62 340 engine pics and thanks

[Chris H.]

First I would like to thank everyone who contributes their knowledge to this forum. It has made my rebuilding of my engine so much easier and correct than It would have had I tried it 10 years ago.

The following web site should link to photos of my engine in the process of assembling. Please take a look. If you want to comment go ahead except I do know the exhaust manifolds should be orange. To bad no one makes a very high temp paint in the correct engine color.

Thanks again for all the help.

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?alb=79760

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?alb=79760

[Rob M.]

Re: 62 340 engine pics and thanks

Chris,

Beautifull pictures, I love them...

greetings,
Rob.

[Chris H.]

Re: 62 340 engine pics and thanks

In case you could not get in please use

Chenige as password and login

Oh yea, this morning I tried to put on the breather tube and found that the spark plug loom was on the wrong side.

thanks




use chenige as login and password

[Terry D.]

Orange? Me thinks not! *NM*

[Jean C.]

Orange? Believe so!

Engines were painted with exhaust manifolds on, thus manifolds were orange. Not to split hairs, but exhaust manifolds that do not show residue of orange paint are technically incorrect. I know, they don't look all they great when painted, but they are correct.
Charlie

[Chris H.]

Re: Orange? Believe so!

Yea, I know. Since I plan on driving it I did not want to put on the low temp orange paint which will burn off over time.

Chris

[Chris H.]

Re: Orange? Me thinks not!

Terry, what are you trying to say?

[Terry D.]

Re: Orange? Me thinks not!

Must be my old age setting in but I don't remember exhaust manifolds orange when I worked at the Chevy store in the early 60's. A little overspray maybe.
Terry

[Michael H.]

Re: Orange? Me thinks not!

Terry,

The exhaust manifolds on these engines were almost totally covered in Moly orange at the time of engine assembly and it wasn't a light coat, it was just as heavy as the paint on the cyl head behind it. When these engines were painted, it wasn't with a little air brush, it was a pressure feed gun that poured out material so there would have been no way they could have been selective in what was covered and what was not.

When the engines are fired for the first time, the orange paint burns to black in minutes in the hot areas but stays orange on cooler areas of the manifold for years. The alternator mounting bracket, for example, is still orange on my 40 year old 63 car.

If your going to drive your car a lot, the painted manifolds will eventually rust unless you coat them with some rust preventative. For a car that's "show only", the black should stay for years. The secret to having the paint stick and not flake off is thoroughly washing the manifolds in lacquer thinner after any glass beading process. Beaded manifolds seem to retain much of the dust/residue in the pores of the cast iron and the paint won't stick properly and flakes off within hours.

Michael

[Chris H.]

revised 62 340 engine pics

I have added more photos as I added more parts to the engine. Also removed a couple shots where I had installed the rear spark plug wire loom bracket on the wrong side. Became obvious when I tried to install the vent tube. Waiting for some more parts to show up to continue.

Feel free to download and make any comments.

I have had one comment on where the accelerator return spring bracket should be. I installed mine on the first manifold bolt but am told it should be on the 2nd??

thanks, Chris

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?alb=79760

[Michael H.]

Re: revised 62 340 engine pics

Chris,

Looks great, nice work. I did notice one thing that would be incorrect. The intake manifold gasket surface on the cylinder head would not have been painted orange originally. This area would have had a shot of aluminum paint to cover the raw cast iron of the head. It also usually oversprayed onto the intake manifold and valve cover.

I'm far from being knowledgeable on 62 and I have a question. Is the water pump by-pass hose fitting supposed to be unpainted? I know 63-65 were painted along with the hose but I suppose 62 was different. Just wondered.

Michael

[Chris H.]

Re: revised 62 340 engine pics

I hope you are wrong here. Per assumptions from the AIM and this group the intake and tappet covers were on the engine when orange paint was applyed on a '62. A mask was used on the intake and tappet covers. I taped off the intake and got, hopefully the proper amount of overspray on it. There was also no shot of aluminum paint. This happened on later models.

AIM shows top elbow was added at the assembly plant and therefore not orange.

thanks

[Michael H.]

Re: revised 62 340 engine pics

Chris,

What you said is partially true but not in the correct order. A mask is installed which covers the complete intake and valve covers and includes the area on the cyl head between the two when the moly orange is applied. This leaves the area on the head raw cast iron which, of course, would not be acceptable. That's where the silver paint comes in. The next operation is the silver and the stuff went everywhere. It covered at least the first few inches of the intake manifold and usually at least the inner vertical side of the valve cover.

If you think about what they would have had to go through to wind up with orange paint on the head surface and not on the intake manifold or valve cover, you would quickly realize that this method would be extremely time consuming and would only accomplish the same thing that the silver paint would and that could be done in about 15 seconds.

I don't have any factory photos for 62 but I have a bunch for early 63 and the silver paint is quite obvious.

I first learned about silver paint on the valve covers almost exactly 40 years ago to the day. I was adjusting the valves on my new (3 month old) 64 365 HP 64 coupe and when I washed the cover in one of those new recirculating solvent wash tubs, I saw something silver and sparkly floating around in the solvent. Scared the daylights out of me because I thought the stuff was melting my valve cover. Years later, I discovered that GM/Flint shot those covers with that paint.

I have some incredibly detailed pic's of new engines with aluminum intakes and the silver is quite obvious.

This whole silver paint thing is not to be confused with the way big blocks were painted. at least 65-67 with painted valve covers. The gasket surface on the cyl head was painted orange on BB motors but that's because the valve covers were orange also and it was easiest to just go with orange right up to (and slightly over) the intake manifold.

Thanks on the by-pass fitting info. I wasn't sure on that.

Michael

[Chris H.]

Re: revised 62 340 engine pics

Michael, the below link talks about how the top of the engine was painted. this link is on early engines.

https://www.ncrs.org/forum/archive9.cgi?review=41849

[Michael H.]

Re: revised 62 340 engine pics

Chris,

That's interesting but I have to wonder if it also would be correct for 62. I don't know much about 62's and even less about 60's so I would have to go along with this method at least for the 60 cars. I know for sure the 63 engines were not painted that way but 62 could be different.

I would be interested in hearing from more 62 owners on this but this is an old post and I'm sure not many people are watching it now. Maybe it would be a good idea to start a new one and see if we can get some input from owners of unrestored cars.

I know of an unrestored car in Orlando and I'll try to contact the owner.

Michael