engine colour

[chazchas]

Hi, Is the original engine colour black, any recommendation on what paint to use, easy to get mowog green but not much info on the black.
Happy new year to all

[Mark Hammond]

The block and head are black, don't paint the pushrod tubes on the head, and the rocker box should be gold on pre 1968 Heralds and silver thereafter.  The rocker box gold is available from the TSSC shop presumably once their website is up or you could give them a call.  They do sell to non members.  For the black, I would suggest a normal high temperature enamel.  The sump should be gloss black and the air filter housing silver.  Hope this helps,

Mark

[chazchas]

Hi many thanks, glad you told me about the rocker box colour i would have painted it silver.

[heraldcoupe]

1218 wrote:

the air filter housing silver.

Or satin black. Both colours were used, presumably from different outside contractors supplying the parts.

I'm also uncertain about the silver rocker covers on late 1200s. 13/60 rocker covers went silver shortly after that model's production began in 1967, I didn't think the same was true of 1200s,

Cheers,
Bill.

[Paudman]

Most if not all of my 1200 rocker covers are black; the only bronzy-gold one I have is from a 13/60. For engine paint use Frost Engine Enamel in black - best I’ve tried so far (and I’ve tried a lot!)

[Mark Hammond]

I've seen several 1200s post 1968 with silver ones but never a late car with a gold rocker box.

Mark

[heraldcoupe]

490 wrote:

Most if not all of my 1200 rocker covers are black; the only bronzy-gold one I have is from a 13/60.

Black was never original for these. Satin bronze/gold (over a red base colour) was standard. As stated above, this finish was also used on the earliest 13/60s but was quickly changed to silver, so very rarely seen.

Cheers,
Bill.

[Paudman]

And just to back up what Bill says - here’s a shot of the one Herald I have which I know was never messed about.
All my other ones are black so it must have been the cheapest paint available for repainting!  :P