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I dont know enough regarding this but does that mean 73 and 74 SD motors can have 2 different color engines ,or did all this start before 73s were shipped?
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Per factory service bulletin number 73-T-21A: "Engines built after March 15, 1973 starting with engine number 532727 had a revised emissions system (two thermal valves near the front of the intake manifold and no EGR solenoid) and were painted this color. In addition about 700 engines before this number were retrofitted and repainted."
Engines that were already assembled when repainted will show signs of the lighter blue in certain area and touched up black brackets to cover up over-spray. Some engines after # 532727 appear to have also been repainted according to one owner.
If any SD-455 engines were manufactured before April 1973 they were most likely painted the color below and then repainted the above color when emissions equipment was revised. One early SD-455 example indicates that the engine was partially repainted the darker blue while in the car. However, factory documentation indicates production SD-455 engines were built after the emissions change.
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Pontiac must have built a batch of SD-455 engines early in the 1973 production year for engineering and emissions purposes. They would have been painted the early 1973 color. Who knows what became of these early cars. One article indicated they were parked outside and several had their engines stolen. One guy from the northwest called me and said he has an early SD-455 73 T/A and it looks like the engine was repainted in the car. Another person contacted me and said his 73 regular Pontiac with an engine number not too far past 532727 was very obviously repainted the darker color with overspray on areas not normally painted blue.