Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade?
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 6
From: Spicewood, Texas, USA TX-Texas
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (Patrick Tighe)
Patrick's right...Specialty paints are all over the map for shades of orange. I have seen big blocks that were almost red, and the gurus were swearing that it was correct. Maybe it was correct for big blocks; I've never owned a Chevy big block myself.
I walked away from the heated discussion, and went down to Pep Boys and bought a couple of spray cans of "Plasticote Chevrolet Engine Orange". From my youth, when I actually owned a contemporary small block, I remembered this paint appeared to be a dang close match to my brand new Chevy small block. It was heat resistant, it was cheap, and it was a close color match in my opinion. What else could you want? I know that vendors that sell engine paint for $25-$35 a quart hate to hear this stuff.
Recall that Van Gough's paintings progressed from blues to reds as he aged...Is that stuff about your old-age color vision shifting to the red end of the spectrum true? :D
I walked away from the heated discussion, and went down to Pep Boys and bought a couple of spray cans of "Plasticote Chevrolet Engine Orange". From my youth, when I actually owned a contemporary small block, I remembered this paint appeared to be a dang close match to my brand new Chevy small block. It was heat resistant, it was cheap, and it was a close color match in my opinion. What else could you want? I know that vendors that sell engine paint for $25-$35 a quart hate to hear this stuff.
Recall that Van Gough's paintings progressed from blues to reds as he aged...Is that stuff about your old-age color vision shifting to the red end of the spectrum true? :D
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,456
Likes: 6
From: Spicewood, Texas, USA TX-Texas
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (Patrick Tighe)
Thanks Chuck, I'll pick up 3 cans tomorrow. Have to go to Pepboys anyway, and get a harmonic balancer puller. :cheers:
Harmonic balance puller: a very good investment in an indispensable tool. You'll only use it once or twice hopefully, but you can't do without it when you need one.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 7,072
Likes: 4
From: Maryland
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (BAD-L88)
I got my chevy orange from Zip. I asked Terry McManmon (Former Team Leader in the '68-'72 Division for many many years) to look at my freshly repainted engine at the NJ Regional this fall and I specifically asked him about the color. He said it looked fine and he didn't see anything wrong with it or any reason to deduct anything for the color (he did point out some other things though!!) :D ~Juliet
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (Juliet)
Many different shades of "engine orange" were used over the years, depending on where they could buy it cheapest; I defy anyone to produce a "correct" chip or say one shade of "Chevy Orange" is correct and one is not. Being a "reformist" myself as well, I want the engines I build to look good and stay that way, so I've always used VHT Hi-Temp Chevy Orange Engine Enamel (550-degree protection). I clean the raw engine THOROUGHLY with lacquer thinner, mask it, hit it with a couple of light coats of hi-temp primer, then hit it a few hours later with two or three light coats of the VHT enamel and de-mask it. All rattle-can materials, but if you prep it right (get it CLEAN), the VHT lasts forever, stays looking good, and doesn't flake off or deteriorate. Works for me, no deductions :) . Paragon likes the "Seymour" (not Martin-Senour) Chevy Orange for authenticity, but it's not a hi-temp formulation, and won't last like the VHT paint will.
[Modified by JohnZ, 12:36 PM 1/20/2002]
[Modified by JohnZ, 12:36 PM 1/20/2002]
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,501
Likes: 0
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (JohnZ)
As always, surface preparation is paramount but some people take things to extreme. JohnZ, have you seen Patrick's thread regarding motor painting & casting number? 10 cans of carb cleaner seems an expensive way to go when degreaser and laquor thinner are available and cheap.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 38,897
Likes: 1,926
From: Washington Michigan
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (Mac)
I guess it depends on what you're starting with - most of the engines I've done I've also rebuilt, so they were hot-tanked to begin with before the machine work was done, and I just had the raw iron surface to deal with. These days, OEM iron blocks are painted at the foundry before being shipped to the engine plants for machining, and 99% of all the other engine plant-installed exterior parts are aluminum and don't get painted at all.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 401
Likes: 22
From: SF CA
Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (Chuck Sangerhausen)
Thanks,
I went with the Plasti-Kote plus I bought the Plati-Kote primer. I had to drive 25 miles each way to get it too since there is no Pep boys in San Francisco.
I went with the Plasti-Kote plus I bought the Plati-Kote primer. I had to drive 25 miles each way to get it too since there is no Pep boys in San Francisco.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: Semper ubi, sub ubi
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Re: Orange Engine paint- Brand? Shade? (BAD-L88)
Advance Auto/Parts America also carry Plasticote, now if I could just find a source for High Temp (1200-1500) cast iron paint, other than mail order!
