Im painting a 302 engine for a 1984 t bird. The oil pan and valve pan covers were a silver gray, what color are the block and heads suppose to be? Any pictures??
On a 1984 Mustang GT, the oil pan was painted gray, but the engine block & heads were un-painted.
Most likely, 302 equipped Thunderbird/Cougars came un-painted as well.
Brent
block i think was ford blue? But don't hold me to that. if not then it was possibly black.
When I put the next motor in the Fila, it will be ford blue. As for what it should be, mine apperares to be silver/grey pan, block looks black/dirty and the heads look bare. Intake was the same way, bare. Hope this helps I can get pics if ya need as I have little in the way now ( thanks carb!)
My 83 has a gray oil pan and same color gray valve covers. The block and heads are unpainted. All carb/cfi cars are like this. SEFI cars had black valve covers and black oilpan.
I've read somewhere that sometime in the 70's auto manufactures stopped painting engines due to thoughts that the paint acted as an insulator allowing the engine to overheat easier.
And ford blue had been abandoned much earlier than the 80s.
Cost savings. The one and only reason.
Case in point, AMC painted Jeep Wagoneer engines black, up until 87 when Chrysler bought them, from then on they were bare. No overheating problems, simply bean-counter reduction.
I wish it was still like back in the day when each engine had it's own color. Chevy's were orange, Fords were Blue, Chrysler B's were Light Blue, RB's and HEMI's were HEMI Orange, AMC's were Turquise, Ramblers were Red, Pontiac's were Light Blue Metallic, Olds were Gold, etc, etc, etc...
My 5.8 will be dark Ford blue.I love that color.
I like the earlier lighter shade of Ford blue. This is going in my T-bird Friday.........I hope:hick:
Mmmmmm...Ford grey
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/stuntmannick/Pic003.jpg)
thats what i love about muscle cars, just buy the color half the time you know the motor!
So is that new ford gray or the old ford gray. If i remember right that would be the new ford gray. those 2.3's look good in that gray. That is the color my 84 T/C motor was when I got it. Pretty shure that it was factory paint.
Thx for the replies,I would say that my 84 block/heads were bare from factory as i cannot find any paint on them at all. I think it will be light gray or blue?
Any more engine bay pictures out there?
I can grab a picture of my nasty ass engine today if you want
Sure. thx.