Author Topic: Painting '69 351W Thermostat Housing  (Read 1629 times)

Offline drummingrocks

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1291
Painting '69 351W Thermostat Housing
« on: August 15, 2014, 10:19:38 PM »
Hi guys, some of you may have seen my recent thread about the thermostat housing leaking on my '69 Mach 1 (351W).  I bought a nice original off of eBay, and I was hoping to get it painted and ready to install this weekend.  I wanted to be sure I was painting everything correctly, like the factory did.

Am I correct in thinking that the bypass hose and clamps were already installed when the engine was painted at the factory?  I'm fairly sure that was the case.  This means the bolts should be painted too, right?  And what about the vacuum valve/tree that threads into the top of the thermostat housing, should that have paint on it or not?

Thanks!!   :)
Too much junk, too little time.

Offline J_Speegle

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24627
Re: Painting '69 351W Thermostat Housing
« Reply #1 on: August 15, 2014, 10:45:55 PM »
Correct that the housing, attaching hardware, bypass hose and clamps were on the engine at the time it was painted. Appears that a short mask was placed over the end of the Thermostat housing to keep paint off of the hose mounting surface. Its my opinion that the vacuum tee/valve was there also with a mask that limited the amount of paint overspray to just the mounting threads or less depending on how much painf was applied and the angle of the gun


Made masks for these points and the others when I painted the engine for the 69 Boss. You can see those over in this thread if they will help

http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=7351.0
Jeff Speegle

Anything worth doing is worth doing concours ;)

Offline drummingrocks

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1291
Re: Painting '69 351W Thermostat Housing
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2014, 08:53:22 AM »
Thanks Jeff, that's exactly what I needed. :)

Was there any kind of sealer or thread tape used on the vacuum tree's threads to seal it to the thermostat housing?
Too much junk, too little time.

Offline J_Speegle

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 24627
Re: Painting '69 351W Thermostat Housing
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2014, 08:07:08 PM »
Thanks Jeff, that's exactly what I needed. :)

Was there any kind of sealer or thread tape used on the vacuum tree's threads to seal it to the thermostat housing?

Might have been something originally but not something that I visibly seen. Be aware that if sealant is found on a car at a show (especially the nice white teflon) expect a note or deduction ;)

If you use it - hide it or live with the results
Jeff Speegle

Anything worth doing is worth doing concours ;)

Offline Bob Gaines

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 9362
Re: Painting '69 351W Thermostat Housing
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2014, 03:35:44 AM »
Many use the Indian brand sealer like original.
Bob Gaines,Shelby enthusiast, Shelby collector , Shelby concours judge SAAC,MCA,Mid America Shelby