Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

[James H.]

I have a 70 LT1, and I am wondering how the Chevy Orange engine block paint would have looked from the factory, in that small area between the heads at the valve cover, and the aluminum manifold. Is it also painted orange?

How about the intake gasket. What color would that have been and would the intake manifold been installed after the engine block and heads were painted, so the gasket is the color if it's raw material?

Lastly, would the aluminum bell housing have been the natural aluminum color, or painted?

Any advice or pictures would be appreciated.

If you can recommend any books or manuals with all of this type of information can be found, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Jim

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

I have a 70 LT1, and I am wondering how the Chevy Orange engine block paint would have looked from the factory, in that small area between the heads at the valve cover, and the aluminum manifold. Is it also painted orange?

How about the intake gasket. What color would that have been and would the intake manifold been installed after the engine block and heads were painted, so the gasket is the color if it's raw material?

Lastly, would the aluminum bell housing have been the natural aluminum color, or painted?

Any advice or pictures would be appreciated.

If you can recommend any books or manuals with all of this type of information can be found, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Jim

Jim

I highly recommend the 1970-72 Technical Information and Judging Guide (TIM&JG) available from the NCRS Store through the drop down links at the top of the page.

Full disclosure: I am biased as you will find my name in that 300+ page book.

The answer to your question is dependent on the Serial number of your car, or more accurately, the build date of your engine. Those differences and the range of them is called out in the TIM&JG.

[James H.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Terry,

Thanks for answering me. I would be good wit buying the book, but I want to confirm would it have detailed pictures of the area between the valve cover and intake manifold and would it show me how that area was painted?

Also, i see you have a 70 LT1, I would love to know more details. I have a 70 LT1 convertible that I am making into a good driver, but I want to keep it as original as I can through the restoration process. Where are you located?

If it is easier to email, try me at jhubbard@earthlink.net

Thanks

Jim

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Terry,

Thanks for answering me. I would be good wit buying the book, but I want to confirm would it have detailed pictures of the area between the valve cover and intake manifold and would it show me how that area was painted?

Also, i see you have a 70 LT1, I would love to know more details. I have a 70 LT1 convertible that I am making into a good driver, but I want to keep it as original as I can through the restoration process. Where are you located?

If it is easier to email, try me at jhubbard@earthlink.net

Thanks

Jim

Yes there are pictures of the intake manifold as well as the area between the rocker covers and the intake. There are also pictures of the area between the heads and the bell housing for both early and late 1970s as well as pictures of the shadows from the mask used on the spark plug holes and the other threaded holes from a 1972 head. Our belief that mask was used for all early C3 small blocks (and probably earlier small blocks, but we don't go there.) As I said I am biased, but I believe you will find a lot more information in there, some of which you may never have thought to ask.

My 1970 was built January 29 (trim tag date). Engine assembled January 14. I am the original owner.

[Mark E.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Yes there are pictures of the intake manifold as well as the area between the rocker covers and the intake. There are also pictures of the area between the heads and the bell housing for both early and late 1970s as well as pictures of the shadows from the mask used on the spark plug holes and the other threaded holes from a 1972 head. Our belief that mask was used for all early C3 small blocks (and probably earlier small blocks, but we don't go there.) As I said I am biased, but I believe you will find a lot more information in there, some of which you may never have thought to ask.

My 1970 was built January 29 (trim tag date). Engine assembled January 14. I am the original owner.

Terry, I've always wanted to see your LT-1, and also the L89 with the rare leather pipes.

[Tim G.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Terry's car is a very nice piece. It's also amazing that he's the original and only owner.

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Terry, I've always wanted to see your LT-1, and also the L89 with the rare leather pipes.

This being the "year of the 1970" I had planed having it judged and displayed at a few meets including the National at French Lick. Something along the lines of "the best laid plans..." came about.

The L89 is being totally restored. That will keep for another time.

[Mark E.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

This being the "year of the 1970" I had planed having it judged and displayed at a few meets including the National at French Lick. Something along the lines of "the best laid plans..." came about.

The L89 is being totally restored. That will keep for another time.

Well, all is not lost. Dave Bringham announced that '70 and '71 will be celebrated during next year's events. So you have more time to polish up the LT-1.

[Daniel K.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Jim -- Good luck with your restoration. As someone not involved in the preparation of the TIM&JG I can say, without any bias, that you will be very glad if you purchase it. You will likely discover a few weeks in that it is your go to resource, dog-eared and covered with oil and grease stains.

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Well, all is not lost. Dave Bringham announced that '70 and '71 will be celebrated during next year's events. So you have more time to polish up the LT-1.

Mark
There is no way the 1970 or the 1969 are going to Palm Springs. Way too far.

[Mark E.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Mark
There is no way the 1970 or the 1969 are going to Palm Springs. Way too far.

Chicago to Palm Springs... sounds like a Route 66 adventure. Too bad National is in the Summer.

Plan B: Frisco in the Fall.

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Chicago to Palm Springs... sounds like a Route 66 adventure. Too bad National is in the Summer.

Plan B: Frisco in the Fall.

I have done route 66 twice complete round trip and partial several times, but not in the 1970 and as old as both of us are that is not an option. And towing a trailer is no fun.

No "year of" in Frisco, and it is almost half way to California.

Timing is everything and the time for the 1970 is past. It is getting close to my time passing also.

Re-reading this I missed your attempt at humor regarding my leather pipes. Comas matter. Even if I tend to ignore them.

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

I have a 70 LT1, and I am wondering how the Chevy Orange engine block paint would have looked from the factory, in that small area between the heads at the valve cover, and the aluminum manifold. Is it also painted orange?

How about the intake gasket. What color would that have been and would the intake manifold been installed after the engine block and heads were painted, so the gasket is the color if it's raw material?

Lastly, would the aluminum bell housing have been the natural aluminum color, or painted?

Any advice or pictures would be appreciated.

If you can recommend any books or manuals with all of this type of information can be found, I would appreciate it.

Thanks

Jim

Jim

I have recovered enough from surgery to check the 1970-72 TIM&JG, and i regret to tell you that the paint pictures I thought were in there are not. I must have been under the influence of medication when I responded to your paint question. I am sorry for that miscommunication. If there ever is a revision to the 1970-72 TIM&JG we will have to include those pictures -- once we get them.

[James H.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Terry,

My $82 charge for the book just hit my charge account a couple of days ago. Do you happen to have any other resources, or would you be willing to take some close-up pictures of your LT-1 in these areas, to help me out? I think i am good with the bell-housing, but it is that area on the head and between the intake manifold and valve cover i am wondering about most at this point.

Thanks

Jim

[Terry M.]

Re: Engine Block and Bell Housing Paint

Terry,

My $82 charge for the book just hit my charge account a couple of days ago. Do you happen to have any other resources, or would you be willing to take some close-up pictures of your LT-1 in these areas, to help me out? I think i am good with the bell-housing, but it is that area on the head and between the intake manifold and valve cover i am wondering about most at this point.

Thanks

Jim

My 1970 is nearly 100 miles from me, and I am still recovering from the aforementioned surgery. Traveling that distance is out of the question in the near term. I have searched the photos I have of the car once I was released from hospital, and I don't have any of the details you are asking about.

A formed plastic or fiber shield was placed over the intake to keep orange paint form the intake. This shield sometimes moved to one side or another a fraction of an inch from the force of the paint or the air ventilation used in the paint booth. In early 1970 production the intake was hand painted silver after the orange was dry or semi dry. The margin between the silver and orange varied as a result. Later intakes were spray painted silver. Thus those engines will have a different margin that a hand painted example.

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that the rear (engine to bell housing) area is painted differently depending on when your engine was built. Unfortunately, that didn't result in any information from you that would have made this treatise less taxing on me. Early engines the orange at the rear of the engine was hand painted, and stopped at the engine-bell housing. Later engines the rear of the engine and bell housing were spray painted like any other small block.

Consider also the LT1 rocker covers were not installed during engine orange paint, but some judges think they were installed before the silver paint process. A lot of adult beverages have been consumed debating that subject over the years, and everyone involved has their mind made up.

Let me anticipate your next question: "What is early, and what is late?" The brief answer is: "I don't know." My engine is early.

I think you will find the TIM&JG useful in spite of the lack of specific photos. Let me give you a tip: Do not just look in the engine paint section. There are photos of the details you want scattered in other areas of the manual. Those photos show other details, but in the background are images of the area you want. Check out Page 117, Fig M4.6; Page 134, Fig. M7.7; and Page 217 shows the oil pan on some original paint engines. There is more to engine paint than the margins between the intake and the head, or the detail at the back of the engine which is less visible than other areas.

When I judge Mechanical I most often make a paint deduction for too much paint. Some folks seem to think more is better here -- it is not. Also using primer was not the way the factory did it, and will result in too thick a coating. I get tired of writing "Too much paint" or "Way too much paint" I often see engines with two, three and more times the paint that the engine plant would have put on.