Engine green

updraught

updraught

Well-known member

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Looks about right to me - maybe a little blue but who cares? I took a sample of the green supplied by a vendor into the local hardware big box recently and asked for them to match the colour. What I got was waaay darker but I liked it so it stayed.
 
looks right to me. I had two just like that awhile back, the problem was they were egged shape and would not bolt up to the flywheel housing.
 
I’ve have NOS ****** cases and are about that color. A lot of spray can engine paint is a bit dark but not much. NOS may have faded but they are same all over ..not doff on an exposed side.
 
What current engine paint is the most accurate to what was used back in the day? I see some engines dark and some light. The spray cans from Mike's look to be a bit light to me.
 
Keep in mind Henry used that green engine parts paint as a 'dump' for a lot of other leftover paint. The general green color shifted somewhat in several cycles during the production years.

What is thought of today as correct is just an arbitrarily agreed range of greens. The general thinking is that all engine/trans parts should match in one particular car, not necessarily between two different cars.
 
MikeK said:
Keep in mind Henry used that green engine parts paint as a 'dump' for a lot of other leftover paint. The general green color shifted somewhat in several cycles during the production years.

What is thought of today as correct is just an arbitrarily agreed range of greens. The general thinking is that all engine/trans parts should match in one particular car, not necessarily between two different cars.
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The Judging Standards state "...The color of Ford engine green was neither bright nor dark. It did, however, vary in shade from engine to engine. All parts painted Ford engine green should match..."

The Paint & Finish Guide states "...The color shade varied during production. The paint color of all parts painted Engine Green, however, did match."

I use the the Bill Hirsch engine green brush type, and find it a bit darker and glossier than I would like to see (my visual appeal, not reference any standard), but at least when I paint pieces at different times the color is consistent.

JayJay
 
MikeK said:
Keep in mind Henry used that green engine parts paint as a 'dump' for a lot of other leftover paint. The general green color shifted somewhat in several cycles during the production years.

What is thought of today as correct is just an arbitrarily agreed range of greens. The general thinking is that all engine/trans parts should match in one particular car, not necessarily between two different cars.
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Mike, I agree with you somewhat on this however two things that have always been a struggle for me wrapping my head around this theory. Here's hy;

a) -The engines cases (blocks, heads, covers, housings, transmission cases, et/al) all were cast at different times, painted at different times, -and even machined & warehoused at different times. So if there were noticeable discrepancies allowed in shading for different vehicles, how were the workers certain to match all of the cover shades to the housing color shades, to the head, water pump housings, blocks etc. when they were assembled to match the verbiage in the MARC/MAFCA publications?? Based on that alone, ...and seeing many original engine assemblies from different years, the shades of colors rarely differ any, I do not agree with this statement. I think the shading differences are more contingent upon the dilution of the paint rather than color shading. Therefore it is my opinion this was included in the RG&JS and the Refinish Manual just to give latitude to the restorer with the intent to not be overly picky during adjudication.

b) -I realize there has been a myth saying that "leftover" paint was used for Engine paint however I do not 'buy-into' that theory either because of a couple of things. First, there was a M-Spec number given to Ford's Engine Green color. This was the exact ratio of mixing toners and ingredients that was supposed to be used to formulate that color as designated by the Engineering department.

Second, if this myth is to have validity, what left-over paint colors were supposedly used to formulate this? Remember, this Engine Green paint was alkyd enamel -and in 1928 & '29, the only other enamel paint being used was Black. The amount of Black being used within the mix of Yellow & Green would be very negligible. These two reasons alone is why I don't feel this is anything more than just a wives' tale myth.
 
Brent,
 Points well taken. What seems to be missing from all the wonderful Ford photos of the time are pictures from departments within the Rouge that were of lesser appeal to supporting Ford brand recognition. I'd love to see company photos of the paint department that show formulating and mixing of batches. They must exist somewhere? Perhaps gone in the rotunda fire.

I wonder if the enamel mixing vats and equipment were separate for black and green, and if not how well they were solvent flushed when switching color.

I always did like how black looks with a tiny trace of green.:)
 
I have noticed the Bill Hirsch paint is too green. Seems that original colors had more blue. I had some mixed up based on the chip in the MAFCA paint chip book and it looks a lot closer.
 
This is what my engine looks like with the ford green spray paint from Mikes. I think it is a tad to light.
 

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Oldbluoval said:
Ron..
Can’t put them side to side but compared to the nos above looks pretty close to me.
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Bill, this is one of those things where each of our computer monitors will affect the hues differently, -therefore Ron's engine would need to be seen visually in person to make the determination. Additionally, my take is unless it was being considered for Fine-point adjudication (-which Ron's vehicle in this scenario is not), then as you are saying 'close' would likely be good enough for most of us.
 
Like many others, I have several Model A’s and I’m very happy with that color. All but one of my A’s are that color.
 
BRENT in 10-uh-C said:
Bill, this is one of those things where each of our computer monitors will affect the hues differently, -therefore Ron's engine would need to be seen visually in person to make the determination. Additionally, my take is unless it was being considered for Fine-point adjudication (-which Ron's vehicle in this scenario is not), then as you are saying 'close' would likely be good enough for most of us.
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Brent
You make some very good points about our computer monitors. As for my 29 I do think its a bit light and for a driver it's fine. I am building my 31 Victoria fine point so that said who has the most correct engine paint available today?

From what I see on my 29 I do not want to use that paint on the Victoria.
 
Model A Ron said:
Brent
You make some very good points about our computer monitors. As for my 29 I do think its a bit light and for a driver it's fine. I am building my 31 Victoria fine point so that said who has the most correct engine paint available today?

From what I see on my 29 I do not want to use that paint on the Victoria.
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I had the paint refinish guide color chip scanned, and then I added 25% flattener to a 2K urethane paint. My theory is the only benchmark allowed in MARC/MAFCA adjudication is the Paint & Refinish Guide. If the color matches the chip that is in the book, then there should not be any deductions.
 
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