Engine Details (Correct Overspray)

[firstgenaddict]

I just ran across this and thought that some of you might be interested. Take a close look at the edge of the valve covers and the gaskets. They have orange paint on them. This photo is from 1968 or early 1969 according to the cars owner.
This would mean that the engine was painted with the valve covers on and just a "dog house" covering them up to protect them from overspray.
This is how the Pontiacs were done and I thought that the Chevrolets might have been the same but never had any documentation to back it up.
68 Big block Original

[camarojoe]

valve covers, water pump, intake, exhaust manifolds, etc. were installed prior to engine painting, and the top of the engine was masked using a cardboard cover, allowing an "edge" of overspray on the chrome valve covers. The bypass hose on the waterpump was also installed prior to painting, and often had a little to alot of overspray on it. I've seen iron intake cars with this hose completely painted orange from the factory.

[firstgenaddict]

I do not think that I have ever seen the valve cover overspray ever duplicated on a restored car.
The bypass hose, exhaust manifolds, and aluminum intake most of the time are oversprayed on restored cars but not the valve covers and gaskets.

[camarojoe]

Supercar Workshop has been doing this on their restorations for years. The attached pic is a little blurry, but its a shot of Frank Arone's 69 COPO Camaro (past feature car) and shows the correct overspray on the intake, bypass hose, exhaust manifolds, and valve covers.

[Supercar_Kid]

Here's a shot of the L-72 in the LB Van Chevrolet sold '69 Yenko Camaro the Supercar Workshop just finished up this spring. The overspray is present on the bypass hose, intake, and although it's a bit difficult to see, it's on the edges of the valve covers as well. Thanks for pointing these details out in those original pics FirstGen, it's the little things like these that really set one restored car apart from another. In the age of "cookie cutter" restos, where restorers simply mimic what they've seen on other restored cars, the guys at the SCW take the time to carefully note and document each car's particular build characteristics before taking a car apart, allowing them to authentically replicate these nuances during the restoration process and for that I'll give a big Haven't we seen enough 450 HP air cleaner decals, Yenko crest decals on valve covers, and perfectly placed PTB stamps? The difference is in the details, and it's a shame that originality is too often lost in these days of shine & fluff over-restored cars.

[Salvatore]

Can the same type of engine overspray be found on the 1969 Z's? Thanks, Sam

[jfkheat]

I would think that the same type of overspray would be on ALL engines from smallest 4 bangers to the big cubic inch engines. The factories aren't going to change how they paint an engine because of it's size. This would be one of the few instances where size doesn't matter
James

[DaveC68]

Hey thats my car

I tracked down the original owner a few months after I got the car, and he scanned those pictures and e-mailed them to me. He told me he took them the first year or two of owning the car.
I thought it was very cool that he had that engine shot!
Also notice that the pulley on the smog pump appears to be natural or gray anodized?
You can also make out the PBT on the passenger side cowl.
It is very faint on the car now in that location ...but the cowl is also marked with the PBT behind the brake booster (unlike the passenger side it escaped someones black buzz-bomb detailing job!)
See attached picture...Hows that for a trim tag rivet!!
the car currently has 44K on it had 43K since 1977.

[camarojoe]

Its always cool to see an original unrestored firewall/ engine bay... Also notice how the green overspray is just fogged over the edge and onto the trim tag itself, with lots of seam sealer slathered everywhere... cool pic!

[DaveC68]

full shot of trim tag, and a stray T.