The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop '59 Engine Paint

I have a 1959 Chevy Apache 3600 with a Trademaster 283 V8. The very first day I got it, I took a closer look under the hood(as does everyone when they get a new toy)and I looked at the old,grease-covered engine, and began cleaning some of the dirt off of it with an old rag and noticed that it was painted a Chevy Red and had chrome valve covers! I obviously knew that the chrome valve covers were not stock, but I am unsure about the color.
Does anyone know if in '59, Chevy's stock engines were painted Red?

First of all welcome to the bolt.
I am almost certain that the V8 engines for 1959 were painted gray.
Jim

Thanks for the advice Jim. I kinda think that the red paint isn't stock either. I'm glad to be part of the Bolt! This is a really nice site and whoever is running it is doing a great job. Probably the nicest website I've been on for vintage truck lovers like us.
Thanks

1912-1966 Chevrolet Engine Colors

Thanks a alot for that great link Tim. That helped out a lot. According to the link you posted, my engine would have originally been painted green. Which means that one of the previous owners must have painted it Chevy Red.
Thanks a lot.

heavy duty 283's were green, your 3600 is a light truck, as the Apache designation indicates, so the 283 would be gray - green would be found in the Spartan and Viking models

Bill

59Apache: until you run the numbers on the engine do not assume that it is a replacement engine. Often people painted engines just because they didn't like the color so it could still be original. Post the stamped number on the RF cylinder head along with the casting numbers and someone here will tell you what you have. Block castings on on the rear where it bolts up to the bellhousing/transmission. Head castings numbers are under the valve covers.

Thanks Bill,
Tim asked me earlier how I knew it was a 283 heavy duty engine, and that is when I realized I made a big mistake and that it would have been painted grey instead of green. In '59 Chevy had 2 different 283s that they put in their trucks. Those 2 engines were the Trademasters(what I have) and the Taskmasters. These two engines were almost identical as far as specifications go, Same stroke, bore, horsepower, etc. But, the Trademasters were used in the light trucks and the Taskmasters were used in the heavy duty trucks, as you had said. In '59 Chevy also had the Super Taskmaster which topped both the regular Taskmaster and the Trademaster by an extra 15 horses at 175.
Thanks again.

Thanks Dave,
I defintely know it is still the original engine that is in it, I was just wondering if the engines back in '59 were painted red right from the factory. I will look for the number on the engine though and as soon as I get it, I'll post it.
Thanks a lot.

I have heard of red engines ending up in trucks, either due to paint shortage at the engine plant, or just simply a plant error. So it is possible for that to happen.

Thanks Bill,
I have also done a litle research myself and I have seen plenty of vintage photos that had red engines in them also. Most of the replies I have been getting, have said that the red paint was most likely custom and was painted like that beacause they didn't like the color or they did during a rebuild, but that interesting knowing that the factory may have also painted it that color due to paint shortage or just by error.
Thanks again for that great information.