Rocker Cover Colour

[Black Cat]

Hi,

I have a 1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500 and would like to repaint the rocker cover in the original colour. The colour it is a the moment is a reddish orange, which I believe was the correct colour. If that is the correct colour could somebody tell me what the colour code is and where can you get a heat resistant spray paint to paint the rocker cover.

[Pete Lewis]

Club shop  sells rocker cover gold 

Pete

[Black Cat]

Thanks Pete,

I did see they had rocker paint in gold but was the colour not the reddish orange for a 1977 Spitfire?

[Pete Lewis]

Dont know about that ,   whos got  an original ????

          

[Colin Lindsay]

The original colour is indeed a sort of orangey-gold, but I've seen all sorts from silver to black and even body colour. My own Heralds are all black, and I like it that colour so it's a matter of choice.

[JumpingFrog]

14 hours ago, Black Cat said:

I did see they had rocker paint in gold but was the colour not the reddish orange for a 1977 Spitfire?

This is one I did with the club shop aerosol, I would agree that its nowhere near as orange as the original... 

I'm not sure what's original for your car, e.g. for the 13/60 Herald launched in 1968 I believe all but the very early ones had silver rocker covers. Certainly every late rocker cover I've ever seen (with the breather outlet) has been silver.

I do like the gold... I recall reading somewhere the original colour is related to Ferguson tractors. Perhaps this is the shade: http://vintagetractorengineer.com/2009/01/ferguson-fe35-golden-grey/?

[Colin Lindsay]

That's the correct shade for the tractor; at local shows here tractors usually outnumber cars by about four to one so I see plenty of them. 

The Herald rocker cover is still more of an orange / bronze , though:

That gold looks like MG Sandglow, or close to it.

 

 

[Black Cat]

I did read somewhere in the past that it had to do with a tractor colour. As usual, Triumph used whatever they had available. But what was the colour?

[Dick Twitchen]

59 minutes ago, Black Cat said:

with a tractor colour. As usual, Triumph used whatever they had available

Well the Massey Ferguson factory was only over the road from the Standard in Banner Lane!

[PeterH]

 

10 hours ago, Dick Twitchen said:

Well the Massey Ferguson factory was only over the road from the Standard in Banner Lane!

It was the Standard factory. I worked there. Most of the office furniture was still marked Standard Motor Company.

[Colin Lindsay]

Didn't one of the TR range effectively share an engine with one of the Fergies?

[Casper]

Yes, the same basic engine was used from Standard Vanguard and experimental TRx through to TR4

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_wet_liner_inline-four_engine

but for technical differences, see:

https://www.tr-register.co.uk/forums/index.php?/topic/45923-ferguson-tractor-engines/

Standard 8s, 10s and some early Heralds had the whole engine painted in tractor gold.  NOT to be confused with BMC 'Gold Seal' engines which were factory reconditioned engines.

C.