Good Day, just wondering if any one had the correct color scheme for a 1955 buick super, engine bay/area. I understand the engine itself is that Blue/Green color, but my K- Member was also painted that color along with upper control arms. Everything else is/was black.(except the firewall) Is that correct or can i just paint everything black minus the engine. Thanks in advance for your time.:beer
Hello, I'm just up the road from you at MAFB, Wichita. I don't know the older Buicks well, but I'd venture to guess that the K-member & upper control arms were meant to be black. From the pictures I've seen, everything was black except the engine. DD
On assembly, the engines were painted separately before installation. I'd say everything in the engine bay should be black (what's supposed to be painted anyway).
Just going by my 56, which is mostly original, the firewall would be painted the color of the car's body. The fenders ( with attachments) and radiator support would be a semi-gloss black. The frame appears to be unpainted but in a restoration I would paint it semi gloss black as well. Hood underside would be semi gloss black with insulation pad, except the lip area where the hood latch is, and that would be body color. Also there are two rods that hold the hood insulation up, with large round pads which appear to be some sort of masonite material, mine do not appear to have been painted. Generator and powersteerring pump are semi-gloss black and the rest of the engine is that blue green you mentioned. I've seen a lot of these restorations where people put cadium plated bolts in place of the rusted ones holding the fenders on under the hood. Otherwise these bolts appear to be unplated and are probably already a nice orange rust texture. By the way, there are two half barrel plates on the firewall, and the passengers side has the heater fan mounted to it. These have a corrogated texture on them. According to my 56 Manual that material is an insulation put on by the factory. I have seen cars where this material is removed and these barrels are painted semigloss black. Personally I would just leave them alone with the insulation.
If you really want it to be true and correct (crazy markings etc), I can put you in contact with a few of the concours judges of the BCA. But if you're just looking for it to be the right color schemes, I'm going to say it should all be black. I would probably disagree that a body colored firewall is original. o No:
It has been my understanding that the fire wall will be the body color, as it was all painted as one, then assembled. That is how it has been for any number of the 50's-early 60's cars I have owned.
It has been my understanding that the fire wall will be the body color, as it was all painted as one, then assembled. That is how it has been for any number of the 50's-early 60's cars I have owned. If you have the Bugle, reference the May issue showing a 58 engine bay. Firewall is same color as the cars body
Well, maybe the 55 is black? I was going by my 56 which has never been restored, and the yellow goes right down to the bottom of the kickpanels on the floor. I am sorry if I posted incorrect information.
The firewalls on all 50's Buick's of all series were absolutely, positively body color. The body was painted first. There is a great picture in "The American Auto Factory" by Byron Olsen and Joseph Cabadas that shows two 55 Buicks going down the assembly line. It clearly shows body color firewalls and black humps on a big and little series car. Only black cars had a black firewall. The heater bumps were a black crinkle finish and the inner fenders were a really crappy, thin coat of semi gloss black. If the frame had any paint at all on it in the engine bay it was very thin and even my 55 with 29,000 miles it is all worn off (if it was ever there at all).
As stated earlier the firewall was body color: central body color in the case of two tone or three tone cars. Frames were black, but some suspension parts were black and other natural steel (soon to be rust). Engine was green as were all the parts needed to test run the engine: starter, power steering brackets, motor mounts, fuel pump, all fuel and vacuum lines and the lower part of the distributor. There will sometimes be some paint on the base of the carburetor. http://www.buickrestorer.com/66cresto.html
