Various sources
Also Steve Wilson
Some modern paint alternatives for Norton restorers
| NORTON PAINT EQUIVALENTS | ||
The following Table lists various paints, suggested from a number of sources There are no guarantees offered that these match and from the descriptions, many of these colours may by now be obsolete or difficult to obtain We are interested to hear about satisfactory matches from contemporary paints |
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| COLOUR | MODELS | APPROXIMATE EQUIVALENT |
| Silver | International | Volkswagen Beetle Silver |
| Polychromatic Grey | Wideline Twins | Volkswagen Platin 32686M or Talbot Steel Grey Metallic 397 or Ford Granada Pearl Grey Metallic |
| Dove Grey | Twins | Dove Grey C1063 or British Leyland AB32 Arabian Grey or Volkswagen Pearl White or Ford |
| Forest Green | ES2 and Model 50 | Rover Cameron Green B266 or Vauxhall Laurel 4635 |
| Norton Red | Jubilee / Model 88 De Luxe | Berger Post Office Red or Ford Monaco Red |
| Off White | Twins | British Leyland Pale Ivory YL1 |
| Cream | Twins | Audi Atlas White 6808 |
| Silver Grey | Electra, 650SS / Atlas | Ford Silver Fox GM25411 |
| Atlantic (Tunisian) Blue | Model 99 De Luxe / Mercury | Chrysler Caribbean Blue 80 GL24435 |
| Silver | 1950 to 1955 fuel tanks | Silver Birch GL3404/M |
| Grenadier Red | Commando | Peugeot Talbot Cherry YAR054 |
| Silver | Commando | Opel Silver 135 * |
| JPN Red | Commando | British Leyland Flame Red |
| JPN Blue | Commando | Rootes Ming Blue |
| Norvil Yellow | Commando | Renault Canary Yellow Alpha Romeo Giallo Yellow |
| * The version of this paint manufactured by Sikkens has been reported as far too dark a colour | ||
Cylinder Barrel Painting
I have tried brush on Hermetite in the past but found that the coating seemed quite porous and it was not very long before the fins were looking rusty and shabby. A spray on finish could be the answer. I popped into Mick Hemmings on the way to Norton day and he was just then in the process of painting some barrels. He recommends an undercoat of Wurth Heat Resistant Matt Black lacquer spray. This is a German paint, but if you can't find a stockist, then you can buy some from Mick. This should be followed by top coats of PJ1 Gloss Black Engine Spray Paint. This is an American paint and again, Mick can supply a tin if you cannot find a source.
With both paints, Mick bakes the parts in the oven 'at the highest setting, for a long time'. I have tried this on my barrels and although I haven't yet run the bike, it certainly looks very impressive. The Wurth is capable of withstanding 650oC and seems to provide an excellent key to the bare metal surface. The PJ1 then gives a lovely thick 'wet look' gloss covering that seems to seal the surface well. I used Gas Mark 8 for about 20 minutes.
Preparation is very important - I blasted my barrels with glass bead media which worked very well, but it took ages to make sure that ALL the grains of glass were removed as the media had found its way past the masking. Just a few grains down a blind threaded hole could easily come out during a rebuild and wreck an engine. Be careful and expect it to take time; don't just assume that a blasting firm will clean the parts up to the required standard.
Jeremy Nicholls in Roadholder
