American 1200 paint code help needed

[Scott B]

Hi everyone, I'm trying to help a good friend in the U.S. who has just bought a 1200 Herald to restore, we have been trying to work out out which colour red it is, it doesn't seem to have any paint codes stamped any where? The Comm No plate is different to my Mk2 Vitesse, so we are at a loss. There are 3 plates, one I recognise as the body section no, screwed on oval plate with 91976 GAT, one green oblong plate with raised stamped Triumph STC - 65 and finaly the Comm No GA 103174 LDL, so all we really know is it is a LHD Saloon. Is there another I.D. Plate elsewhere on the earlier cars we are missing? Thanks for any help, Scott

[herald948]

It's a pre-1964 (or thereabouts) car, so there's no data plate that shows paint and trim codes. Odds are it's #32 Signal Red, assuming that the red shown in the photo is anywhere near original, or if any other hidden areas show red. About the only other possibility would be #22 Cherry Red, but that's highly doubtful unless the car was either a Personal Export Delivery or built for first sale in Canada. The US, for the most part, got a rather more limited range of colors on Heralds!

Of course, unscrewing the body number plate hopefully would reveal the original color underneath as well (a bit less drastic than drilling out the rivets of the commission number plate!

[Scott B]

herald948 wrote:

It's a pre-1964 (or thereabouts) car, so there's no data plate that shows paint and trim codes. Odds are it's #32 Signal Red, assuming that the red shown in the photo is anywhere near original, or if any other hidden areas show red. About the only other possibility would be #22 Cherry Red, but that's highly doubtful unless the car was either a Personal Export Delivery or built for first sale in Canada. The US, for the most part, got a rather more limited range of colors on Heralds!

Of course, unscrewing the body number plate hopefully would reveal the original color underneath as well (a bit less drastic than drilling out the rivets of the commission number plate!

Hi Andy,

We really appreciate your'e help and good advice, I think that will be the path we follow, Steve is really passionate about the car, and wants to do it justice, which i'm sure he will. Many thanks again

[Casper]

Feb/Mar 1963.

If the body plate is un-screwable, then it has already been off.  Surely they are welded on.

BMIH should have colour details, but 32 is likely.

http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/store/heritage-certificates-and-archive-services/heritage-certificates.html

C.

[herald948]

herald948 wrote:

Of course, unscrewing the body number plate hopefully would reveal the original color underneath as well (a bit less drastic than drilling out the rivets of the commission number plate!

Hmmm, that must have been the Johnny Walker Red talking!  ;) Yes, the body number plates do screw on, but it now occurs to me it's more likely one would only find primer underneath, seeing as those body number plates were always painted.

[Scott B]

1337 wrote:

Feb/Mar 1963.

If the body plate is un-screwable, then it has already been off.  Surely they are welded on.

BMIH should have colour details, but 32 is likely.

http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/store/heritage-certificates-and-archive-services/heritage-certificates.html

C.

Thanks Casper, good suggestion, and thank you for the link, cheers Scott

[herald948]

I love the BMIHT certificates for the information they provide (usually accurate, or at least as accurate as those to try to read faded records and transcribe them properly  ;) ), but it's a pretty expensive way to determine original color. Having seen a picture of the car in question, I'm quite sure that the original paint color will be found on some inner body panel. Brightish red is Signal. Anything else is...whatever it is.

[herald948]

Here's a picture (from another Forum). Lots of Signal Red (IMO) showing!

[heraldcoupe]

herald948 wrote:

Hmmm, that must have been the Johnny Walker Red talking!  ;) Yes, the body number plates do screw on, but it now occurs to me it's more likely one would only find primer underneath, seeing as those body number plates were always painted.

I was going to mention that but you realised before I got there!

Agreed that what's visible looks very much like Signal Red, general appearance adn lack of overspray onto the comm plate suggests it's original

Cheers,
Bill.

[Scott B]

Thanks a lot for the input guys, much appreciated.

Now unbelievable as this is going to sound Andy, that is my pals car!! he's on youtube, cutworm59, he's just posted a walkround of the car.  Check it out.

Thanks again, Scott

[herald948]

Scott: this is so "International" I can hardly get my head around it. (Time for more Johnny Walker Red, I think.)

I first learned of the car on an American forum (The Triumph Experience). Then I got an e-mail from someone in the Toronto Triumph Club (Canada) who said a friend of his had just gotten this Spitfire. Now you (UK) are also a friend of his? Very, very cool!  8)