As I cleaned up my '16 engine I found the paint! Just a smidgen on the front valve cover!
There's a lot of evidence of paint on my 1917 motor on the block, pan, valve covers, etc. You can see some of the paint on the valve covers in this photo:
Removed 3 layers of paint off a formerly owned '23. 2 shades of green and a grey primer type color. Don't know how that got there but I finally hit the bottom and it was black. More like a wash or thinned coloring than an actual paint job.
Gilsonite.
Steve, And not much of it! They must have run out of it or mine was a Friday afternoon build!
I think the only reason mine lasted was that it was covered in other paint layers.