Bruice McCauley did a lot of research for his book & the following is his take on engine painting. The bottom line looks like most engines were bare metal, some were lightly painted black & some of the "Improved cars" were moleskin. No mention of green. PAINTINGExposed parts of Model T Fords were generally painted the body color. Early red cars, for example, had red fenders, aprons, hoods, running boards, axles, and wheels. The same is true of the Brewster Green and blue cars but here these is some question. Since these greens and blues were extremely dark, if not black, it is often difficult to determine if the parts were the body color or actually black paint. The consensus is that the above parts were originally the body color, not black.
Nuts, bolts, and small assemblies which could be seen easily, were also painted, even though such parts were installed after the painting process. Ford had people with paint and brush in hand to “touch up” such parts. While there may be exceptions, all exposed pieces were painted, and this includes the cotter keys in these pieces.
Engines, engine pans, and splash shields (at the side of the engine) may or may not have been painted. Again, the consensus is that
many engines were not painted but that some were painted in a very thin black during the Model T era. Late 1926 and 1927 engines were painted Moleskin, at least at the main factory. Even here, though, there were exceptions. Engine pans follow the same pattern. The dust shields were probably painted body color in the early years, and black through 1927. Floor boards were generally not painted but may have been given a coat of linseed oil or similar.
Indeed, there are no hard and fast rules on what was and what was not painted on any Model T. There were too many variations.
ENGINE PAINTING1927In Walter T. Fishleigh's files in Accession 94 at the Ford Archives there is a memo dated July 26, 1926 entitled: “Finish For Model T Motors”. It lists the finish to be put on each of the exposed parts of the motor.
Black Pyroxlylin used on:
Transmission Cover
Starter Motor
Generator
Crankcase
Commutator
Black Graphite Paint used on:
Exhaust Manifold and Carburetor
Black Enamel used on:
Breather Cap
Commutator Retainer Spring
Manifold Clamps
Nickel Plate used on:
Cylinder Head Cap Screws
Spark Plug caps and Thumb Nuts
Spark Plug Wire Terminals
Coil Box Terminal Bolts and Nuts
Water Connection Cap Screws
Manifold Cap Screws
Bright Zinc Plate used on:
Cut Out Cover
Moleskin Pyroxylin used on:
Cylinder
Cylinder Head
Generator Bracket
Front Cover
Air Intake and Manifold
(signed) C. W. Avery
