part of the problem is that there are no codes.

there were at least three paint manufacturers and the paint was applied by individuals so two bikes in a showroom could be different.

 

The 70 Tiger and Trophy were Spring Gold. Late model Jeep Rescue Green is a close match also:



You can get it on ebay in 5oz. aerosol cans for less than $18.00

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-MOPAR-R...7AA-/361181763397?fits=Make:Jeep&hash=item54181c5745:g:eEsAAOSweW5VTu9T&vxp=mtr

The correct paint is $90 from Don Hutchinson

 

Hi,

Firstly, welcome to the Forum.

The proper codes seem to be as elusive as the holy grail.

Not really mysterious; Dave has explained part of the problem; another part is, even if they suddenly appeared, at forty-plus years old, they'd be absolutely no use to a sprayer today using modern paints.

we can't import these paints to Canada for some reason.

Depends. The guy who's done the most work replicating original Triumph and BSA colours in modern paints is Don Hutchinson; aiui, for matching, he has a huge collection of unused original tin that he keeps in something like a cellar so humidity and sunlight don't age the paint.

The way to get Don's paint into Canada that's been passed on the BritBike Forum is have it delivered to your nearest parcel delivery company (UPS, etc.) depot on the US side of the border, then you drive/ride over and pick it up.

trying to find something I like that's Triumph Spring Gold"ish".

When I was researching it with a view to using it on my T150, I identified the candy combination; any sprayer using candy would be able to spray it and, as Dave's explained, no-one would be able to say it wasn't 'correct'.

Nevertheless, if you haven't already, I would strongly advise seeing real Spring Gold first-hand; don't decide to go for it seeing it in pictures and photos., particularly from the www. I didn't use it on my T150; apart from every other '70 T150 I saw in GB was painted SG, to me it looked the colour of pond sludge ... :ThrowUp

Hth.

Regards,

 

Candy paint is usually a tinted clear top coat. Is the term being used correctly here. If it were a candy the green would be a tinted clear coat over a metallic base coat in either gold or silver. Is the Spring Gold a metallic Green with a clear coat on top of it.
Canada is a BIG country, may not be so easy to drive to the border to pick up a package.

 

Hi,

Candy paint is usually a tinted clear top coat. Is the term being used correctly here.

To find and read previous posts by a given user, go to the Forum index page, click on "Search this Forum", click on "Advanced Search" and use the options as required.

Spring Gold is odd in that it looks dramatically different depending on light conditions. In bright sun light it's bright, cheery & dazzling. In dark overcast conditions it can look dark & gloomy.
Bob Raber has his personal 1970 Tiger sitting in the "showroom" so I see it often.
In the show room it indeed looks dull & dreary (again to me), yet with the old paint, outside it didn't have the sparkle it should.

While age and Californian sunlight won't have done anything for original paint, this pretty-much precisely echoes my first-hand experience of metallics and candies.

When I got my T150, it'd had Olympic Flame & Silver (which was a candy every time Triumph used it) 'replicated' in Nissan metallics. However, my T100 is Olympic Flame candy, so I was able to compare the metallic and candy side-by-side in different light conditions. The T100 OF has a Gold 'ground coat', the T150 was resprayed OF over Silver; those two side-by-side, Silver gives a slight but noticeable 'brighter' finish, more so when ambient daylight is duller. The Meriden-sprayed candy Spring Gold I've seen, the 'ground coat' is Gold.

Speculating, I believe the property of candy under light - particularly under artificial light (dealer showroom lights?) is the reason BSA (including Triumph) switched almost completely to them from the mid-1960's, most bike makers used them and still do today* despite - because of the minimum two-stage process to produce a colour - they're slower to paint than other automotive finishes.

* Caveat: pearlescent can produce the candy-like brightness but BSA/Triumph didn't use 'em 'in the day'.

Hth.

Regards,

 

Hi Scrambleon, I had a 1970 TR6C Spring Gold. Both of the colors are a reasonable alternative. To my eys... Spring Gold is odd in that it looks dramatically different depending on light conditions. In bright sun light it's bright, cheery & dazzling. In dark overcast conditions it can look dark & gloomy. The bike was less than a year old when I got it & paint was original. Bob Raber has his personal 1970 Tiger sitting in the "showroom" so I see it often. Recently it was out back in the sun as they had other bikes up front. The bike is in very good original condition & every time I see it my mind drifts to Spring Gold. In the show room it indeed looks dull & dreary (again to me), yet with the old paint, outside it didn't have the sparkle it should.

Since you're not going for a correct restoration, I wonder if in the long run you'd be just as well off with one of the other colors especially if you're going to paint it yourself or have a local painter that you trust. Can you locate a Jeep with that color locally & look at it?

Triumph paint I think was cellulose lacquer with a certain thickness over a certain base coat to give it the look they have. Don Hutchison is able to replicate the Triumph painting very well. I've seen several of his paint jobs & it looks very original. I'm sure others can do it also, but I only know what Don can do. If not applied perfectly Don's paint won't look right either. Automotive paints are quite costly in general. What you're really paying for is Don's skill. Don's paint jobs are costly & to some may be out of reach for what they want from their bike. Only takes a scratch or ding to ruin the paint, so it's a personal decision.

In the USA paint is regulated by many rules, especially here in California. Even to buy certain colors of Krylon spray can paint I have to leave my area. There are many rules about shipping paint also, so it hampers us greatly. One of my other hobbies is old Lionel trains. Some of those colors cannot be shipped to California, while others can.

Good luck, let us know what you come up with & post a photo of the job.
Don

 

Thanks for all of the input gents.

I agree, the real Spring Gold is curious in that its appeal can ebb and flow in various lighting conditions. Also the examples I've seen online vary considerably.
If money were no object, and I wanted a 100 point resto, I would not hesitate to send the tank to Don. I love his work and his dedication to doing things right.
That being said, my humble little scrambler is certainly not being restored, just a freshened up solid runner.

I'm not particularly married to what I've come to know as the correct SG, so I'm just going to try and explore some examples that I can see in the flesh, and decide from there.

StuartMac, you are spot on with that emoticon, I am definately trying to stay away from the pea green vomit option!

TR7RVMan, I will definately pop by the local Jeep dealer, and have a look at Rescue Green up close, I had stumbled upon that option in some other posts on this forum.

o1marc Have you seen any gas tanks done in Rescue Green? Would be cool to see it on a Triumph tank, have you seen any on this forum?

Thanks again all of you, I'll keep you posted on my quest.
The tank is something between a purple and blue right now, but not Jacaranda or Aubergine. I'm going to paint a metallic silver stripe down the tanks spine, with gold pinstripes for the time being (for the next season or two), but if I find the right SG alternative, I might just go for it.

 

SC, I have not seen it on the road on a bike. I have a friend with a Rescue Green Jeep and my tank and internet pics look close enough to get away with it unless it it is parked next to a fresh factory paint color, who knows, you might to be able to tell them apart. I might also bet the green on the Challenger may be the same color 40 years later just renamed, after all Jeep is a Chrysler product. The aerosol cans on Ebay are lacquer. I'm going to buy a can see what it looks like.

 

I came across your previous post when researching colour, sorry to hear about your brothers passing.
Let me know how things work out with the Trophy, I'll be following on the resto section.
If I get my hands on some pseudo Spring Gold, I'll let you know how it looks.
Cheers.

 

It's actually a 70 Tiger and is in the restoration section.
I may polish up a section on a fender and shoot the Jeep color next to it to see how close it is.

 

If I remember correctly Tim Bardsley would be your man if you 'd like to do it professionally in Ontario.
One of his restored Triumphs is presented here :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeV1Sc7ULVk

I'll be seeing Tim this coming Sunday and can ask him if he has the paint.

 

Yes, I've heard Rick Harrett mention that name before. That would be great if you could ask him, if it's not inconvenient, let me know by PM.

 

Cool, I'll keep an eye on your project posts, I'm going to pop by the Jeep dealer tomorrow.

 

If polishing old paint then choose an area that was covered by the seat or a tank badge/ rubber

But even then, paint ages over time

Ms motorcycles in the uk is a good paint source for correct Meriden paint
But as John the guy who runs it says, it is correct to " at least one shade of the colour used" as another batch may have been used before or after his paint sample was painted

 

Here's a couple of shots of the Jeep Rescue Green against the underside of the gas tank, with flash and without. This sample is spray right on bare aluminum. I'll shoot another sample over a black base and see if it darkens it at all. It is close enough that I am going to use it and you probably won't tell a difference unless you're parked right next to a fresh factory color. This can is a one step, I will buy it as a "base coat" when it's time to paint. the base formula is different than what goes in the can. The can is almost 50% clear that I think is not in the base coat expecting a clear top coat. This formula has:
Gold
Trans Yellow Oxide
Gold Mica
Jet Black
Green Mica
Super Red Mica
Blue Shade Green
Red Oxide
Drier
Clear

These are 4oz cans, it's cheaper to get the Mopar paid off EBay where you get 5oz. for $17.75 shipped.