Correct engine paint suggestions please!

[BULLITT65]

Why? why not just mask off the holes?

[6667ss138]

If yours is the big block make sure you have the cast exhaust manifolds on when you do it.

Yes, and wasn't the water pump on before paint on the big block so therefore a bare look on some of the timing cover and back of the water pump?

[6667ss138]

Jerry M rebuilt and restored the 302 for my Z.   He used Seymour paint.

Wow Jerry does a nice job! Thanks again guys for all the responses and input!

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

Why? why not just mask off the holes?

Because the engine was painted with both the exhause manifolds and water pump on therefore you would have over spray on the manifold and the water pump to intake hose. If you want to get as close as factory correct as possible that is the way to do it.

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

If yours is the big block make sure you have the cast exhaust manifolds on when you do it.

Yes, and wasn't the water pump on before paint on the big block so therefore a bare look on some of the timing cover and back of the water pump?

Correct there should also be overspray on the coolant hose between the pump and intake.

Photo thanks to George aka No Yenko factory restoration of a 325HP 396 w/air

[BULLITT65]

So not just overspray on the manifolds, those manifolds are completely orange in the picture?? Wow I never knew that was the way they left the factory!
Your definition of "overspray" and mine must be quite a bit different.

[69Z28-RS]

I've never seen an exhaust manifold with that significant a paint coating, not 'back then,  nor even on restored cars.   I think the exhaust manifolds were installed, but there was no attempt to paint the entire manifold, in fact,I believe there was an effort by the engine painter to minimize paint on the exhaust (it burned off almost immediately when the engine was ran).

[Mike S]

 It must have smelt pretty bad on the line where installed engines were fired up for the first time and exhaust manifold paint started to burn off. I'll be it would have been an OSHA violation if they had existed back then!

Mike

[BULLITT65]

MAybe it did burn off pretty quickly, but from your picture that is not a little bit of over spray, IMO that is somebody just hosing it with chevy orange!

[janobyte]

Come on ! no trace of orange on my OE manifolds , maybe it burned off. Somewhere it boils down what looks good. vs. perception of "correct"

[JKZ27]

Come on ! no trace of orange on my OE manifolds , maybe it burned off. Somewhere it boils down what looks good. vs. perception of "correct"

Yeah, everyone's engine is going to look different. To me, the Seymour paint on that 302 looks too red. However, I like the lower gloss. I don't think most of us could bring ourselves to paint them like they were at the factory, with all the thin and bare spots, runs and sags. Jerry Macneish's engines look very neat and "perfect" probably not because he believes they came that way new. An artistic recreation of what an engine COULD have looked like when it was new would be subjected to so much criticism.

John

[NoYenko]

In the last 42 years I have seen many low mileage engines and remember getting complete engines with painted manifolds on at the Chevy dealer I worked at. Generally engines came without manifolds or paint unless it was ordered within the production year. In 69 the engine was painted with manifolds on and the entire outboard side was painted all the way down. On an original block it left a unpainted shadow behind the manifolds that would rust. I tried to replicate painting my engine as the factory did but painted behind the manifolds and had exhaust manifolds coated so the would not rust as much. The paint burned off within 2 minuets on the dyno and left me with close to factory appearance. Pictures show a 29 mile 70 454 engine, a 29K 70 454 engine, and my engine fresh off the dyno. You can clearly see in the second picture how a engine with aluminum intake used a mask to cover the intake and bypass hose. Note the paint on lower half of the clamp. Cast iron intakes did not use the paint mask so the bypass hose was painted. George.

[mickeystoys69RSSS]

Thanks George. I did not even think of the aluminum intakes being masked. How is yours coming along and since it was on the dyno what kind of numbers did it make?

[llskis]

Being a Corvette guy also; have gone to many Al Grenning/John Hinckley seminairs. IIRC the painting process changed in 1968. Prior
to that there was some overspray on the exhaust manifolds but none on them from 1968 on up. Correct me if I am wrong. Larry

[BULLITT65]

George those pics are a great reference, but they don't look like they were once covered completely with orange. Is it your opinion that they were and all of it burned off except around the bolt holes?