The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Which color to paint my 235?

I have a 1954 Chevy 235 motor I’ve decided to rebuild and want to paint it when I get it back. I’ve seen two different gray colors used, one dark and one light. Which color is correct?

Thanks

I'm pretty sure the lighter gray is correct; it's what I painted mine. But interested in what the experts on this forum have to say.

Found this in an older post.


Hope that helps

John

Where did you find that quote, John?

Here you go Tim, https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthread...4&Words=Engine+paint&Search=true

Yep, that's where I found it. I did it the hard way. I remembered a Bolter named Czechman years ago was researching 235 engine paint. I just kept going back and reading his post's until I found it.

Information originally provided by Tim (tclederman).

John

As long as it's Gray you will never loose points at a "judged" show. Chevrolet NEVER published their engine paint codes. The paint was there to quickly ID the engine when it was on the assembly line and to keep the engine looking pretty until it was sold.

Mike B

I bought mine from Bill Hirsch.

I like the looks of the Filling Station paint color. Its fairly dark.
I have seen two original engines with enough paint left on them to see the color. It was dark. Darker than the Filling Station paint.
You will know that you have it right when you develop oily road grime on the engine. That grime is close to an exact match to the original color. No hint of blue hue that I could see.
Interestingly enough, I recently help a guy clean up the engine on an original in every way 55.2 235. When we wiped off the oily road grime, it was not a match for the underlying paint.The 55.2 235 paint was lighter in color. (This engine still had the original painted on yellow script on it.) You could have talked me into saying that the engine paint had a very slight hint of blue in the mix.

The Filling Station paint is almost a direct match to BMW b87. Dark grey with almost a hint of blue, not sure if it's a match to the original color but it looks really nice!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys. It’s an interesting topic for sure!

Here are a couple of images of an original 216 engine in gray. The shade may have changed a bit in 1954 with the new 235 engine in trucks.

There has been allot of discussion on this forum about the color gray for the engine. When I painted my rebuilt engine this past summer, I came to the conclusion that anything between a light gray and a darker blue/gray would be correct as Chevy never documented the exact color.

Here is one such discussion that was very informative. [LINK]

I, too, have read my way through all of the forum comments about which color gray to use. In the end, I went with what my local NAPA had on the shelf, which happens to be the Dura-Kote "Ford Gray" (cough, gasp). I like the color as it's very close to the shade of gray used by GM's Electro-Motive Division (EMD) on their diesel engines.

Any one with Canadian trucks have noticed there engine colour being original grey

I believe that’s the same rattle can paint pep boy’s auto parts sell as well
Sprayed nice 2 cans will give nice coats

I’ve decided to go with this light gray. Fellow ‘bolter and Interiors moderator, Chris, convinced me that working on a dark colored engine isn’t easy or fun. Seems you can’t see anything. He knows because he painted his 216 dark gray. I also think it looks clean and I like that. Everyone has their own opinion, and I truly appreciate everyone’s comments.

By the way, anyone know the name of this color gray and who sells it?

Many thanks!

"everyone has their own opinion"

Here is an old thread with many opinions.

Choose the shade of gray that you like.

Looks like Bill Hirsch Chevrolet Light Gray to me...their engine paints are great...brush it on and it lays out like glass even on sheet metal parts.

Mike B

I used a gray rattle can from NAPA. I hate to admit, it was the engine color of the 4-letter F-word.

What is the product code on the NAPA paint?

that lighter gray looks a lot like the rattlecan I found at O'Reillys. Duplocolor ceramic engine paint. Using it on my 216

Tim, I went to the basement and sitting there (filed under R, of course) was the rattle can! It's been there for 17 years! (Now you know what the rest of the basement looks like.)

Bought at NAPA, it's "Dupli-Color Engine Enamel. Ceramic. 500 deg." "New F*rd Gray DE1611" on the cap.

Thank You, Wally

I’ll go take a look at O’Reillys and NAPA. I’m sure one of their grays will be what I’m looking for.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

That looks very close to the Ford gray that I painted the 235 I installed in my '46, purchased from a nearby auto parts chain. Not much difference. As long as your not showing it or parked next to the correct color, I don't think anyone would notice. I know, it's a "Ford" color, nearly blasphemy!

Here are a couple of pictures of NOS parts with the color being used at the time

Wow, that really is a dark gray! I definitely would not want to use that color. Like Rusty Heaps said, if I’m not showing it or trying to be 100% authentic then any color I choose will be just fine.
The Bill Hirsch gray looks pretty nice and has good reviews from ‘bolters who have used it. The only other color that I really liked was a darker blue. Photo attached. I have no idea what years and what motor it was used on, but it looks great! In the end though I decided on the light gray because I think it just looks clean and will brighten up the engine bay.

Great find Dave!
The tone depicted on pic on the left is what I have seen on the original paint found on two original engines I have seen. More of a light black than a dark gray.
The other two close up pics may be picking up extra lighting, making them appear to be lighter in color.

The blue colored engines started with the 1953 Powerglide equipped passenger cars and stayed a passenger car engine color. It was called the Blue Flame Six.

Mike B

Great info Mike B! “Blue Flame” = blue motor. Makes sense.

Here's an NOS 216 valve cover I've had in my shop for some time (first photo). Dark gray, but maybe not quite as dark as Dave's NOS parts.

Just an FYI, for anyone looking to duplicate the original blue of the US car engines, the DupliColor Chevrolet Blue DE1609 engine paint is a good match. It's medium dark, and sort-of a gray-ish blue. If I'm not mistaken, it's the color recommended by the VCCA.

And here's a valve cover I refinished for a '53 Bel Air 235 last year, as an example. Primed, then the DE1609 Chevy Blue. Decals added, and sealed with two coats of DupliColor DE1636 Clear. The decals changed for model years after '53, but not the basic engine color used in the cars (subject to factory variation in paint shade, of course).

Doug

Just to add one more option, this is an example of the color I painted all my customers engines.
Rust-Oleum Charcoal Gray.

I like/use Dave's "lighter shade of gray".

Hey Doug, how about tuning that valve cover around so that we can see the Trift-master script?

Carl,

The NOS valve cover has no lettering whatsoever. The passenger side shown is the one that would have been lettered, if I'm not mistaken. In any event, just more gray paint on the other side. Perhaps no lettering because it could have been used on early 235s as well?

Doug