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Sat Nov 29, 2003 6:02 pm

I am restoring a 57 Coral Red Oval and I am in the process of rebuilding the engine. Can anyone give me a spec for the manifold. The book I have says it was originally semi-gloss grey. Is there a special hi-temp coating or powder coating that comes in semi-gloss grey? Also what is the correct color for the heater boxes? I've seem some painted black and others grey.

Thanks, Val

Sat Nov 29, 2003 8:00 pm

Take a look at the picture...I bought the high temp "Ford Grey" header paint for the intake, it looked too dark to me so I used it for the muffler. I had the intake bead blasted and then I shot it with grey etching primer. After I shot the primer I thought the color looked pretty good so I just left it unpainted.

John

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/126917.jpg

Sun Nov 30, 2003 7:32 am

I do believe the correct heater box color is black. I've pulled a few off of original motors in the past and they were black also just like the engine tin.
Brian
61 rag

Sun Nov 30, 2003 11:37 am

i've tried a few rattle-can paints and none seem to hold-up to the heat of the heat-riser tube -- always burned off (even the high-temp stuff). you might be happier with a bead-blasted raw metal finish or a jet-coating of some sort if you plan to drive it much.

Mon Dec 01, 2003 3:34 pm

For an oval, the heater boxes are semigloss black. The only thing that is sure not to discolor is ceramic coating, which is shiny but can be beadblasted to look dull. I have seen that and feel it looks very nice. That is the plan for mine.

Mon Dec 01, 2003 3:46 pm

Val Partyka wrote: I am restoring a 57 Coral Red Oval and I am in the process of rebuilding the engine. Can anyone give me a spec for the manifold. The book I have says it was originally semi-gloss grey. Is there a special hi-temp coating or powder coating that comes in semi-gloss grey? Also what is the correct color for the heater boxes? I've seem some painted black and others grey.

I'm not sure of the exact color but semi-gloss gray is correct. They did not use a high-temp coating originally so one end burned the paint off. I used POR-20 manifold grey on my last intake. It is not the 100% "correct" color but it worked nicely.

Heater boxes are black, although I have owned both black and grey NOS "replacement" 36 hp heater boxes.