Just cleaned up the fan, getting ready to paint (70 b-body, 22” rad), is the finish gloss black or semi-gloss? Thanks.

More of a satin or semi gloss finish from memory.

Thanks 70gtx.

The original paint was gloss. A fan gets beat by all the bugs and dirt coming through the radiator and goes dull pretty early in life.

If you find a clean car that’s not all rusted up and remove the fan to look at the mounting area the gloss paint can be seen.

Just like wheels, everyone says Satin. Well get a clean one and remove the tire, and look at the finish, it’s gloss under there where it’s protected.

I've never really paid attention over the years. I do remember seeing gloss ones, probably at a show on a concourse car, but mostly everything else would have been a parking lot car show or daily driver. Very cool, thanks nanket!

Managed to dig up a 2863216 NOS fan for 26" rad back in the day. Were those painted the same as production line parts, who knows? I found Rustoleum gloss black was very close to the NOS fan finish, so been using that ever since.

I'd target a Semi-Gloss. Can't imagine the factory really "targeted" a glossy finish on such an item.

Bear in mind that the finish on most parts like the fan was only intended to present decently when new, or get it through the warranty period.
Another consideration was doing so as cheaply as possible, hence a lot of stuff was just dipped in a floating layer of paint.
And the paint itself wasn't top-shelf, but just good enough to cover the item.
So a gloss finish wasn't gloss in the sense of exterior body color, but more like 10-30% "flattened".
And that was brand-new; that paint didn't age all that well.
You have to look at an un-exposed area to see what that part originally looked like.

OK for all the non believers here is a factory filmstrip with photo evidence of gloss black. Stop the film and enlarge it or screen shot it and blow it up. 2:18 to 2:37.

Then look at 7:43 to 7:56 exhaust manifold The Whole thing is cool to see.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjZ7MyzW4zs

This.

They were gloss.

Very cool Nanket, thanks!