[daves67ss]

I'm getting ready to paint the engine compartment and engine on my 68. I was noticing that my 302 is a lighter shade of blue than my 67 289 (which is Dark Ford Blue.) I'm guessing that someone painted it at some point along the line. Last night at Advance Auto, they had Dark Ford Blue, Ford Blue and Old Ford Blue on the shelf. Which is correct?
Dave

Just found this info in another Forum...still not clear.
The original engine color for V8 engines was called "Ford Corporate Blue". Duplicolor has three Ford blues in their engine paint rattle can line of products. They are "Dark Ford Blue" 1606, "Ford Blue" 1601, and "Old Ford Blue" 1621. IMO, the 1601 is too light and the 1606 is too dark, so I chose 1621 which is still dark, but not as dark as 1606. Many people use the 1606, but it looked too dark to me when compared to concourse car photos.

Mustang Monthly in their questions section prints that the concourse correct engine color is Ditzler PPG DAR 13358 for Ford Corporate Blue and DP74 for primer.

 

[Laurie_S]

If I had to choose from those, I would go with the Dark Ford Blue. However, I find that Plasti-Kote 224 is the best match in a spray can. It is exact to the original blue of the 289 in my coupe (checked it years ago). Don't rely on pictures of concours cars, either the color can be off in the photo or the owner used the wrong color. The best bet is to look at original cars.

 

[daves67ss]

Thanks Laurie. Your response seems to chime in on the same general concensus. I used Duplcolor Dark Ford Blue on the 67 and was very happy with it. Looks like I'll try Plasti-Kote on the 68. Am I tempting fate?

Dave

 

[Laurie_S]

Nope, you'll be good. Plastikote is an excellent match.

 

[mustang390]

Engine paint

I just painted my 67 390 with Plasti-Kote 224. It's an exact match to an un-restored 68 that we'll do next. 3 rattle cans will be enough with some left over for touch up.

 

[yelostang]

Another for #224

 

[daves67ss]

OK, You talked me into it. I got 3 rattle cans all from the same batch.

 

[Leeds]

Warning - Old Thread Resurrection...

I'm just getting to know my 68 J-code and I'm stumped as to what the original colors were. I'm not currently painting everything, but I am touching up parts, specifically the new water pump I'm putting on.

But what I don't understand is why the heads are a different color than the rest of the engine. The picture below is the most "apart" this engine bay has ever been.

 

[Tim_morrison82]

my original j code was all one colour, the heads on your pic look lighter than they should be...

 

[Leeds]

But they've never been off of the car between when it was picked up in March of 68 and parked in 79.

When they were putting these engines together (specifically the one-year-only J-codes) what was the painting process?

It seems odd that they wouldn't have painted the engine all together as one piece.

 

[slim]

But they've never been off of the car between when it was picked up in March of 68 and parked in 79.

When they were putting these engines together (specifically the one-year-only J-codes) what was the painting process?

It seems odd that they wouldn't have painted the engine all together as one piece.

That's peculiar! Ford didn't use that light blue on an engine since 64!
The J codes were just another engine. Painted with the heads and valve covers on. They used the same dark Ford blue on engines from 66-73 AFAIK. Oddly the valve covers, water pump and air cleaner look to be the right color.

Slim

 

[Leeds]

Looks like I've got a mystery on my hands. Dad doesn't remember everything about the car and I can't blame him. It was last inspected in 1975 (the sticker on the windshield expired in march of 1976), then it mostly sat for 3 years until we moved in 1979 and he put it in storage. So any trips to the repair shop would have been 1975 at the latest.

I have determined that the water pump was changed, so he did do some things to the engine over the years he drove it. I just can't image a reason that the heads would have been taken off. And if they have been, why would they have been repainted the wrong color?

What's the easiest way to identify/verify the heads? Can I find out all I need to know by pulling the valve covers, or are there other castings that I need to pay attention to?

I doubt any mechanics pulled the old "switcheroo" on him as they would have matched the paint to cover their tracks. I'll continue to see if dad can recall any more history about the car, but at this point it's a mystery to me!

 

[Tim_morrison82]

check out the pics in the link i sent you, it should have the heads in there. i think the heads have 4v on them once the covers are off, plus date codes, etc...

what is the build date of your car? i suggest getting the Bob Mannell small block book as there is heaps of in depth info on correct parts for your engine. very very handy when i pulled my j code engine down. i couldn't believe how original my engine was when comparing it to his book. its a small block bible.

 

[Leeds]

Tim,

Thanks for the link. I haven't had enough time to digest it yet though! This weekend will help a lot if I get my taxes out of the way early.

As for the book, I'll order it. It seems like the sort of thing I'd want to have around. :cheers:

 

[slim]

Hey it's something like this that adds interest to a car. At least it's not super common like a C code. The J code was a AFAIK a one year special and that one year wasn't high production.

That engine bears investigation. You can start with the 99.999999999% assurance it didn't come from Ford that way!
What's peculiar to me is the two heads are the same color. That tells me a change was made for example lowering compression, adding hardened valve seats for use of no lead gas (adding hardened or stellite seats was done a lot in the 74 era.). That would require both heads be done. Perhaps a guy had the heads modified on his engine which he painted the wrong blue. The engine suffered a cracked block or something and he gave your dad or his mechanic a good deal on these heads! Far fetched? Much more likely than a Ford factory engine with wrong color heads!!!

Not picking on you. This just makes a very interesting story that may have a simple answer.


Slim

 

[jdub]

Perhaps it's the same color but the paint faded at a different rate due to different heat cycles in heads vs. block.

After 1966 Ford used one blue on all engines and it's the darker color. It always throws me off when I see the earlier blue in a later model car but it seems like a semi-common mistake.

 

[Leeds]

What's peculiar to me is the two heads are the same color. That tells me a change was made for example lowering compression, adding hardened valve seats for use of no lead gas (adding hardened or stellite seats was done a lot in the 74 era.). That would require both heads be done.

Yeah, I'm puzzled too. I'll tear off the valve covers tonight and see what I can see.

As for the hardened seats- the last time this car ran, leaded gas was the norm, not the exception! But I hear you that it could have happened. I believe that that sort of repair would have been memorable for dad though.

Perhaps it's the same color but the paint faded at a different rate due to different heat cycles in heads vs. block.

After 1966 Ford used one blue on all engines and it's the darker color. It always throws me off when I see the earlier blue in a later model car but it seems like a semi-common mistake.

Well it wasn't dad's first Mustang, he did have a 65 vert which he sold when he ordered this one. If he had any paint lying around from touching up the first car, it might well have been the old-style blue. But surely if they were painted they'd know something wasn't right by the time they placed them on the block...

 

[daves67ss]

I'm finally getting round to painting the air cleaner and snorkel with the Plastikote 224 before I paint the actual engine and do like how it sprays. I've gone back to Duplicolor. I did my 67 about 12 years ago and it sprayed great and still looks good.

 

[Tim_morrison82]

guys, I retract my previous comment, I started cleaning up some parts and noticed the same thing, 2 different blues. another j code owner I spoke to, said he too was confused.

the engine I took apart had never been apart before either...

 

[JLMealer]

I'm getting ready to paint the engine compartment and engine on my 68. I was noticing that my 302 is a lighter shade of blue than my 67 289 (which is Dark Ford Blue.) I'm guessing that someone painted it at some point along the line. Last night at Advance Auto, they had Dark Ford Blue, Ford Blue and Old Ford Blue on the shelf. Which is correct?
Dave

Just found this info in another Forum...still not clear.
The original engine color for V8 engines was called "Ford Corporate Blue". Duplicolor has three Ford blues in their engine paint rattle can line of products. They are "Dark Ford Blue" 1606, "Ford Blue" 1601, and "Old Ford Blue" 1621. IMO, the 1601 is too light and the 1606 is too dark, so I chose 1621 which is still dark, but not as dark as 1606. Many people use the 1606, but it looked too dark to me when compared to concourse car photos.

Mustang Monthly in their questions section prints that the concourse correct engine color is Ditzler PPG DAR 13358 for Ford Corporate Blue and DP74 for primer.

There was a time when Ford engine blocks and oil pans were black so the heads could easily be a different color than the blocks.