The engine (352 CID) in my daughter's 66 F100 is painted black. Now that I have it all torn down, I want to repaint it correctly. So I have a couple of questions:
1) What color should it be (I assume Ford Blue)?
2) Are there more than one "Ford Blue"? (The cans I got at Fred Meyer's seem a lighter blue than I remember)
3) Does anyone have a painting guide with particulars about which components are blue, black, etc?

I appreciate any advice or insight. Thanks.

P.S. I know there is an engine forum so please forgive me, BUT the Slick forum is the one I know and trust. It has the best members and best answers.

 

Fred Meyers...where in Wa are you located ??? LOL

there were 3 different shades of blue used on the engines...66 as far as I know get Ford Corporate Blue...block, heads, tins, etc...65 engines were black blocks, etc and gold valve covers...



- cs65

 

1966: Ford Corporate Blue block, heads, intake manifold, waterpump, oil pan.

If the air cleaner is an oil bath: Black / If a dry type = Same blue as above.

The exhaust manifolds were originally painted black, but Ford did not use a high temp enamel, so the paint burned off very quickly.

Today, all sorts of high temp paint is available, but the manifolds have to be rust free and clean as a whistle before it's applied, otherwise the paint will burn off very quickly.

 

Thank you gentlemen. Guess I will be returning this "light" Ford Blue I bought. As for getting manifolds rust free and clean, I have been using a product called EvapoRust. It is pricey, but I have been extremely impressed with the results. You can stick your hands in it (probably drink the stuff) AND dump it down the drain legally!

I wish I knew their formula since it cost be about $20 a gallon at HarborFreight. Someone told me it is made from sugar beet juice but that's just hearsay.

 

What's this? You aren't using NAVAL jelly?

Oops, I forgot that your were an officer, so all you did was give the order to...chip, chip, chip.

You didn't actually use the product.

 

Ha, ha; good one...In the three years since I retired, the only "Naval" things I've done are lead field trips to the local Naval Air Station for elementary school kids and talk to high schoolers about getting into Annapolis.

My friends still call me Commander sometimes but that seems like a whole different life.

My daughter just picked up an "Army" ROTC four-year scholarship to Washington State University (WSU) so now we are a-house-divided Go Navy, Beat Army!

 

wagonerkl, Here is a pic of my '66 352. I brushed on the paint. It is Ford Corporate Blue implement paint. I got it from our local ford tractor dealer in a gallon can. I only used about a quart. I prepped the block by pressure washing and then brushing with safety solvent. the exhaust manifolds are coated with cold galvanizing compound. Rustoleum makes it and it comes in a handy rattle can for about $6. I painted the areas around the spark plugs with it too because those are the areas that get hot and burn the paint off. Zinc will not burn off or discolor. I don't know why more folks don't use it. Steve

 

My dad received an appointment for Annapolis, but was rejected because of an overbite. But when the USN discovered he was a high school football star, they wanted him.

He told them to 'stick it' and went to Harvard instead. He told the Navy that when they played Harvard, they would appear to have 12 men in their squad because he would make it a point to be in the Navy's backfield the second the ball was snapped!

And he did...he's in the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame and was an All-American football player.

After graduating, he went to the US Naval Supply School in Athens GA, then was sent to the Asiatic Fleet to serve as a supply officer on the USS Black Hawk (AD-9).

One a the first officers he met, was the officer that rejected him in 1935 (Captain Rooks of the USS Houston).

His last offical duty was de-commissioning ships in Bremerton. Housing was in such short supply after the war ended, that mom, dad...and I lived on a goat farm on Vashon Island.

 

Bill, great family history that you can be truly proud. At the risk of perpetuating an off topic conversation, I just recently completed my uncle's history which included 30 years in the navy. All of WWII and the sinking of the light cruiser he was on. So I know how you feel about your dad's military contribution. Steve

 

The worst sinking of a USN Light Cruiser when it came to loss of life, occured when the USS Juneau (CL-AA 52) went down with almost all hands (including the five Sullivan brothers) in Iron Bottom Sound, off Guadalcanal in November 1942.

There were only 10 survivors.

The worst sinking of all light cruisers occured when the HMAS Sydney went down with all hands off the western coast of Australia after having engaged the German raider Komador. There were 300 survivors of the Komador.

 

wagonerkl...Wazzu isnt too bad...course UW is alot better....even though my niece goes to WSU...

The engine looks great although not totally correct...minor minor detail things is all...

Naval Jelly...LOL...when I first saw this term years and years ago...I thought it had something to do with our belly button...LOL...



- cs65

 

USS Juneau hit by a torpedo from I-26 that was intended for USS San Francisco. Juneau already moving at only 18 knots due to previous torpedo hit the night before port side forward engine room. This second torpedo hit in the same area and when it hit the Juneau went up like a volcano and less than a minute later was gone. A total of 100-120 men survived the initial blast and were in the water. Many with crushing injuries died as they would have anyway. Half were in ok shape and that included George Sullivan who died on the fifth night. They were spotted early by a plane but the pilot gave the wrong directions. Emblematic of many mistakes by our pilots in reporting locations and ships back in 1942. By the 10th day, after nature and sharks took their toll, 10 men were pulled from the water. Along with a Lieutenant and three pharmacist's mates transferred off a few hours before the torpedo that would bring a total of 14 original crew members out of 697.

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Friday Nov. 13th, was not the US Navy's best day by far. Losses totaled 1,439 men, four destroyers, two light cruisers and most other ships damaged. Adm. Scott gave his life and Adm. Callaghan paid for his mistakes with his life and many others. Adm. Scott who was able to cross the T in the Battle of Cape Esperance, Oct. 11, was of lower senority than Callaghan. Adm. Callaghan, 15 days senior with no combat experience was placed in tactical command by Adm. Turner. Ironically Adm. Scott and Callaghan were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously. However, I disagree with the award to Callaghan as he mainly blundered throught the night which only turned the Japanese back for one night. The Battle of Tassafaronga on Nov. 30 was another black day in US Navy history and more cruisers hit one after another by the Long Lance.

Every heavy cruiser (12) we sent into that region in 1942 was sunk or heavily damaged. We had SG radar which was misused. We failed to pass on messages. We failed to act promptly. The Japanese had better tactics at night. They had Long Lance torpedos which trumped anything we would ever have. Their destroyers were armed to the teeth with those things. Last, time and time again their lookouts spotted our ships long before we did visually and were just as good when up against radar. These battles really irritate me since many times three cardinal rules of my own were violated. One, never assume anything. Two, always suspect. Three always verify and if you can't then act on your suspicions, quickly if need be.

 

Besides not trusting radar, which was new technology we got from the Brits, that most officers had no training with, and having two "arm chair" admirals dictating diverse commands...

The USN ships turned on all their searchlights, which gave Japanese gunners beacons of light to shoot at.

After this battle, searchlights were never used again, and officers were trained how to use radar and TBS-Talk Between Ships, another form of new technology most officers were not trained to use.

Naval historians and the USN agree that the USS Juneau should never have been in this battle, because it was a CL-AA = Anti-Aircraft Light Cruiser armed with 5" guns.

The reason the USS Juneau was used, was because we had just lost 4 CA's (Heavy Cruisers) during the Battle of Savo Island.

There's a memorial to the USS Juneau at the (now Cruise Ship) dock in Juneau Alaska.

Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner was in charge of O-N-I, the Office of Naval Intelligence before the war, and was the officer directly responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor, because he didn't think it was necessary to send all the decoded messages including the most important message of all...the 'Bomb Plot' message to Admiral Kimmel, who was then CINCPAC-Commander in Chief-Pacific Fleet.

Pearl Harbor had no "Magic" decoder machines, as the two slated for Pearl Harbor had been given to the Brits in 1940 in exchange for their radar technology. All the messages PH picked up, were relayed to Washington DC

btw: Known as "Terrible Turner" (because of his profane language) throughout the USN, he was later put in charge of all the Pacific Amphibious Landings...a job he did well...except at Tarawa.

 

Interesting reading gentlemen.... my great uncle was a tail gunner on a plane (Curtiss Helldiver I believe) that flew off the U.S.S. Lexington and his brother served with the 1st Marine Division (old breed) in the P.T.O. during WWII. I used to spend a lot of time talking to them about those days.

Mike

 

My father (Co A 65 Combat Engineers) sat on the beach on Guadalcanal and watched the carnage. He described it to me as the most impressive thing he had ever seen, as they could see the shells inbound and outbound and the ships being hit. More impressive than the daily bomb runs on Henderson by the Japanese and more impressive than the attack on Pearl of which he was at Schofield Barracks on the day of infamy.

Good off topic thread... History is good!

Garbz