The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Grand National Inline 6's

A few photos of the engines of the chevy trucks presented at the AACA Grand National meet in Melbourne, FL.

Don

I thought Grand Nationals had V-6's. Just kidding,
Scott

I know some of them had 36's LOL, especially the lady who owned the 1931 100 point Cadillac. Actually, I was only interested in the inline 6's. There were certainly some great engines to be seen there.

Pretty funny about those trailer queens; a guy came by on a golf cart yesterday announcing that a rail storm was on the way. I looked at the sky and noted that it was a fairly typical beautiful day for Florida. Within 15 minutes those queens were parked in trailers, tarped, or garaged. The storm came through about 4 hours later. A few rain drops fell today and you never saw such a scramble to wipe them off. I guess you can't have it both ways.

Don

Don, nice pics. Say, how did your engine "knock/tap" work out. I don't remember if you ever said>....or I was off the puter for a day or two!!

Don,
Thanks for sharing the pitures. Those are real pretty engines but I wonder if they run.

Dlck

Don,

So, what did the guy on the golf cart charge you for announcing that weather warning a little early?

Nice pics, thanks for posting them.

John

Long story and getting longer. I'll write it up sometime when I get back in the mood. I actually picked it up from the shop two weeks ago, but no one there would give me the time of the day. They knew that they had screwed it up and didn't want to live up to the warranty. I was able to blow a hole in every excuse they came up with, but it still ended up costing me some more in parts. I just didn't trust them and went ahead and ordered a new set of hydraulic lifters, which I assume were installed as I took the old ones with me. They also installed new bearings, and pushrods on their dime. I understood the bearings but not the pushrods. They said the originals were bent, but couldn't explain how that could be.

Although the "boss" wasn't in when I picked it up the shop foreman wouldn't talk to me. I figure the boss was sticking it to him for the time and some parts. We loaded the engine and I didn't pay them anything. It will be another week before I know what I've ended up with. Jeeze... I really wish I would have just brought the whole thing home in pieces and reassembled it myself. Time will tell and so will I. Thanks for asking Alvin.

Don

They were sweet sounding, a purr really, something like a six in heat.

Wow! How pretentious is that! Rochester carburetors without streaks down the side. Valve covers that don't leak. This is just not right.

I am not jealous at all. Those are very nice photos.

Yea, but they're all the wrong color.

The 216 is a good example of the correct gray. In my opinion.
Cleon

Well, that will all depend on what Denny G has to say LOL.

Don

The original paint on my '52 216 is very dark...almost looks
black, but not quite.

ACA vehicles are supposed to be in original factory condition. Amazing those owners can get away with glaring errors in that regard. And these are grand national entries, the top vehicles and previous winners of other competitions.

Come on Don, you know durn well it's not just my personal opinion; it's what the guys over at VCCA say that they found through research. They say that they worked with The Filling Station and with Chevs of the 40's to formulate the correct shade. Lots of discussions on the subject over there. Chevs of the 40's changed to Bill Hirsch’s paint just within the past year, and on the VCCA chatter II they are saying that it's to light of a shade. Prior to the change Chevs of the 40’s was selling the same Krylon Industrial formula that The Filling Station is still offering and is said to be correct by VCCA. Steve offers one more testimonial to the fact that the shade is not machinery gray but quite dark gray. Another reason that I tend to agree with VCCA is that there was original gray paint on my block also and that it was the darker shade. The reason that I feel it was the original engine and paint was that, I bought the truck from a friend who did not touch the engine and that he got it from the original owners two years before me. It was bought as the city vehicle in 1950 for a small town of 163 population and the population is still the same. I talked with several town officials, i.e. past mayors including people that maintained the truck. It was used as their fire truck until it was replaced with a real fire truck and then retired and used for parades and bug spraying in the summer. It was kept in the fire barn all of the 54 years that the town owned it.
So buddy, taint just my opinion, it's what GM put there 60years ago on my Chevy at least, and what the dudes over at VCCA also claim they have found on many un-restore well preserved examples that they researched to verify the shade.
Now if your judges are buyin' the light gray, that's just great. I'm sure the VCCA doesn't send out color chip samples to all the shows so the reality is that it’s a very subjective call. They’ve even been known to pass out trophies to vehicles with the wrong year engine, chrome strips down the hood seams of AD trucks and a lot of other discrepancies. I suppose it all depends on personalities and how you fit in.
All I've done here is try to report on and share what I've found to be facts rather than on supposition or what one thinks looks the prettiest. Tain no kind of ego trip for me nor does it really make any difference to me what color you want to paint your engine, interior or exterior. Honestly that’s entirely up to the individual, I’m not a judge, nor do I have any desire to ever be one or participate in any contest. This hobby is to satisfy me and no one else.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I agree about the trailer queens. Personally, I feel if you can't drive it, why own a museum piece? What's the fun in that?

sure was great that you shared these pic's. seems to me a telltale sign of a running stovebolt is a leaky carb!

Denny - I was just trying to torque up your channel locks. No put down meant or implied and you have my utmost apologies if you took my glib comment in anyway other than humorous--I did end it with "LOL" Laugh out Loud to indicate that the comment was made in a joking manner. I've always had the highest regards and admiration for the knowhow, and research you share with us all and know from several years of your postings that you have more than likely done more investigation into the "correct" paint color than anyone else on the 'Bolt.

While looking at those engines I actually thought about you, especially when looking at the ones with the Thrift Master lettering and decals, as I also remembered how much you researched the correct size, font, and design of that aspect of the engine's originality. Keep up the good work and sharing.

Don

Sent ya sentimental letter Big Don! Might have sounded that way i.e., like me fellin’s was hurt, but no offence taken. Just a matter of speech, ya know, I got a lot to say bur I’m not the most articulate dude in the neighborhood!
And thanks for the update and pictures of the show. The world taint perfect, sometimes I wish it was all black and white, but in reality there’s lot's of GRAY areas in it.
Heck Don, last month I was kicken’ Virginia's when he was down with the drip. Didn’t really mean anything by it though.

Micron, gotta disagree to some degree with ya here, they’re not all leakers, some are just weepers. If ya have access to a Bridgeport milling machine, a good little lathe, the wife’s oven and a lot of patience you can get to the point of havin’ wet gaskets alone. I managed to get the pampers off the old gal last year. 2k on that rework/rebuild and no drippin’ anywhere on that early (1950) Rochester ‘B’ yet!!!

Hey Steve, I know this thing has been beat to death, but ya suppose you could take some pictures of the original paint on you engine, that is, if there is enough left to take a picture of. I'd like to add them to my reference file on this subject.
Thanks
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

I enjoy reading Denny's posts as he puts alot into everyone. I know you didn't mean to offend him... Got any pictures of the 235 loadmaster?

Denny,

My engine is in a dark, back corner of the shop right now, but I did pull the valve cover off and took some pix in the daylight
for you. See here on the bottom of the page. I must say after a little clean up the gray isn't quite as black as I thought it was, but
it is dark in my opinion. Some of the top coat has worn/rubbed off that reveals a black primer, most noticeably on the passenger side.

Denny - I think Ghostrider's Valve cover photos will provide the detail you once searched on the Thrift Master lettering.

Don

I have an NOS oil pan and it is certainly darker than most of those engines. Thqat being said, I ended up painting mine a bit lighter than the oil pan I have. Kind of funny to hear people debate what the proper colors really are. The paint back then was probably hand mixed and each batch probably varied somewhat depending on the person doing the mixing.

Thanks a bunch Steve. When I first sprayed the Krylon that I originally got from Chevs of the 40‘s I thought they had sent me a bad batch cuz it was so dark. But now, the longer I look at it the lighter it gets!!! Anyway, there are so many reliable sources that confirm that the original paint was that dark that now I’ve been converted.
Seems like there is always something new to learn, I’m somewhat surprised that there is a primer under the paint. That’s the first time I’ve seen that on the engine. Since the complete engine would have been sprayed at the same time that would indicate that the block should also have a black primer on it, no??? Or maybe there was some sort of an E’coat on the sheet metal covers before they were added to the bare block???
The logo is still missing the details that I was looking for, that is the middle letters Don. And the logo letters were rather thick and fuzzy compared to the original ones on mine (top), which are thinner and crisper even though most of the paint has worn off. Also take notice that although much of the paint is missing from mine there is no E’coat or primer showing through. Mine is a 1950, Steve’s is a ’52, which might account for the differences. http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2775567740098611668ohRIau
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2775567740098611668ohRIau

Being the argumentative type Tim, I’d have to disagree with ya on the mixing of the paint. They were using standard formulas that were being supplied by their outside vendors and batch to batch were in all likely hood fairly uniform in color. I’ve got a nephew now that is doing CNC work for a vendor that supplies GM and they are really nit-pickers about every little detail being spot on, and very tight tolerances. They won’t accept any variation. Thru the 50’s, our industrial machine was running at it’s absolute best mostly new equipment and tooling in the plants because of the war effort. The auto industry was at the top of the pile and pretty much dictated their specs to their suppliers. Most small businesses back then were very service orientated and landing a contract with GM was akin to grabbing the brass ring.
Ah those little details!!!!
Thanks again Steve for your trouble.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Question about the "thrift-master" stenciled on the 216. What years was it there? Whould I have found anything on the 216 in my 39?

I knew I get that old gray paint pot sirred up again by mentioning my opinon. We have to keep it stirred or it gets to dark. LOL

No problem Denny, glad to be of help. I actually find things like this quite interesting. None of the other sheet metal on my engine had any kind of primer or e coat, just the valve cover.
Matter of fact, all the other sheet metal is bare steel with no trace of any paint whatsoever. I do think the vc was primed before it went on the engine. Maybe different plants had different practices. My '52 was built in Baltimore.

Okay, here is another specimen for you.
It's a 216 valve cover off a '50 Chevy car. Notice this has a primer/e coat as well. Also, in the last two pix my '52 truck vc is behind it. The car vc is much darker!

Here's some more "evidence". Not sure how well you can see it in the photo but there are actually three shades of gray in this photo:

shades of gray....or should I say grey

The top one is an NOS oil pan with shelf wear. There is clearly no primer under the paint.

The middle color (engine side cover and valve cover) are technically F@RD gray.

The lowest color on the block is the color that comes from Chevy's of the 40's.

As you can see there is very little discernable difference between the two colors that are currently on my 216. Even in real life you would be hard pressed to tell the difference without a very close inspection.

The NOS oil pan is certainly different and a bit darker in color. Any way it is close enough for me. The way I figure it, once I get driving this things, the leaking oil, road grime, etc... will be enough to make it look darker like the NOS oil pan.

Have you guys watched this film, Master Hands by Chevrolet?

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Master%20Hands%20AND%20mediatype%3Amovies%20AND%20collection%3Aprelinger

The second part shows the 193? Chevrolet factory building the 216 cubic inch engine. It seems so crude compaired to todays standards, its no wonder they are different colors of paint. I would bet, day to day you see a difference in color or even from worker to worker. Joe