Tricked-out Chevy six cylinder engines

[Dillon Rock]

Well T.J., Right now there's about 81,000 and some odd more miles. I want to say theres about 500 unaccounted miles since I've owned it and the previous owners driving due to a faulty speedo cable. I know its all original by the front cover of the shop manual and inside pages have all the mileage written down from all the tire rotations and oil changes up until the original owner sold it. Only work done to it was the head had the guides re-knurled in the late 70's.

[TJ's Chevy]

[QUOTE=Dillon Rock;6292476]Well T.J., Right now there's about 81,000 and some odd more miles. I want to say theres about 500 unaccounted miles since I've owned it and the previous owners driving due to a faulty speedo cable. I know its all original by the front cover of the shop manual and inside pages have all the mileage written down from all the tire rotations and oil changes up until the original owner sold it. Only work done to it was the head had the guides re-knurled in the late 70's.[/QUOTE/]

Man! It ain't even broke-in yet! You still got 200,000 miles left! LOL! I've got 140,000 on mine and it had it's first oil change after 18 years of sitting! It's winning for a new set of valves springs I think.

[shok]

i still can't get comfortable with that rpm on mine even though its running great since i replaced the bad piston

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by shok

i still can't get comfortable with that rpm on mine even though its running great since i replaced the bad piston

Yeah I know how ya feel! For me I'm just waiting for the oil pan to fly off while I'm driving it!!!! But, with the flowmasters on it; it sounds awesome at the 3,000-4,500 rpms.

[Twisted6]

I think projects are never really done? That is why they are called projects right lol. Because you no sooner get it to where you think you want it, An boom here comes another idea an so it becomes another project LOL.
But anyway all it boils down to is your having fun and most (?) like what you have done with it. But bottom lines is as long as you like it, that is all that really matters right.
And your having a blast driving it.

[Dillon Rock]

Twisted6 I agree to that on projects, too many tractors I re-did back on the farm that still needed a complete overhaul on the drivetrain. T.J., I think the highest I got mine was maybe around 3,500 RPM when I first got the truck and my buddy who's out of the navy now, decided to go to this old rock quarry and drag our trucks (my stock '64 C20 vs. his '04 Ford 6.3L F-250) Obviously with him having all that power, sadly I was blown in the dust, but that old truck spun gravel all the way through 3rd gear!

['68OrangeSunshine]

I have a core motor that's painted the Alpine Green. I ran the casting numbers and it came out as a 1962-cast block for the '63 model year. I bought it from a guy that worked at Checker Auto. He bought it so he could ''high-grade'' the embossed CHEVROLET script on the top of the valve cover. So I bought a core with a green block, oil pan and head, and a blue valve cover.
Were the 261s painted that color green?
I'm no expert with time on the production line in the Mid-'60s, so I can't be any ultimate authority, but from the '67 model year [I believe] they ran with Chevy Engine Orange on all L6s and V8 SBCs. Chevy Engine Red had more red in it and was for BBCs. At some point, Chevy Engine Orange predominated, before they went to GM Corporate Blue and then Low Gloss Black. But from the '67 model year*, all engines were the same color, regardless of displacement of configuration.
[* unless it was in '66?]

[Dillon Rock]

Well, I'm up for all colors on these engines, lol. Who knows, maybe GM decided to run with colors on different years or whatnot. I'll look into that tonight and I'm sure the other fella's markeb01, 66submarine, Aerotruck, and all the old timers that have more knowledge of this can help too, them fella's know a lot, almost like they worked the truck lines themselves and lord knows where I'd be without their advice as well as your guys' advice too. T.J. I can agree to the block being painted rust too

[Dillon Rock]

So, after an hour of looking I finally found the site I remember that had the color codes for engine. Keep in mind however, engine color differed from plant to plant and if they had paint from a series that carried over until they ran out. This site says it's not official but I'm sure you guys might have some more legit documentation out there. T.J., thought this might help with our curiosity cause I really want to find this out now, lol. so without further a-due. here's the site for some engine colors for the line of all Chevrolet vehicles if someone has another year of project. Hope it helps us out in some way or another guys.

http://www.cs.siena.edu/~lederman/tr...VCCAcolor.html

[A.T. RockDriller]

Looks like D-Rock stayed up all night getting some answers...
Nice job there, Dillon.
That ought to give us all something to talk about for a while.

[Dillon Rock]

Well, I was workin late last night (not a big suprise on my boat when you have nothing to do, lol) but T.J. did have me wondering. My truck is the second one I've personally seen with the Alpine Green on it and my neighbors being the first and with T.J.'s 64 fleetside havinga blue 292, I've heard of them in that color and seen many GM engine advertisements on here (thanks to all y'all with the factory prints) that the inline series blocks came in several colors so I thought What the heck, I'll look for it anyways, lol.

['68OrangeSunshine]

That's a superb list that Dillon Rock uncovered. Too bad for my interests, that it stops in '66, since all my trucks and projects are '67/'72. But as Wm. Shakespeare says: "There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreampt of in your Philosophy..."
I once had a theory, that the 292 originally debuted in Alpine Green, because its predecessor the 261 was Alpine Green and that was to differentiate it [at-a-glance] from the blue 235, that was otherwise identical on the outside. Now I realize I was never that smart to know how all that stuff went down 'back in the day.'
A guy in the 67-72 forum has a '70 or '72 350 that he's sure was originally painted Lo-Gloss Black. It has the right provenance. I've been pontificating the line that "No ALL engines after 1967 were Chevy Engine Orange."
So here's my 'New Theory': Perhaps, one Friday afternoon, after a few pitchers at lunch, the paint guys ran out of Chevy Engine Orange and sprayed the engine with the same Low Gloss Black they used on frames. The production line would not stop while somebody found the ''correct'' shade of Orange, it had to keep running along, regardless.
I'm not infallible, I wasn't there. How could I know? Also the Marketing Guys may have some showroom eye candy thing going on, by switching up the engine colors.
At this point, we'll never really know, but it's fun to speculate.

[Dillon Rock]

Thanks fella's, T.J., I just remember the smaller I6's in the 50's as the "Blue Flame" like you said, but what I was thinkin was that they used that same blue on some later year engines. T.J., it's also funny how your 64 fleetside has the blue 292 and my 64 stepside has the green 292 and what we end up finding out . Gotta love the random questions that blurb their way into these threads and posts. Now, if we can only make a time machine to go back and see this happen in the factories........

[A.T. RockDriller]

And let's not forget those ol' Jokers in the deck...:

Spray-cans and Crate Motors.

[ncoonen]

For what it's worth, the 1963 owner's manual gives a color identification guide for engines. I don't know if it's in all manuals but this, based on my sample-of-one testing, is right for my 230 6-cylinder at least.

Image borrowed from Norman Meloche's excellent archive of documentation.

...ned.

[TJ's Chevy]

Not sure, I don't think my friend ever re-painted his motor blue...far as I now it was pulled out to change the trans from a powerglide to a Saginaw 4 speed. Doubt it is a crate motor....has 85,--- (Don't remember this part) on the motor....But can you believe this!!! Dillon, look up on the kick panel on the driver's side there should be a metal plate with a list of options for motors available for that year. ON my 64 3/4 ton a 153 4 cylinder was optional!!!!!! WOW!!! unless you had a 5:23:1 gear ratio you couldn't even haul a bag of groceries with that thing!!!! But any way back to the subject....oem for my 66 was green...but I know the 250 was deleted in 73 I think....292 was deleted in 88. So we have from 63-88 of color codes and from......late 50's to 73(?) for the 250 and the 230 went into the 70's also. The 216 was deleted in the 50's and the 235 and 261 were deleted in 63. But color codes are still rolling though my mind.

[jcramsey]

Anybody running a Holley Projection 2d setup on a six?

[Twisted6]

Originally Posted by T.J. MCCAULEY

Not sure, I don't think my friend ever re-painted his motor blue...far as I now it was pulled out to change the trans from a powerglide to a Saginaw 4 speed. Doubt it is a crate motor....has 85,--- (Don't remember this part) on the motor....But can you believe this!!! Dillon, look up on the kick panel on the driver's side there should be a metal plate with a list of options for motors available for that year. ON my 64 3/4 ton a 153 4 cylinder was optional!!!!!! WOW!!! unless you had a 5:23:1 gear ratio you couldn't even haul a bag of groceries with that thing!!!! But any way back to the subject....oem for my 66 was green...but I know the 250 was deleted in 73 I think....292 was deleted in 88. So we have from 63-88 of color codes and from......late 50's to 73(?) for the 250 and the 230 went into the 70's also. The 216 was deleted in the 50's and the 235 and 261 were deleted in 63. But color codes are still rolling though my mind.

The 250s were still going into things in 79 any later then that I have no clue.
But I know for sure the 79 nova's had the 250s

[Palf70Step]

I think 84 was the last year of the 250 in trucks (4.3 V6 was available in 85). The 292 I know was still there in 82... I think it ran thru 85, but not positive on that.

[TJ's Chevy]

292 was deleted in 88. Thanks for the info Larry.

[TJ's Chevy]

Thought I'd bump this thread and add a new video.....this one is of a perrty neat 292....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOiVlBINAt8

[Twisted6]

That's One sounding & Great looking Truck.

[MacsGTO]

Hey Guys, I'm working on rebuilding a 250 for my '65 and I'm having a hell of a time locating parts. Specifically throttle linkage. You guys making your own or what? Where are you guys going to get standard rebuild kits for just seals and gaskets and such. Don't really need to do a full breakdown as my compression is great. Also have a lot of carb issues and I'm not familiar at all with these single barrels. sigh....

[TJ's Chevy]

Originally Posted by MacsGTO

Hey Guys, I'm working on rebuilding a 250 for my '65 and I'm having a hell of a time locating parts. Specifically throttle linkage. You guys making your own or what? Also have a lot of carb issues and I'm not familiar at all with these single barrels. sigh....

Are you doing a stock rebuild or performance rebuild??? I have throttle linkage parts for a 292, which might fit a 250 if you need some. (What type of issues with the carb?) If you are sticking to stock I would buy a reman single barrel. The oem single barrels can be a pain in the rear....I rebuilt my old one three times before I finally scrapped it.

[MacsGTO]

Originally Posted by T.J. MCCAULEY

Are you doing a stock rebuild or performance rebuild??? I have throttle linkage parts for a 292, which might fit a 250 if you need some. (What type of issues with the carb?) If you are sticking to stock I would buy a reman single barrel. The oem single barrels can be a pain in the rear....I rebuilt my old one three times before I finally scrapped it.

I am doing a stock rebuild. I'm relieved that I'm not the only one with carb issues. I am dreading a 3rd rebuild. If you went the high road then I might need to as well. I had a lot of surging and some gasket leaks, then I do a rebuild and now it seems like there's no fuel getting to the carb. I can't think of any reason the linkages would be different and I pretty much need all of them. The PO just had some bent rod welded to more bent rod and all held in with clothes hangers and paper clips. It was atrocious enough that I didn't want to drive it home. Luckily I only lived about 6 miles away.