Colour of small Block

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SB69GTS

SB69GTS

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Got 3 different answers for this....hope we all agree here, what colour is the engine block and heads on a 1969 340...... red, hemi orange or turquious. I think the mopar red may look more orange then red. Also where the oil pans painted the same colour as the block, and was the water pump just cast/grey colour. If anyone has a pic of a original colour 340 ...that would be great. Later
 
No pic's but pull a 340 out of original 1969 dart 340 and its was turquious, also have a set of 1968 X heads and there also turquious, under the red colour that there pianted now.
 
I worked on quite a few 68 and 69 340 cars from 70 to 76 and every one I saw was red.
 
The 340 and 318 truck engine were orange, I thought....... Just what I have seen, but I'm no codger either....LOL
 
My 69 340 was originally red, and I don't ever recall seeing turquoise on a small block, that was only used on big blocks. The blue did look like turquoise after they got oil on them but they were blue. I believe all small blocks were red (except for some HP 340's) till 70 or 71 when the switched to blue.
 
I think the only thing you guys have come to a conclusion of is that none of you can agree on one thing...... Maybe call "the god of Mopar knowledge" Galen Govier. I am sure he was there painting them himself in '69 while he was fighting off the VC at the same time in Nam considering he is such a genius on "everything Mopar". Even though I have seen original build sheets that contradict his "findings".



(Also all of these terms referring to the great "guru" are used in the loosest of manners)

Send him like 5k and I am sure he will give you an answer in all seriousness.


Jeff
 
65-68 red
69 blue
70-71 orange
72-74 blue

Those stats came from the chrysler corp. parts interchange book, you know the small pocket type sized one. I'd be willing to bet that it's accurate but i guess you never know
 
I'm not sure when they switched, but my dated 69 340 was completely bone stock when I tore it down to rebuild and it was in my family since 1970 and it was red. they got it out of a totaled swinger or GTS I can't recall which one.

I also see a lot of confusion between blue and turquoise, the blue is blue but looks a little like turquoise because the oil and heat discolors it, you can see a big difference if you compare them side by side.
 
74scamp 360 has it mostly correct, 69, 340`s are probably 98% turquoise but some early production 69`s may be red and some late 69`s may be orange. There`s always a batch of engines/parts left from the previous production year that wind up on the new models. Chrysler didn`t waste anything, including paint.
 
Engine was painted after assembly, oil pan, water pump, intake and exhaust manifolds as well as water pump bypass hose.
 
Jeff,
I think it was Galen who stated.."Never say never and never say always"

He has done a tremendous amount of research on Mopars over the years and he is still learning stuff and when he finds stuff that proves him wrong, he states that fact.

When was the last time you traveled all over the country and talked to former line workers, dealership employees, etc. and wrote about it ??

I worked at a C/P dealership from 1970 until 74 as a line mechanic and did the dealer prep work on every car that came in but I still learn stuff about these cars to this day.
 
Blue was used later on. Like around 72 or 73. TORQUOISE is the 69 color. Yeah it might be a production date change from early or late 69 but every 69 340 car engine I ever seen on new Darts back in the year 69 including mine were Torquoise blue. It almost is the same shade as Pontiacs color they used on the 389 and 400's in the GTO's.
 
I've got to echo what 416stroker said. My original '69 340 Swinger engine was turquoise when I bought the car in late 1969. Although I bought the car used, the only things the original owner changed were the wheels (Cragar S/S). The engine was as it left the factory.
 
I looked at an original 340 a guy had for sale from his 69 barracuda, it was turquoise. Although I have heard that some were painted red. Probably ran out of paint that day!
 
damn....and here i went painting my 69 340 block orange LOL

now i know for next time
 
OK As I said earlier all of the ones I worked on were red but I know a guy who bought a '69 Barracuda new who still has a memory. He said his car came with a blue engine. Not turquoise as turquoise was on big blocks. It was blue..... but a lighter blue than the blue that showed up on the 71 and later small blocks. Since he often worked on his fathers big block cars he knows that there was a difference between the blue on his engine and the big block turquoise. He also added that after a windstorm dropped a tree on his three month old '69 he got a '70 and that engine was orange. He also said that he remembers seeing some '69 cars with red and some with blue. He added that he REALLY wished he still had either one of them with any color engine!!!! I recommended that he check out FORABODIESONLY too.
 
340 colors
68 red
69 turquoise
70- April of 71 oragne
April til 73 blue
 
funny this should come up, Sunday I was trying to find a can of Chrysler turquoise engine paint for something not car related. and almost every listing I saw had turquoise as the color of two barrel big blocks from '62 to '67 and 1969 340s.
 
New 70 318; blue. New 70 (sept 69 block) 340; red/ orange. 70 340 (early 70) red/orange. My experience.
 
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