428-PI Engine Color

[KevinM]

Were the 1966 & 67 428-PI engines used in the Cobras painted black or blue?

Thank,

Kevin

[computerworks]

They were blue.

[rms427]

Blue including the aluminum intake manifold and timing cover.

[SantaFe66]

Which blue color was it? If I use the rattlecan paint, I have two choices for Ford Blue, one is a light blue and the other is darker. I believe the light blue in Dupli-color is 1601 and the darker is 1606.

[rms427]

I would call it dark blue.

[Power Surge]

All the one's I've seen for that era were the light blue. I believe the coolant take gets painted blue as well.

[Dans65]

I may not have had a Cobra, but my old '68 Mustang had a 428 P.I. and it was dark blue when I owned it in the early '80s. But, I do know the darker the paint the better the heat is radiated. Good luck in your choice, wish I still had that motor.
Dan

[rms427]

My 428 PI in my Cobra was the dark blue. I looked at some color charts and the 1606 looks correct. Everything was painted except the valve covers. The valve covers were chrome with 427 emblems.

Here is a response that I found on a Mustang website.


For many years prior to 1966, Ford engines were color-keyed to specificapplications and carlines. For 1966, this practice changed, when allFord engines were painted Ford Corporate Blue. Instead of color-keyedvalve covers and air cleaners, the entire engine would be Ford Blue,like the Ford Blue Oval and the Ford Blue offset dealer signs popping upin 1966. Ford's message for 1966 and beyond was simple--if it is blue, itis power by Ford.

As in 1964-'65, Ford continued to paint the valve covers separate fromthe engines. Engine long-blocks, which included block, intake manifold,heads, and oil pan, were all painted Ford Blue, a darker blue thatcovered all hardware except the valve-cover bolts. Valve covers wereinstalled toward the end of engine assembly using natural metal boltswith integral lock washers. We've learned through observation andconversation with restorers that Duplicolor's Dark Ford Blue (1606) isan accepted color for '66 and later Ford engine restorations. Analternative, when Duplicolor isn't available, is Krylon's Dark FordBlue, which is also the correct shade of dark blue. Plastikote isanother paint brand, Royal Blue (1134) an acceptable color for '66 andlater.

[Power Surge]

Ford has used more than two blues, even though most places just sell Ford "light" and "dark" blue.

Looking at my street car pics, it's definitely not Ford light blue, but it's also not the darkest Ford blue that Ford used either. It looks like the one in between, which was used on a lot of cars in the late 60s and 70s.

Here's an unmolested original survivor street car....



For comparison, this is Ford dark blue....



And this is Ford light blue....



And here is the Ford "medium blue".....



That picture was my own personal car, and it was very hard to find a place that sold the medium blue, but that sure looks like the blue on the street car engine above.

[SantaFe66]

Sal,

Is that medium blue available in spray can? If not, what color is it from so I could duplicate it at a paint shop?

I would prefer that color to the light or dark blues.

Paul

[rms427]

My car was the darker blue as shown above. I know a friends 428 street car was also the dark blue. He was the original owner and my car was 2 years old when I got it. Like a lot of things on the cobra, standard was a relative term. My car had 3.54 rear gears and by buddies had 3.31 gears. I had 3 aluminum knock offs and one steel and he had 3 steel and one aluminum. I think a lot of what came on the cars depended on what was available/cheap at the time.