Anyone have any idea on original colors for the D18 and T90?

I swear that I saw a photo somewhere online just the other day (maybe Vernco?) of a red D18. I'd like to paint it as she came originally from the factory. And for that matter, the T90 too. Were they just gloss black or were there any variations?

 

mine d18/T14 had no trace of paint on them anywhere

 

Ditto my T15 . . . Just Iron grey.

 

Hmmm... so this may sound naive, but it won't rust? I have no idea what kind of steel they're made from.
Here's the picture that I think I found earlier from the CJ3B page.



And then this one is painted gloss black.
http://www.film.queensu.ca/cj3B/Tech/DrivetrainTips.html

 

many people and shops paint transmissions and t-cases when they overhaul them. (a way of personalizing their work) also when a company takes display pics of a trans, gear case, etc. they generally paint them to make the display look better. kind of like when they are displayed in a company's showroom.

 

Thanks, makes sense. I've fallen in love with that color red so I may just yet paint her red.

 

I have a black T-15, black T-90, no paint T-90, Green T-90 and 2 Black D-18. Paint it what you like. Red seem's to be color of International. Both of my scouts were Red tranny's. :twisted:

 

My T90 and D18 was orange and that it what I repainted it as.

 

No worries about rust. They leak so bad, they are always covered in it's natural rust preventative...........

 

I'm partial to Chevrolet Orange. . .

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From '45-'49 they were electric lime green. After mid-'49 they went with a very hot pink.

 

green is my 46 2a

 

You've all given me some food for thought, but Dummy's is certainly the most intriguing. R)

 

Willyscjmj, I'm liking that orange and the blue that you painted the f head. Where did you source those paints? Are they hi-temp paints, I would guess?

 

It an L-head BTW.

The pontiac blue I think came from Eastwood (left over from by dads GTO engine rebuild) and the chevy orange came from Tractor Supply. Both are hi-temp

 

I think my T90 was rebuilt though. It shifts really nice and makes a nice clicking sound when put in gear.

 

I have seen many with the dull red paint, was probably just the way they were shipped. Maybe different colors came from differant assembly lines. This is probably a question for Oldtime- Ken seems to be the best source for originality on universals.

 

Hmmm....

The coating treatment really depends upon the specific vintage.
An early Brown and Lipe obviously did not have the same coating as the 1966 to 1971 Spicer 18 large hole transfer case.

As for color; there is only one known to be authentic. You guess it ; BLACK.
Sometimes cases appear to be red: yet that is misleading.
The red color is merely red oxide primer which generally was used under a very thin topcoat.
I have never chemically analyzed this soft black topcoat but I estimate it to be a thin and cheap Alkyd enamel.
The top coat was typically so soft that it dissolved and washed off due to gear oil absorption.
Seemingly they were not always primed with red oxide.
Drivtrain components sometimes appear to be coated with a thin grade of undercoat which is basically tar oil.

The transmission,the transfer case and even the engine are all CAST STEEL.

 

My experience is the same as Ken's as for paint- black, primer or rust. As to the blocks and cases, I would argue they are just grey cast iron. They break like cast iron, weld like cast iron, and machine like cast iron. They are not even nodular iron, which does weld reasonably well and has a bit of flex before it actually cracks. A simple test would be to give them a good smack with a sledge hammer. If they just bend-cast steel; if you end up with multiple parts where you formerly had one-cast iron (test not recomended for anything you want to use again).