Original colour of the gear housing

Hello
Which colour was the gear housing original painted?
wokri

 

Assuming you are referring to the transmission, I believe it was painted the same gray as the engine. These assemblies were put together first, then sprayed.

 

I'm not sure I agree w/ you, Russ

I've heard that engines were painted as an assembly and hence, the intake and exhaust manifolds are painted the same color as the engine, all as one process. However, I don't think that the transmissions were attached to them at the time of the painting process. Here is my reasoning. Engines were built in one of two plants, either Flint or Tonawanda. The trannys were built in one of three plants, Saginaw, Muncie, or Toledo. Because of the different combination possibilities (engine to tranny), they weren't matched up until they got to the final assembly plant.

I've heard 3 different "schools of thought" on how trannys were painted (or not). One was, as you said, painted the same color as the engine, one was painted black, and one was left natural. I've seen all 3 and they all look perfectly acceptable to me.

Just my 3 cents (adjusted for inflation!)

 

Hello
Many thanks to you, I think I'll will paint it black, so it's easier for me to paint it.
wokri

 

reply?

Wokri, sent you an e-mail while back, no reply, you still need those bolts or are you ok now?

 

Iirc ,

They were not painted at all , although most like to paint them glossy black to retard corrosion .

I once uncrated an N.O.S. one , it wasn't painted at all .

 

I too think that they were not painted. Of all of the old junkers we used to drag home, I can never recall finding any signs of paint on any tranny when I started de-greasing them, de-rusting etc.

I painted mine black because I wanted to keep the rust down and because I thought it looks cool too!

 

come to think of it, I don't think mine were painted either.

 

Mine weren't either

I have cleaned up two original SM420's both were unfinished cast iron.

I cleaned them up real well and painted them with "cast blast" paint that looks like cast iron, but doesn't rust. My tranny looks nice enough under my truck tied to my Chevy blue bell housing.

Jim

 

Jim

Throw that jack out, the correct way to install the box is on your back with it on your chest, make sure your on firm ground tho, or you will be pushed into the ground

 

hmmmmm...

I found evidence of a nice GMC red on my bell housing and transmission. Maybe this was part of that extra attention to detail that Gs got?

Nice job, Jim!

 

...on top of brit's quilt-wrapped Mrs. ...

 

Engine & Bellhousing Colours

Engine shoud be gray and bell housing should be black .

If the engine is a 261 , it's green .

Blue wqs for passenger car engines .

-Nate