Semi truck transmission colors

[Travis T]

I have a Kenworth, a Freightliner and a few Peterbilts to put together. I think I have the engine colors down for the most part, what color should the transmissions be? I toured the Cleveland Freightliner plant years ago but I don't remember that part of the assembly line. Thanks!

[Old Buckaroo]

Most of the trucks I use to work on had Eaton transmissions.  They were usually red or blue from the factory but painted to match the frames on most.

But   - I have not been a fleet mechanic since the year 2000

Edited November 19, 2015 by Old Buckaroo

[Chuck Most]

On Peterbilts (possibly other manufacturers) the transmission was painted the chassis color. The engine and trans were installed in the chassis before paint, then the engine would be masked off and everything else painted the chosen color. 

[Travis T]

I do remember a the Freightliner plant they were dropping the engine and transmission assembly in after the frame was painted. I used to paint the transmissions engine color but didn't think that was right and lately started using black on all of them. I normally paint my frames black as well but won't be on most of the ones I'm doing now. I know it's a pretty generic question, just want to do something closer to right.

[Chuck Most]

Another thing you could do (if just for visual interest if nothing else) could be to paint the transmission a dark gray or cast-iron color. A friend of mine had an FLD120 with a remanufactured trans which was painted a sort of dark bluish gray.

[guitarsam326]

Just to add to what Chuck said, if you wanted a reman trans in your truck, you could also paint it a brownish red color or even a light blue, depending on who rebuilt the trans, they could be any color under the sun....

[dieseldog1970]

Since most OEM's are different, I can only comment on my time at Western Star while employed there from 1993-2002. The motors and transmissions were bolted together on engine line, as received from the vendors, most of them were painted a semi gloss black, when I first started there...we had some of them painted a primer red. If I remember...these were the Rockwell transmissions, all of the Eatons from the day I started to the end were the black I mentioned before. Hope that helps some what!!!

Edited November 20, 2015 by dieseldog1970

[Fat Brian]

It would also depend on it the truck was fully assmbled in the factory or was purchased as a glider and finished by an outside upfitter. Basically, you can paint it almost any color and justify it being that way.

[Aaronw]

I think a lot are unfinished metal as well, it has been a long time since I saw a manual transmission but I'm remembering just a cast iron patina, our new trucks (since 2001) are all automatics. I'd have to crawl under one to double check, but as I recall they just have unfinished cast aluminum housings. 

[scummy]

When i worked in the workshop in the 70's we always got rebuilt ones to replace the busted ones and they always were painted to the colour of humbrol rust colour .

[Muncie]

The transmission color on a new truck will depend on several things but mostly it is how the trucks were assembled on the line... which depends on manufacturer, build location, and when it was built.  If you can find some brochures on the internet with chassis pictures, that would be good reference

The Cleveland Truck plant has always painted the chassis before the engine and transmission are installed - the transmission would be painted by the transmission manufacturer, which varied by manufacturer and transmission model.

In the 70's, Freightliner installed the engine before chassis paint.  The engine and radiator was masked off (not too neatly around the edges) but the transmission was painted chassis color.  Black became the standard chassis color in the mid-80's but the chassis could be any solid color up until the mid-90's when the optional colors were discontinued.  By the mid-90's, with new plants and production line changes, the chassis were painted before engine drop and the air lines were installed.

[Truck parts]

Were I work we rebuild rear ends and trans and we paint them a rusty red