matching the appropriate colors, but I gambled from his pics and got "Buick antique green" for the block, etc. It looks perfect. However, the "Ford Green" I got for the valve cover looks horrible. Olive drab if I ever saw it. Did I just get a bad batch of Engine Enamel, or have I picked the wrong color?

 

I saw one that looked that color or close before. I don't know if it was the right color or not though. Engine sure looks good though.

 

I was really very pleased with everything but the valve cover, and thanks for the compliment. The picture doesn't do that cover justice, it's even uglier in person! I've got to fix it, not sure I can tolerate looking at it. I'm happy with the looks of the paint product itself, the stuff is like powdercoat, but that turd green color is the worst... I'm comparing it to the "pre" pictures, and it's just not even close. I did have some paint left on the cover before it was blasted and primed, but none left now. I remember you had your block color mixed from a chip sample, but did you also do that for the valve cover green?

 

Yeah i agree i like that color that minty green looks good

 

There is a thread from last week about engine paint, with pics of the closest stock color to Ford Green (Detroit Diesel Alpine Green).

What color is your truck going to be?

 

I've seen the Alpine Green...thanks. I'll search the thread. The truck is getting sprayed with Vermillion Red this week. I'm using the Vermillion that's such a popular color on the present F-150's.

 

I am not sure what color it should be, but the color it is now might be OK bu itself, but beside the 'minty' green, it make your engine look like it needs some antibiotics...yunk

I really like the minty green on the engine block, really looks good.

 

For the record, the mint color is POR15 "Buick Green '53-65". Kevin had his color matched to the official color, and the pics are really close between the two. Since there will be no Dearborn awards bestowed on my household, I'm tickled with that part. But, I still can't quite sort out from that previous thread what color the valve cover should be. Is the Bill Hirsch Lincoln Green the final concensus? I looked up the gallery pic they reference, but didn't see any engine pics. There is a green panel truck in the gallery, if that's the color they're talking about... If all else fails, it's gonna get some Forest green rustoleum "rattlecanned" on it...

 

Either the change in paint, or I'm changing the oil to 10W-penicillin....

BTW: I guess the reason I'm having so much trouble with this is that only '52 and '53 OHV sixes had this color scheme. They went to black and red in '54. Mine's fairly uncommon. But no official word, not even from NumberDummy????

 

Yes on the Lincoln Green, if you go with a restorer who has won Dearborn awards using it. No, if you listen to what others have to say; but I'm not sure how many Dearborn awards they have won, or how many potential customers they have waiting for the magic touch of their craft. Your engine looks very close to the Lincoln green. I'm not sure I would have guessed correctly.

 

Sorry, but I'm still confused, 1952henry...I'm a little slow. I do appreciate the input, 'cause I don't even know what a Dearborn award is! (Sounds like one of those crazy concours things, though, so I believe you!) So my valve cover NOW looks close to Lincoln Green? It doesn't look anything like it looked stock...it was WAY greener before, like a "Forest or Hunter" Green. Or are you saying that the Lincoln Green is what I should change it to?...like I said, I'm confused. If the concours guy says that the '53 215-6 should be painted the mint/turquoise green for the block and Lincoln Green for the valve cover, AND it looks close to what I blasted off of it, then that's the final word for me.

 

Now I know why I slipped into the darkside. I don't have the patience for the restoration route. When I was painting my engine I couldn't locate the correct Caddy dark blue engine paint so I opted for Ford blue instead (I figured since the Caddy would reside in a Ford pickup it shouldn't mind Ford paint.

The minty green looks fantastic. Don't you have any more of the minty paint? Why not spray the valve cover to match? or was this one of those engines where the valve cover was supposed to be a different color? Keep in mind that the old paint on it originally might have been discolored from years of grease, grime, and heat.

Awesome job on the engine!
Bobby

 

I would just find a green you like and go with it. My engine is red because it was commercial, but not the exact red.

Light green sure looks good though

 

I should have been more clear, the block appears similiar to the Lincoln green. I can't recall the "correct" color for the valve , nor can I see with certainty that the sixes were green; I just know for sure the 8s were. And yes, a Dearborn is an Early V8 club award for authenticity.

 

Have you looked at a large panel painted with the red body color next to the engine? The minty green looks nice by itself, but I can't imagine it in a red truck.