73-87chevytrucks.com

73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: hotrod24 on October 20, 2008, 06:03:58 pm

Title: engine color
Post by: hotrod24 on October 20, 2008, 06:03:58 pm
hey i tryed to find a site that had the color from 73-80 for are truck motors but no luck so do yall know?
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: Lt.Del on October 20, 2008, 08:06:13 pm
my 79 was a blue engine www.delbridge.net/install

(http://www.delbridge.net/motors.jpg)
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: Blazin on October 20, 2008, 10:11:57 pm
Supposedly black engines run cooler. Thats what I was told years back when they started painting them black from the factory.
 As far as 73 to 80. I think up till about 75 or maybe 76 they were red, then went to blue after that.
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: dumbucket1 on October 21, 2008, 12:35:40 am
are you wanting to know for a restoration or just engine color ideas? I painted my block chevy engine red and the heads cast iron gray. Turned out pretty good
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: Dragon on October 21, 2008, 01:59:04 am
Supposedly black engines run cooler. Thats what I was told years back when they started painting them black from the factory.
LOL Yeah, it's alot easier to tell that to a Die-Hard Chevy/Buick/Olds/Pontiac/Cad Owner, instead of explaining to them that their Favorite Lines Share the same "Corporate" Engines....  It helped distract from Temporary Sales Lulls, and atleast it did till Joe & Jane Public figured out what happened...... ::)
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: GoatBeard on October 21, 2008, 08:10:49 am
What year did they stop painting them orange?  Wasn't it sometime in the early 70s?
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: Blazin on October 21, 2008, 08:23:53 am
For some reason I think years ago one of the 4wheel magazines did an article on the black engines. They did some sort of comparison and they found merit in the black engine running cooler thing too.
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: HAULIN IT on October 21, 2008, 10:53:06 am
Hotrod, The '73-'76 were Orange, the '77-up were Blue, this is to the best of my knowledge. There could have been some sort of 3/4 & 1 ton stayed Orange one more year or something that I'm not aware of. Lorne
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: hotrod24 on October 21, 2008, 12:32:04 pm
 yea i am doing restoration but i wanted to know because should i paint it factroy or go with elderbrock colors and if the 78 motor was blue i dont think that would go to togather very well because of the red on the carb
are you wanting to know for a restoration or just engine color ideas? I painted my block chevy engine red and the heads cast iron gray. Turned out pretty good
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: 75 C20 on October 23, 2008, 09:57:12 pm
I have always loved the orange but the 400 I'm putting in my 79 i painted blue since it would have been that way from the factory.
(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5045/picture047rg3.jpg)
you can see the orange on my 75's 350 in the background too
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: hotrod24 on October 23, 2008, 11:03:59 pm
hey where is it at :o
I have always loved the orange but the 400 I'm putting in my 79 i painted blue since it would have been that way from the factory.
(http://[url=http://imageshack.us][img=http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5045/picture047rg3.jpg][/url])
you can see the orange on my 75's 350 in the background too
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: 78 Chevyrado on October 24, 2008, 06:26:32 am
(http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5045/picture047rg3.jpg)
you can see the orange on my 75's 350 in the background too

mine will be blue like that one of these days.
My 77 C10 had a blue engine and my 78 C20 does too.   

I put an orange one in my 87 though, cuz weather or not it cools better, the orange makes leak-finding a lot easier. and looked better too IMO.  I put a '73 400 in my 87 R10, here ya go.
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t195/wes2880/Parts%20n%20Pieces/73400.jpg)
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: Captkaos on October 24, 2008, 09:08:32 am
You have an 87 currently?  Did I miss it?
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: ccz145a on October 24, 2008, 10:02:27 am
That's purty!


I put an orange one in my 87 though, cuz weather or not it cools better, the orange makes leak-finding a lot easier. and looked better too IMO.  I put a '73 400 in my 87 R10, here ya go.
(http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t195/wes2880/Parts%20n%20Pieces/73400.jpg)
Title: Re: engine color
Post by: 78 Chevyrado on October 24, 2008, 10:28:05 am
You have an 87 currently?  Did I miss it?

no, sorry I USED to have it.  It was wrecked beyond all repair July 07.