I recently got a 1958 squarebird and the engine in it is painted a orange-red color, Vlave covers and intake, I cant really tell what color the block is, The valve covers have FORD stamped on them and it looks to be a FE engine, Has the crankcase breather in the back of the intake going down to the bottom of the engine near the exhaust. The orange-red color throws me,..????
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The block and intake should be painted blue with black valve covers and white air cleaner. Sounds like somebody had some Chevy paint laying around.
JohnJohn Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator
Thunderbird Registry #36223
jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htm -
The orange/red may be Ford red. My '61 Ford F100 has that color for the 223 valve cover and the block and everything else is black. I believe the 292 for that year is painted the same. However, I don't believe the Ford red was ever used in cars.Comment
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Ford red was used in many cars that had sixes and the 292/312 engines up until about 1962. When someone says orange I just automatically think Chevy.
JohnJohn Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator
Thunderbird Registry #36223
jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htmComment
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John is right, my Y-block engines are both very red.
Technically, FE engines ARE Y-blocks. The "Y" denotes the block's extended skirt of cast iron below the crank to give rigidity. Small block engines don't have a skirt and therefore they flex which loses HP. Consequently, SB's cannot be considered for serious output torque. - DaveMember, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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Now it makes more sense. It was a common practice to change the four barrel intake for a two barrel to improve fuel economy. While someone was doing it they just painted the intake and valve covers to make it look better. Since most mechanics had a can of Chevy orange laying around that's probably what they used. The "Ford" stamped valve covers were used on many different engines including the 58 Thunderbird so they may be the original ones.
JohnJohn Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator
Thunderbird Registry #36223
jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htmComment
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if it is a FE block there is the number 352 stamped on the front of block under the valve cover (driver side)Yellow98Cobra
1960 Thunderbird HT
Data plt# 63A Z 56 15 H 3 4
There are 4 pictures of her here, plus a couple of my namesake.
http://squarebirds.org/yellow98cobra/resized/Comment
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... and if it's a Y-block, each valve cover will have two holes on top for studs and nuts. There will be no perimeter screws like these:
Member, Sons of the American Revolution
CLICK HERE to see my custom hydraulic roller 390 FE build.
"We've got to pause and ask ourselves: How much clean air do we need?"
--Lee Iacocca
From: Royal Oak, MichiganComment
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A 332 has solid lifters so it's pretty easy to tell.
JohnJohn Pizzi - Squarebirds Administrator
Thunderbird Registry #36223
jopizz@squarebirds.org 856-779-9695
https://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/trl.htmComment
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i would guess you have a 352 with hydraulic lifters that simply was painted with the available paint.Comment
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