Hot Rods 260, 289 block colors

Did Ford or Mercury ever paint the 260 or 289 blocks and heads silver? Trying to dig up info for a discussion on another forum. Particularly around '63 or '64.

 

Gold but not silver that I know of.

 

Go ask them. That should get the conversation going.


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Black was the block colors in those years. It was the valve covers with the contrasting colors....red on the 289s and 260s, red valve covers on the 223's....even the '65 240/300 had a black block with red valve covers. FEs could have light blue valve covers and air cleaners (352s) Gold...XL Thunderbird package 390s.....Mercury could have different colors ( never had a Mercury) Special engines could have Gold or either Chrome valve covers. The blocks were black.

Starting in'66 for went to the corporate Ford blue.

 

My 1963 1/2 Falcon Sprints 260 was painted black. HRP

 

Exactly.
For the most part Mercury followed the same color scheme.

 

Canadian-built engines long blocks were painted aluminum-silver in '63-'65 for cars that were sold in Canada but came from final ***embly elsewhere. It was a way to verify that the engine ***embly would comply with an import tariff law at the time. I believe this was also true for SBF and FE engines of the period and maybe the little Falcon 144-170 6s and big car inline 6 240s. Gasoline-powered engine long blocks (crankcase/front cover, heads, cast iron intakes) from Ford used in cars/trucks were painted black, with the color of the air cleaner/valve covers used to ID CID/HP.
For example: All '58-'67 T-birds were ***embled in Wixom, Michigan, and some Cannuck-destined ones from '64-'65 had engines ***embled at the engine ***embly plant in Windsor, Ontario (regular production 390s came from Dearborn Engine ***embly plant). The Windsor-***embled engines were trucked across the Amb***ador Bridge to Wixom/Novi, and slipped into the engine drop line with instructions on build sheets to mate them with specific units being built for export to Canada. Ford of Canada put out a letter notifying Canadian dealers of this abberation, which a VTCI member provided me for do***entation along with his build sheet noting the Canadian-built engine to be used. By '66 the tariff rules changed and everything on the engine long block (including valve covers and air cleaner unless it was to have chrome) was painted Ford Corporate Blue.

 

Thanks guys!