Technical FE valve cover info?

Looking for some paint to do my FE 352 valve covers back to the gold colour that I remember they were. Are there any over the shelf products that give you a near or exact match?

Also, are the correct wire separator plastic parts still available to fit on the correct metal tabs on the covers?

 

I've been away from Fords for a while, so my memory is a little fuzzy, but I think maybe your valve covers should be Ford Corporate Blue...not gold.

 

I found some Oldsmobile gold in a spray can that looked close enough for me. I think it was Duplicolor but not positive. Greg Donahue Restorations used to sell the supposedly exact shade for them.

 

352's were blue, the 390's were gold, as were the MEL motors I believe

 

It just so happens this is your lucky day as I'm currently finishing up research on a list I'm putting together on Ford engine colors from the '50s-'70s for Vintage Thunderbird Club International's "Thunderbird Scoop" magazine.

Can you tell me:
1. What year?
2. What displacement? 332, 361, 352, 390, 406, 410 or ?
3. What carburetion? 2-bbl? 4-bbl? Multi-carb?
4. What model? Truck, full-size, Mercury, T-bird, Edsel or ?

If it's a run-of-the-mill 352, Ford Medium/Bright Blue, Ford # M-2J-998 was used '58 for the long block, '59 for the valve covers and '61-'65 for valve covers and car air cleaners (truck air cleaners were all painted black). This differs from Ford Corporate Blue, Ford # EP-2075-C, used starting in '66, which is what the entire engine, including valve covers and air cleaner, were painted. Ford Medium/Bright Blue is lighter and (imagine this) brighter than Ford Corporate Blue. Be aware that there's also third blue out there, Ford Dark Blue, which is noticeably darker than Ford Corporate Blue.

If you want to use rattle cans, here's what's out there for Ford Medium/Bright Blue M-2J-998:

DupliColor - DE1601 Ford Blue (not to be confused with DE1621 Old Ford Blue, which matches '66-up Ford Corporate Blue and is darker; DE1606 Ford Dark Blue is much darker than either DE1601 or DE1621 and not the right one for '58-'65)
VHT - SP134 Ford Light Blue

PlastiKote, Krylon Industrial, Aervoe and KBS Motor Coatings do not have a match for M-2J-998.

If you want to get a pint or quart and spray it, some old numbers to start with:
PPG-Ditzler - 11297
DuPont Dulux - 58740-H
Martin-Seynour - 7958

POR-15 has pints of Ford Medium Blue # 42178, but I'm not sure if it's the right one for M-2J-998.

Since we're covering '60s Ford FEs, the 390 used several different colors from '61-'65 depending on horsepower/carburetion and build year. '61-'62 390s with a Ford 4-barrel rated at 300 hp used Silver Gray Metallic, Ford # M-2J-607, which is not as bright as the Argent Silver used on things like the power steering reservoir or the silver-painted parts like the front "chin"/stone guard on a '52-'57 full-size car, while the high-output '60 352-360 hp, '61 390 Police Interceptor or 390 HiPo with the Holley 4v or 6v setups used Gold Bronze Metallic, Ford # M-2J-842 (this was also used on '62-'63 406s); the '63-'64 390-300 hp engines with Ford 4-barrels used Castillian Gold/Champagne, Ford # M-1459 (you can also pull up the exterior color code "I" for '63 for this) - it is a greenish gold color - the best place I've found a match for this was through The Bird Nest in Portland, OR as it was used on '63-'64 T-birds. You won't find a match for Silver Gold or Castillian Gold in DupliColor, PlastiKote, Krylon or the other popular spray-bomb brands. If it's a '65 390 with the oil filler neck in the driver's side cover and the PCV hole in the p***enger side one, those were Gold Bronze Metallic, Ford # M-2J-842. This is virtually (if not) the same as the Gold Bronze used on '64-'65 Mustang 289s - there are spray bombs for this. The Olds Gold color is too bright versus the more-toned-down Ford Gold Bronze.

Again, tell me what your engine's particulars are and I'd be glad to reply with specific info including paint numbers for the more-popular suppliers (PPG-Ditzler, DuPont, Krylon, DupliColor, PlastiKote, POR-15, etc.).

BTW, MELs used several colors '58-'60 depending if they were in a Mercury, Edsel or Lincoln; '61-'65 430s in Lincolns were all black, and like all Ford products in '66 the 462 went to Ford Corporate Blue. Again, ask and I should be able to nail it for you.

As for the valve cover ignition wire combs that slip over the tabs spot-welded to the valve cover, you can get them from virtually any repop vendor for Mustangs, Falcons, Fairlanes, full-size Fords and late '50s-'60s T-birds and they were all the same for small- and FE-blocks.

 

In pickups, 352 FE valve covers were gold in 1965 and switched to blue in 1966.