What is the correct color paint, for the engine my early 36 chev truck with 207, is it blue/grey? And where could I find it?

Hi, Welcome to the forum. For even more fun I recommend you join the VCCA. Lots of information would be available that you are missing out on.

The correct paint for your engine is available from the FILLING STATION.

To echo the above comment...not all 'authentic Chevy gray' paint is the same. I know from personal experience!
The Filling Station sells the right stuff.

How about the paint from Bill Hirsch, is it the right color?

It seems like this has been discussed in here previously. I haven't used Hirsch's. I've heard, as noted above, that the Filling Station 'color' is correct....

Bill.

Bill Hirsch's paint is NOT correct.

The Bill Hirsch paint is not correct and he has been told for years that it is not correct, but he still continues to sell it and take the money from those in the Chevrolet hobby that are not aware that his paint is incorrect.

No doubt about it...the BH paint is NOT correct. It might be ok for touching up your patio furniture but not for your Chevy engine.

Now that I've read this posting. I purchased Engine Gray for my 1929 6 cyl engine. Now this makes me wonder is the paint that I purchased from Bill Hirsch correct. Let me know please!!

Hey Jim (Harley Man),

I just sent you an email about this whole situation. I hope it helps.....

Bill.

Jim,
I a word NO. Bill Hirsch still refuses to change the color of the paint he sells. It is a universal gray and not close to the original color on Chevrolet engines.

You have received 7 answers to your question, so I guess it's not correct?

Interesting thread. Initially started with Radman asking "the" question. Then a few posts later, Jonjet asks "the" question again. And finally, a few posts later, Jim G asks "the" question again. Interspersed between the more-or-less same three questions, are 5-6 answers. All saying "no" to the BH gray. Suffice to say, the BH color is not correct. For anyone still wondering, the correct color IS available from The Filling Station....

No....Bill Hirsch's engine paint IS NOT CORRECT...and it never has been. It is great paint to use on garbage cans and wheelbarrows however.

Anybody knowing the reason why BH does not deliver the right color for the engines?

He must know by now and after some years that his mixture is wrong giving a lower score when the cars are being judged.

I bought the paint from FS but did not remember to ask if he could deliver for brushing on. As I don't have a paint gun, I have not done the repaint of my engine.

Solan:
The Filling Station paint goes on very easily and on the cast iron parts the paint finish is fine. It flows out nicely and you will not see brush marks. On the stamped steel surfaces (side covers, rocker arm cover, oil pan, etc.) a brushed-on application will look ok but not perfect.
The final finish will depend on the temperature and humidity at the time of application. If it is warm and dry the paint will not have time to flow; if cool and humid the finish will take longer to dry but will have a better appearance.

The answer to this question has been posted several times in the past. Mainly, Bill Hirsch is just after the bucks rather than the authenticity of the product.

Why don't you do a copy/paste of all the questions and send this to him. I'm sure you will get his attention. His reputation is on the line, as a quality and correct paint supplier for all us end user's......

Basically that has been done. His viewpoint: I got my money, why change.

Bill has been notified about this problem for years and dudes still continue to tell him that his paint is incorrect. He refuses to listen and he still insists that his paint is correct!!

BH also said blue was the correct color for 1951 and up engines. After about 20 years he changed his tune on that one. You still see some of the older 1951-52-52 stick restorations from the '70 and '80's with his blue paint and most of the owners think this is correct.

We have about beat this subject into the ground. The Hirsch paint colors are wrong, so its been said. Now that I'm in need of more gray engine enamel. Here's what I'm going to do, I will now order from the Filling Station, and compare these side by side...I'll will let you all know the out come of this.....Sure I will have to repaint everything again...

When you see the paint from The Filling Station you won't need to see them side by side, they are almost as different as night and day. The BH paint looks like battleship gray or Ford N tractor color and The Filling Station is a dark blue charcoal color, to me.
I have seen many engines painted BH gray because of all the advertizing he has done for years in Hemmings and also in the G&D. It is too bad that most of the painters that did the original engine painting for GM have gone to the "Big Chevrolet Plant in the sky".

I painted the last Chevrolet six I worked on New Holland Blue and the one before that Chartruse.....I think they are pretty close to original, now, if I could convince my wife I ain't color blind!

But if you like the BH paint and discount the free advise of the majority of the guys here, by all means paint your engines the color you like, then you can argue with the show judges. Just because 99% of the answers are different than the 1% don't mean the majority is right, does it?

That has already been done and the results were posted on Chevy Chatter several years ago. The two engine colors are not even close and just about all of the old timers here already know the results since this subject has been talked about a zillion times on Chevy Chatter.

Yep, now a zillion and one times. The Filling Station paint also smells like old engine paint should!

I would like to thank, everyone for the help, I will go with the F.S. paint. Radman

If you are stuck with a qt of the incorrect Hirsch engine paint and have a part with correct original paint you can add black paint to the Hirsch paint and get a perfect match.
mbancroft711att

I was one of the big dummies that painted my rebuilt motor with BH paint. Then I read in chatter a year or so ago about the wrong color and bought the right paint from the Filling station and all you old timers are right. I painted half my motor and the color was very different. I called the dude at the BH company and told him that it was the wrong color and he said the Filling Station has the wrong color. I told him where to stick the paint can and finished painting my motor the right color.

If you are one then there are a bunch of Dummies including the most intelligent one I know. It was a lot easier to order what was available than to try to get the right stuff mixed. Besides back then only a small number of people knew what was correct excluding all the VCCA Judges. If someone had painted an engine the correct color it would have received point deductions. Guess that is progress at least the dog-face tells me that.

That's the problem with trying to educate Bill Hirsch....he won't listen nor will anyone on his staff. He just wants to make a buck and he doesn't seem to really care if his product is correct or not. This has been an on-going problem with him for about 25 years or more now, and he still won't listen.

As for Chippy Dippy's comment........Grrrrrrrrr!

Today I received the Engine paint from The Filling Station, Dark Gray Enamel P/N FS-359 (1929-1954) aerosol cans. I've sprayed a test panel just to see, and what a difference. The Filling Station gray is much, much darker, and who ever said it smelled like old paint, yes it does. Now I just hope that there is no reaction with the Bill Hirsch paint, as its now only a base coat. Its just to bad the Hirsch markets there product as a correct match and the unsuspecting would never know. If one was not to have there car ever judged, it might be okay. Not that I will have mine, but I like things done the right way. Thanks to those that helped bring this to my attention !!!