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when did engine blocks stop getting painted

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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 03:57 PM
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when did engine blocks stop getting painted

when did the auto makers mostly ford stop painting there blocks blue now they are just black what happened.
 
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 06:51 PM
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One less cost for the vehicle. Today its all about hitting price points to compete with the Japanese (and Euro's I suppose).
 
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Old Sep 16, 2004 | 10:40 PM
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There are some that think an unpainted block will dissipate more heat than a painted one.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 03:00 AM
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I've never seen an engine block that wasn't painted, other than an aluminum one. Most now are painted black, to prevent corrosion. I don't think anybody would want to get a new car, pop the hood, and see a nice, rusty engine in there. Aluminum blocks don't need paint, because the corosion isn't as visible.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 04:33 AM
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Some race car builder paint the inside to help oil flow. I can't imagine a Ford engine not being blue. Although black is better then red.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 07:39 AM
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Originally Posted by Mike W
Some race car builder paint the inside to help oil flow. I can't imagine a Ford engine not being blue. Although black is better then red.


Is that true? It sounds kinda silly to me.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 08:04 AM
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Red is what chevy used to paint thier engines.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 08:18 AM
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I think they stopped painting them when you stopped being able to see them under all that crap they put on em now.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 08:33 AM
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Something I didnt know is Ford has used 3 different shades of blue over the years. I found this out when a bought 3 cans to paint my engine. I painted it late one nite when without much light and found I had a multi color engine the next morning.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 08:37 AM
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Yes, there is a dark and a light blue..... There is also a grey.....
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 09:10 AM
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My last two Fords had light gray paint, 1988 2.9 and 1994 5.0. Flat black is actually best for heat dissipation. My last Chevy, also a 1994, was black. Since very few car buyers today even look under the hood, engine paint color for brand identity is pointless.

Jim
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 09:14 AM
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Originally Posted by FERacing66
Is that true? It sounds kinda silly to me.
The oil doesn't stick, the paint makes it slicker, so it gets back to the oil pan faster. I believe it was a Smokey Yunick trick. It isn't just run of the mill paint either, it is a slicker kind of paint.
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 09:31 AM
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GM's used to be Orange
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 09:35 AM
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fellro86 -

Yeah, it was some kind of electric motor paint - sealed the casting and like you said, very slick.

Steve
 
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Old Sep 17, 2004 | 09:44 AM
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Now that I think of it, some Diesels are also painted inside, same reason I'm sure.
 
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