'53 Nailhead Paint Questions

[Guest shadetree77]

Working on a '53 Roadmaster Skylark and have some engine paint questions. I think it would be easier to make a list below. Basically, I need to know what color the factory painted (or did NOT paint) each part.

fan bolts

fan/power steering pulleys and balancer

trans and oil dipsticks

oil filler cap (was there a sticker on it too?)

power steering pump to engine brackets

Edited December 23, 2014 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[buick5563]

In my understanding, here it is as follows:

Fan bolts- natural unpainted

Pulleys- natural unpainted

Oil dipstick- green

Trans dipstick- black

Oil filler cap- green (don't know about sticker on 53. I'd say yes)

Power steering bracket green (crossover bolts go through it, which means it was assembled on engine, then painted)

[1957buickjim]

Mike and Robert,

I remember a post from our good friend Dave Corbin when I was restoring Old Bessie, and he indicated the same as you. If it was part of the engine build, or attached to the engine when built, but before install in the frame, then it should be buick green. Any other items installed after the engine drop, would be like you said - black, natural plate, etc. Even normally, the base of the Carb would have some engine color overspray on it. Just what I have found in the research. Hope this helps.

[old-tank]

The folks over at 54buick hashed this out: http://www.1954buick.com/showthread.php/6285-Correct-engine-bay....?highlight=engine+paint

Think: 'anything needed to run the engine on a test stand would be painted; no items would be removed after running'

Willie

[Guest shadetree77]

Awesome!! Thanks for the wealth of knowledge. You guys never fail to provide me with everything I'm looking for. This will help immensely. If any of you were wondering where I got my hands on a '53 Skylark, it's not mine unfortunately. Belongs to the Buick Gallery in Flint. I'm volunteering there and helping in the restoration process. I'm currently assigned to chassis duty. Duties include finishing up the chassis build and correcting mistakes that have been made pertaining to factory originality. As I did with my straight eight, I'm trying my best to get it as close to factory original as possible.

I know Mike said that he believes the oil filler cap probably had a sticker in '53. Can anyone else second that?

Also, just to make sure, when they talk about something being cad color do they mean silver cad or gold cad?

Edited December 23, 2014 by shadetree77 (see edit history)

[buick5563]

Silver cad.

I think gold cad was only used on the brake backing plates and brake booster.

[MrEarl]

Willie's above post with link to the 54 Buick Highway is the drawn out and somewhat convoluted version. Here is the condensed version

Based on my original condition 54's , here is a summary of my findings as how the engine was finished at the factory. The discussion about these finishes can be found and continued here:

http://www.1954buick.com/showthread.php?6285-Correct-engine-bay....

Please weigh in on your opinions and thoughts about how it was done from the factory in that thread.

Again this is merely my findings and should not be taken as unequivocally "Correct" .

1 Fuel and vacuum lines - that run over top of the engine- No Paint or Buick Engine Green (as overspray). The majority of my cars lines were not painted. A recently acquired 60K mile 46R definitely has paint on some of these lines.

2 Pulleys - Generator, Water pump, Power Steering, - No Paint (cad)

3 Harmonic Balancer - Buick Green paint. A trace of paint was found on the rear of one of my low mile originals. Speculation - Apparently this un-primed metal does not hold paint well

4 Any bolts on the engine that are not green? I don't have this info in full, but will try to determine. I suspect some of the bolts that hold some brackets on will be no paint.

5 Accessory mount brackets? Power steering main mount bracket and the 8 inch angle iron brace that bolts to the engine. Buick Green

6 Power steering pump - Black * The correct decal wording for the top of the pump is FILL TO LEVEL WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID TYPE

7 Upper generator bracket, flat iron with elongated adjust slot- Black

8 Engine mount brackets (including the generator mount bracket - Green **The flat triangular brace piece with three holes from this engine mount to the engine block - No Paint

9 Fuel/vacuum pump - I have never seen a factory installed fuel pump so must say that all mine are unpainted. However since the pump and lines were supposedly installed prior to painting and testing it would stand that the pump would likely have Buick Green over spray.

10 Power brake vacuum pump - Black and/or no paint

11 Exhaust manifold...how far back would you paint or at all? Personal preference I suppose but I'd paint the manifold and exhaust pipe incl crossover.

12 Wire loom - bolts to top of rocker cover - Green; Rubber insert - No Paint (however probably received paint when engine was painted and the black rubber did not hold paint well)

13 Rocker cover and spark plug cover and bolts - Green

14 Timing indicator with timing marks- I have seen these painted engine green with no paint on the brass ends with unpainted groove marks * and also black with yellow painted groove marks.

15 Valley Cover - Green except under middle of manifold where there is either no paint or light over spray at most

16 Blow by tube- Black

17 Oil Dip Stick - No paint on most, runny overspray paint on some

18 Transmission Dip Stick - No Paint

19 Transmission Dip Stick tube - It appears these may have been painted black but with out primer and the black paint soon bakes and flakes off.

20 Transmission Dip Stick tube bracket/holder (secures to back of block) No paint

21 Coil Bracket- No Paint

22 Dash Pot bracket - No Paint

23 Carb spring bracket - Green paint.

24 Distributor - the bottom third of the distributor got over sprayed with Green, upper is factory black

25 Starter - Green; Starter Solenoid - Black (masked during painting of engine

26 Fan Blade - black; Bolts- no paint

27. Power Brake Vacuum line (from top of manifold to power brake master cylinder) No Paint

Edited December 23, 2014 by MrEarl (see edit history)

[1953mack]

shadetree77 said:

.....I'm currently assigned to chassis duty. Duties include finishing up the chassis build and correcting mistakes that have been made pertaining to factory originality. As I did with my straight eight, I'm trying my best to get it as close to factory original as possible.

I know Mike said that he believes the oil filler cap probably had a sticker in '53. Can anyone else second that?

Also, just to make sure, when they talk about something being cad color do they mean silver cad or gold cad?

First the facts:

.....The oil filler cap on a 1953 Buick Skylark did have a label.

.....When you're talking cadmium-plated color for a 1953 Buick.....bolts, pulleys, brake backing plates......they are silver. Gold color came later on some items.

Now my observations:

.....You're getting a lot of conflicting opinions from later-year Buick owners. Guess what? You get to decide what is correct and what isn't.

.....If what I'm reading above and on the subject 1954 Forum Thread is correct, you need to get out your touchup spray gun and start over-spraying a lot of items in the engine compartment. I say this because I saw the spic-and-span 1953 Buick Skylark rolling chassis you're working on in its 'under-construction stage' at the 2008 BCA Nationals in Flint, when it was parked on the boulevard grass in front of the Buick Gallery. (Note the building background in Pic #2.) Consequently, I took a few pictures and conversed with the guys that were with the project. Here are a few pics of what I took and how it looked in July, 2008. What's changed in the last six years?

.....Note a few questionable items: no over-spray at all; no paint on any fuel or vacuum lines; tips of threaded studs holding the rocker arm covers on are not painted, whereas the tips of the threaded studs holding on the spark plug covers are painted; cast iron paint color on front shocks vs. black painted rear shocks; new, gold-colored, out of the box, rear shock link; high-gloss painted chassis items like the rear track bar, springs, and trailing arms; painted brake backing plates instead of being cadmium-plated..........and the list goes on.

As a side note, I'm still looking for the body production number that is on the BODY BY FISHER number plate for my on-going 1953-1954 Buick Skylark Registry project. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks for your time and consideration on these items.

Al Malachowski

BCA #8965

"500 Miles West of Flint"

Edited October 10, 2016 by 1953mack (see edit history)

[Guest shadetree77]

Al,

PM sent.