Go Back   The Ford Barn > General Discussion > Early V8 (1932-53)

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-16-2026, 11:54 PM   #1
waynet
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 105
Default Mercury Green

Can any of you good fellows post a picture of what "Mercury Green" looks like on a flathead. I have a 1951 Canadian C1BA flathead and my research seems to come up with "Mercury Green" as being the color.
waynet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2026, 01:29 AM   #2
petehoovie
Senior Member
 
petehoovie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11,643
Default Re: Mercury Green



__________________


petehoovie is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
Old 05-17-2026, 02:37 AM   #3
waynet
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 105
Default Re: Mercury Green

Would that be the Lincoln Green?
waynet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2026, 02:51 PM   #4
petehoovie
Senior Member
 
petehoovie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11,643
Default Re: Mercury Green

Pictures are of restored 1950 and 1953 Mercury's...
__________________


petehoovie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2026, 07:12 PM   #5
Don Rogers
Senior Member
 
Don Rogers's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wildwood, MO. (near St. Louis)
Posts: 1,850
Default Re: Mercury Green

Here's the color on some original Mercury heads. Not minty green as sold today.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 20241027_125806.jpg (30.8 KB, 239 views)
Don Rogers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2026, 09:42 PM   #6
rotorwrench
Senior Member
 
rotorwrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 18,006
Default Re: Mercury Green

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)
The green being sold now is a lighter IHC engine color. The original is a little darker but not a lot. Over time this shade of green darkens with the inevitable crud getting on it during service. The 52 & 53 engine can be green or tangerine. They used both. The later truck engines were also green. I think Ford Motor Company was starting to get away from using color to ID the engine displacement. New motors were starting to come on line.

Last edited by rotorwrench; 05-20-2026 at 02:39 PM.
rotorwrench is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2026, 10:01 PM   #7
Joe B.
Senior Member
 
Joe B.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2022
Location: Westmont, Il.
Posts: 173
Default Re: Mercury Green

'51
Attached Images
File Type: jpg IMG_0798.jpg (73.7 KB, 240 views)
__________________
thread killer
Joe B. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2026, 10:22 PM   #8
petehoovie
Senior Member
 
petehoovie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11,643
Default Re: Mercury Green

Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Rogers View Post
Here's the color on some original Mercury heads. Not minty green as sold today.
__________________


petehoovie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-18-2026, 10:23 PM   #9
petehoovie
Senior Member
 
petehoovie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11,643
Default Re: Mercury Green

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe B. View Post
'51
__________________


petehoovie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2026, 03:08 AM   #10
waynet
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2021
Posts: 105
Default Re: Mercury Green

Great photos all. I have some remnants of green paint on the '51 timing cover and it appears to be the original paint and a lighter shade of green. Most of the engin had been painted with a metallic type blue paint.
waynet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2026, 10:44 AM   #11
tubman
Senior Member
 
tubman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys
Posts: 12,132
Default Re: Mercury Green

I'm not usually very perceptive with colors, but even I can see a huge difference between the pictures posted by "Joe B." and "Don Rogers". The '51 Merc I had looked like Don's picture; more of a Blue-Green.

Also, you can see that "Joe B."'s engine is not original paint, as witnessed by the same color on the heater fittings and the temperature sender.

Last edited by tubman; 05-22-2026 at 11:10 PM.
tubman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2026, 01:15 PM   #12
mfirth
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: ohio
Posts: 1,165
Default Re: Mercury Green

A friend had a 50 Merc and used Hirsch Mercury Green which was VERY close to the original paint on the heads prior to rebuild.
mfirth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-19-2026, 09:53 PM   #13
alanwoodieman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: upstate SC
Posts: 3,006
Default Re: Mercury Green

alpine green for Detroit diesel engines
alanwoodieman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2026, 10:58 PM   #14
Don Rogers
Senior Member
 
Don Rogers's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Wildwood, MO. (near St. Louis)
Posts: 1,850
Default Re: Mercury Green

Various shades of Alpine Green with my pick
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Merc engine color.jpg (16.1 KB, 134 views)
Don Rogers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2026, 11:57 PM   #15
petehoovie
Senior Member
 
petehoovie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11,643
Default Re: Mercury Green

Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Rogers View Post
Various shades of Alpine Green with my pick
__________________


petehoovie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2026, 11:52 AM   #16
1952henry
Senior Member
 
1952henry's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: North Dakota
Posts: 1,840
Default Re: Mercury Green

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe B. View Post
'51
Thats more along the lines of JD green
__________________
I dig coal, which provides motivation for EVs.
1952henry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2026, 03:59 PM   #17
52flthed
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 241
Default Re: Mercury Green

Bill Hirsch lists a lot of Mercury variations of the name Green. But there is also a "Mercury Green". Too bad they dont show any colors. I know when i went to their warehouse in Newark they had a paint samples there.

My engine, a 52 truck engine, I used this enamel I really like it brushes out very well. I used Lincoln Mercury Light Green. Which is close to Alpine Green but Alpine is more blue more minty, than the Lin.Merc Lt Green was a more yellowish green for sure.



https://www.hirschauto.com/ENGINE-EN...fo/EE%2DQUART/
52flthed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2026, 09:18 PM   #18
petehoovie
Senior Member
 
petehoovie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 11,643
Default Re: Mercury Green

Quote:
Originally Posted by 52flthed View Post
Bill Hirsch lists a lot of Mercury variations of the name Green. But there is also a "Mercury Green". Too bad they dont show any colors. I know when i went to their warehouse in Newark they had a paint samples there.

My engine, a 52 truck engine, I used this enamel I really like it brushes out very well. I used Lincoln Mercury Light Green. Which is close to Alpine Green but Alpine is more blue more minty, than the Lin.Merc Lt Green was a more yellowish green for sure.



https://www.hirschauto.com/ENGINE-EN...fo/EE%2DQUART/
__________________


petehoovie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2026, 12:35 PM   #19
rotorwrench
Senior Member
 
rotorwrench's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Posts: 18,006
Default Re: Mercury Green

Ford used the darker green from model A days clear up till the 239 era on V8 221 engines. The 239 went dark blue up until 1949 for the first passenger car 8BA engines. The 1949 255 8CM engines had the lighter green but it is only slightly darker with a slight bit of yellow tint compared to the deisel engine color that is currently available.

If you ever mix blue and yellow together you get green but the amount of primary color and tinting color plus a good eye for color will get the proper shade. Bill Hirsch's stuff was always pretty close.
rotorwrench is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-28-2026, 07:23 AM   #20
Merc Cruzer
Senior Member
 
Merc Cruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Conifer, Colorado
Posts: 2,552
Default Re: Mercury Green

Another photo for your reference
Attached Images
File Type: jpg DSCN0241.jpg (86.5 KB, 36 views)
Merc Cruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:20 AM.