1968 318 Engine Paint Color

[RKC]

The paint charts indicates for a 1968 318 engine (Dodge Charger), the paint color is Red. However, I have seen some original engines where the paint looks like a Reddish Orange color. Is this the color or has the Red aged over the years to make it look like Reddish Orange? Secondly, what color are the alternator, A/C brackets and the idler wheel? Any photos of the engine compartment would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[Big_John]

I just took a '68 273 engine apart that I believe had never been disassembled. I didn't take a good picture of the color, however it was red, faded to an orange red over most of the engine. Nothing like the oranges they used around that time.

Here is a timing cover, painted with Duplicolor DE1632 Industrial red. They used to call this "Chrysler red". When red does fade, it usually starts to look orange, so if you allow for some fading of the 57 year old red, I'd say it's good. That's my favorite engine enamel and I always use their primer first. It's pretty bulletproof when cured and easy to get good results.

 

[413]

Yes the red would fade and look orange-ish

All the bolt ons were gloss black. They don't look gloss to us after years of service but that's how they started out. No primer, no prep, painted over flaws.

It needs to have a shine to it, full gloss paint today is much more shiny.

 

[mrfury68]

Red with gloss black brackets and pulleys.

 

[MrMoparCHP]

This is my 67 Barracuda with a 273, the 318 would be the same shade of red.

Alan

 

[Toolmanmike]

Chrysler Industrial Red has a little orange in it. The distributor paint is original. The Pan is Industrial red and the oil filter adapter is one of the International Harvester red's that didn't match. The next photo is the finished product. No hood and the sun shining on it really brightens it up. The last photo is 10 years after. Still looking good.

 

['69FuryIIIConvertible]

I spent a lot of time doing spray cards, this was closest we could come up with, its R4 red with a few drops of black toner. We matched a 40k mile 68 Barracuda

 

[MoPar~Man]

This was sprayed out of a rattle can with built-in activator, U-Tech 350 MM single stage 2 component polyurethane. Engine was cleaned with a couple different solvents but otherwise not primed. After a year the paint is adhering well, and seems to be gasoline-proof. Color changes a little depending on light angle.

Color code 408A5 (cmap code?) alternates OR028, OR951-028

Looking up those codes today I see this is aka Viper red. I chose this from a fan-spread of color cards just going by what in my mind was the correct shade of chrysler engine red, a sort of fire-engine red. It was a spur of the moment purchase, I was at the paint shop getting a few cans of 1967 G-code dark green metalic.

If I could choose again, I guess I would tend toward orange, but I'm wondering how close to "hemi orange" ??? When does Chrysler engine red turn into hemi orange? Was the Windsor plant red the same as the US plants?

I had the oil pan powercoated in what I though was the most correct shade, from a more limited range of colors. I seemed to have matched the paint well enough with the pan.