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I thought I would post a picture or a couple pictures of an Oldsmobile valve cover for my 66 the left side is Bill Hirsch oldsmobile bronze and the right side paint is Rustoleum aged copper high heat. I personally like the rustoleum, its a little brighter, bit more metallic. I just thought I’d give you guys a nice comparison.
agreed, and neither look close to Fusick. Apparently there's some Mazda Sunset Something or other that's close, too
Some say Bill Hirsch bronze, which this is, is the closest to original, others say Fusick, others a different one.. This is aged copper to hirsch bronze..all are highly acceptable, I doubt anyone pulls out a color meter to verify.. different plants probably used different shades. Who knows, over 50 years ago..I personally like the aged copper.
Moderator can you please change the title to bronze, i put gold, its causing major arterial explosion...lol
I went with Fusicks bronze on mine & I'm quite happy with it. Andy, that rustoleum paint looks good too! As others have said there seems to be so many shades of the bronze out there. When I bought my '68 the engine was a very "orange" shade of bronze that someone had painted it when it was rebuilt. I had to put a waterpump on it when I got the car so I painted the front area it with Fusicks just to get me through the summer before I blew it apart for a detailing. You can really see the color difference between the Fusick paint & whatever was on mine.
I used to run Automotive OEM color for PPG, and lighting makes all the difference for the observed color.
Color quality control has come a long, long way in the last 55 years. There's no doubt that body paints in the 60's varied a heckuva a lot more than today, and engine paints even more so. So choose the color you like...in daylight on a cloudy day.
I used to run Automotive OEM color for PPG, and lighting makes all the difference for the observed color.
Color quality control has come a long, long way in the last 55 years. There's no doubt that body paints in the 60's varied a heckuva a lot more than today, and engine paints even more so. So choose the color you like...in daylight on a cloudy day.
Agreed, I was just messing around in my garage and had a set of valve covers I painted last summer with Hirsch, ran across the aged copper and wanted to see a side by side comparison..as you said , all will work fine, if someone wants to argue a shade, I have more important things on my car to achieve. Did it for fun. Fusicks I like as well, Hirsch is just not to my liking..personal choice..I ordered the aged copper to re-spray my whole engine in my 66..probably got two more cans than needed if anyone needs them.
This is a set of 68 valve covers that were removed from the car with less than 50 mikes on it. They were put in a box and never saw the light of day until I bought them from my buddy. These covers now reside in the Koda Collection.
This is a set of 68 valve covers that were removed from the car with less than 50 mikes on it. They were put in a box and never saw the light of day until I bought them from my buddy. These covers now reside in the Koda Collection.
looking at these items it appears Fusick has the closest color match, if lighting etc is the same as the pic of theengine in this thread that is fusick painted..but then again different plants may have used a different hue.
I went with Fusicks bronze on mine & I'm quite happy with it. Andy, that rustoleum paint looks good too! As others have said there seems to be so many shades of the bronze out there. When I bought my '68 the engine was a very "orange" shade of bronze that someone had painted it when it was rebuilt. I had to put a waterpump on it when I got the car so I painted the front area it with Fusicks just to get me through the summer before I blew it apart for a detailing. You can really see the color difference between the Fusick paint & whatever was on mine.
The issue with factory paints were there were so many variables. They shot out of 55 gallon drums and how well was it stirred if @ all,were they shooting out of the top middle or bottom. How much air pressure,how far or close was the asswipe doing the shooting.The paint was a high metallic and all of the above scenarios played into how the paint looked. The engine was bare when painted and now guys prime with different color and types of primer and that plays into it. This is a picture of my engine that was matched to the above valve covers.
The issue with factory paints were there were so many variables. They shot out of 55 gallon drums and how well was it stirred if @ all,were they shooting out of the top middle or bottom. How much air pressure,how far or close was the asswipe doing the shooting.The paint was a high metallic and all of the above scenarios played into how the paint looked. The engine was bare when painted and now guys prime with different color and types of primer and that plays into it. This is a picture of my engine that was matched to the above valve covers.
Just by way of comparison, below is a pic of Supercars Unlimited's Bronze adjacent to the 50 year old OEM oil fill tube, followed by the Parts Place's Bronze. The pics were all taken in my garage with bright sunshine outside and no flash, though there was a dome-style shop light in the base pic of the Supercars and Parts Place. I'm using the Supercars version when I get around to that part of the project. I've already used it on the IM and will put it on the valve covers when I pull them later this summer. I bought the Parts Place color and did the water neck and water pump in that shade before I decided it was too red-orange for my tastes.
Last edited by BackInTheGame; April 11th, 2021 at 08:39 AM.
Reason: crop the pic
The only paint that will consistently stand up to solvents is catalyzed, auto exterior paint. I have also used POR-15 engine paint and seemed to be tougher than rattle cans.
looking at these items it appears Fusick has the closest color match, if lighting etc is the same as the pic of theengine in this thread that is fusick painted..but then again different plants may have used a different hue.
There was no different plant. Engines were made in one plant, and shipped to assembly. Thus they were all built and painted on the same line in the same place.
There was no different plant. Engines were made in one plant, and shipped to assembly. Thus they were all built and painted on the same line in the same place.
Interesting because there are many different factory shades, as mike said, was the paint stirred, was temp different , what pressure at the gun , lots of variables..
What about the Thornton’s paint? They have a license with GM for a bunch of their stuff so I assume it should be spot on. I bought a couple of their belts and they were very nice.
Wow! TK's, and Flemming'sFusick, and 66-3X2 442's (matched to un-faded valve covers) sure look more rich than does Rob's! Is that just the lighting? 66-3X2 442, do you still have the code/recipe for your mix? Would you mind posting it?
This is a great thread; getting to see the various shades all in the same place!
What about the Thornton’s paint? They have a license with GM for a bunch of their stuff so I assume it should be spot on. I bought a couple of their belts and they were very nice.
Wow! TK's, and Flemming'sFusick, and 66-3X2 442's (matched to un-faded valve covers) sure look more rich than does Rob's! Is that just the lighting? 66-3X2 442, do you still have the code/recipe for your mix? Would you mind posting it?
This is a great thread; getting to see the various shades all in the same place!
I wish I did. My next door neighbor was a paint rep and he and the guy @ the paint store worked on it for over a month to get a match. Unfortunately they didn't keep up with the formula. That paint is actually a base coat with flattened polyurethane clear over the base coat. It has held up really well. I don't own the car any more but I know where it is.
This is a set of 68 valve covers that were removed from the car with less than 50 mikes on it. They were put in a box and never saw the light of day until I bought them from my buddy. These covers now reside in the Koda Collection.
Still in a box in my basement. I'll be painting two blocks, so I'll have it color matched and mixed with modern paints for engine heat and I'll get the recipe. Maybe I'll be able to find a paint shop that would do mail order and others could order it then. Rocket 400 Bronze or something.
Still in a box in my basement. I'll be painting two blocks, so I'll have it color matched and mixed with modern paints for engine heat and I'll get the recipe. Maybe I'll be able to find a paint shop that would do mail order and others could order it then. Rocket 400 Bronze or something.
If you can do that,I would have them match it with a base coat formula and then cover the base coat with a polyurethane clear coat with flattener. It makes for durability and easy to clean. It will not burn easily either. I primed my engine with epoxy primer,then used high heat header paint on the high burn areas like the intake crossovers and the head above the exhaust ports. It really helped keeping the burning down.
What about the Thornton’s paint? They have a license with GM for a bunch of their stuff so I assume it should be spot on. I bought a couple of their belts and they were very nice. https://www.thorntonmusclecars.com/p...-engine-enamel
Dang! Looking at Thornton's "bronze" at the link provided, I don't see how they can call that bronze. On my monitor I don't see any hint of bronze. Maybe it looks better/closer to OEM in daylight when you are standing next to it...
April 9th, 2021, 12:11 PM
