Flathead Colour

[Lynn Eades]

Yes it does go on. I have just re visited the Vanpelt site (American)again.
It states, about colours, that Ford and Merc engines, through 1940 to 1942 were dark green. Then it said Merc engines were dark blue from 1941 to 1948.(one contradicts the other) Post war Fords were blue, and that truck engine paint colours generally were the same as car engines. I imagine in the U.K. that at times there were issues with supply of paint pigments, along with every thing else, and that the power unit colours were not always one colour.
I guess if one is really embarassed about the colour, then they could always leave the engine covers on
Ps. From a mechanics point of veiw,black is the worst possible colour because you cannot see anything. Its just a black hole, and you cant see any faults. Yellow is great! but for a carrier Blue or Green is bang on!

[andrew honychurch]

thanks!! I feel somewhat better after that. Now all I want is the paint to cure, and as the temperature in my workshop has now fallen to 3 degrees I may be waiting until Spring for it to go off!

[Lynn Eades]

While you wife is out, stick it in the oven with the door open just to warm it a bit.

[RichardT10829]

good advice from Lynn... i used the family baking booth to do my brake expanders, gently warmed them up then sprayed the paint on what a lovely finish.

Andrew if folk were to criticise you for a blue paint.... i will get stoned to death for painting mine in Grey i see the engine (in the words of chip foose) as the jewel in the box...no truer word spoken in the case of a carrier... i feel the internals of the engine bay should have been painted white as per modern MV's. i used to paint all my rally x engine bays white.... yes they get dirty quicker but at least you see problems like oil leaks, minor fluid leaks etc etc sooner.

[andrew honychurch]

I couldnt get away with using the over sadly, but I did find a big gas heater and have put that in the workshop. Seemed to work a treat. Now cleaned the exhaust manifolds and painted them in some Frost automotive special paint which smelt foul In fact I feel quite queesy after applying it even though I put a mask on. They look good however! I am happy with the paint colour. And I am sure Ford did paint Mercurys in this colour from all we have hears and seen. Anyway, it looks great so thats what counts! Certainly black was going to be a bit dull and as already said not good for seeing the oil leaks, not that I am expecting any!!!!

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Cross reference to Ford V8 Engine Color? Ford Gearbox Color?.

I merged several related threads on this subject. As for now I am keeping Carriers and Trucks apart, until someone can prove they were painted the same colours. Question: why would they not be?

H.

[ajmac]

I've got a bit more info.
I collected a 1946 24 stud Flathead for my Loyd a couple of weeks ago and the seller also a had a freshly imported pre 1942 24 stud (from the USA)which I cleaned up to check the original colour in various places. It was a dark green.
A few days later I went to see a very original 21 stud Dagenham lump, it was in a bad way, but on all engine parts it was a light grey. Some other bits I have picked up show a bright green colour. Richard Farrant posted a photo of a British Army rebuilt flathead (1952?) and this had the identical bright green finish.
Perhaps we can err on the side of British 21 Stud wartime units being light grey and the US 24 stud ones being dark green. The Flathead engine shops in the USA sell 'ford dark green' off the shelf, so I imagine they have got it right for the 24 Stud.

The bright green colour comes from the 1950s rebuilds...