Just finsihes looking for some engine paint for my car and was dumbfounded with the prices. For (1) can of paint, prices were $19 to $29.

It's still just paint....right?

What happened?! Granted the last time I bought some was 10 yrs ago, but still. With that kind of inflation, a loaf of bread would be $30.

 

No idea. All I can think of is:

Paint has gotten better
Laws regarding paint have become a lot stricter causing production costs to rise.

 

It's all about the money...every where a person turns,there is some sort of entity trying to bleed them dry of every penny they have.
It's the American way...isn't it?

Price wise,everything around us is going up. Wage and benefit wise...going down.

 

You did not mentioned the year or size of the engine you want paint.For 70 Olds 350 I used Bill Heirsh engine paint - 350 gold. it is not a 6 dollar store brand, it has held up very well, went on very well.In my opion it is the best quality high temp paint I have ever used. good luck

 

Unless you are going to get a high quality engine paint just buy the rattle can engine paint at your local auto parts store. I've never heard of Bill Heirsh engine paint, but I used POR 15 on my engine and it works GREAT! I believe, it was about $60 for a kit to paint my engine.

 

I bought from Year one originally and then from Supercars Unlimited and had no complaints. Actually Supercars still has one of the lowest prices out there at around $18/can. I still think that is pretty high cosidering most of the specialty aerosol paints out there are $7-$8.

What are you going to do. I checked around there is really no cheaper olds paint (350 gold by the way) price out there.

 

Some of the colors can be matched or approximated by commercial rattle cans. Some are special blends and restoration companies have to pay a healthy price to get it formulated and put into spray cans. Hence the price difference. some of the repro paints are closer to correct than others.

 

Bill Hirsch is located in Newark, NJ. He has all the colors with 500 degree rating except Red for 425's. $15 plus shipping for rattle cans, $34 for quarts. He has an ad in JWO every month. I inquired as to why he didn't carry the Red and he said he didn't know there was one. He wanted me to do all the leg work as far as what used it and to supply an original piece showing the exact color. You know where that went!!!

 

yes that's the difference, I have never found a close enough match to 70 445 Olds blue, supercars unlimited is darn near perfect and so is Bill Hirsch's, they may be from the same supplier, who knows. I'm sure there are some rattle cans that would come close - every time I go into a Home Depot or a Menard's I'm amazed at the colors out there. I still think there is not a blue close enough out there except from our usual Olds vendors. I was thinking maybe as the paint ages it wouldn't matter (faded, burnt, etc.) but I painted my engine 8 years ago and the valve covers and oli filler tube still look brand new.

 

Is there anybody out there that can let me know if anybody makes a ceramic base olds blue 455 paint? Mine keep burning off on the drivers side intake in the center? on a different note Olds 445 blue from Classic olds in NC looks to be the closest color to factory.

 

It’s funny with the same paint on an iron manifold it burned off on my engine but with an aluminum manifold it didn't. I guess the aluminum manifold dissipates the heat better.

 

If the paint is OEM it might be a patented or at least secret formulation. In which case whomever makes it is paying royalty. The paint may also be better then off the shelf store paint. Very often incremental quality is expensive.....quality to price is usually never linear.

 

i found some metallic blue very close to the 455 metallic blue,but it has a boatload more metallic in it,almost looks like metalflake.
duplicolor makes it.

 

Does anyone know where to get or what is the closest to the original red for 1966 425? Also is any matte black good for the brackets, etc.? Firewall?

Thanks in advance.

Ross

 

Ford red is very close. That is what I used on mine. Otherwide you can buy the paint from Fusick