The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Chevy Gray engine Paint

Can anyone point me in the right direction for the right color of gray for my 235. Chevy of the 40s is on a forever backorder.
Thanks

Original paint code sheets are shown at the top right of this page.

There were many different shades of gray (from lighter grays to darker grays) - these changed over the years and in different GM engine assembly/painting shops.

Read this thread and go to all the links.

The Filling Station has the correct Chevrolet Dark Gray Engine Paint.

I had The Filling Station paint color matched at a local paint shop. BMW b87/ppg 940493 is what they came up with. Perfect match to the stuff i got from The Filling Station. Would have kept buying it from them but it's real expensive by the time it gets across the boarder. Not sure how close it is to original engine paint but it looks really good, dark grey that almost seems a little blue.

Yep, grey with a hint of blue. Here's a shot of my engine & valve cover freshly painted. If you think getting paint to Canada is bad, you should try Alaska. I made a road trip south and got all my paint from Jim Carter. Before that, I had a quart of paint shipped to me and it cost me $75.

Yeah it definitely makes doing this stuff more difficult. I've spent almost $100 Canadian on getting a small $15 seal up here by the time shipping and duty is paid. I'm only a few hours away from North Dakota and Montana so if i have lots of stuff to buy i'll pick it up in the states, glad the boarder is open again.

That's way light compared to the paint from The Filling Station shown below. Unless one's going after judging points it really doesn't matter.

Every manufacturing plant mixed their own engine paint. Slight variations but based on old paint on my block the closest match I found for mine was Ford engine paint in a rattle can. They use to make Chevy engine pain in a rattle can but is has been discontinued. Another interesting fact. I am not sure about previous years but in 54 if the engine was going into a truck it was grey. If it was going into a car it was blue. FYI - The oil filter in my picture is Chevy Blue and Chevy Orange.

Thanks, Dave

216 car engines were a shade of gray

235 truck engine paints were typically a shade of gray

261 truck engines (at least in 1960) were a shade of light green

235 car engines (1950 onwards) were a shade a light-blue - the Blue Flame Six
I do not know if this color was only on Powerglide high-pressure 235 engines (sometimes called full-pressure engines by some people). The Blue Flame Six 235 was used in early Corvettes and as an option in cars.

"In 1937, GM released a new inline six with slight improvements in both durability and performance. This generation of six-cylinder engine is commonly known as the “Blue Flame” engine. “Blue Flame” was an advertising term used by GM in the ’30s and ’40s to describe the efficiency of GM engines.

"According to the advertising guys, a blue flame (rather than yellow) meant perfect combustion was being achieved. I n 1934 advertising in promoting the new 80 horse power engine."n 1934 advertising in promoting the new 80 horse power engine."

The name was actually only used on specific engines from ’53-’62, not the entire generation.

I think this name was only used on the valve covers of the Powerglide-transmission equipped 235 car engines?

FWIW, the color matched what remained on the block originally under the crud very closely. But you're right, it doesn't really matter as no one will be judging my truck -- well not officially.

I just repainted my S-2 oil filter. I had some really old Rustoleum Federal Safety Blue and bought some Rustoleum Orange. I think it matches pretty closely.

Armour coat court grey from Canadian tire is close if you want to keep costs down .

I used Ford gray on my engine and oil filter in my ‘46, Ford blue on the body of the oil filter, and Krylon Gloss Pumpkin Orange for the lid on a Buick I’m doing. The filter canisters look pretty close to the photos I have seen of original coloration. I also did a yellow and black canister for my ‘50, which I understand was correct for ‘49, but was evidently added to it, possibly a leftover from a dealership.

What is the correct color for the oil filter canister and lid for a 1958 235?

In the Stovebolt.com Tech Tips

The Great Oil Filter Debate

My 55 1st series 261 is a medium to dark shade of green.

This is the Fram that was on the 1961 235 engine that I installed in my ‘46. I restored the gray AC for a closer to correct look under the hood. So now I don’t need the Fram or the breather.

I made the decision to paint my newly acquired 235 with a light shade of gray instead of dark. Problem has been actually finding the paint. I tried all of the usual big box stores, the local hardware stores and even shopped online and always came up empty handed. Yesterday I stopped in a Tractor Supply store and found what I’ve been looking for᠁.. Light Ford gray. It’s the paint used on the old 8N tractors. I’m looking forward to trying it on the valve cover later this afternoon when it warms up. By the way, it’s on sale for only $4.99 until March 27. That’s about 30% off the regular $6.99/11 oz can price.

Has anyone tried Massey Ferguson gray? Looks to me like it’s kind of a medium gray. Darker than Ford.

JW51, I saw the Massey Ferguson gray paint at Tractor Supply yesterday but it was noticeably darker than the light Ford gray I chose. It’s not quite as dark as Rustoleum Smoke gray but not by much.

They were painted Detroit Diesel "Alpine Green" and one year in the late 50's they were Yellow.

Mike B

Pick your paint day carefully. While that brand of paint seems to be fairly tough when cured, it takes forever to dry and will need at least 2 coats for good coverage.

I learned that very thing. Decided to try the Light Ford Gray paint on the freshly sanded side cover to see how it looked. It’s not a real thick paint and didn’t seem to “stick” in a couple of places. I also noticed what you pointed out᠁.. that it does not dry quickly. I brought the side cover inside the garage to dry overnight because I didn’t want anything in the air to drop on the wet paint. After a couple of days the paint was cured and looked smooth and shiny like glass. It still looks wet! I’m real happy with the paint!

A person could mix their own colors. As far as paint I think rustoleum (not a spray can) is better than dupicolor engine paint. You can also add a hardener to help it dry faster.
Here is an example, I say don't use the torch though, electric heat gun if you think you need to dry it. I have used the Jim Carter paint and a foam brush with good results.
So for gray, you can darken it up with black, lighten with white.