Paint colour code for 13/60 air filter box?

[Colin Lindsay]

Does anyone know the closest paint colour code or modern equivalent to the silver used on the 13/60 air filter box? I painted the last one black but this time want to try an original-looking silver. I can't find any clues online and none of the components I have would be close enough to the original to have scanned. Thanks in advance!

[Josef]

There’s good shots of the engine bay of the hatch prototype here https://www.below-the-radar.com/triumph-herald-hatchback/ Obviously very much known to be restored, but I suspect we can trust Chris’ research! Or did the air box colour vary between the 1200 and 13/60?

I have a 1200 sales brochure somewhere. I’ll see if there’s a relevant photo in it. But the colour from reality to print plus 50 years aging plus photo / scan to screen display is probably not going to be super accurate.

I did have trouble trying to match the paint on my GT6 air box which is presumably the same colour, I ended up with a Halfords aluminium look paint, which was still a bit too metallic. The original was a flat silver. I might have photos / video of that prior to stripping too, will have a look.

[Josef]

Not had a lot of luck. This guy (with “1147 muscular ccs” of engine according to the text) has a black air box on his 1200. Plus his white suit is a poor choice for playing under the bonnet of a Herald.

[johny]

Think theyre overalls so he knew he was going to have to work on it a lot🤣

[Colin Lindsay]

I must admit to having a lot of reference books and brochures, but it's matching the colour with a modern code that's difficult, not confirming which colour it should be - BMC Green engine block and black rocker cover notwithstanding! From this photo taken years back I reckon I was very close with the 1200, which was sandblasted and resprayed, but have long forgotten what paint that was. I know the 13/60 box was also silver but it's now sandblasted and in primer.

[rlubikey]

Is this like Triumph's wheel silver? Someone (Pete?) said that there wasn't any particular colour, it's just what silver they had in the stores that week.

Cheers, Richard

[Pete Lewis]

club shop when we had one sold triumph wheel silver and rocker box gold in aerosol form 

but for now we dont have the shop

Pete

[Josef]

Well my GT6’s rocker cover still has what looks like original paint on it. Might not help you in time Colin as I’m not ready to go near the engine yet, but I can see about getting it sampled and report back when I get that far.

I finished the can of Halfords aluminium colour I used for the airbox so don’t know exactly what it was right now (mistake I know as I do want the rocker cover to match…) It was reasonably close as I said, if a bit sparklier. 

[martyn wright]

Hi!  My Vitesse 1600 has a Black rocker and UHT Silver on the Manifold and Airbox!

[JohnD]

Henry Ford had it right.  "Any color you like, as long as it's black"

[Colin Lindsay]

1 hour ago, JohnD said:

Henry Ford had it right.  "Any color you like, as long as it's black"

Yes BUT I WANT SILVER!! SILVER SILVER SILVER!!! (Stamps feet)

[steveo]

I used wheel silver on my rocker cover then clear lacquered it, its not to metallic & it covers well. also comes in steel colour that's a bit darker.

Edited September 22 by steveo

[Colin Lindsay]

I took this photo many years ago, (scary to think how many!) but while my rocker cover is alloy on one Herald and black on the other three, so none of them accurate in many ways, I still want that shade of silver for the 13/60 airbox I'm reconditioning. It'll be sold on when finished so want to do it properly.

[martyn wright]

The strange thing is!  Yesterday  I went to photograph my engine to show the colour silver, opened the garage and there was no car in the garage?  Took it up to a friend's garage to get tracking done?? Daa!

[Steve P]

On 21/09/2024 at 13:12, Colin Lindsay said:

BMC Green engine block and black rocker cover notwithstanding!

What a coincidence, both my cars have BMC Green engines, Have you looked at Halfords Wheel Silver for the rocker box?.

Steve

[Colin Lindsay]

38 minutes ago, Steve P said:

What a coincidence, both my cars have BMC Green engines, Have you looked at Halfords Wheel Silver for the rocker box?.

Steve

I bought two tins of BMC Green at Stafford in 1994 back in the days before I realised it wasn't a Triumph colour, painted that block in 1996, and it's been perfect ever since. It was too good to remove for black paint!

Halfords I may be near tomorrow, can try some of that?

 

[Josef]

@martyn wright you appear to have attached a PDF entitled ‘final signed accounts’ to one of your earlier posts in this thread. I assume you didn’t mean to! I’ve not looked at it, but I suspect you may want to delete this rather than share it. 

[martyn wright]

Thanks Josef!  Don't even know what it was lol !  Thanks again!  Poss too heavy on the old finger!

[Unkel Kunkel]

May not suit  everyone but I found   a reasonable  approximation using  this

combination which seems durable, so far

ie  the ZG - 90  ‘Action Can ‘ galvanize * . followed by clear coat 

* This also has many  other uses

[Colin Lindsay]

Tried Tetrosyl 'Steel Wheels' as a tester; goes on fairly dark grey then dries out very silver... maybe too silver?

 

[Steve P]

IMHO clear coat on top of that would look good, your car though.

S

[sulzerman]

I have used Simoniz steel wheel silver. 

Looks good imo!

[Colin Lindsay]

That's looking okay; laquer coat went on this afternoon. Strange lacquer, it sprays out in a jet like WD40 not a spray like the paint, so had to be careful to avoid runs. It's one of a pair of aerosols by Simoniz that have been on the shelf for twenty years at least. Waste not! 

[rlubikey]

I seem to recall someone saying that Ford "Argent" silver was a good approximation for Triumph wheel silver.

Cheers, Richard

[PeteH]

If I recall correctly. "offical" exchange engine reconditioners back in the day, would paint the rocker boxes in code colours to indicate the level of recondioning having been carried out?. I believe Father obtained a "gold" recon: for a Hillman, which had been "factory" reconditioned (Full rebuild, rebore the whole works). It had the rocker cover painted gold. Silver, is one of those colours that is extremely hard to match, eg: Ford "silver fox" has 20+ sub catagories.

Pete