Factory Engine Color???

[HotWheelsBurban]

Yep,Oldsmobile was red,gold or blue,chevrolet and buick used red at different times. I haven't seen plaid on anything though. We will probably get there on page 4.

The six cylinder Chevy engines were blue, going way back at least to '47 with the new models. The similar age GMC sixes were red or black. The 55 Chevy V8s actually were red, the familiar Chevrolet orange didn't start until 1956. The sixes stayed blue until the mid 60s and then were orange like the V8s.
Pontiac used a light (baby boy?)blue non metallic color in the 50s until the mid 60s, then they went to the Pontiac metallic blue that is more silvery. I've seen pictures of the 230/250 OHC Sprint engines in both red and metallic blue. I have some cam cases for those in both colors, but the '68 250 1 BBL engine I have is metallic blue. Supposedly was in a firebird, got it at a local swap meet many years ago.
Cadillac used a gold in the early 60s, maybe in the late 50s as well. The dark blue color they used came in '67 with the introduction of the 472 platform IIRC. Oldsmobile also had a non metallic blue engine paint, that was a different shade than the others.
There's probably more information about this in restoration supply catalogs like Eastwood or other companies....

 

[DoubleDingo]

And the blue on a lot of the L6's was an Alpine Green.

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[Sad Sack]

'85 would have been black.

All F-car TPI valve covers were painted silver. Except very some very late '92 cars that got black ones. '85-'86 were perimeter bolt and got their own stamping wirh ridges on the top surface. '87-'92 were center bolt covers and just like all the other non-TPI covers, but silver.

My '85 engine is black.

 

[Sad Sack]

Can we make it 5?

 

[Ricko1966]

Can we make it 5?

Well plaid already was covered so let's see polka dot on page 5

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

And the blue on a lot of the L6's was an Alpine Green.

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That looks like Detroit Diesel green.... without any oil streaks lol

 

[bucket]

Well plaid already was covered so let's see polka dot on page 5

When I get home, I'll paint some up for ya.

 

[ma3600vz]

do not have a problem with corporate blue it is a nice color but every one knows that chevy orange makes more horsepower and torque

 

[Ricko1966]

do not have a problem with corporate blue it is a nice color but every one knows that chevy orange makes more horsepower and torque

Covered in explicit detail on post #8

 

[Sad Sack]

Covered in explicit detail on post #8

Come on page 5!

 

[DoubleDingo]

That looks like Detroit Diesel green.... without any oil streaks lol

Very similar

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

Very similar

I want to say I remember Oldsmobile using a light green engine paint like this, at some point.... maybe the 50s? Buick used a light green for the Nailhead and the smaller V8 into the late 60s. The 400/430/455 big block Buick were red. I remember in our parts store, the colors of engine paint that didn't sell well, were old enough to have metal lids on the spray cans, that were painted the actual color that was in the can. The newer stock had plastic lids, that eventually were molded in an approximation of the color. So Chevy orange kinda looked fluorescent.....

 

[Turbo4whl]

What color was your turbo one @Turbo4whl.

I hung the snail on the corporate blue 305. When I replaced that engine with '71 402 Rat, it also got corporate blue.

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The Rat did look prettier when I first shoe horned it in. Yes the 402 was Chevy orange, but the paint was gone after the hot tank bath. 30 over bore, cam etc.

"Gotta love a Rat!"

 

[Turbo4whl]

That looks like Detroit Diesel green.... without any oil streaks

If a Detroit wasn't leaking, it was out of oil...

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

If a Detroit wasn't leaking, it was out of oil...

So the story goes..... I've had trucks like that, that were 5.7 or 6.0 gassers. Every place it could drop, it did....