53V8 -57 Original Engines & Fuel Lines.

[Guest proxie35]

My Buick Research pictures by proxie35 - Photobucket

[Guest proxie35]

As you can see from these photos, the fuel & vacuum lines were installed before the engine was painted. Sherrel

Edited November 29, 2011 by proxie35 (see edit history)

[TxBuicks]

My understanding is that the engine was tested, then painted, so everything necessary for the engine to run was on the engine before it was painted. Like water pump, fuel pump, gas lines, etc. Power steering pumps, generators, alternators, etc. were not necessary for testing the engine and were, therefore, not painted engine color.

[NTX5467]

From what I recall from the tour of the V-6 engine plant of 1988, the paint was applied during the assembly process, but after the main items were attached to the basic motor so that it could be run, under its own power, on the dyno stands (initial start, run-in time) prior to their final "hot test" run.

So, after the basic "short block" was completed, then the heads, intake manifold, water pump, spark plugs, spin-on oil filter, and other things were on the engine when it was painted. In later years, some of these things could be added "after paint", depending upon if they were aluminum, plastic, or cast iron. This could be a basic rule of thumb, of sorts. When the fuel pump, distributor, fuel lines to the carb, and other wiring/plumbing would be added "after paint", but this could be variable.

Only after the engine is assigned a VIN (or other similar number tieing it to a specific vehicle) can the charging system, power steering pump, a/c compressor, or other "black paint items" be attached to the engine to ready it for installation at the engine plant as a "fully dressed" engine hanging on a hook. In later years, these "dress items" could be done at the engine plant too, once it's known what the engine is going to be installed into, but in earlier times, when an engine was "universal in nature" prior to knowing where it was going to end up, such "dress items" might not have been on the engine.

What you might consider is a "crate motor". It's a bare motor, painted, etc. in the crate, ready for the addition of other things to make it applicable to its ultimate vehicular destination. If it comes with an oil filter screwed onto it, then it went through some sort of "fire test", where it was run on (possibly compressed natural gas) long enough to check its operation, then readied for shipment. If the motor was just assembled, not fire tested, then they usually put a round piece of cardboard where the oil filter would screw on.

As with many things on vehicles, some things happened one way one model year and another way the next or prior model year . . . AND it would depend upon which plant it all happened in, too, even down to the particular shift and if the normal worker was on vacation or not. Many generally-accepted constants, but also many variables.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Guest proxie35]

NTX5467, Thanks for your thoughts. But, I was only speaking of the engines of the 50s. They changed the way they did things in the 60s. Here are a few of the 67 & 68s I restored.

Edited December 3, 2011 by proxie35 (see edit history)