1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

[William B.]

I've tried searching previous posts for this because I am sure the answer is out there, but are the mufflers, exhaust pipes and all
clamps painted with the blackout paint in order to be correct?

Thanks,

Bill

[Joe M.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

That is my understanding and that is what I painted prior to NCRS judging last weekend; no deduct. I used high temperature flat BBQ grill paint. I did not paint the ground straps located at the center crossmember.

[William B.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

Thank you Joe. That is very helpful. Hope you did well at judging. That is my plan although I might not get everything done that needs to be done this year.

Bill

[Joe M.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

The 4 judges on Saturday found incorrect items that the team of judges last fall did not. I could spend the majority of my time between judging sessions fixing all of the deducts, but I have a full-time job and don't want to spend all of my time on the car. My wife thinks I spend all of my free time on it now!

[Joe M.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

ps, I made Top Flight for the first time.

[William B.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

Yikes! Can get to be an obsession can't it. I have a problem with the engine
right now that I can't figure out. It ran fine until I started cleaning it
up and putting on a correct bolt and holddown clamp on the distributor. One
would think that the problem has to do with the distributor, but timing, firing
order, plug wires and plugs all check out and 3 cylinders are still not firing.
Coil is new too. Fortunately I am retired and can spend all day on the problem
but it is beginning to drive me nuts.

Regards,

Bill

[Walter F.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

Does this imply that Chevrolet painted all 61 Corvette exhaust pipes and mufflers black? I always thought when a car is new the natural color of the muffers and pipes are what they display.To me painting and exhaust system should mean loss of points because that is not how the cars came when new.

[Joe M.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

If you are going to go through NCRS judging and you want the points, you have to paint the exhaust system. Someone said that Mr. Duntov wanted everything under the car to be black so that nothing detracted from the shiny outside of the car. I don't know if that is true or not.

[Art B.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

When I installed my new mufflers, exhaust pipes and tail pipes on my '61, I left them natural. I had achieved a top flight earlier. I see a lot of pictures of '61s and '62's with unpainted tail pipes. It may not be correct according to the judging standards, but I think it still looks better. Just my opinion.

[Walter F.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

My understanding was when going for awards NCRS requires replacement parts to meet OEM standards. Unless someone can verify tail pipes being painted black from the factory I would think painting tail pipes and mufflers should cause and owner to loose points not gain them since the car did not come that way from the factory? Natural seems right to me.

[Jim L.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

Here's a GM photo of the underside of a '61. The pipes and mufflers sure look black to me.



Jim

[Walter F.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

It seems after reading this and other posts on this subject most or all C1s had blacked out exhaust. Was this idea carried over in 63? Should all C2s have blackout exhaust systems?

[John H.]

Re: 1961 muffler/tailpipe blackout paint

It seems after reading this and other posts on this subject most or all C1s had blacked out exhaust. Was this idea carried over in 63? Should all C2s have blackout exhaust systems?

Walter -

If you do an archive search on "chassis blackout", you'll probably get enough hits to keep you busy for quite a while. Generally speaking, fairly extensive chassis blackout spray continued through '63-'64, and was reduced to little more than the side of the mufflers starting in '65 when disc brakes were introduced.