Fuel Pump Backing Plate

[68camaroz28]

I have this in our build thread but wanted to hopefully gain some opinions here among the experts. This summer I learned from a member that Legends Judging in Frederick, MD deducted points for not having the aforementioned backing plate painted black. I currently do not have mine painted and now have to decide to take off or let it the way it is. Why do I have it non-painted and bare metal? Well for two reasons! One, we know the fuel pump and plate were installed at the final assembly plant, not the engine plant and according to JohnZ (http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=8151.0) “The fuel pump mounting plate was normally installed as unpainted raw steel. The Chevrolet Central Office Paint Standards Department issued a "Painted Parts List" to the assembly plant Paint Superintendents which identified the raw parts which were to be primed black in the plant's small parts paint system; if a part wasn't on that list, it wasn't supposed to be painted.” And “in NCRS Flight Judging, we expect to see the mounting plate unpainted.” Second reason, before finding John's information I had two fuel pump backing plates in my box of parts, one from a 67 327 and the other from our 68 302 and guess what, one was painted black and the other bare metal. After the research I decided to have our plate bare metal for the engine re-build and restoration which I completed months ago but now I'm not sure what judges expect to see or what is the norm. I checked my friends two survivors (68 & 69 Z's) and both of those plates seem to be painted black. Checked with a well known restorer of Gen I Camaro's and other GM products and he communicated he's seen them both ways, both painted black and bare metal. If I'm going to change it to black now is the time but wondering what others have found as one part of me says to let it alone and the other says change it to not get into any BS. Penny for your thoughts/ideas/findings! Has anyone had points deducted for not having their fuel pump plate bare metal?
Here are the two plates I had documented, left one painted, right one not:


Painted plate appears to have been dip painted as many other parts:


The painted plates bottom edge showing paint:


Now the fuel pump plate that appears to have no paint & bare metal:


Note the bottom edge of this plate appears to have no paint:

[BillOhio]

Hi Chick. I was pretty sure my 69 was not painted. Just cleaned it up last week

[69Z28-RS]

when I rebuilt my engine in 1976, it was black...  I don't think the engine had ever been apart at that point, but I can't recall if the pump itself was original or not..  as I was  more concerned with the pumping than the numbers to check at that point...

[68camaroz28]

Thanks Bill and Gary!
Cmon' Man  , I know a lot of you have survivors or cars purchased in the 70's and some of you restore, judge, and breath cars so surely there has to be some more info on what you have seen.

[janobyte]

Sort of remember it being black and cleaning it up to bare metal for a little detailing.

[68camaroz28]

Several Camaro friends have emailed me and their findings along with my sampling overwhelmingly show the plate being normally painted.

[rare396bronze]

Just checked our one owner 327 car motor has never been out of car it is black. Also checked a 327 & 302 blocks have had for year's both are also black. Hope this helps.

[68camaroz28]

It seems NOR did paint those plates but apparently not in St. Louis back in the day with Corvettes. A C2 NCRS judge I talked to stated they would expect to see bare metal on that plate and that explains why one had paint (probably my 302 plate) and one did not (the 67 327 out of a corvette). It also explains why JohnZ would have stated NCRS would expect to see a bare plate. Two plants with two different processes assumed!