engine colors

I rebuilt a 53 V8 in a Customline that I assumed had the original paint on it. It looked orange but believe it is called "Ford Red". The paint all came off at the machine shop and then repainted it with Bill Hirsch's rattlecans. Hirsch calls it Ford Orange but I think most still call it Ford Red. I can't comment on any other years or colors.
 
I looked at the Bill Hirsch site and he sells this Ford Orange color for both 52 and 53 motors. I have not researched this.
 

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1952 and 1953 engines correct engine color is orange.
 

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I had a bone stock original 50 pickup and the engine was red . At least it was where there was still paint on it.
 
The 1942 was green at least mine is. Maybe because of the war they had left over 41 engines. The few 42's I have seen, they have been green. You don't see that many.
 
Ford used that dark green on all 221 engines with a possible exception to the 41A replacement blocks beginning in late 1944. The early 1939 Mercury and truck 239 engines were still the dark green but had the 99 stamped to ID them at Ford plants in the USA. Canadian ones had a 99 casting number on them at least in the early 99A production. They later changed all the 239 engines to the dark blue color to more easily ID them during the vehicle assembly process. The blue stuck around till the end of the 59 era and on into the 8BA for a little while.

Ford changed colors in the 8BA era. 239 engines started out red in 1948 for truck production and all trucks remained that way till 1952 when they went green. The Ford cars started out dark blue in 1949 then changed to bronze in late 49 thru 51. They went tangerine or red in 52 & 53. Mercury 255 engine were green from 1949 thru 51 at least. I'm not as sure on the 52 & 53 Mercury cars Ford seemingly went to green on a lot of engines in those last two years of the flathead.
 
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rotorwrench said:
Ford used that dark green on all 221 engines with a possible exception to the 41A replacement blocks beginning in late 1944. The early 1939 Mercury and truck 239 engines were still the dark green but had the 99 stamped to ID them at Ford plants in the USA. Canadian ones had a 99 casting number on them at least in the early 99A production. They later changed all the 239 engines to the dark blue color to more easily ID them during the vehicle assembly process. The blue stuck around till the end of the 59 era and on into the 8BA for a little while.

Ford changed colors in the 8BA era. 239 engines started out red in 1948 for truck production and all trucks remained that way till 1952 when they went green. The Ford cars started out dark blue in 1949 then changed to bronze in late 49 thru 51. They went tangerine or red in 52 & 53. Mercury 255 engine were green from 1949 thru 51 at least. I'm not as sure on the 52 & 53 Mercury cars Ford seemingly went to green on a lot of engines in those last two years of the flathead.
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This seems about as right as it gets. But i thought vanpelts had a link as well. might be more a yr to yr search.
http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_specs-90to125late.htm
vanpelt addressing the yr it changed. reading not definitive.

Another reference. http://www.telusplanet.net/public/bboogaar/engine_colour_list.htm

Bronze was a nice choice of color, too me anyway.

More random stuff in no order :)... The true early green color is debatable. Bill Hirsch has great paint. But I think Roys paint is closer as far as the early green goes. Blue picked up into the yblocks but was a light blue.

It seems like something that could be more available easily from research and documentation???. With obvious exceptions for yr overlap.
 
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My pop bought an old 49 F1 at a farm sale when I was a kid. The previous owner liked the bronze color so much that he painted the whole truck that color. It stood out so that everyone in the county knew who owned it. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes not.
 
I had a '79 Ranchero Squire that was a unique, very recognizable vehicle. When I put it up for sale, the "Town Drunk" just had to have it. It did not end well for him.
 
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