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MG MG Y Type - Y Series Colour

Hi. I have recently acquired an MGY plated with the following MG 3334 / 3462 ( No. 154 SRZ 11165) Does this mean anything to anyone please? However my main question is, having scraped away several layers of paint , I believe that this car was originally a beige or "biscuit" coloured body with darker tan guards. Can anyone please help to identify what the official colour would have been please? THis car by the way was recently British Racing Green, and a member of the Geelong MG Club in Australia.
Our aim is to restore to as original condition as possible. This car is nearly ready for it's new coat!!
Many thanks for any help.
Ned Hoskin
Ned Hoskin

Hello Ned,

Not Quite clear on some of your numbers, 3334 and 3462 both sound like chassis numbers, but for two different cars. Is the 3334 part of the body number? Chassis number is located on LHfront chassis frame extension, about 6 inches behind the bumper mounting stud, and on the vertical outer face. You will probably only read the 4 digits, as the preceeding Y is stamped above the numbers and covered by the inner valance panel on my car (Y3477 tourer and approx August 1949 built).

Your car should be fitted with an XPAG 1250cc engine, so the 11165 part would fit into the series of engines allocated to Y models. If the car is a sedan, I would expect to see a brass plaque riveted to the block near the bellhousing, LH side, reading XPAG SC and then your 5 number sequence stamped above or below said plaque. If it's a RHD tourer, reads XPAG TR and digits.

Re colours, according to the most authoritative source of information "Let there be Ys" by David R Lawrence and available from this sites regalia sales page, there was not a tan and brown colour scheme for these cars. Buy the book, it is worth every cent if you wish to carry out an authentic rebuild.HOWEVER - apparently some late cars, YB's I think, were available in a Sunbronze metallic brown, and due to two types of paints on each car, and fading, often (apparently) gave the appearance of being two tone vehicles.

I found the best spot for colour samples to be under the regulator unit or the round junction box below it, or under the door trims. These are nailed on through the hidem binding, so often not removed when repainting. David Lawrence notes reports of brown undercoats of varying shades, could you be down to the undercoat?

A dark green was available ex factory, has been described as a mid British Racing green, same colour got two names, first Shires Green then Almond Green.

Would be best to confirm from the engine block and the chassis the relevant numbers, this will allow the most accurate ID and confirm colours etc.

Have fun, Regards

Geoff Meller YT3477
Geoff Meller

Hi Ned

We are working on a colours page even at this point in time as it happens. Geoff is absolutely right though, the best source of info at this time is David Lawrences magnificent book Let there be Ys. If you purchase it through the website you can get the supplement as well - we are sole distributors of this (although it is available seperate to the main book from us as well - doesn't really cover paint though).

The numbers you are quoting are from the body plate. When the Y was produced the paint was not part of a VIN (vehicle ident number).

The chassis number should also be able to be found on the side of the battery box on a plate. Clearly, this ought to be the same as the chassis stamping though it has not always proved so!

You did not mention what colour your trim is. If you can let us know this may also cast light upon the original colour. I think it is probably fair to say that apart from some "Special orders" mainly Marcham Grey / Elisabeth Grey, most Ys were single colour. Dual tone colour schemes were not really fashonable until the later 1950s (when the MG Magnette Varitone came in) and it was at this point many Ys acquired a dual colour scheme to give them a new lease of life. Sure dual tones existed before the war, but not on cars of the price bracket the Y was aimed at.

Hope this helps.

Paul Barrow
Paul Barrow

Whilst the majority of YB's were sold as a single colour, this is not true of the YA's.

The cars were built by Morris, then shipped to Abingdon for assembly. They arrived already painted, just as the MGB and Midget did later. Morris always had a policy of fitting black wings and running boards to their cars, no matter what the body colour. This was possible as the wings and running boards were bolted on after the paintwork was done. This made it possible with the M.G. line to offer two colours, one body colour with a contytrasting set of wings and running boards. It did not need any expensive masking-off, as the wings arrived separately. So it was easy to bolt a set of black wings to a red YA, dark green wings to a light green YA, and so on. This was the early type of two-tone effect on cars that mushroomed in the 1950's, copying the American effect.

Years and years later owners started to use the swage-line running along the bonnet-edge and under the door windows, sweeping down behind the rear wings, as a colour-divider on the 'Y' series. This is a non-standard finish, but looks nice as it 'lengthens' the car, giving the image of a small Bentley Mk 6.

Neil.
Neil Cairns

THanks very much for all of your enlightening comments!! Very much appreciated after another hot and dusty day in Melbourne, scraping away.....
To elaborate I can confirm the following:
THe vehicle is a 4 door saloon, RH drive.
THe current leather upholstery seems to be original and is dark red leather, with (very old, dark off white trim)

THe brass plaque on the left reads as follows:
Body Type B281
Body No. MG 3334 / 3462

PLaque on rear wall shows the following:
125 MG 334 ( yes 334 , not 3334)
No. 154 SRZ11165

PLaque on Battery box( never saw this before!!)
Car No. Y / 4553
Eng No. XPAG / SC / X14340

I cant get to the Chassis number today, will try tomorrow and advise. Yes , I will order the book and am starting to think the brown may be the undercoat as suggested. Do the above numbers indicate anything about colour to anyone?

Anyway, many thanks again and will advise other info as it comes to hand!!
Regards,
Ned Hoskin



Ned Hoskin

Ned

The number you should find on the chassis will be 4553. The X preceding the engine number indicates that the car was an export model, obviously an original export to Australia.

There is nothing on the Guarantee Plate, Body Plate etc that indicates the original colour, as with modern cars.

Regards.
David Pelham

This thread was discussed between 05/01/2003 and 06/01/2003

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