64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

[Jef S.]

So I am bolting things back on rather than unbolting it definately is more fun this way. The Question is the engine paint is obvious enough. When I took the transmission out there was traces of orange all over the bellhousing so it must have been factory painted or is it just traces or overspsray? If the transmission is painted orange is the transmision and tail piece also painted orange when installed? The factory pictures in Noland Adams C2 book looks like nothing behind the engine is painted at all except for stencils on top of the transmission?

[Joe L.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

So I am bolting things back on rather than unbolting it definately is more fun this way. The Question is the engine paint is obvious enough. When I took the transmission out there was traces of orange all over the bellhousing so it must have been factory painted or is it just traces or overspsray? If the transmission is painted orange is the transmision and tail piece also painted orange when installed? The factory pictures in Noland Adams C2 book looks like nothing behind the engine is painted at all except for stencils on top of the transmission?

Jef------

The bellhousing is usually partially to fully painted with the engine. The transmissions, either automatic or manual, are never painted inasmuch as they are installed at St. Louis.

[Jef S.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Thanks thats sort of what I thought. The thermostat housing is orange also isnt it. the black parts include the dipstick and its sleeve, the starter and its bracket, the clutch inspection cover, the oil filter, crankcase vent tube, the paddles only on the fan, altenator mounting bracket, and both fan pullleys, is that right? is there anything else that's black?

[Edward J.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Jef, If you have the 327/300hp engine the themostat is orange, the Oil dip stick and tube should be natural, (un-painted). The starter and housing is semi gloss black as is the bracket. the inspection housing is black, but will have orange overspray in the process of painting the lower engine oil pan and bell housing.your are correct on pulleys semi gloss black, and the fan should be gloss black and spray the complete fan.crankscase vent is semi gloss black.

[Michael H.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

, and the fan should be gloss black and spray the complete fan.crankscase vent is semi gloss black.

Edward,

I think the fan shroud should be semi gloss, or semi flat, (same thing, I suppose) not gloss.

[Tony S.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

I have my doubts that the production bellhousing inspection cover was black. We've had discussions about that before. I think it is more likely that the production cover was natural, and the service replacement was semi-gloss black. The amount of orange paint on the inspection cover, as well as the bottom of the oil pan, was not consistently painted the same way. I've seen some original cars that have little or no paint on the bottom of the oil pan or on the inspection cover.

[Jef S.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Hmm interesting no paint on the bottom of the oil pan from the factory. I think it would be very difficult indeed after spending 40 or 50k or so and 400 to 500 hours restoring a Midyear Corvette to leave the bottom of the oil pan bare metal. What would cause so many service replacements of the inspection cover? Mine was black, my car had never been apart and shows only 37000 miles on the odometer and I dont think it has rolled over as I am going to leave my original red and white seat covers on. Another question did 64's have a boot on the clutch fork originally? It seems to need one but there was not one on my car. The entire fan is painted black does that inclde the clutch mechanism it shows no sign of black. A silly question if you follow the assmbly manual for a1960 and rewire your car the ammeter of course reads backwards which is fine if you know that. Mine reads backwards. If you get your car judged is that a deduction?

[Tony S.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Every restorer that I know puts paint on the bottom of their oil pans now, but that didn't always happen when the cars were built. The comments I hear on the judging field is that cars presented are, at times, over-restored. The engine painters did not always bend over to hit the bottom of the pan, the complete inspection cover or the bottom side of the bellhousing. Nobody is going to be deducted for having full vs partial paint on their bellhousing, but many of us restore our cars to include the same coverage our cars received when they were built--not because of point issues, but because we want to be 'true' to our cars' originality.

The fan is painted s/g black. No part of the fan clutch is painted black.

[Edward J.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Anthony, Jef, I think that if you try to duplicate the factory orange finish , there was a lot of parts on the engine that got little orange paint, as with most restorers,The more the better, Of coarse this brings it to a over restored engine and judges will give you a small deduct. Anthony I think you maybe right on the inspection cover. there were some that were natural and I recall some being black with some orange overspray.

l.

[Wayne M.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

..... I think it is more likely that the production cover was natural, and the service replacement was semi-gloss black. The amount of orange paint on the inspection cover, as well as the bottom of the oil pan, was not consistently painted the same way. I've seen some original cars that have little or no paint on the bottom of the oil pan or on the inspection cover.

Here's a earlier service cover [bottom] (black, painted orange on oil pan side) and an original [top] (no paint on clutch side, and what could be the original orange paint on oil pan side. Another point to note is the lack of "clips" at the crank semicircle on both of these; current service has them. Also note that on the service cover, the edge that contacts the bottom of the engine block is not straight across, but is bent forward at the outer extremities to form a lip.

[Doug L.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Jef, If you have the 327/300hp engine the themostat is orange, the Oil dip stick and tube should be natural, (un-painted). The starter and housing is semi gloss black as is the bracket. the inspection housing is black, but will have orange overspray in the process of painting the lower engine oil pan and bell housing.your are correct on pulleys semi gloss black, and the fan should be gloss black and spray the complete fan.crankscase vent is semi gloss black.

According to the 5th ed JG "1964 models have...gloss black painted handle" on the dipstick. FI cars have a chrome plated handle.

Section 9 of the same guide says the pan was on the engine at time of painting so would logically be orange.

Section 10 says "both the bellhousing and inspection cover were installed at the time of engine paint application and ...have varying degrees of engine paint coverage".
Doug

[Michael H.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

I don't remember the bottoms of oil pans being unpainted but I definitely remember the rear vertical surface showing bare metal. I suppose a few may have slipped through with no paint on the bottom but that would be rare.

[Doug L.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Michael,
A lack of paint on the back of the oil pan and the area of the inspection cover opposite the unpainted back of oil pan may be explained by the very narrow space between the two. If both were on the engine, and they were according to the JG, the paint would have to be sprayed pretty much parallel to both those surfaces resulting in little coverage on either surface.
Doug

[Michael H.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Michael,
A lack of paint on the back of the oil pan and the area of the inspection cover opposite the unpainted back of oil pan may be explained by the very narrow space between the two. If both were on the engine, and they were according to the JG, the paint would have to be sprayed pretty much parallel to both those surfaces resulting in little coverage on either surface.
Doug

Doug,

Yes, that's exactly why it happened that way.

[Jef S.]

Re: 64 Transmission and bellhousing paint

Why so many service replacements for inspection covers? Its not like they would wear out. Closely looking at mine I think it must have been replaced at some time as it is black on both sides with no sign of any orange. As far as over restoring I think it is a mute point that we are a lot more careful restoring these buggies, working alone in our garages pondering every aspect of thier assembly, then some Korean War Vet earning what $3.85/ hr or whatever the line wage was in late April of 1964 doing the same task over and over. I had a good laugh the other day with a friend in my garage looking at the stripped down frame on jack stands in my garage I had just spent half a day installing a new gas line doing something that some guy back in 1964 probably did as the frame went by him on the assembly line.