Paint on 56 engine pad?

[Edward M.]

I recently acquire an original 56 passenger car, with the original 265 engine still in place. The engine appears to have never been apart, or removed from the vehicle. The front pad has a significant amount of Chevy red (56 color) engine paint on it. Were the front pads on 56 Corvette engines painted or masked off?

[Brad K.]

Re: Paint on 56 engine pad?

According to the judging manual, the Corvette (Flint) engines of that era were entirely painted and the engine pad was simply wiped off leaving paint in the stamping depressions and the pad surface mostly wiped off.

[Mike E.]

Re: Paint on 56 engine pad?

I'm not convinced thatwe really know at this point, even though we have that in the judging manual.I've heard different accounts from different people who worked at the engine plant. We've lacked a consensus in the solid axle judging manuals.
One of the iterations of the 61-62 manual that I chaired specified that the engine pad was painted at Flint, and then when stamped at St. Louis, had the paint disturbed by the VIN stamping. That disappeared in the next manual. And who is left from 49 years ago (1956) to tell us about that and who would remember if they were still alive? I toured the Flint engine plant in 1978--wasn't smart enough then to ask any of the old timers.
I still have a tough time believing that GM would have employed someone to wipe off the pad with a rag. That added to the cost of the vehicle, and accomplished absolutely nothing as far as they were concerned, because for warranty work etc., the numbers were still readable.
My two cents worth.
Mike Ernst

[Chris H.]

Re: Paint on 56 engine pad?

I worked in the flint chev. V8 plant during the summers of 77 or 78. I was a relief person. I remember painting V8's with a spray gun. What gets me is that I seem to recall doing this on the line and not in a paint booth. Is this possible?

Chris

[Edward L.]

Re: Paint on 56 engine pad?

Amen brother, amen!

[John H.]

Re: Paint on 56 engine pad?

Chris -

I was there in the late 60's, and engines were painted at that time in a two-sided water-wall booth about 40 feet long (at 280-290 engines per hour).

[Chris H.]

Re: Paint on 56 engine pad?

I do not know what I am remembering then. Perhaps is was a touch area? I was in engine dissembly for awhile also.

[Dennis C.]

From the judging perspective...

...the paint on the pad from the factory issue seemed to be a little uncertain, as has been pointed out. What really became almost more important on the judging field was owners who would show up with anything from a bare pad to one with an eighth inch of Chevrolet engine orange on it. Verifying broach marks was not possible and with stamped characters filled with paint, they really couldn't be accurately judged either. Of course, I'm sure none of these owners were attempting to hide anything, but it did make consistant judging just short of impossible. Hence, we simply leveled the playing field. No paint, no dirt, no (salt or acid induced) rust. Show us what'cha got...