Hi there, I just had my 308 reconditioned and want to keep to original colour. I thought it should be painted holden red but someone told me they were Chevy orange? I always thought it was just the chev motors that were painted Chevy orange, can someone please confirm for me. Thanks Phil

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Originally posted by Phil Hoyle
Hi there, I just had my 308 reconditioned and want to keep to original colour. I thought it should be painted holden red but someone told me they were Chevy orange? I always thought it was just the chev motors that were painted Chevy orange, can someone please confirm for me. Thanks Phil

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The Monaro bible states the colour for an HQ Aussie V8 engine is HK Rocket Red. The 202 engines were the same colour. I think the trade name for the colour is Holden Red. The 350 engine is a different colour called Engine Red.

GM-H named their engine 'reds' in a very confusing manner.

AFAIK the EH-HR red was called just that, "Engine Red'. The HD/HR X2 & S motors were painted 'Rocket Red'. From HK-HZ all Holden 6 & V8s were painted 'HK Rocket Red'. The old darker EH/HR red has been retrospectively named Holden Special Red.

I'm not 100% sure about the Chev V8s fitted to Holdens (HK/T/G/Q - 307/327/350) but I believe GM-H repainted them here before fitting the accessories (carby, dissy, alternator etc.), but what colour was it ?? Was it HK Rocket Red ?? Why would it be any other colour ??

Dr Terry

Have a pic of a 1968 GMH interior trim colour and engine colour card. Lists holden engine red 6280 for hd & hr, holden x2 engine red 8929 for all x2 engines, hk rocket red 10890 for all hk models.Some of the numbers are hard to read so not sure if they are right

The colour card also lists Holden engine grey ( 10367 ) is used on all models prior to HD. Are they reffering to 149 and the side plate motors

Did not the HJ on get a clear coat over the red ?
As i always seen this stuff pealing off the top of the paint but non of the other reds before that had that clear coating.
Fire engine red was what most called the EH to HR.
I think the old 283 307 327 350 chev were a bit more orange then the HK-G red.
I am sure the HK-G red is different to the HQ as the HQ were a bit more pinker as i serviced my mums HJ and my sisters HK and brothers HQ at home with all of them lined up and remember clearly, seeing them in the sun as i had them all lined up on the weekend side by side back in the 1979 and all were original std factory engines.

AFAIK Chevrolet V8s used in Australian assembled Chevs & Pontaics were just left their original Chevy Orange colour. It was only the Chevs fitted to Holdens that were repainted.

Some of the earlier Chev V8s (in the USA) had some strange colours as well. I remember a guy with a late 50s Chevy pick-up truck & its engine was green & the owner swore it had never been touched & a customer had a LHD 57 Chev with a 265 & its engine was an odd yellow/green colour.

I don't know why Holden used that clear over the engine bay in HJ-HZ days, but I do remember that they looked a bit tatty when they were only a 1 or 2 years old. HZ & UC especially had a large white label near the brake master cylinder where you could see where the clear lacquer had gone brown except where it had flaked leaving the label white in patches.

Dr Terry

Does this " Clear Coating of the engine & engine bay " mean LH Toranas were done the same ? Thanks Mark

My Feb 74 built HQ was delivered with a clear lacquer over most things in the engine bay. I always thought this was some sort of dealer preparation but this also went brown after a few years. Are we talking about the same thing?