Truck motor colors

[Aaronw]

Edit - I updated this first post on 8/2/10 to reflect the additional info collected so far.

Thanks for the help and feel free to offer further corrections or info.

On another site someone was just asking about the correct color for the motor in a truck kit, this got me thinking it is a pretty common question and since there is a fairly limited number of truck engines available in kits or resin it could be handy to make up a list of the colors so we have the info in one place.

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

Edited August 2, 2010 by Aaronw

[bjscustommodels]

what about a Cummins NTC-350

[Aaronw]

what about a Cummins NTC-350

Is that available in a kit?

Never mind it was a typo should have been NTC not NTD in my list. :oops:

fixed it

[bjscustommodels]

thanks, had me scared there, my pete has that engine and I was like :?:

[Aaronw]

thanks, had me scared there, my pete has that engine and I was like :?:

So what color is it? geez you drive one of these and don't get the point of the post :wink:

[bjscustommodels]

i dont drive one im building one

[mackinac359]

Engine color if in a pre 1984 Peterbilt:

Detroit Diesel

Caterpillar

Cummins

Engine color would be WHITE.

There were exceptions, but before '84 white was the color that Peterbilt ordered its engines. Caterpillar was the last to stop painting them white.

Tim

[Aaronw]

i dont drive one im building one

Sorry, thought you had a real one. Hope you caught the :wink: just giving you a hard time.

Thanks Tim, that makes it pretty easy if its an older Pete the motors white.

[SpreadAxle]

It's also my understanding, although I could be wrong and I hope someone corrects me if I am, but if you are building an older International or Kenworth, they painted all engines red. As for the N14, as the former owner of one, those are black. Some, like mine, had red valve covers. Some had black ones. The red valve covers indicated it was a CELECT PLUS. I hope this helps some.

[dieseldoc]

From what I understand and have seen the only N14 that had the red rocker box covers were the celect plus that were 525 hp. Under 525 hp they were black and even shaped different.

[SpreadAxle]

Mine was definately a CeLECT Plus. At times, I miss that engine, but mine was a 500 HP. Anyway, good luck with your quest for the right engine color

[ABC Auto Industry]

I have a first-issue Chevy Titan 90 kit and an AMT-Ertl American Lafrance pumper, both with 8V71 Detroit diesels (though some parts are slightly different for both engines). I painted both engines silver because that's what it showed on the Chevy Titan's box.

Engine color if in a pre 1984 Peterbilt:

Detroit Diesel

Caterpillar

Cummins

Engine color would be WHITE.

There were exceptions, but before '84 white was the color that Peterbilt ordered its engines. Caterpillar was the last to stop painting them white.

Tim

Oops. I have a 359 kit in progress, and I painted the Cummins engine gray. I chose this color because I thought I saw a gray one in a a GMC Astro brochure (see http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thsca...tro1972-13.html. However, it appears I'm wrong.

Edited September 26, 2007 by ABC Auto Industry

[powdie]

my dad was an owner operator, he had a 78 Peterbilt and an 83 Kenworth K-100, both sported the V8 Detroit Diesel Silver 92, which as the name implies, were silver, they were both 475 HP

[Jim B]

This poses an interesting question: when did Cummins paint their engines grey? I always thought the older ones were beige, the N-14 series gloss black, and the Signature 600 & ISX red with chrome or black valve covers respectively. I sort of have a list going of engine colors by engine manufacturer, truck manufacturer, & the approximate years. It isn't all inclusive, and probably not totally accurate; but here goes!

Caterpillar (all engine models) - yellow (exceptions noted below)

Cummins (NTC-250, NTC-350, & NTA-370) - Beige (exceptions noted below)

Cummins N-14 - Gloss Black

Cummins Signature 600 - Gloss Red w/chrome valve cover

Cummins ISX - Gloss Red w/ gloss black valve cover

Ford (either Caterpillar or Ford make) - Blue (not sure about a Cummins N-14, probably black)

Detroit Diesel 6V71 & 8V71 - Alpine Green

Detroit Diesel 8V92 - Silver

Detroit Diesel 12V71 - Alpine Green or Silver

Peterbilt (all engine models from ~1950 - 1985) - white

Kenworth (all engine model from ~1950 - 1975) - white

Mack (pre-1990) - gold

Mack (current) - grey

International (all engine models) - gloss red

Well, there you have it. Hope it helps. Please feel free to post any & all corrections.

Thanks,

[Jason]

I used to work for an International Dealership in Cincinnati ohio and the current IH color is blue, reman/ford IH engines are black. I havent seen any IHC diesels red in our trucks. The only red engines ive seen in IHC trucks are the older gasoline engines. Thanks

[ultraliner13]

I remember back in 1978 My Dad and I went to our International dealer with the instruction sheet from the Ertl Paystar 5000 mixer kit.

The chaps at International said the V8 engine should be red and not blue as the instructions said.

I thought back then Ertl were on the ball with information so I was a little suprised to be told the instructions on the engine colour were wrong.

Cheers

John Wilson

Edited October 9, 2007 by ultraliner13

[haymanlj]

I have an AMT/Ertl Autocar Dump truck I am working on and it said to paint the engine white. I thought this was wrong until I saw this forum. I think it is a Cummins diesel. What about any other colors on the engine? Any specific parts not white? Thanks. Jack

[ABC Auto Industry]

This poses an interesting question: when did Cummins paint their engines grey? I always thought the older ones were beige, the N-14 series gloss black, and the Signature 600 & ISX red with chrome or black valve covers respectively...

I guess seeing a picture of the V-903 in a GMC Astro brochure made me want to paint it gray. But it appears I'm wrong. Oh well, I've never gone for total realism, anyways.

I have an AMT/Ertl Autocar Dump truck I am working on and it said to paint the engine white. I thought this was wrong until I saw this forum. I think it is a Cummins diesel. What about any other colors on the engine? Any specific parts not white? Thanks. Jack

Actually, Peterbilt engines are white. Autocar engines should be painted the standard Cummins tan. Besides, it says nothing else here that Autocar had white-colored engines.

[Jim B]

You saw a gray V-903? Do you remember the year? I've seen Cummins Grey tuch-up paint, but I don't know when it was used.

[ABC Auto Industry]

You saw a gray V-903? Do you remember the year? I've seen Cummins Grey tuch-up paint, but I don't know when it was used.

Real dark grey, likely black. I saw one in a 1972 GMC Astro brochure: http://public.fotki.com/modeltrucks25thsca...tro1972-13.html

[Jim B]

I saw that one, too. Isn't that site great?

[mackinac359]

Now it is time to muddy up the waters on the color of engines in Peterbilts.

I have photographs and seen in person original factory installed engines that were not white.

A 359 with a tan Cummins, a 352 with a Yellow Cat and a green 8v71.

In one of the Peterbilt brochures is a photo of a sea of white engines behind the factory with a handful of

green and tan mixed in.

Tim

[Jim B]

Ouch. Now my head hurts!

[ultraliner13]

Those colours Tim mentions above are the only colours I have ever seen for trucks.

I have never seen a white Cummins or a white coloured Cat engine for trucks. But just to be awkward I have seen a red NTC-350 Cummins. The owner painted it red during an engine rebuild.

I did ask years ago at a dealership and they told me the white colour was more suited for marine applications.

Then a couple of years later I went to a boat show and on the cat stand all the cat engines were white for marine use only.

Cheers

John

[ABC Auto Industry]

I have never seen a white Cummins or a white coloured Cat engine for trucks. But just to be awkward I have seen a red NTC-350 Cummins. The owner painted it red during an engine rebuild.

Thanks! That's just the rationale I needed for my choice of gray paint on the Cummins NTC-350 in my 359! Why didn't I think of that reason before?

I'll try to post pics of the truck later on.