Oh yeah, and the 283 was painted grey. I thought the v-8 chevy engines were always orange in those days. My 54-64 motors manual lists a heavy duty 283 with an extra quart capacity oil pan, and I think, maybe higher compression. Could it be the heavy duty 283s were painted grey? these are just nagging questions that I have wondered about for years. Are there any gurus out there to clear these insignificant, yet bothersome questions up for me?
By the way, Ol' rusty still runs great. Been to Denver and back, Atlanta and back, and New Orleans and back. Usually hauling a trailer.
I put in an overdrive unit just before the Georgia trip. Best thing I ever did. The looks I get while quietly blowing the doors off of modern cars is priceless. By the looks of her, you wouldn't think she could cross the street. People all over the country think I'm nuts, but they don't know that nearly everything is either new or rebuilt. And all for less than a down payment on a new truck. Give or take a little sweat, bloody knuckles, and mosquito bites.
Rusty still wears about 25% of the sand beige colored paint she got at the factory 45 years ago. Most people want to know when I'm going to paint her. And a few tell me that a paint job after all this time would be sacrelige. I'm thinking of fixing the few holes, treating the surface rust with ospho and applying a clearcoat to stabilize it.
