When were kustom GOLD engines popular?

I have seen a few kustoms with metal flake gold painted engines. What years were these popular?

I am tired of Chevy orange and want to do something kustom in my '59 Bel Air. Planning to paint it Kelly Green with a heavy flake White roof. Might paint some Watson inspired panels, definitely want a sixties style kustom. I thought a Gold and Chrome engine would look sweet.

Ya'll have any other suggestions?

 

Paint that******** green. That is what I did in my 50. I like to paint the engines body colour.

 

2008

 

i went white HOK with abelone flake see <---

 

tired of chevy orange ???

 

Do you like gold flake painted blocks? (so do I!!!!) If so, just do it.

 

Body color is usually my choice. But gold would look like some shiny treasure sitting under the hood.

I want to know the history before I take the plunge. I don't want everyone asking me if my engine is an Oldsmobile. Whats the history on gold?

 

I painted my 3 15/16 by stock '50 Olds gold in around '58 or 9

 

It sounds like it would suit your colour scheme.....you sure don't see too many.

 

A serious answer to your question. It was the early 60s. Lancers, full length lakes pipes, white roll and pleat interior and gold engines. oh yeah lots of angel hair and stuffed animals for the display.

 

Bad, Rich nailed it; it was common in the midwest to see Gold engines in the laste 50's on into the 60's especially in show cars...in that time period you could buy a bronzing powder that was mixed with clear and the flake applied over that...lacquer based clear didn't hold up to high heat very well....much better stuff on the market now...BTW: I'm 64, remembering things from that era is easy; remembering yesterday is a problem!.....fats

 

I'm with KS Fats! (Except not quite as old!)

 

Early Ford 390s were gold, in fact Ford used colors to identify thier various engines, I believe in my '62 Galaxie 500 352s were early Ford blue, 390s were gold and 427s were silver or some such. ialways think of Oldsmobile but several of the engines shown here in gold look kickass! Keep it coming.

 

Hudson did metallic Gold stock not flake but still cool
Dave Hitch

 

On show cars I suppose they have been using gold paint on engines as long as they have had gold paint. But if you are after a '60s show car vibe you'll be there with your metalflake engine.

I don't think I would go body color its just like soooo 20 minutes ago.

 

painted my 265 chevy engine GOLD in my duece 2dr. 1958. Had custom paint mixed by my Dad. Painted the valve covers etc, Royal Triton purple metallic also. wow! Well it looked good in them daze. for awhile.

 

A lot of rebuilt engines were painted gold in the late '50s and into the '60s.

 

Yeah, I painted mine gold mostly due to the fact that it was insanely popular in the early 60's to do so. Atleast this is according to my pops and the folks that were there. White engines either didn't last long, or were never ran. Also, for a custom car, a detailed engine is just icing on the cake.

I keep my hood closed, but I know I've got a good looking 292 in there!

 

I like reading this personal history stuff

 

I know your question was about show cars, but I think that Smokey Yunick painted all his engines (maybe not Offys), gold for as long as he was building engines.

 

Yea I do too, it was pretty cool to have a Dad who could actually make custom paint, he was a formulator in a paint plant, who could design paints,
automobile,industrial,military, you name it, he actually
was going to make some pearl for me, when it was new, but I didnt have anything worthwhile to put it on. I even got paint for some of my buddys. I have only one 8mm movie film of when I first got my 32 running. It shows the engine colors bright and clear I need to get it on utube. I never thought about gold being fad, I thought I was being original haha.

 

Not a show car, well maybe it is, as well as a fire breathing monster. Pulled from the massive H.A.M.B. archive of SIC pics.

 

I used One Shot on my '57 Olds motor,
goes on nice and covers great,
it's bit toasted to a golden brown at the exhaust ports but I expected that

here's a close up of the brushed on test patch before I sprayed the whole thing

 

Man Paul, that really looks good, the contrast between colors yet both are "metal " colors, I think the aluminum trumps "chrome" with the metallic gold, again I am impressed. May I ask which One Shot color you used?

 

-----------------------
Right. Better to go "traditional" and paint
the body "engine color" instead!

Mart3406
======================

 

thanks, they had three shades and I chose the one in the middle

 

good idea, but in my experience the paint doesn't burn away, it just turns black