Jaguar paint code

[lowdrag]

A friend has had the tremendous luck to acquire a 1950 XK120 roadster, in bits but complete with the original "studless" cam engine. The colour was pastel green, and I am wondering if anyone has the paint code for this. If you can help, much appreciated.

[a8hex]

I'm guessing you mean the metallic pastel green
Period: British Domolac D3106
Modern: PPG 2673 or NEXA 2656

[lowdrag]

Thanks Ken, but it is the flat paint code I need. Just the same as MDU 212 - the C-type

[a8hex]

lowdrag said:

Thanks Ken, but it is the flat paint code I need. Just the same as MDU 212 - the C-type

I might have known.
I'll add those details when I have a moment.

[a8hex]

I think this was called "Suede Green" and the period paint codes are listed as
British Domolac: D3109
Pinchin Johnson: Q1080 J873

sadly I my references don't list the modern codes for this one.

The other greens listed are BRG and another version of pastel green, which must also metallic. But these are shown as being introduced in Nov 52, so can't be correct for this car.

I'm getting these numbers from the 3rd edition of Philip Porter's "Original XK". I know you've not always seen eye to eye with Philip, but for the 3rd edition he has worked very closely with others in the XK community. In this case with Anders Clausager to get the records from the archives and Roger Mills for modern paint codes, and many others, including those responsible for drawing up the US and Australian concours judging rules. I'd really recommend it to your friend.
There are also a hand full of XK120 OTS that didn't follow these standard paint schemes:
8 supplied in Primer
2 Olive Green
1 Apple Green
1 Mid-Brunswick Green

There are also also details in Anders Clausager's own books "The XK120 in detail"
Then there is what seems to be the ultimate bible for XK120 owners, Urs Schmid's "The Anatomy of a Cult Object"
(which I don't have, but he's not got as far as XK140s yet let alone modern incarnations such as my 150)

I would recommend he joins the XK list on Jag-lovers and asks there as being the most likely place to get more information.

[lowdrag]

If anyone gets to see a photo of E1A ( I've seen the bits of body including the rear bulkhead found in the scrapyard and the plans to rebuild her) and the C-type MDU 212, they were both pastel green. If that helps!

[a8hex]

Hi Tony,

If you look on XK data then chassis number 660041 is "Suede Green"
670311 is listed as being "Pastel Green" but is in need of some TLC.
also see 670615, 670684.

OK, switching to looking in Clausager
Of the alloy cars, 670031 & 670160 is just listed as being "Pastel Green"

Page 231 states that pastel green was metallic on the original cars. But then with the move to Browns Lane in October-November 1952 Jaguar switched to new synthetic paints and now the Pastel Green would be non metallic. But the move to having the front studs for the cam covers was in April 52 (engine W4691) so I would have thought that all the cars with the newer paint were also going to have the front studs.

The modern paint codes listed in Porter are the same for the metallic and non-metallic pastel greens... Hmmmm

[a8hex]

lowdrag said:

If anyone gets to see a photo of E1A ( I've seen the bits of body including the rear bulkhead found in the scrapyard and the plans to rebuild her) and the C-type MDU 212, they were both pastel green. If that helps!

E1A is post Nov 52, so non metallic would be the correct for a normal production car, but of course E1A wasn't a normal production car.
Were the C-Types painted in the main factory paint shop? I've seen one reference that they were just primered there and its been suggested that they were then painted separately away from the main factory facility. So XKC005 could have been painted using the newer synthetic paints before the production lines switched in the move to the new factory.
Can you get the chassis number for your friends car? Email me if you don't want it posted here, and I'll check the date of production, the books list the month by month chassis numbers.
If it helps both the 1949 and 1951 Jaguar range brochures list the available colour schemes and for the "Super Sport" scheme 10 is described as Pastel Green Metallic.

http://www.jag-lovers.org/brochures/1949_jag_large...
and
http://www.jag-lovers.org/brochures/f_portfolio_co...

But these early metallic paints had proven to have extremely poor durability.

A message I've just received also suggests that the lack of front studs might not be quite as closely connected to the early 52 date. I'll continue to pursue this.

[lowdrag]

Thanks to you all for your help here. Through various sources I have finally found the original Belco code for pastel green. It is:-

ICI BELCO P030 – 2673

[427James]

Hello chaps.

On a related note, does anyone have the paint code for Old English White for 1954?

[a8hex]

427James said:

Hello chaps.

On a related note, does anyone have the paint code for Old English White for 1954?

will dig it out later

[a8hex]

427James said:

Hello chaps.

On a related note, does anyone have the paint code for Old English White for 1954?

Old English White
British Domolac: X6427
Pinchin Johnson: J863

The J code should be for the synthetic paint used post Nov 52 and is listed for the XK120, 140 and 150.

Sadly the Porter book doesn't include a modern paint code for OEW.

[427James]

a8hex said:

Old English White
British Domolac: X6427
Pinchin Johnson: J863

The J code should be for the synthetic paint used post Nov 52 and is listed for the XK120, 140 and 150.

Sadly the Porter book doesn't include a modern paint code for OEW.

Cheers A8. The dilemma is whether to keep the car Old English White (which is tatty and body work is required) or to put it back into its original colour of Birch Grey. Sadly, you dont see too many Birch Grey examples in the flesh in DUbai to decide!

[lowdrag]

There was a trend during the 1980's when every E-type was repainted Carmen Red. Slowly, over the years (or so it seems to me) there has been a trend away from red and indeed a trend towards the original colour that the car wore when made. I have been through the same thing, painting my car blue in 1987 and now returning her to her original colour of gunmetal grey metallic with red interior. If I'm honest, I'm not that keen on the red interior but I feel the car deserves to be as she was originally. Think hard before you decide, and get the paint code and have a small amount mixed so you can see it. I had a Mk 1 in Warwick grey and I loved it.

[mph]

lowdrag said:

There was a trend during the 1980's when every E-type was repainted Carmen Red. Slowly, over the years (or so it seems to me) there has been a trend away from red and indeed a trend towards the original colour that the car wore when made. I have been through the same thing, painting my car blue in 1987 and now returning her to her original colour of gunmetal grey metallic with red interior. If I'm honest, I'm not that keen on the red interior but I feel the car deserves to be as she was originally. Think hard before you decide, and get the paint code and have a small amount mixed so you can see it. I had a Mk 1 in Warwick grey and I loved it.

I would agree with you on trends of colours.

There seem to be more opalescent silver blue cars than there were, I've had two so I'm somewhat "guilty".

Gunmetal with red is one of my favourites, but when I owned one many years ago I had it restored in opalescent maroon with a beige interior. Times, and tastes, change.

[427James]

Know the feeling - just painted my 64 in opalescent light blue. Didn't appreciate it was such a cliche! Sod it, birch grey it is...

[lowdrag]

[a8hex]

427James said:

a8hex said:

Old English White
British Domolac: X6427
Pinchin Johnson: J863

The J code should be for the synthetic paint used post Nov 52 and is listed for the XK120, 140 and 150.

Sadly the Porter book doesn't include a modern paint code for OEW.

Cheers A8. The dilemma is whether to keep the car Old English White (which is tatty and body work is required) or to put it back into its original colour of Birch Grey. Sadly, you dont see too many Birch Grey examples in the flesh in DUbai to decide!

Call me biased, but I think that XKs look great in grey, but then mine is in pearl grey (originally Cornish grey which is a shade darker).

Most OEW cars I see don't seem to quite right. The colour was also described by Jaguar as "cream" and "ivory". Service bulletins say "For cream or ivory use old English white". The colour was supposed to have been the colour of fresh cream off the top of cows milk before the dairy has borrowed all the valuable bit they can sell at a premium (apologies to any farmers who know better) ie more pale yellow than white.

[a8hex]

lowdrag said:

Thanks Ken, but it is the flat paint code I need. Just the same as MDU 212 - the C-type

Back to XKC005, without a time machine its difficult to know what colour it was originally. But normally C-types were painted in standard XK120 colours but...who knows for sure.
Trying to tell the details of colours from old photos, even old colour photos is difficult. For black and white ones its even harder, but someone over on Jag-Lovers has just pointed out that the photo of XKC005 with Stirling Moss in a "silly" hat which is in the C-Type register and was taken very soon after the car was delivered looks different to XKs delivered using the newer synthetic colours used at Browns Lane. These normally look almost white and the surface looks flat. Where as the picture of XKC005 doesn't look so pale and has more sheen than would be expected from an early fifties flat paint. So in all likely hood XKC005 like XKC004 started life in the metallic pastel green.

http://www.mycarheaven.com/2012/04/stirling-to-dri...

[lowdrag]

I would agree with you Ken, except I have had the benefit of seeing E1A (or what's left of it) in the flesh straight from Stickley's scrap yard and the colour, as was applied in the 1950's, was pastel green and resembles XKC 005 pretty closely as far as I can remember. In theory, the original paint code should provide the correct colour, but then we aren't using cellulose these days and it might not. I am suggesting to the person in question that if he isn't satisfied then paint a panel and take it to see E1A and compare. But then again, the parts of E1A were in the scrapyard 40 years, albeit buried, and perhaps it has faded with the passage of time. I am insisting on seeing the opalescent gunmetal mix before the car is painted but then we aren't dusting in the metallic part as they did in those days so it can never ever be terribly accurate; I have seen so many shades though and most are too light. just look at the original E-type brochure and compare, but there again printing wasn't exactly renowned in the day for accurate colour matching neither! There never will be a certainty but we can but do our best.