Valve Spring Question

[live4theking]

First off I've not torn into a bunch of motors, so this might be a silly question. Last night as I was cleaning things up to reinstall the valve covers on my 68 440 in my NYer. I noticed that the valve springs are painted turquoise like the motor would've been from the factory.

Is this something that they did from the factory to make it easier for the assemblers to identify which springs went into a standard motor verses a high performance motor?

Just the curious cat coming out of me.

Thanks

 

[live4theking]

I guess Ill try to take a picture tomorrow before I put the valve covers back on.

 

[saylor]

i got nothin.

 

[hotrodharley66]

Yes the blue is from the factory. Mine were coated the same and now reside in the trash. I'm going to say they were a coating to serve a purpose. Not sure what their intended purpose was. To combat heat...? Logically a simple stripe would be used as an identifier like other manufacturers. Auto manufacturers pinch pennies like no other. No way they'd waste that much paint to id springs.

 

[live4theking]

Well i took the camera to the garage and meant to take a picture of the springs. Dang if I didn't get distracted putting the battery in the motorcycle, taking it for a short ride, loosing the the side cover that hides the battery, going for an unscheduled walk looking for it - fortunately finding it. So, when I got back I commenced to put the valve covers on and forgot to take a picture.

 

[moper]

they can get overspray on them any time the engine is open for service. Remember that valve grinding and chamber cleaning was regular maintenance back in the day, and a savvy shop might want to clean things up under the hood by hitting them with paint while they were off. I've always hated engine paint inside the engine - but you see it fairly regularly.

 

[hotrodharley66]

they can get overspray on them any time the engine is open for service. Remember that valve grinding and chamber cleaning was regular maintenance back in the day, and a savvy shop might want to clean things up under the hood by hitting them with paint while they were off. I've always hated engine paint inside the engine - but you see it fairly regularly.

It is not over spray. The springs themselves are literally dunked in a bucket of paint. The entire spring is blue.

 

[live4theking]

Yes, it's the entire spring.

 

[Big_John]

I've seen valve springs like that. It identifies the springs and yes, they are just dunked in the paint.

 

[70_NPORT]

Christ...Ive never seen that before.

 

[moper]

Weird...lol. Never seen that... or I never clicked that it was a painted part...

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Different colors for different spring rates, the blue seems standard spring, red ones with a dampener are magnum/super commando/roadrunner springs.

 

[live4theking]

Different colors for different spring rates, the blue seems standard spring, red ones with a dampener are magnum/super commando/roadrunner springs.

Thanks Dave! I was thinking something along that line. I've learned something.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Good that you engine it that clean inside.