Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Engine Colors?


Recommended Posts

 Maybe it was a White-Western Star thing?

As far as I know....they never painted any of the engines before they were installed into the frames, used as is from the OEM's, and I asked my lead hand many questions about the history before I started working there in 1993. Now maybe the picture of the rainbow WWS was built for a show(?)...and could have been painted for any number of reason's, but with the number of show trucks that I recall going down the line...never seen it myself in nine years.

Edited by dieseldog1970
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the 70s issue Pete 359 wrecker, should I have painted the Cummins white?, I painted mine beige ...?

Here is evidence of white being used  from a Peterbilt brochure dated 2-74. Just consider your wrecker a post '75, its very difficult to  pin point a date on large window '73-'87 359 Petes.

IMG_4945.JPG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Ford had engines from Caterpillar & Cummins painted Ford Blue in the 1970s.  Not sure about any Detroit Diesels, though.  

 

Blue  up to '75 at least. Like the Pete 359, hard to pin point year model on the '70+ L series.

IMG_4947.JPG

Edited by leafsprings
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic comes up frequently

 

There is a fairly complete listing in this post from 2006

 

I'll take the liberty of quoting it since it was my post. Official colors as well as suggested paints to use.

Allis Chalmers - Plum Crazy Purple

 

Caterpillar

3406 - New Cat Yellow

3208 - New Cat Yellow

 

 

Cummins

NHC250 - Cummins Beige

NTA370 - Cummins Beige

NTC350 - Cummins Beige

N14 - Black (may have red valve covers)

V-903 - Dark grey or Black

 

 

Detroit Diesel

Series 60 - DD Alpine Green

6-71 - DD Alpiine Green

8V71 - DD Alpine Green

12V71 - DD Alpine Green or Silver

16V71 - DD Alpine Green

8V92 - Silver

 

 

Chevrolet

1940s to late 1950s - Medium grey

Late 1950s to 1963 I-6 engines Chevrolet engine blue, V-8 Chevrolet engine red (orange)

 

 

Ford

Ford 331 Flathead truck engine - Dark Spruce Green

OHV 1954 to 1961 - Red

534SD - Ford Blue

 

 

GMC

GMC 1940s - Avacado

GMC late 1940s to early 1950s Dark Green

GMC 1950s Crimson Red

GMC 1960s V-6 Alpine Green, V-8 Red

Turbine - Red

 

 

International

V-800 - Metallic blue

 

 

Mack - Pre 1990 gold, Post 1990 grey, or blue / grey if equipped with an intercooler

ENDT675

ENDT676

ENDT865

4cyl (Mack AC) - medium grey

Super tip turbine - red

 

 

Exceptions, some truck manufacturer's use their own colors instead of the engine builders color

 

AutoCar - White through 1968-69 then manufacturer color

Ford - Black until 1965, Ford Blue until 1982, Ford Corporate Grey

Diamond Reo - Red

Peterbilt - White through 1984 then engine manufacturer color

Kenworth - White through 1975 then engine manufacturer color

 

 

 

Might as well include the available paints as well

 

Krylon

New Cat Yellow

Old Cat Yellow (I believe Caterpiller changed to the new yellow in the 1950's)

 

 

Duplicolor

Detroit Diesel Alpine Green

Ford Blue

 

Fleetrite (available at International dealers)

Cummins Beige

DT466 Blue

 

Testors Model Master offers many factory engine colors.

 

 

Suggestions for close matches with non-factory paints

 

IH V-800 - Testors Model Master Lacquer #28150 metallic 1969 Ford Acapulco blue

IH V-800 - Tamiya #TS19 Metallic blue

Diamond Reo / Mack - Testors Model Master #52709 Boyd Red

DD Alpine Green - Testors Model Master Acryl #4774 RLM 25, Polly Scale #505270 British Interior Grey Green

AC Mack Grey - Model Master #1725 Neutral grey, Model Master Acryl #4757 Neutral grey

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As far as I know....they never painted any of the engines before they were installed into the frames, used as is from the OEM's, and I asked my lead hand many questions about the history before I started working there in 1993. Now maybe the picture of the rainbow WWS was built for a show(?)...and could have been painted for any number of reason's, but with the number of show trucks that I recall going down the line...never seen it myself in nine years.

The US truck manufacturers did not paint any engines themselves before installation, they were already painted in the color the truck manufacturers wanted them to be when they left the engine factory.
For example Kenworth, Peterbilt and Autocar had Cat, Cummins and DD to paint the engines they ordered from them white so they arrived already painted white to the truck assembly plants for a number of years...of course they had to pay extra for it.
The same goes for the others that had different engine color than the engine manufacturers standard color.

International had all engines except their own V-800 painted IH 2150 Red for several years and paid $25 extra per engine for that.

But there are exceptions from the rule with the truck manufacturers special engine colors, even though some of the truck manufacturers was supposed to have a for them special color of the engines up to a certain date you could find engines in their trucks with the engine manufacturers standard color before that date and the special color after the same date.

I have also found out that Caterpillar changed the color from the Old Caterpillar Yellow, also known as Hi-Way Yellow, to New Cat Yellow on their heavy machinery in June 1979 and that could also be the case with the engines.
So if that's correct the engines would be Cat Hi-Way Yellow from January 1932 until June 1979, after June 1979 New Cat Yellow...except for the cases when the truck manufacturers ordered them with their own colors.
The old Cat Hi-Way Yellow were a brighter shade yellow than the New Cat Yellow wich is more to the mustard shade.
Caterpillar was also the last manufacturer to stop painting the engines white for Peterbilt.

 

 

Edited by Force
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The engine you have there looks to be from an Italeri kit and it's a Cummins NTC 400 and should be beige...but Italeri sometimes wants us to belive it's a Cummins N14 as they in some kits changed it from a water to air aftercooler to an air to air intercooler.
A Cummins N14 is black often with red valve covers, but the N14 has different heads and more squareish valve covers...and these are NT-NTA-NTC covers.
When I looked closer at your picture the paint call outs (marked blue) are for the exhaust and water manifolds and the exhaust part of the turbo, nothing for the engine block assembly, the paint call out for the engine block can possibly be shown at an earlier stage.
But all of the engine was painted beige from the Cummins factory and the paint would burn off on hot places like the exhaust manifold and turbo.

Edited by Force
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I've also found that Tamiya X12 Gold Leaf is a good match for the gold used be Mack, Tamiya X13 Metallic Blue is a good match for the blue that International used on their MaxxForce engines, Tamiya XF18 Medium Blue is a good match for the Detriot Diesel Series60 Blue (I have also heard that Humbrol #87 Matt Steel Gray is close), and Testors Model Masters Grun RLM 62 is a good match for the early Detroit Diesel Alpine Green.  I have heard, but cannot confirm, that Testors Red 1203 is a dead-on match for the International Red, while Testors Model Master Auto Lacquer 1969 Ford Metallic Acapulco Blue can be used for the International V800.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

just a test-who knows the story on these lime green cummins and detroits?

engine.colour459689498.jpg

engine.colour390485.jpg

 

As far as the Cummins goes the PT series "power torque" were lime green and I believe some custom rated Cummins were also. The Detroit appears to have a red block "International" an alpine green head and a Terex green valve cover and coolant hose neck and other small parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...