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I know there's a lot out there already on engine colors. Spent some time going through past threads - if I missed, I apologize upfront. Wondering about a couple accessory items:
PAINT COLOR QUESTIONS
1. I always thought the oil breather tube (or at least that's what I've always called it - the tube off the driver rear of the engine) was originally black. But mine was yellow under the blue. Safe to assume this piece should be yellow? I looked up a number of other threads & found old brochures showing the passenger side, but couldn't find anything showing the lower driver side (could be blind).
2. Is the front motor mount supposed to be yellow or black? This is the saddle or horseshoe looking piece that bolts to the block, around the damper pulley.
3. It looks like the intake manifold should be yellow, but what about the exhaust manifold? Bill Hirsch has some silver colored high temp exhaust paint I wanted to use, but then saw a thread referring to black exhaust manifold on a Y block, so want to confirm. (Obviously, mine's a 6, but since the Y block followed the yellow/argent scheme, made me think.)
Just fwiw, I'd try to find some pics of engines coming off the assembly lines to see what is/is-not painted. It's been my experience that exhaust systems aren't usually factory painted or coated (except for Cadillac's porcelain manifolds, and marine water cooled manifolds).
For what it's worth, I painted the intake, oil pan, and the parts between the engine and transmission the same color as the block. The exhaust manifold, breather tube, air cleaner, pulleys, and most other engine bits, I painted black. I didn't do a whole lot of research, but instead tried to use the same color scheme Stu used for the 52 215/223 cid I6 that is eventually going into his Ranger. I knew that he was trying for a correct restoration, and I wouldn't be going far wrong by following his example. The engine colors are of course different for a 55 like yours, but I would think the basic scheme might be the same.
I'm looking forward to seeing your engine all painted and your dual carb set-up!
Here's a pic that shows the front of my engine. I guess the exhaust manifold isn't all that "black". The spray can said black, but when it was heat treated in my wife's oven (while she was away baby sitting grandchildren), it didn't stay black. It's even less black now.
I used Bill Hirsch paint--again following Stu's example. I'm four years and maybe 5,000 miles in, and I'm satisfied with how the Hirsch paint is holding up. My carb was leaking for most of those years and miles, and I also have numerous oil leaks. These issues have taken a toll, but I'm fairly confident that with a little cleaning and some touch up, my engine will still look very presentable. Heat did not seem to be an issue degrading the paint on the intake. Bill Hirsch advertises his engine paint as the best that money can buy, and I have no reason to dispute that claim. I'm certainly more satisfied with my engine paint choice then I am with what I used to paint the exhaust manifold. That was disappointing right out of my wife's oven. I followed the heat treat and prep instructions to the letter in that case.
Hmmm. That surprises me. It is generally agreed that Hirsch paint is the best color match for 1952. I would think they would have paint for other years as well. I had some "complications" getting my engine painted the correct color that you can read about in an old thread entitled, "Yikes! engine paint mismatch", but bottom line, the Hirsch company treated me well, and I have no problem recommending them.
They have a color called Edsel Pacer Yellow in quart cans. I couldn’t find it because I was looking for a spray can. No idea if that is the right color or not.
He gave a very good tip for the engine intake to help keep the paint from flaking off due to high heat. He suggested putting the 1200* primer on first and then the top coat which will help keep the top coat from separating.
If the Hirsch people said Edsel Pacer Yellow is the correct engine color for 55, I'd tend to believe it. I didn't use a primer and applied the paint with a brush. I experienced no difficulty with flaking or separating. The paint really applied nicely to cast parts like the block and manifold. Painting the "Tin" pieces, like the oil pan, were more difficult. For these, spraying would have been better.
I believe the Hirsch rep I talked with was willing to send a sample color card. That might be good in your case to avoid any "surprises".
That's disappointing to hear. If Edsel Pacer Yellow is just some random yellow, the chances that it will be close to being correct isn't too promising. Good luck. Hirsch makes a good engine paint, but it has to be the right color.
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