I'm redoing some details on my '66 fastback, built December 8th, 1965, at Dearborn. I have some questions about the engine paint on the 289. I'm using Bob Mannel's book as a basic reference, but I know lots of details in books like his can vary from what actually happened on the assembly line.
I think I've got most of the basic details correct, but I'm still concerned about the colors that should be on the attaching hardware; in other words, which items were already installed on the motor when it was painted. Please correct me if I've got any of this wrong.
Items to be painted Ford Blue:
--Oil pan, drain plug, and mounting bolts
--Water pump and mounting bolts
--Exhaust manifolds and mounting bolts (moderate overspray only)
--Intake and manifold bolts
--Thermostat housing and bolts
--Small bypass hose and clamps on the water pump
--Valve covers
--Carburetor spacer
--Air cleaner
Items I have questions about:
1. Should valve cover hardware be painted blue or left natural? How about the little rubber-coated J-hooks that install under the driver's side valve cover bolts to route the oil sending unit wires--were they painted with the engine or installed later?
2. Was the dipstick tube bolted to the block when the engine was painted? Should the bolt be painted Ford blue or was it installed later?
3. Should I leave an unpainted ring around the top of the oil dipstick tube, where the paint wouldn't have reached underneath the dipstick itself?
4. Should there be any overspray on the bellhousing? This is a 4-speed car, if it matters.
5. Should the heater hose elbow that screws into the front of the intake be natural or Ford blue? Was it on the intake when the motor was painted?
6. This is a factory air car, and as such, has some spacers on the water pump bolts. Should any of these spacers be Ford blue, or were they natural?
Thanks so much for any help!!