Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

[Wayne W.]

I dont have a 63 JG, so I will ask. What does it say about the finish on 63 pipes? In all the original pictures that I have, I see what looks like preservative dripping around the pipes to the bottom. My customer thinks they should be painted black, but I only see that on pilot cars.

[Rick A.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

pipes and mufflers were "mitted" black - not completely painted black - so, what does that really mean - think when I did my Z06 we used a brush

[Wayne W.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Any other responses? I thought we had the mitted myth busted.

[Gary C.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Paint was applied to prevent corrision per GM's specs on exhaust systems, so I was told by a Chev Engineer a long time ago. Don't know about how the paint was applied. NOS C1 '57 exhaust pipes sold as over the counter parts did not have any paint, but had an oil coating. Gary....

[John D.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Wayne, No mitt was used for sure. Myth busted long ago with numerous posts. Chassis black paint seems to fly thru the judging process. My 63 had no deducts with this method. How to treat the half shafts though is a much harder question for everyone to agree on but you didn't ask that. John

[Wayne W.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Here is a picture of a 63 from GM and Nolands book. It is very obvious that the pipes are unpainted in this and other pictures. It is also obvious that something was put on the pipes. You can see the drippings off the bottom and also on the sway bar etc. The only pictures of fully painted pipes are on prototype or pilot cars.

[Alan Drake]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Saw a low mileage 67 at National on the lift with original pipes still on the car, the question of blackout on the muffler was raised; It was stated that if one stood beside the rear wheel of the car GM did not want a customer to see a bright muffler and added black to the area a customer would see. Thats sounds reasonable - not sure for what other reason the muffler would be painted, it took time and money.

[John H.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

NO exhaust system component was EVER "mitted".

[Wayne W.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

I am with you on that one, but just what is that stuff dripping off of those pipes and the front sway bar?

[Dick W.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Col Womble, if the '63 sway bars are like the C-3's it is the coating that the factory that manufactured them for GM used.

[Wayne W.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

Thanks for the brevet field promotion Papa Smurf. Could be , but its only on the upper side and drips off the bottom.

[Jack H.]

Re: Finish on 63 Exhaust Pipes

"but its only on the upper side and drips off the bottom."

Yes! Plus, notice a detail in the picture that MANY restorer's miss on '63-65 cars...the bottom side of the radiator core support is painted exterior body color vs. black.

The core support was installed when the body went through the paint booth and picked up exterior color. At Bloomington years ago, I asked if they'd let us get past the ropes surrounding their display collection of Benchmark cars. They did!

I got to crawl under the front end of a low milage '65 L78 and observed the paint overspray on the bottom side of the radiator core support had LOTS of random, ugly, drips in it. Plus, the 'flecks' depicted in the picture of the sway bar that's being discussed here were actually similar random drip/blobs of black out paint....