Garages are absolutely about Packards, almost all of us want a great space for our cars.

Kev, That is great news. Bill Hirsch has been selling his products longer than I can remember and I was disappointed to hear your tale of problems with his products. I am very satisfied with the quality of the engine paint he sent me. After 4 years the paint still shines and has not peeled or discoloured.

I spoke to Bill Hirsch today and he assured me that was the right color. He said it is a med-dark gray. Bill was a very nice gentleman and said that if I was not happy with it he would take care of me.

Also I shook the can of paint, but he advised that I stir the can with a stick and scrape the bottom of the can really well. He said since they are not allowed to use lead in the paint anymore, that the pigment will not stay suspended. So it sinks and sticks to the bottom of the can and a shaker will not break it loose.

I have noticed that as the paint has started to cure (which takes 7 days according to the can) that the color is mellowing a bit and the brownish tones are gone.

I wondering if as the paint ages and oxidizes if it takes on a lighter tone. He cautioned me on going by pictures off the internet as the lighting conditions and camera flash, plus the differences in computer monitors can make things look differnt. He said this is pretty common when people are looking at colors on his website, and then when they get something it looks a bit different.

So my applogizes to Bill Hirsch as perhaps I jumped the gun on this as most of the pictures (off of the internet) I have seen are lighter. But based on PAC's description of it being a "Med-Dark Gray similar to Sears Gray Deck paint", that seems to jive with what I have.

So I am going to let the current draft coat that I painted on the head finish curing till the weekend, then I will finish painting the entire engine. Then I will let it cure for another week and report back.

The paint itself does brush on nicely and appears to be very good quality and all of Hirsch's other paint products I have used so far have worked and looked great. I also bought a can of his frame paint. So I will report back on how that turns out after I get done painting the front clip.

Thank you very much, BigKev, BH, Turbopackman, Owen_Dyneto for all of that detailed info.

Another "for what its worth" comment. Last weekend I both helped paint (with Kanter's Packard gray) a 1950 engine, and my own from porch deck and steps (with Benjamin Moore alkyd Deck Gray). The engine gray might have been a hint lighter, but not much. It appears very close to the "Crane Gray" that Packard used for their factory-reconditioned engine short blocks. I've not seen an original 48-54 engine with what I'd call "dark" gray.

My memory says our 1952 250 engine was a much lighter gray than your picture shows. That's just my opinion and worth what you paid for it. Note that Mr. Dyneto went out of his way to question the situation and how it was handled. I know Mr. Dyneto and it doesn't surprise me that he would intercede over what may be just a misunderstanding. Us Packard nutz gotta stick together.

BigKev,

The PAC website defines the Packard engine gray as:

Gray is medium or dark gray or similar to "Sears gray front porch enamel".

There is very little gray paint left on my '50 356 engine head or block but what there is appears to be pretty dark. I think I'll roll under the car with putty knife and solvent to see if I can find a pristine patch of paint on the oil pan (it was painted the same color as the engine, right?). I expect to be painting the engine sometime late summer or early fall. While I have no intention of ever having the car judged, I would like the car to be as close to factory original as possible/practical/affordable. If all else fails, I could always just get a gallon of Sears gray front porch enamel...
Yes, I'm kidding.

Stokes Marine (and no doubt others) bought surplus Packard V8 engines (J.C. Whitney had them available new in crates for years) and marinized them themselves, thus they were unlike the IM-356 and IM-245 Packard marine engines which were built for marine use by Packard. A Stokes version Packard V8 marine engine is on display, at the Packard Proving Grounds I believe, along with several true Packard marine engines based on the 245 and 356 engines. In addition to being available with a variety of gear reductions via hydraulic gear boxes, the Packard IM-245 and IM-356 engines were also available in counter-rotating pairs which makes for some interesting internal changes, and also available in several different voltages. They also used updraft carburetion. Bob Neil's two books have a very considerable amount of information on the various Packard-built marine and aircraft engines.

Reworking your garage is a topic I think we can all relate to. We all want our garges fixed up in a way that allows up to work on our cars in a more enjoyable way.

My wife and kids have started calling my garage "Mantopia"

I just noticed Lowes has 8'x4' sheets of stainless pegboard for $20. I may just sheet my garage in those instead of drywall. Then again that may be way too shiney.

John, If I ever get the chance to build another garage, you can bet I'll be showing the pictures of it to all my friends here in Packard land.