Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Just wondering proper engine color for this car. I have looked at several pictures some are gray some are green.What should the engine serial numbers be. thanks for any help.

It should be gray. The engine numbers are posted here on this site but not easy to locate without a keyword search!

Gray, without question.

To answer the engine serial numbers question: According to the Kimes-edited Packard history book, page 795 the motor serial numbers for the 1952 250 models (chassis 2531) are K400001 to K424420.

thanks for all the replies

All 51-54 engines are going to be gray or grey if you prefer. Except for 1954 359, which is bronze. Period, end stop. If someone claims otherwise, then they are incorrect.

What color is correct for the manifold?

You don't specify which manifold you're asking about, perhaps you meant both manifolds?

Original factory finish was just plain naked cast iron as from the foundry on both manifolds. There are some excellent cast iron paints, for example from Eastwood, that you could use to maintain that nice attractive "as cast" appearance. I'm not aware of a judging regime that deducts for an intake manifold painted in black enamel. Although it is less correct, I've also seen cars with both manifolds painted black not receive deductions for manifold finish, so in the end, unless you're a stickler for absolute correctness, it's perhaps more a matter of personal choice. To my eye, black intake and cast iron exhaust gives a most pleasing appearance.

I recently saw some exhaust manifolds - not Packard - that had been 'painted' with graphite. The color was a dark gray and an attractive cast iron appearance. Anyone heard of this?