two engine questions

[berr13]

Got a couple of engine questions:

First, what exactly is the Cadillac engine in the Revell Mercury kits?  How many cubic inches?  And also, what color would be correct?  Dark blue, or gold as the instructions call for?

Second, when did Chevrolet quit using the by-pass oil filter system on the 265 V8?  I know it was introduced with the 1955 V8s, but when was it discontinued in favor of the block-connected filter system?

 

Just thought I'd ask the smartest bunch of car modelers I know....

 

  

 

[64Comet404]

The stock Cadillac engine would be a darker blue shade, but it could be any colour you want to complement the exterior. The block-connected oil filter was introduced for the 1956 model year. Hope this helps.

[berr13]

7 minutes ago, 64Comet404 said:

The stock Cadillac engine would be a darker blue shade, but it could be any colour you want to complement the exterior. The block-connected oil filter was introduced for the 1956 model year. Hope this helps.

That does help.  So that means that 265 V8s could have either system, depending on what year they were produced?

[Ace-Garageguy]

59 minutes ago, berr13 said:

...First, what exactly is the Cadillac engine in the Revell Mercury kits?  How many cubic inches?  And also, what color would be correct?  Dark blue, or gold as the instructions call for?

Second, when did Chevrolet quit using the by-pass oil filter system on the 265 V8?  I know it was introduced with the 1955 V8s, but when was it discontinued in favor of the block-connected filter system?

The Caddy engine in the Merc kit represents a first-generation OHV Cadillac V8, built starting in 1949. The engines came in 331 cu.in. from '49-'55, 365 from '56-'58. and 390 from '59-'62. All these engines are visually very similar, but if the instructions call out "gold" paint, they're probably referring to the 331 engines built first, probably from an Eldo. There were also blue and green engines. Do a Google image search for Cadillac 331 engine (for instance) to see pix of stock engines in non-restored cars (I say "non-nrestored" cars because everybody seems to paint old Caddy engines blue, and they were not ALL blue).

This is a factory illustration for the 1952 331 cu.in. engine. It's gold. If you dig hard enough, you can find gold engines, as well as dark green, installed in original cars.

NOTE: This is the same engine that's represented by the vintage Revell parts-pack "354" Cadillac engine. Revell got the number wrong, as there was NO factory Caddy 354 (it was a Chrysler hemi displacement in 1956), but never corrected the packaging. The parts-pack version is much more detailed, but also more challenging to build.

There is a different 390 Caddy built starting in '63 that is also blue, and is similar visually to the older one...though it's an entirely different design.

For the Chevy question, the 265 got full-flow oil filtration in 1956, with the boss cast on the block.

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Ace-Garageguy

[berr13]

Thanks, guys--that confirms what I thought, and it's good to know for sure.  Very much appreciated!