What was the factory color on my 69 340?

Depends on when it was built



https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/2246966/1.html

Almost always Turquoise, but as Jason knows, some early production exceptions got through painted blue.

Late production

June and July build dates

Thx JRepucci,that helped I thought turquoise but now I quess it's blue my car was built 709 July 9th,not sure when production stopped @ Hamtramck but it's not long after that.Anybody got a brand/code I should use.thx

Real late builds were orange...

Yea Jason, that's what I meant to write. Rhino... stirrer LOL!

I need a Tylenol

oem6pak, it's all good...All 3 of us are friends and 340 owners/fans/historians. Over the years we have discussed this subject many times, usually when one of us finds something odd or out of the "norm" to report. The VAST majority of 69 340's were painted turquoise (something I'm sure we all agree on). However a few documented exceptions, and some undocumented exceptions, have been found. Most attribute these exceptions to model year change overs where the engine paint changed colors, etc. If you don't know what your engines original color is go with Turquoise, it's a pretty safe bet that it was that color originally.

.02

709 SPD.... paint it blue

Blue it is,but I'm gonna save this conversation for when someone says hey moron ur engine ain't the right color.

Which you will get everywhere you take it, especially Ferd guys...

Why don't you know what color the engine was originally?

The engines have their own serial numbers on the front of the block that includes a final assembly date.

(The engines were built before going into the cars)

There is no way to know if any car of this era was actually 'built' on or near its SPD, so the final assembly date for any of these engines would be more factual.

Yes, what Barry said. But for what its worth, oem6Pak, what is your cars SPD?

709,when did production end for 69?

End of July 1969. Is your engine the original numbers matching engine?

Yes

So you should be able to find at least some traces of the original paint right?

I don't think so it's currently at the machine shop being rebuilt

Go take a close look. In my experience even after the best hot tank there are still remnants of engine paint on the block and heads.

Better to be sure if you can as opposed to debating it forever anytime someone asks why it's painted (whichever) color.

Ok,I'll go take a close look

@oem6pak, I'm pretty sure its blue, as the original oil pan on your car was darker than the turquoise I panted it with.

To add to Scott's archives, 69 340 4spd short block in blue. I got this local a few years ago. Tore it down and soaked the block in a cleaner and evaporust. Engine had a cheapo rebuild and was rattle canned orange. Color was obviously blue.

I don't remember the color of the engine in my 69 340 Dart but the 4 speed bell housing I just sold was turquoise. Engine probably was the same.

The Mopar Engine book says the 70 and 71 340s were hemi orange but Not the 69s because most of them were red.

Thats just what it says....

Casting Date:9/10/68, Assembly Date: 1/17/69, Color: Blue History: I'm the original owner.

Dart or Barracuda? Seems to me that only Darts had "blue" engines as opposed to Barracuda's which were turquoise only.

Dart Swinger

Here is another correctly painted 69 340...

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0518-327155/1969-dodge-dart-swinger/

Ugh...thats a 10k deduction penalty! LOL.

That car sure photographs as looking orange not R4 red.

In the past, I have posted here pictures of the original paint on my 1969 340 Dart engine.
To me the engine looks turquoises, but others here have said that they see it as blue engine.

Back in '73 or '74, we parted out a wadded up '69 Swinger that was built who knows when, and it had an orange engine. I had the engine parts hot tanked and that was the only paint on it, and there were still traces of it in the corners, crevices, etc.

An OEM willing gold Mopar Nationals 69 Swinger 340 is well know, and the original owner says it was orange. I have only seen a TSB that shows 69 Plymouth 340's were painted turquoise, never seen any other TSB that shows and other color, though people say their early 69 340's were painted red and later one's orange. I would love to see documentation on BLUE engines and any other TSB's that show when 68 340 red engines were changed to turquoise (or whatever) and another TSB that shows that late 340's were painted orange! They have to be out there!?! I have personally seen a few 69 340 Swingers from original owners that had turquoise 340's, but have not personally seen any original owner 69 340 Darts that were painted any other color. Of course I know there were 20,000 Swingers and GTS's built, but no documentation.

......Not quite. The current family is the second owner, the father purchased the car used when it was approximately 6 months old per the current owner (the son I believe?) when we judged it in Vegas roughly 10 years ago. So, there is no evidence, other than hearsay, that the engine was originally orange. Hence we gave it a deduction for the engine color.

One reason I did not want anything to do with the judging, I respect the restorer too much and he had to listen to his client. I see the TSB for the change from red to turquoise is dated September 9, 1968 so I am sure that some of the first months production had red engines. The Mecum Dart above has a red engine, would like to see the date code on that fender tag.

I respect the restorer as well, and you are correct, he did what his client directed him to do (which he did not agree with based on our conversation). That still doesn't make it correct/original. Also, I agree, judging is a thankless job, not much appeal to it for me anymore either.

Rarefish's picture to me is turquoise. I think a lot of guys are color blind to the degree of seeing turquoise as blue or red as orange. Different cameras put their own twist on color too. I have seen pictures in the past of engines from guys claiming to have blue engines from the factory and they are turquoise in my eyes. I was printer for 23 years and was tested for color accuracy and always scored in the 98%+ percentile. All three 69 Swingers and the one GTS I have owned all have/had turquoise engines.

February '69 SPD, Dart GTS, 340 has never been out of the car

Well, is it Yanny or Laurel...

So a 72 cuda 340 would have a late 71 block? And that would be blue or orange?

Starting in late 71, 340's were corporate blue until the end of production in 73.

Correct, sometime around March 1971 they changed engine plants from Windsor Ontario Canada to Mound Road Michigan. When the plant change occurred so did the color. Windsor engines were orange, Mound Road engines were blue. Easy way to tell is the assembly info stamped onto the face of the block under the drivers side cylinder head, GW340 = Windsor (Orange) and GM340 = Mound Road (blue).

Some orange engines made it into early April SPD cars also

Yes some did, in May as well and possibly even later. The common denominator with them is that all of them were assembled in the fall of 1970 at the Windsor Ontario plant (orange engines). There are several theories as to what happened but likely an inventory screw up of some kind or another.

My June 1st SPD cuda has a blue engine

and

The passenger side valve cover doesn't have the large wire loom near the choke heat

Jason, that is another detail item that changed in 1971 when when they switched plants, they used 3 small tabs rather than the two small tabs and a large center tab in years past. There are several other things that varied as well, some examples: "Made in Canada" coils were now Made in USA, intake manifold casting number was the same but the shape changed, etc.

Not to high jack this post but I have a color question on my 71 340 Demon, build date 9 - 26 - 70
What should be the color of the 340 engine?
thanks

The answer is higher up in this post but quick answer: Orange

Just making sure thanks

Thanks Scott.

The valve cover difference I have know for years... I'll look at the coil. I have an extra set of cover if you need some.

Here are the intakes.

*Thanks on the V.covers but I don't need them.

So what exact paint did you use to paint yours "blue"? It is not the corporate blue that was used in 1970 and later, and not the turquoise, so what it is and where did you find it?