Were the water pump bolts on these cars painted or were they black(natural) I find it hard to believe that Ford would paint any of the engine bolts during assembly. What about the thermostat housing was this painted or was it natural cast iron. What about the exposed head bolts?

 

Asc
Yea the engine was painted, why would you care?

 

sounds like a concours restoration to me

 

I just replaced the original water pump onthe original 289 in my 68, and under all the grime, there were some remaining flecks of blue paint on soem of the bolts. While this is hardly definitive, if I was a betting man,I would say the bolt heads were originally Ford Blue. Maybe the restoration guru, Soaring, will chime in with a defintive answer for you.

Good Luck.[sm=smiley20.gif]

 

Thanks I appreciate your input

 

and why would you spend the time on such a response

 

touche'

 

Engines were painted after long block assembly, with front timing cover and water pump on. So, WP bolts are painted. If you are doing a concours resto, check out the Vintage Mustang Forums. They have a concours forum that afew MCA judges participate in.