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MG TD TF 1500 - Top Bow Paint?

I know we've been down this road before, but the question is about Moss top bow paint. They say beige is their color, I thought the original paint had a slight greenish tint to it. Right or wrong? Does any manufacture have the correct color, or is Moss correct? PJ
Paul sr

If anything it should have a slight pink cast to it.

I have not tried their paint yet so I cannot comment on its accuracy. I had this formula mixed up the other day and used it as touch-up on my frames. It needs a little more black to be accurate but it's pretty close.

http://www.mg-cars.org.uk/mgtd/mgtd_finishes.htm#formulas

Scroll down a bit for side curtain frame color.
Chris Couper

Didn't the TD and TF use different colors
for the top bow paint?
JB
J K Barter

Ironically, I was searching the archives last night on this very subject. What I found out last night there is no definitive answer which paint is a perfect match. Also I found reading the archives you will get multiple suggestions of what color and paint color code to use. I think it is great people sharing what color code they used in the thread but unfortunately post no pictures of the paint they chose applied to the frame. It would be nice see to compare and ordering paint samples can be time consuming and get expensive......

Although I'm not close to even painting my top bow and curtain frames, I know I will eventually get to it... and researching what color to get and be to pleased with it takes a lot time....

My frame was painted over with red in the past but I can still see remnants of the original paint underneath from red chips peeled away.

To give credit where credit is due, I saved a picture Matthew Magilton's top frame from his well preserved TF. Search archive for TOP FRAME COLOR for a picture of Matthew's frame.


A beige color with a pinkish hue to it. The same color I see on my frame.

So last night I went to http://www.autocolorlibrary.com/default.aspx and looked here to see if there were any vintage colors that have paint chips available that looked similar to the frame. (a slow night last night)

Scroll down to Classic 1950 -1977.

Step 1 Select year 1955
Step 2 Select AHMG (thanks to Chris)

Allow the new page to open and look at color chart page 2.

Whitehall Beige looks real close to Matthew's top frame. To my eye at least. It's a period color when the car was built.

This is something I would buy a sample to try because I can see the color compared to a nice preserved example.

Whatever you decide, please share to the group.

Best,

Frank
Frank Cronin

I think so JB, not sure. I think it was Matthew that showed a photo or two of his. For some reason I thought it had a greenish tint to it. Maybe I'm thinking of the valve cover color. Mathew might chime in on this. I can not find it in the archives, but it should be there. PJ
Paul sr

This is an original car picture from Gordon Lawson. My top bows have been painted the same color but I don't have that formula anymore.


Chris Couper

Here is my top frame with a swatch of the new paint on top of the old paint. It needs more black but its not bad.


Chris Couper

On a TF that Colin has you can see its paint was much pinker. So there is a lot of variability.


Chris Couper

Here is a color that I found to be very close to the original paint on my TF frame: Rustoleum DARK TAUPE/satin.

James


J K Barter

Another view of the factory paint on my TF side screens, same as Colin's bows. Can look different depending on the light source.

Matthew.


M Magilton

Looks like the TF's had a different color than the TD's. Darker and more pink.


Chris Couper

Another TD frame


Chris Couper

The factory top and side curtain frame patent was very inconsistent, and un stable. Not only would the color change slightly from car to car, but the pigments were unstable and the color would change as the paint aged.
David
D. Sander

I hadn't read this thread because painting my top bows is so low on my list of things to do that it's never going to happen, but now I know that not all of them are the same color as mine, which is a definite yellow. I've often wondered if my single ply not-very-weather-proof-duck top is the original one, but that's a mystery best left for another day. It's been on the car for the 56 years I've owned it but I can wait a little while longer to find out.

Joe


J.W. Olson

The variations in colors between the TDs and TFs seems quite extent. Matthew, Colin and JKs colors seem very close, but Chris's color is way off for a TF. So would it be safe to say the TD colors and TF colors are definitely different? Sure looks like it. Matthews color has that pinkish cast to it and would probably be quite a job to reproduce. Now another question, were the CKD cars painted down under? Were the bows? PJ


Paul sr

According to the Original TF midget site the TF top bows were a different color than the TD's. I also read somewher that the top fabric was also different and had more of a pinkish cast than the TD.
JB
J K Barter

If anyone comes up with a formula for the TF bows and frames please email it to me.
Chris Couper

Paul, the TD's and TF's arrived in Oz complete except that local batteries and tyres were fitted. Paint, upholstery and weather equipment were factory.

Matthew.
M Magilton

I have stripped down five(5) TF Hood/Sidescreen Frames over the years. In mzny cases the frames in the 60s and 70s were
repainted over in black,yellow and even red! However,after stripping off the POs paint,the Factory beige/pinkish hue colour was found under the later appplied layers.

The beige/pinkish colour was virtually identical to Matt.Magilton's.

Cheers.
Rob Grantham
TF3719("Aramis"),TF9177("Athos").

Rob Grantham

What do you guys think of this color for the TF top bow paint?

http://paintref.com/cgi-bin/colorcodedisplay.cgi?wtcode=M6518&con=3&page=1&rows=50&size=large

If someone with an orignal top bow wants to sacrifice $15 and some time your local automotive paint store can mix you up 2 oz of touch-up paint and you can compare it to your original color to see how close it is.
Chris Couper

Looks fairly close on my screen.

Matthew.
M Magilton

I'm impressed! Looks just like Matthews color, with the faint pinkish tint also. Chris, I think the color you found is as close as were going to get. Thanks for doing the research. Ford M6518. Now, if it comes out of the gun that color were in. PJ
Paul sr

On one of the MG forums someone suggested that a paint made by Rustoleum with the color called "Nutmeg" was close to the color of his hood frame on a TF. I went to Walmart and bought a couple cans at $3.77 per can. The color is awfully close to the original color on my the hood frame on my TF.
I painted the hood frame of my TC with the recommended Moss paint but it was a much lighter color beige and rather expensive.
For what it's worth!
Mark Stolzenburg
Chesterfield, Missouri, USA
Mark Stolzenburg

This thread was discussed between 01/09/2013 and 08/09/2013

MG TD TF 1500 index

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