Engine Paint Color Question

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HotWheelsBurban

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I want to say that our '84 Burb had a blue engine. I know the '90 had a black one; both 350s. I think the '79 had a black one, but it had a Target Master engine so it was whatever color those came in the '80s....
 
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74Blaze

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My GM crate motor was black when it arrived at my house. Old Chevy small blocks need to be orange or they're not happy. This is what it looked like after I installed it and a recent picture
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MPWILSON33

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I may be wrong but I had always heard the orange was for non emission, the blue was for the period of emissions before computer and black was for computer on. I have been lied to before.....
 

84GMCSierra

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My current crate engine is black, but I'm getting a replacement engine, and having my mechanic paint it GM Blue, that I found on Amazon. All my GM trucks, 65 Chevy II, and an old 69 GMC Handi-Van all had orange engines. I want something different as this is my last vehicle
 

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bucket

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I may be wrong but I had always heard the orange was for non emission, the blue was for the period of emissions before computer and black was for computer on. I have been lied to before.....

Nah, someone has lied to you. Generally, that actually IS ballpark accurate though. Emissions came in on a lot of models when engines were still orange, but there were still heavier trucks (like my '78 C20) that had no emissions and were painted blue. And then on board computers came in when engines were still painted blue, but at the tail end of the blue.
 

74Blaze

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Didn't Olds have some gold engines ?
Yep, and Pontiacs engines wore Blue.

Chevy Small Block = Turbo Fire --> Orange
Cvevy Big Block = Turbo Jet --> Orange
Buick = Wildcat --> Red
Olds = Rocket --> Gold
Pontiac = Tempest --> Blue

That's the way it was in the late 60's & early 70's
 

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