[getmygoat]

Hi all,

A while back I painted my judge engine using the "parts place" spray cans. I had done some searching and someone on here had indicted they thought it was most correct. I can't find that thread now, but the consensus seemed to be that the common blue we see is now assumed to be correct from repetition but in fact is not. That thread indicated the correct original color was more green, and that the mass production paint producers might be saving money by reducing the amount of green pigment.

In fact, the parts place paint is less blue and more green. Does anyone have a picture of an original motor that could shed light on how far off my engine color is at this point? I'm sure out in the world people would perceive it as incorrect. The question is whether they are right or not. Thanks!

[Greg Reid]

I did some research on this myself. Even started a thread some years ago about how to duplicate that greenish color. After a lot of fooling around, I have come to believe that that greenish tint is due to age and heat. Just my opinion...
I compared fresh Duplicolor 1616 to a hidden area on an original paint 1966 389 harmonic balancer and the colors were pretty much dead-on as far as I could tell.
To reinforce that, I recently pulled my water-pump off that was painted 8 or 9 years ago and guess what? It was greenish tinted compared to the freshly painted water-pump I was replacing it with.
Can't find the water pump pic but what's pictured below is what convinced me that there is just not a lot of difference in the original paint and Duplicolor 1616

[north]

Here is a 20,000 mile survivor 1969 fullsize built in Pontiac. 100% untouched. The plant and engine choice should make no difference since all engines were cast in the same foundry plant and painted there before being shipped out to various assembly plants.

As mentioned the color is very blue with no green tinge. Apart from the low miles it should be noted this car has been stored in climate controlled garage it's entire life and all the miles were in ideal weather and local trips only which is why everything including rad, hoses, carb, plugs, points etc are factory installed and in good running order.

I always felt that the original color was greener than those paints currently on the market but this car has me leaning to the idea that high heat for extended time combined with oil and gas residue over time green the paint.

That being said I still think the paint being sold now is too silverish, needing more blue but not necessarily the green tinge I see on most original engines.

[tekuhn]

Originally Posted by getmygoat

Hi all,

A while back I painted my judge engine using the "parts place" spray cans. I had done some searching and someone on here had indicted they thought it was most correct. I can't find that thread now, but the consensus seemed to be that the common blue we see is now assumed to be correct from repetition but in fact is not. That thread indicated the correct original color was more green, and that the mass production paint producers might be saving money by reducing the amount of green pigment.

In fact, the parts place paint is less blue and more green. Does anyone have a picture of an original motor that could shed light on how far off my engine color is at this point? I'm sure out in the world people would perceive it as incorrect. The question is whether they are right or not. Thanks!

Wow, that really looks nothing like what we think of as '66-'70 metallic blue. That is much less silvery and much more blue. Doesn't really look metallic at all from a distance.

[vertigto]

Apologies for a minor thread hijack, but wondering about POR 15's Pontiac Light Metallic Blue is color-wise for 1970 and durability. I know it's a bit of a pain to shoot, but wondering if it lasts longer and discolors less than the most popular choices. Any body have any info/experience?

[getmygoat]

Originally Posted by north

Here is a 20,000 mile survivor 1969 fullsize built in Pontiac. 100% untouched. .

Wow North, that's a great example. Not consistent with common knowledge in any direction. Not silvery, not green.

[north]

I'll take some closer pics of that engine tonight and post them.

[69gtocv]

Originally Posted by vertigto

Apologies for a minor thread hijack, but wondering about POR 15's Pontiac Light Metallic Blue is color-wise for 1970 and durability. I know it's a bit of a pain to shoot, but wondering if it lasts longer and discolors less than the most popular choices. Any body have any info/experience?

I used that on my 69 vert restoration. I probably shot the engine in 2005-06. It didn't last long. I can't compare it to any other bomb can paint out there though. I did think the color was spot on though.

[Bobsramairv]

This has always been of interest to me as I have a very low mile original 70 Judge and the engine is definitely green. I checked parts that were exposed and parts that were covered by another part and the color was the same.
My 69 Judge is also has the greenish tint.

[Greg Reid]

Three page thread on this same subject...
https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...t=engine+paint

[Kenth]

Pontiac named the 1966-70 engine color " Silver Blue Metallic".
FWIW

[getmygoat]

Originally Posted by Bobsramairv

This has always been of interest to me as I have a very low mile original 70 Judge and the engine is definitely green. I checked parts that were exposed and parts that were covered by another part and the color was the same.
My 69 Judge is also has the greenish tint.

Bob, could you share a pic or two of the engine on the 70 with us? Thx!

I'm starting to wonder if maybe, even though Pontiac specified the same color was used from 66-70, that maybe there was variation. Perhaps Pontiac used multiple paint vendors, or the mix varied from batch to batch. Perhaps we are trying to identify the golden paint rule for these engines and in fact several shades went out the door.

[rwfisher]

With today's paint formulas being so much different than those in the 60's I would have to wonder if it is even possible to spray the "correct" Silver Blue metallic and have it age to the greenish tint we're familiar with seeing on cars with original engine paint. I know I have used Bill Hirsh (yes it is a bit glossy) product and did not see that change in hues over several years use, and personally, it would be my preference that it does not change at all... I have seen several times where the aged Green hue had been duplicated for some reason using and AMC color in pic below. Not sure what the color is though...

[rwfisher]

Pic.

[Greg Reid]

I know it subjective, but that photo above doesn't look even close to correct in my book.
As I said earlier, I pulled the wp off on my 8 year old build a couple of months ago and it was definitely starting to yellow a bit...which when we're talking about blue, tends towards green.

[Aus78Formula]

Another problem seen with other GM blue paint jobs is when guys try to match the heat-affected paint seen on 40-50 year old vehicles, Chrysler green being one, it gives even more green-yellow tinge when fresh, wait until it starts to be heat affected. Horrible.

[north]

Here is a closer pic of my 20k mile wagon engine bay and a close up of the original oil fill cap in brighter light. Btw, the cap looks identical to the valve cover, obviously all painted at once. The different lighting makes it look more silver but to my eyes the first two pics are what color I see on the cap too.

[Greg Reid]

Great pics north. Looks primarily blue to me...not much different than rattle can Duplicolor 1616. In fact, I can't see any difference. Look at the oil cap from the original and the fresh Duplicolor filter adapter...

[north]

As I mentioned the lighting in my shop office (LED tubes) made the fill cap look more Silver in the picture than it really is. The engine pics show the color that cap really is. I looked at my Bonneville wagon which has 50,000 miles and also an untouched engine but I noticed something interesting. The valve covers are very similar to the ones in the pictures I posted but a bit greener, probably from extra use. However the cast iron parts of the engine are more like the typical greenish color we associate with original engine paint. I don’t think it’s heat since the water jacket on the intake is the same color as the front of the block which would be much hotter. Maybe the cast iron leached some iron oxide (rust) that discolored the paint or maybe gas and oil film soaked in more on the pour out cast surfaces compared to the smoothness of the stamped sheet valve covers.

I’ve used the dupli-color on my engines that I’ve rebuilt and I like the look but I do believe there is too much silver. Maybe a blending of that dupli-color 66-70 silver blue with some of that darker 70’s Blue could get really close.

Btw, my 20,000 mile Ventura wagon engine is really interesting to study from a painting method point of view, you can see where he was standing because of the shadows cast in the painting. Especially the intake area. Almost No paint behind one Side of the thermostat housing for example. They weren’t spending a whole lot of time painting those engines!

[Greg Reid]

One of the theories I've heard is that the factory laid the paint on so thinly that the iron oxide eventually 'greens' the paint as rust starts forming underneath.
I still think that the duplicolor is so close that I'm satisfied with it. That is from my comparison with the 'unweathered' paint on my '66 engine. I could not tell the difference in person.
I will say though that as a personal quirk, I usually paint my engines with the 65 blue first, then just mist the silver blue on top. I seem to get better coverage that way, it takes less of the metallic to cover, and any 'misses' don't show.
This engine is painted that way..