best engine paint

['68OrangeSunshine]

Chevy Engine Orange is vintage correct for a '67 292. That's the color of my original 292 engine in my '68 stepside. Also the color of a '67 block I rebuilt. I think GM started painting engines blue again in the late '70s. In '63 they painted the 230s and 250s blue and the 292s were alpine green. I think this was a carryover from the older L6s -- 235/261s. Since the blocks looked the same on the outside, Chevy painted the larger displacement 261s green to tell them apart. When the L-22 series came out, they painted the first 292s (close to Detroit Diesel-) Green. By 1967 GM was painting all truck engines orange, thanks to Lee Iacocca, I hear.
Dupli-Color has a hi-temp engine paint and primer. Up to 500*F. I stripped the sheetmetal [valve and side covers, oil pan, etc,] to bare metal, let it heat up in the AZ sun, and sprayed it with the hi-temp primer. About a week later I followed the parts up with the Chevy Engine Orange color. Still looks good.
The paint has a ceramic component and they say running it up to temperature does the final cure.