69 GTX Engine color ... what would you do?

[Kevin Bisgrove]

I think the factory tried to paint them right but used whatever that was on hand at the time. They are NOT going to hold up production just because of engine paint. I've seen same year cars with both turquois and orange paint. My 70 Challenger was turquois but it was a 383 and built 5-8-70 and so was a 71 340 Cuda but can't remember when it was built. To me, I could care less what color the damn engine is but turquois in a sassy grass car looks dumb in my book. If you're building the car the way it came and you're sure about it, then go for it and tell everyone else to screw off. I've had several try to tell me what was correct and whenever I asked for documentation on my particular car, they usually shut up and walked off. That even happened on more modern cars. Some smart *** would come up and say "hey, I like the mirrors (for example) you put on your truck...." I ordered it that way.

I see now! I got disagree by accident! Whoops

 

[fratzog lover]

Chrysler used what they had back in the day. Running changes at the beginning and end of a production year were not uncommon. Yes, I believe your engine was originally turquoise.

 

[Cranky]

Funny how a 7 year old thread gets revived lol

 

[ricks_RR]

68

 

[GetX'd]

I say paint the engine one of the two colors you like the best. If you like Orange go for it. If you prefer turquoise do that and not worry to much about the explanations you may have to give. I painted my 68 440 Orange because I liked it better than the turquoise it came with. Didn’t get to much grief. And I enjoyed the color.

 

[Cranky]

Never was too keen on turquoise either but it didn't bother me all that much. People used to critique my 70 Challenger all the time and the only things that were not factory were the chrome valve covers and the Accel dual point dizzy....and the wheels. It had a 383 4 bbl that was turquoise with factory dual exhaust (no rear pan cutouts), hi-po manifolds, flat hood, disc brakes. Insignia was on the fender as a 383 4 barrel. Bought it from the original owner that added the valve covers, dizzy and slotted wheels......and seems to be not very many knew you could get one like that.

 

[watdan69]

I've been restoring a 69 GTX for a while now and am nearing the point where it's time to build the engine.

The car was built in St.Louis on Sept 20th 68 (the vin starts with 130xxx), the engine was assembled on Sept 4th 68 and it came with a turquois painted 440HP engnine. It is the "born with" engine and has the complete vin number stamped on the block. I know the history of the car, it is not a re-stamp.

I also am friends with the original owner and he says that the engine was turquois when he bought it brand new and NOT orange. At some point during the late 70's the engine was removed and one head gasket was replaced by the second owner (it still has one thick head gasket and one steel shim), at that time the engine was painted orange. Today you can clearly see the turquois showing under the orange is some areas.

I remember once seeing a unrestored, numbers matching 69 GTX on Ebay that was around 30 cars away from my vin number (built in St.Louis too) that also had a turquois engine. People were bashing him about it not having the correct engine because of the color. I wrote him saying that my car was built 30 cars away from his and also came with a turquois engine ... however he never posted my "ask the seller a question" to his ad ... whatever!

Sooooo ... do I just go with painting my engine orange and be done with it. Or do I paint it turquois and put up with every expert telling me that I used the wrong color? By the way, it is a fairly low mile, original sheetmetal, super nice Washington State car.

So what would you do?
Thanks Art

My 69 GTX engine had been painted orange over the turquoise, I'm painting it back to turquoise..

 

[68-500]

If your positive it was turquoise then I’d paint it turquoise. Just to squabble with anyone that tells me it’s wrong. It’s right to your car. I do prefer orange though

 

[Runcharger]

I think just about every one of these cars is unique. When the cars came from the factory not the way the factory intended them to be, that is part of what makes one unique. It's the difference between restoring one or making it like all the other Camaros out there. Err I mean Mopars, but you get the point.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Funny how a 7 year old thread gets revived lol

And revived again.

 

[Black_Sheep]

I would paint it orange because it’s widely considered the correct color and has way more visual “pop” than turquoise.

 

[topside]

Turquoise is the correct color for '68 BBs. '69 HP BBs were orange except for RR 383s with AC, which were turquoise, because they were 330-HP engines, not 335-HP.
That said, there are a few exceptions claimed out there on the '69 383 AC cars, which tend to be Chargers.
There's plenty of factory documentation on the topic, as well asthe countless original cars I've seen since new, and the 20-some original 68-69 B-bodies I've owned through the years.
Some guys repainted the turquoise engines orange in the last 50+ years, hence the confusion.

 

[Cranky]

Turquoise is the correct color for '68 BBs. '69 HP BBs were orange except for RR 383s with AC, which were turquoise, because they were 330-HP engines, not 335-HP.
That said, there are a few exceptions claimed out there on the '69 383 AC cars, which tend to be Chargers.
There's plenty of factory documentation on the topic, as well asthe countless original cars I've seen since new, and the 20-some original 68-69 B-bodies I've owned through the years.
Some guys repainted the turquoise engines orange in the last 50+ years, hence the confusion.

My 70 Challenger 383 4bbl (non RT) had the turquoise engine. It had the hi-po exhaust mans with dual exhaust (turn downs at the rear pan), power disc brakes, PS, AC, AVS carb and 3.23 gears without SG. The heads even had the damper springs....but it ran like it was a 2 bbl motor no matter what I did with the tune. I bought it from the original owner that said he did nothing to it except install an Accel distributor with Accel wires and added chrome valves covers and slotted mags and it was that way when I bought it in 1980.

 

[MCODECUDA]

Big Blocks were turquois until 70!Then they were painted street hemi orange.

Not true. HP big blocks would have been orange in ‘69 but that’s not saying that early ‘69’s couldn’t have been painted turquoise although I’ve never personally seen one turquois.