Paint colours!

[acmsb]

Hello there

I need some expert advice on paint colours

I have a 1969 Morris Traveller. She was originally blue but my grandfather had her resprayed in green when he bought her for my grandmother (it was her favourite colour).

I want to get the wheels painted in the same green, but I don't know if the green that was used was any of the original BMC colours (on the colour chart attached) or if it was a different one.

Before I have to resort to standing next to the car with paint tins and a palette (which could get messy), I was wondering if anyone had any experience/tips/advice/clues in this area?

Thank you!

Alex

[les]

If you don't know if it is an original green or not, then you have no option but to take something off the car that is the colour that you want, and take it to a paint outlet to be matched. If the inside is green maybe a glove compartment lid could be used to compare. You haven't filled in the location box, so don't know where you are but alternatively if you have a local branch, someone there may let you know if it's an original green.

[acmsb]

Hi Les

That's really helpful thanks. I'm in West London.

In fact, she's blue on the inside (she was only resprayed on the outside) so her inside bodywork is navy, and upholstery, trim etc is pale blue. So she's a bit unusual! But I will try and find a piece of paintwork to take to get matched.

[les]

You could take the car itself to a supplier who mixes paint, if you can locate something local. Halfords mix paint but I don't know if they colour match. I obviously don't know what shade your grandfather used but it's likely he would have used the green that those cars were painted in. As a blind guess maybe Almond green, for that year.

[palacebear]

Are you able to post a photo of the car? I have a fairly extensive archive of BMC and BL paint colours so I may be able to point you in the right direction. No guarantee though as the car may have been painted in another manufacturers' colour.

[acmsb]

Hi Palace Bear

That is really kind of you - thank you so much! A photo of the car is attached (my grandmother in the picture). Annoyingly the colour hasn't come up very well (it's an old photo and I had to scan it in, so the colours have come up much greyer than expected). The photo shows the colour best at the drivers side door (where my grandmother is standing) and the green on that door is the best image of the overall colour.

Sorry that's not more helpful - any advice v gratefully received!

[arjay]

Looks pretty like Almond Green to me. but I think the norm was for the wheels to be either Ivory/Old English White, or Silver, depending on the year of manufacture. mind you, if you have blue inside and green outside, that really doesn't matter.

[palacebear]

My archive is pretty acurate but not 100% foolproof. Drivers' door is almost certainly Almond Green (BMC paint code GN37) albeit very faded in the pic.

I'd still definitely get a professional colour-match if you can, as a previous respray may have been done using an 'approximately right but good enough' school of mixing. The wheels would have been Dark Silver (code unknown at present) and I believe were actually supplied ready-painted from the Dunlop factory between approx October 1967 and mid-1970 (as far as my info goes). Rad grille probably Snowberry White (WT14).

Original colours almost certainly Trafalgar Blue (BU37) paintwork with Blue-Grey upholstery although outside chance its Blue Royale (BU38) paintwork with Galleon Blue upholstery. Can be confirmed if traces of old painted coachline can be found. Pale grey/off-white = Trafalgar Blue. Gold or brownish (called 'Prune' sometimes) = Blue Royale.

Don't try and match the paint to on-line colour charts downloaded from search engines. These are almost always uploaded scans of old charts and the images you see are, more often than not, way off the mark.

Info overload probably but hope it helps!

[les]

Do the wheels almond green, and you'll never tell the differences!

[acmsb]

Hi guys

Thanks so much for the information - really helpful! And not info overload at all - actually lovely to meet people with so much knowledge!
Going to look at Almond Green carefully (and the coachline). Thank you v v v much - v grateful!

Have a nice Sunday afternoon

[SteveClem]

Colours are such a personal choice. My trav was originally Almond Green. Now Maroon B. I like it better.