Spindle Support Orange Paint

[Gary J.]

After the cleaning the spindal support on this '67 that I am restoring the spindal are painted the full length.
What is the correct color orange to use? The Orange doesn't look to bright, but hey it is almost 50 years old.

[Richard M.]

Re: Spindal Support Orange Paint

Gary, I have used Chevy orange Engine paint. I'd imagine that was used originally as it was likely done at the machining factory where the blocks were machined, assembled and painted.



The last pair of spindles I restored(above) were old with no paint, but I decided to paint them full length since I had seen other originals with full coverage. I think they got a deduct in judging because they were full length coverage. It's good to see another example of spindles painted full length.

If you are judging the car keep that in mind and double check the JG for any new information regarding if full coverage is acceptable.

Also ensure that the machined areas have no paint as the machining process occurred after the paint process. I did that after the assembly and it was tedious.



Rich

[Domenic T.]

Re: Spindal Support Orange Paint

You know, I bought my 67 in 1971 and they were black. My 63 that I also bought in 1971 doesn't show any orange. I had no idea that they were black from the factory.

Dom

[Alan D.]

Re: Spindal Support Orange Paint

This is all I found left on mine, but its a 64. Now the 63 & 64 had a lot of black out every where on the suspensions so when cleaning dirt off lots of interesting paint markings were still left.

[Richard M.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

Interesting info. Now we have partial orange coverage, full orange coverage, and black.

BTW, I found orange paint all over the rear spindles too. These were from a '67 F41 RPO car. Obviously, unseen after final assembly with wheel center caps or aluminum wheels installed.

[Jim D.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

Interesting info. Now we have partial orange coverage, full orange coverage, and black.

My 65 had a single orange and a single white hash mark on each side. The most prominent color on both was green.

[Gary J.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

Richard you should not have recieved a deduct. According to the '67 fifth edition, it says "paint coverage can vary considerably."

[Gene M.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

Richard you should not have recieved a deduct. According to the '67 fifth edition, it says "paint coverage can vary considerably."

With the 100% paint coverage shown in post #2 I think it is over done. Way too much paint and thickness of coverage way over the top. You have to understand GM did not build these cars as concourse display pieces. So I will disagree if points were deducted it was justified. A restoration should be as produced, not what one would like it to be.

[Richard M.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

With the 100% paint coverage shown in post #2 I think it is over done. Way too much paint and thickness of coverage way over the top. You have to understand GM did not build these cars as concourse display pieces. So I will disagree if points were deducted it was justified. A restoration should be as produced, not what one would like it to be.

I agree Gene. If you recall when I restored the frame there were many items that I coated for protection which should not have been, knowing we were not to judge the car at the onset. I had to relinquish some of the desire to make everything TFP because the car would be driven quite often

Then the recipe changed in December after I built the chassis and we decided to get it judged in Lakeland. I knew we would likely get a deduct for my fancy-smancy spindle paint job, among other things on the chassis not TFP, but we were okay with that. It was really hard to deliberately make some "mistakes".

Rich

[Gene M.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

Rich,
I would rather you over did and drove the car vs a "perfect" restored that just sits.....

You done good, the point lost can't be much.

[Tony S.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

Nice photos. Thanks for sharing.

[Joe L.]

Re: Spindle Support Orange Paint

After the cleaning the spindal support on this '67 that I am restoring the spindal are painted the full length.
What is the correct color orange to use? The Orange doesn't look to bright, but hey it is almost 50 years old.

Gary------


Just a correction in terminology. These parts are not described as "spindle supports". These parts are known as "steering knuckles". Sometimes they are even referred to as "front spindles". However, I've never heard them referred to as "spindle supports".

[Joe L.]

Re: Spindal Support Orange Paint

Gary, I have used Chevy orange Engine paint. I'd imagine that was used originally as it was likely done at the machining factory where the blocks were machined, assembled and painted.
Rich

Rich-----


I highly doubt that these steering arms were machined at the engine plants. I expect they were forged at either the old Tonawanda Forge, Detroit Forge, or Chevrolet-Buffalo. Final machining was likely done at Chevrolet-Buffalo or Chevrolet Warren

[Richard M.]

Re: Spindal Support Orange Paint

Rich-----


I highly doubt that these steering arms were machined at the engine plants. I expect they were forged at either the old Tonawanda Forge, Detroit Forge, or Chevrolet-Buffalo. Final machining was likely done at Chevrolet-Buffalo or Chevrolet Warren

Thanks for clarifying Joe. I guess I was thinking Tonawanda, as they did engine block forging then engine machining in the same nearby facility didn't they?

Rich
p.s. I agree.... steering knuckle is the correct term.

[Joe L.]

Re: Spindal Support Orange Paint

Thanks for clarifying Joe. I guess I was thinking Tonawanda, as they did engine block forging then engine machining in the same nearby facility didn't they?

Rich
p.s. I agree.... steering knuckle is the correct term.

Rich-------


There were at least 3 major facilities in Tonawanda, NY. First, there were the engine plants. Here, engines and components thereof were machined and assembled from castings and forgings produced elsewhere. There were actually at least 2 engine plants that were part of a complex and the complex was, and as far as I know, remains the largest complex of engine plants in the world. The engine plants still operate in Tonawanda. In fact, I believe that GM built a new one there in the last several years. While big blocks were one of the more "famous" products of the Tonawanda engine plants, they were actually a very small part of the overall product portfolio of Tonawanda over the years.

Second, there was the Tonawanda foundry. Here gray cast iron castings were produced. The foundry was, essentially, "next door" to the engine plants but it was a separate operation. For a variety of reasons, the foundry shut down in 1984 and all of the castings required by the engine plants were thereafter sourced from other GM foundries or, perhaps, even non GM foundries. I believe that some or all of the foundry has been demolished. It was just a derelict plant for years, though.

Third, there was the Tonawanda Forge. It was located nearby. It forged parts used at all of the GM engine plants, Tonawanda and otherwise. However, it also forged parts for other GM divisions, including Saginaw, NDH, etc., etc. Many years ago, at the very outset of the "disintegration" of the "old GM", GM "spun off" all of their forging operations, including Tonawanda, Detroit, and Buffalo to American Axle and Manufacturing, a then-new firm headed-up by Richard Dauch, an ex-GM executive. Thereafter, AAM manufactured parts for GM at the ex-GM plants. However, I believe all of these plants have now been shut down and, essentially, abandoned. I believe AAM now does their forging at plants in "foreign countries".

I have no knowledge that the engine plants machined or otherwise produced non-engine-related parts such as the steering arms. It's possible they did but, if so, I am not aware of it. I would much more expect that parts like steering arms or steering knuckles would have been machined at either what was then Chevrolet-Buffalo (which did forging, machining and assembly) or Chevrolet-Warren.