Does anyone know in 58 what the FE engine colour and rocker cover colour was....mostly the most Hi-Po one available at that year(1958) Any paint codes or visual pics would be app.
The old man had a new '58 supposedly a Hi-Po, something. I'm thinkin' it was gold. But don't hold me to it, I was only about 5 at the time.
Edsel 361 F.E. in 1958 was a 303 H.P. rated engine. Block,pan,water pump etc was yellow and the air cleaner and rocker covers were vanilla cream colored. Oldmics
E-475: 410 ci, 345 hp. Something like this did some "digging" found this: Engine Colors Green (similar to 1978 Porsche "Fern Green" - DuPont code 273, Porsche code 45639AH): Block, heads, water pump, intake manifold, oil filler tube, oil pan Off-White (Mix four parts Derusto Gloss White #874/D-23 and one part Derusto Gloss Almond #884/D-34): Air filter cover, valve covers Reddish-Orange: E-475 Stenciled on embossed letters Gloss Black: Brackets, generator, fan, pulley, starter motor, flywheel cover, inner fender aprons, radiator Semi-gloss Black: Frame, front suspension, core support, etc. Natural: Transmission bell housing, distributor, exhaust manifolds, fender attaching bolts
I'm sitting here looking at a brochure for the 1958 Meteor (Canadian Ford sold by Mercury dealers). It shows the "Bold new Tempest V-8's with Precision Fuel Induction" which is obviously an FE engine. Spec page lists 2 FE's. Both 332 cu in, 245HP and 265HP. Both 9.5:1 compression. I suspect the difference is 2bbl vs 4bbl carb Color scheme: Light green with gray distributor body, exhaust manifold and flywheel. Fuel pump and oil filter adapter natural (grayish aluminum casting). Black air filter, valve covers, oil filter, coil, distributor cap, fan, all pullies, and oil filler cap. There is a little hose about 2" long between the water pump and intake manifold, also black. This is an artist's rendering and may not reflect what the factory was actually putting in the cars. But it would be safe to say they were making 332s painted green with black accessories. Incidentally paint manufacturers' color catalogs used to include engine colors as well as wheel colors and trunk colors. Ask your local auto paint dealer if they can get the formula for "1958 Ford engine green". They can get the formula for body colors, maybe they can get them for engine colors.
As far as I know, they never painted any FE's gold, just the valve covers and air cleaner. Since those are the first thing you see, i think this is where the "gold FE" stories come from. I have a couple sets of C1AE heads, they were both the grayish green color when I got them. I think semi-gloss black started in the early sixties, but I'm not certain of the year.
That could very well be George. The '58 was the first of several FE's the old man had including a '60, '62, '65 & so on. I DO remember one or more having gold valve covers & air cleaner. That's probably what I'm remembering. Hell, I didn't know what a block or intake was at 5-6yrs old.
I once had a 58 Fe engine. Most of the paint was worn off but it appeared to be a turquoise color with creme looking valve covers/air filter. The black with gold valve covers were 390s.
361's were base Edsel engines, but were used in Ford Police Interceptors. 352's were the 'high performance' Thunderbird and Ford engine.
The easiest way is to look at the intake manifold. MEL's had a valley pan under the intake, and the valve covers do not bolt to the intake. On an FE, 3 of the Valve cover bolts bolt into the intake and there is no valley pan. The other easy way is to look at the exhaust port configuration. FE's have an uneven spacing similar to a Buick Nailhead, (EIEIIEIE) where as the MEL port configuration is symmetrical (IEIEIEIE). MEL: 1958 to 1968, 383, 410, 430, and 462 Cubic Inch displacements. Bore Spacing is 4.9 inches or the same as the later 385 Lima Series (429, 460) FE: 1958 to 1976. 332, 352, 360, 361, 390, 406, 410, 427, and 428 Cubic Inch Displacements. Bore Spacing is 4.63 inches.
This is the winner,, My former in-laws bought a 58 Ford 332 and it was yellow block and creme air cleaner, valve covers. I was 23 yrs old and my mind was only partially corrupted with hotrods.
Easiest way is to check fuel pump location.Mel engine pump is top front of engine while fe´s pump is in down bottom drivers side. Not all 390´s are black block with gold covers. My 63 Mercury with 390 2v has turqoise covers and air cleaner with black block and it is 100% original car.
In 58 Ford went to gloss black on all engines Valve cover however were different by engine. Pretty sure 352s had black valve covers and white air cleaners. Found on internet FE 332 Blue engine black valve covers white air cleaner. FE 352 interceptor green engine black valve covers white air cleaner. FE 352 interceptor special green engine black valve covers black air cleaner with interceptor special decal.
I'd have to take issue with that statement. Both sets of C1AE's I have were autowrecker fresh, and both were the fifties grey-green colour, so at LEAST as late as '61 (The C1 in that casting # means they first started making that casting in 1961) some FE's were still in the green. I still have one set that haven't been tanked and still have the original green on them I can post a photo of them showing the casting # and green paint if you want.
This is a 332 out of a '58 Rectracable. I think the 332 was called Thunderbird Special. The big motor for the Ford was the 352 Thunderbird Interceptor Special. That was a 300 hp soilid-lifter motor.
And not a single mention of Ford blue fe's ... that's all I had in a 360, 390 and 428. ... later years though.
They didnt turn blue till '66 or '67. I've found a couple blue 390 blocks with REAL thick cylinder walls though...
Dad put a blue FE in a '58 Rectractable. He thought it was a 390. He bought it for $50 from a tralier park after they evicted the tenants who were gonna put it in an old truck. He painted it '58 colors and swapped the manifolds, so it would look original. Then he sold the rectractable as a running, unrestored project car. Years later, we discovered that discarded blue manifold was off a 428 Cobra Jet motor. Did he unknowingly give away a Cobra Jet motor? Do the present owners of that '58 Ford know why it runs so darn good?
I'm not too sure that old manifold would have covered the ports on the CJ heads with an original gasket
The Jalopy Journal
