Original engine colors??????

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Tbone416

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I just got a curiosity Twisted grip is building the beautiful 69 GTS which appears to be the original engine color in it is turquoise I'd like to see some more original cars with unrestored motor colors in them so maybe we could narrow down when the color change was I know I had a 68 with a orange red motor maybe it was a maybe it was the assembly plant difference let's just see if we can narrow it down post some pictures post your pictures of what you have engine that have original paint car build a casting number on the Block anything you can come up with maybe this will be some fun thanks guys
 
69 340's were either Turquoise (the majority of them) or a darker blue than Chrysler blue. Nobody seems to have a TSB for the change or when it happened. When in doubt, paint it the typical Chrysler Turquoise.
 
Yes that's the common thinking of paint colors
My thinking of 340's were orange red from 68 to 71
Then in 72 the color change to corporate blue but Twisted grips 69 has a block that has turquoise on his small block 340 that looks to be original it's possible that someone could have amproed the engine back in the day and painted it turquoise blue or it's possible it come from the factory like that if so there should be more original paint engines out there for us to see IE the 383 in my GTX was turquoise in 68 if my car had been a 69 it would have been a Hemi Orange that's why I asked to see some pictures just a curiosity thanks for the comment
 
Save your time, someone has already done the research years ago.

Mopar Engine Paint Color Guide 1960-1974 - MyMopar.com

research years ago.

Mopar Engine Paint Color Guide 1960-1974 - MyMopar.com[/QUOTE] that's some good info my thinking was that maybe there might be a early 69 that was read or a late 69 that was orange if somebody had an original paint motor this might bring some light to the subject or they may all just been that way just something to talk about
 
I know this subject has been debated on other sites many times in the past. I have posted a few pictures of the 340 in my 69 GTS before, but lets do it again for this post.
This is a original paint motor on a 10.5K mile car. SBD 127
Some see blue, but I see turquoise. At least I think I do?

340 engine 2.jpg
 
I know this subject has debated on other sites many times. I have posted a few pictures of the 340 in my 69 GTS before, but lets do it again for this post.
This is a original paint motor on a 10.5K mile car.
Some see blue, but I see turquoise. At least I think I do?

View attachment 1715237810
That's blue. Here is turquoise.
69 340.JPG
 
I won't dispute the difference.....
I do know that I had a original paint valve cover off of a 71-72 SB and it was sure a lot bluer than the the color of my engine.
 
I know this subject has been debated on other sites many times in the past. I have posted a few pictures of the 340 in my 69 GTS before, but lets do it again for this post.
This is a original paint motor on a 10.5K mile car. SBD 127
Some see blue, but I see turquoise. At least I think I do?

View attachment 1715237810
this is what I'm talking about that Motors appears to be repainted to me not 100% sure but it looks like there's some turquoise showing through the blue on the intake also the hose clamps or not painted on the bypass hose but thanks for the picture I hope we get a lot more
 
1969 Mopars with 340s are something I clearly rememeber. Three guys who lived pretty close to me got brand new 69s. A white barracuda, a green Barracuda and a blue Dart. Those three had red engines. I worked on the Dart a bit so I am 100% positive it was a red engined 69. Sometime later the 340s started appearing that were a blue that was darker than the Chrysler engine blue. Mopar called that color turquoise but it was a good bit more blue than the big block turquoise and didn't have enough green tint that I would call it turquoise. In 1972 I saw my first 69 with an orange engine. A guy broght me a 69 Barracuda with a little front fender damage and I noticed it had the orange. I asked him if the engine was swapped and he said, "Nope, all original". I have seen a few orange engined 69s since that one. So I think 69 was a year that Mopar used whatever was available at each plant of the three colors (and maybe 4 with two colors of blue/turquios) for 340 engines.
 
Man this has been beat to death. My brother bought a 1970 Duster brand new. He ordered it 69 so it was an early built car. His engine was red. On top of that every color guide I have seen have been wrong. Yes even Chrysler's. They did it so they didn't have to stock so many different colors of paint. The only way to know for sure is IF you know the car has never been redone. How many of those are left?
 
Despite the fact that I have several cans of turquoise on the shelf left over from my 65 Coronet Bigblock I am going blue on my red 69 Swinger... That turqouise is butt ugly !
 
I know this subject has been debated on other sites many times in the past. I have posted a few pictures of the 340 in my 69 GTS before, but lets do it again for this post.
This is a original paint motor on a 10.5K mile car. SBD 127
Some see blue, but I see turquoise. At least I think I do?

View attachment 1715237810


i agree. the lighting does make it different looking from the freshly painted in the next post down but thats not chrysler blue.... the lighting in the picture has a ton to do with the confusion..

i've never heard the blue being on a 69.. i've always heard the red or turquoise. seems logical that early 69's could have possible gotten a red. blue doesn't make sense at all being that in 70 the 340 was orange and the blue was a non-performance color.. better chance of getting an orange 340 in late 69 in my opinion...
 
i agree. the lighting does make it different looking from the freshly painted in the next post down but thats not chrysler blue.... the lighting in the picture has a ton to do with the confusion..

i've never heard the blue being on a 69.. i've always heard the red or turquoise. seems logical that early 69's could have possible gotten a red. blue doesn't make sense at all being that in 70 the 340 was orange and the blue was a non-performance color.. better chance of getting an orange 340 in late 69 in my opinion...
that's my opinion also the premise of this thread was to see some pictures with production dates so maybe we could figure out when or what happened when color was changed and what at what plant but it seems like people just want to talk about what they seen in the past thanks for the comment
 
I bet we can drag this topic out 37 more posts. I say paint it black like the Chevy guys do. They have their act together. :)
 
A photo of a 1969 Dart Swinger 340. Original, untouched blue or turquoise.

View attachment 1715237905


hard to tell in a picture.. too many variable with lighting and flash. would have to see it in person...

hell the orange on my motor look red as hell in certain light and pure orange in other light abs pictures..

if you talk to Frank Badalson at roger gibson restorations about 340 orange it is different then street hemi orange that everything thinks it is.. i would think that it is possible that there was also slight differences between the 340 turquoise and thebig block turquoise.




.
 
depends on the light....my '69 340 is turquoise inside but out in the daylight it almost looks corporate blue which wasn't invented yet?

009.JPG


IMG_2394.JPG
 
Yes that's the common thinking of paint colors
My thinking of 340's were orange red from 68 to 71
Then in 72 the color change to corporate blue but Twisted grips 69 has a block that has turquoise on his small block 340 that looks to be original it's possible that someone could have amproed the engine back in the day and painted it turquoise blue or it's possible it come from the factory like that if so there should be more original paint engines out there for us to see IE the 383 in my GTX was turquoise in 68 if my car had been a 69 it would have been a Hemi Orange that's why I asked to see some pictures just a curiosity thanks for the comment

I had a 71 340 Challenger that had a small block blue engine...
 
Ha Ha Ha, come on guys. It's Ma Mopar... she used what ever they had to get the car built and down the road. Nothing was thrown away. What ever paint that was in the gun at the plant was used in the early stages. By 71 most were Corporate Blue and that color has so many variations it's unreal. Now the OP said...
original cars with unrestored motor colors
So I guess pictures of unrestored engines in cars only. Not on engine stands I guess? Good luck :)
 
Despite the fact that I have several cans of turquoise on the shelf left over from my 65 Coronet Bigblock I am going blue on my red 69 Swinger... That turqouise is butt ugly !

Send me 2 ugly cans please for my 440. Anybody know the paint code for turquoise? Ditzler maybe?
 
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