Color Coatings On 5.0

[Ponyman66]

Just curious for thoughts on what coating was used on the 5.0 motors for the upper intake and valve covers? On the upper intake it appears that not all of it was coated. When you take off the cover plate the interior is bright and shiny, like raw aluminum. The exterior of it, and the (aluminum) valve covers are more of a gray/silver color. Due to how well it wears it's hard to tell whether the parts were painted or had something like powder coat. Any suggestions on what to use to restore? Thx!


BTW, the color appears to be too gray and non-metallic in appearance to be argent. I could (easily!), be mistaken though!

 

[Ponyman66]

Buehler, Buehler? Anybody?

I am open to opinions here!

 

[stangg]

I had an '89 5.0 manifold that appeared to be factory powdercoated... I con't know th color, but know what you mean about the non metallic gray color. Powder coaters can get a variety of colors if your looking to try and match it to the factory color. If you choose to do something else like a bright silver powder coat, I'd suggest not doing it as tends to dull fairly quick. If you wanted to re paint it with auto paint, then some paint / body shop suppliers can use a camera/scanner to come up with a paint code if you bring them the manifold.

As far as the valve covers, my stock '89 aluminum ones were not coated as far as I could tell.

 

[Ponyman66]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not wanting to change the colors, just restore what was there (or as close as possible). The intake definitely has a coating on it. The A/C hose that lays across it rubbed through the coating. I haven't messed with the valve covers yet but mine look to be coated/painted with something. There's no corrosion started on them (like the rest of the bare aluminum items on the motor), just some discoloration.

 

[Ponyman66]

Been awhile since I first posted this and thought I'd update. While I'm still working on getting a closer match for the valve covers, I've hit an almost dead on match for the upper plenum. Both pieces are indeed coated and NOT natural metal. The lower plenum is bare, but not the upper (or the valve covers). The coatings are very durable on both pieces which leads me to believe they may have even been a powder coat or similar coating. It's not definitive, but possible.

To achieve an almost dead on color match for the upper plenum I first base coated it with Ford Gray. While it was still wet I misted it with Eastwood's Detail Gray. This adds a slight metallic sheen as seen in the original coating. You don't want to cover the Ford gray, just add a slight tint to it. I misted across it one time from about 18" away. The pigments in the Detail Gray are fine enough it just leaves a hint of metallic on the base color.

I've gotten close with the valve covers, but they're still just a little too "bright" IMHO. I need to find a silver just a little darker. I'll get some pics up to show the upper plenum when it's set up well enough to move around. I can't wait to see how it looks with the restored cover on it!