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TR4/4A Birch Grey TR4A .... yes or no ?

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pvergon

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I´m thinking of changing from signal red to birch grey, which is the correct colour for TR3.

This car belonged to my dad and been in my family since day one and i do not intend to sell it ... ever ... i noticed that the paint job an amateur did on my car was done soo poorly that it cannot be repaired and that i will have to paint the darn car again.

I know there are plenty of signal red triumphs all over, but very few TR4a´s in grey. i know it is not correct according to the old school and restoration but i sometimes tend to do things a bit out or the ordinary.

well i guess anyone who is crazy enough to restore a car has to be a bit messed up, to start with, right?

what do you think?

saludos,

Paul /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif
 
Re: birrch grey TR4A .... yes or no ?

Obviously -- your car... your choice. Grey can be a great color on LBCs but I am not familiar with the shade you mention. What color interior would you use (red can llok good with a medium to dark grey).

There are these:

greys.JPG
 
Re: birrch grey TR4A .... yes or no ?

Standard TR3 colors included Pearl Grey from Sept 1957 to Jan 1959, when it was replaced by Silverstone Grey (not Silvertone, as the chip calls it.)

No grey was initially offered on TR4.

But keep in mind that cars were painted by the factory and by dealers in many different shades which were not documented well (or at all.)

Remember, it's your car, so paint it how you want it.
 
Re: birrch grey TR4A .... yes or no ?

You don't have to settle on a color until you're ready to spray. Get the whole thing in grey primer, then get it wet( you gotta hose it down to wet sand any how) Then you'll know what it'd look like.
I was never a fan of the grey, as it looks like the car is still in primer even when you're done. But that's just my opinion. I do have the same dilemma, My TR4A is currently red, and in need of paint. I like the red,But almost every 4 that I see is red, and I'm a non-conformist. I kinda like titanium, or the classic BRG..... I'm not sure.
 
Re: birrch grey TR4A .... yes or no ?

I saw a gloss black TR3 once that looked really stunning. Just a thought. Not sure if it was a factory color or not.
 
Re: birrch grey TR4A .... yes or no ?

I had a gray car once, and I'll never have one again. Even if the car is spotless, it looks plain. I had a gray 325is that was spotless, one white and one red 325is that were kind of rough. Both the red and white cars always got commentsabout how nice they were, the gray (even though it was a much nicer car) never got one compliment.
 
Hi, Have you considered returning the car to its original color? That would add to its value in most instances.

It sounds like you might know what the original color was. If not, you can find out through the Heritage Certificates. I was able to confirm my '62 TR4 was Spa White with Midnight Blue leather interior, and that's the color scheme I'll be using in its restoration. The combination, especially Midnight Blue instead of the more common Shadow Blue, was not listed in TR catalogs, but is shown on the Heritage certificate.

A certificate costs about $50 US, but can really be helpful information. If interested, visit their website at https://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/

No, I think people who *don't* care about and restore their cars are "messed up"!

Cheers!

Alan
 
the original color was the light or wedgewood blue, and i guess the same midnight blue leather. the problem is that i already installed a black and white piping leather trim that cost me a bunch of money, which was correct for the signal red paint.

if i paint it blue with the black trim it will be incorrect anyhow.

i also happen to have plenty of pictures of the car when it was right out of the dealer, with my old man and mom in it.

paul.
 
Hola, Paul!

MG had a nice shade of gray - Dove Gray - that ought to look pretty nice on your TR. As long as you're changing it anyway, you don't have to limit yourself to TR colors.

Also, have you thought about pale or primrose yellow. TR4's look great in that color, and it was very popular in its day, especially with the black interior.

Mickey
 
Actually the Wedgewood/Powder Blue looks gorgeous with black trim with white piping! It was, in fact, a factory available combination -- and when I see Wedgewood TR4s, they often still have black interior like they did from the factory.

I would STRONGLY consider going back to Wedgewood. I had a Powder Blue TR3, and it really was pretty, and popular with guys and girls alike.
 
it´s actually nice to hear different opinions ... the good thing is that i still have several weeks to decide.

sam are the wedgewood and the powder blue the same thing?

cause i´ve different types of light blues on these cars and i thought it was because perhaps someone changed the original colors. is the powder blue a bit more pale then the wedgewood?
 
Excelent display of colors i very much appreciate it.
 
I believe that Powder Blue was available on TR3Bs, but only Wedgewood was available on TR4s. Now so many cars have been repainted, and the base-clear creates slightly different hues, you essentially get a very similar color on both 3s and 4s.

In any event, Wedgewood and Powder Blues were both offered with Blue or Black interior and Black or White tops/tonneau/hoodstick cover. My '59 had blue interior/white weather equipment, but it looks better with black with white piping and black weather equipment.

Here's a pic of my last TR3 -
59tr3.jpg
 
Funny how some cars look fine in a certain color and another doesn't. A neighbor of mine had his AH 3000 painted a flash (sorta metallic) silver with black interior and white piping. Looked great. Another person had his MGB painted the same color and it looked really strange and wrong. I saw a light gray TR3 from a distance and it looked ok with red interior but the paint looked a little old and "distressed" If it were a nice clean gray and new red it might, as noted above, looked good
 
sam, this pic of your TR3A is powder, right? which is a bit lighter then the wedgewood. i know that the correct one for my TR4A is wedgewood. i´ll try to look for a color catalogue this week for british cars.

the guy that is painting my car just finished a TR3 on pearl grey and red or more like wine red interior and it looks amazing. the combination with the chrome looks really nice. the colour i guess is a bit darker then the common used silver now a days. i´m guessing that perhaps the mercedes goldwing uses something similar.
 
Paul -

Just to throw in another option, my TR3 is Pearl White with red interior. The top, side curtains, and tonneau are red also, but a deeper color. Pearl White is almost like pale yellow, and the colors really work well together. I've gotten quite a few compliments, and Pearl White and the red interior were factory offerings. Attached is a picture from a show in North Carolina - mine is the small mouth model on the left, and there's a pale yellow TR3A on the right, as well as a Powder Blue one, so you can compare.

Mickey
 

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Thanks, Jim! I thought the same initially, but then I saw the color sample for the red Everflex top... Just ordered a tonneau cover to match.

Mickey
 
Paul, what ever color you do choose, take the time to have a test panel sprayed so you can really see it. Color chips can be decieving to say the least, and the extra step could save you major regrets.....(there was another red on the 4's more of a poppy red)
MD(mad dog)
 
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