308 Engine Color?

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Sorry for the newbie question, but what is the proper color for the 308 engine in my '51 Hornet? It's currently gold, and I've seen others in gold too, however, it appears that under the gold there is red and I'm wondering if that is original?



Anyone have paint recommendations or paint codes for the original engine color?

Comments

  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Poncho68...as in wide track Pontiac?



    Don't apologize for asking a question. The dumbest question is the one not asked. Anyway, gold would have been the original color. If you're saying that the color is red is beneath the gold, you may have a 1954 or newer engine. However, maybe one of the previous owners liked red and the one after him wanted the original gold. Who can say. Gold would have been the original color for your car's engine though.



    I believe most people use Duplicolor Universal Gold #DE1604.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Thanks! I'll have to check that out, any other way I can tell what year the engine is?



    The Poncho name did come from my '68 Pontiac Firebird HO Convertible that used to sit alongside my Hornet, but I sold her last year to get a low mileage '71 454 Corvette. Still miss that beauty!
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    The engine number and car number should be the same. if they are different, the engine has been changed.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I know where the engine number is, where is the car number?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    nevermind, I found it. The numbers match, so I guess someone must have painted the engine red, then repainted it gold at some point.
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    I beleive the factory used a kind of red primer coat on all engines before they were painted at the factory. Even on my '33 terraplane (which I am certain is all original) we found a redish color under the final finish of the engine.



    Jerry

    53jetman
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Well that's interesting and would indeed explain it. My car has 112k original miles and is quite original and very complete, so hearing about the red primer would make the most sense to me.

    Thanks for the info!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Never heard of, or have seen, any manufacturer priming an engine prior to painting it. Heck, all they cared about is that the paint color lasted long enough for the car to be sold. Does anyone know when they stopped painting engines?
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