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MG TD TF 1500 - Red Engine Enamel not Maroon

Who sells the original Red engine enamel, not the Maroon that is very popular. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Bill Hirsch is what I used and is recommended in the archives. Moss paint I understand stains when in contact with coolant, oils, etc.

Great paint and covers well.

MG Maroon.

http://www.hirschauto.com/prodinfo.asp?number=EE-QUART

I thought your engine is done? I thought I have seen pictures of your engine complete in the chassis already painted?

Here's mine.



Frank Cronin

I thought the Moss paint was fixed. I touched up some the other day that had been stained and the paint appeared to be more full bodied than before.
Christopher Couper

Frank, My engine was done with the recommended Duplicolor Canyon Red, which has a lot of Maroon in it. Problem being, it's already flaking off in a couple areas. Since the tub has to come off for painting, I'm going to re do the engine in a better paint and more correct to the factory color. Easy to pull with the chassis open. 2 or 3 days to do and I have the time. PJ
Paul S Jennings

Direct colour match to the original paint colour found on my TD engine is Rustoleum Cardinal Red. It is an enamel and does not bleach with coolant spills. The paint is easily found at Home Depot.

I was very surprised to find that it matched perfectly. Looks a little bright when fresh, but darkens to the correct colour when fully cured.
C.R. Tyrell

Paul,
I used GM RED Engine paint,,, can't really tell the difference from the more expensive Moss or AB paints,,and it's easily availabe,,,

SPW
Steve Wincze

Rustoleum Cardinal Red.

GM Red engine paint.

Thanks guys for that info!
Steve, can the GM paint be bought in quarts or rattle cans? PJ
Paul S Jennings

Paul -

I'm still an MG newbee, so take this with a grain of salt.

I used Bill Hirsch MG Maroon on my TF-1500 engine. It is not the "purple-brown" color that I have seen on some MGs. Yes, it's maroon, but toward the red side of maroon. If you haven't seen B.H. paint on an actual engine, try to find one before you decide.

I am impressed with the paint. I painted the engine while it was in the car with the fenders and side panels on. I used an airbrush with thinned paint to shoot the nooks and crannies that might load up with paint from a gun or brush; also good for tight places. I primed/wet-sanded/primed/wet-sanded the push rod cover and shot with a gun. I could lay down a smoother and wetter coat with a gun than with a rattle can. I painted the rest of the engine with a small good brush. The paint from all three methods of application flowed out into a smooth coat. No brush marks; no varience in sheen. I wish that I could paint the body with the paint!

Lonnie
TF7211
LM Cook

PJ,

You might remember this thread:

http://www2.mg-cars.org.uk/cgi-bin/or17?runprog=mgbbs&access=&mode=archiveth&subject=8&subjectar=8&thread=2011112521362513232

I think the conclusion was the T Series red isn't the same as the MGA/MGB maroon. You might try a can of the Moss T series paint. I'm convinced it is as original. It is not the same color or part number as their MGA/MGB engine paint. If you don't want to use it because of durability issues, perhaps you can match it up to another color in Rustoleum or clear coat it.

I have no idea whether the Hirsch paint is T series red or MGA maroon. Per the thread above, I think MGA maroon is the same as Canyon Red, so you may not be happy with the Hirsch paint if that's what it is.
David Littlefield

This colour was mixed by Phil Redhead, the then owner of Sportsparts here in Sydney in the 60's. It is a very good match to the original T series block, in engine enamel & is still available in 500ml tins from Sportsparts. It seems identical to Frank's block. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

David,

The Hirsch MG red looks like the bottom sample of your photo in the link to the archived thread. Hirsch Auto named it "maroon red" but looks nothing like the MGA red I've seen that is a completely shade of red that has more brown in it.

Underneath the cover to the gear box had some real nice surviving red engine paint on my car. Comparing it to the Hirsch paint it look very similar. It was also 60 year old factory paint in which does fade and pigments used back then were inferior. I did wet the cover with water to just experiment to give it the sheen of fresh paint and I thought it matched pretty darn good.

I just wished I took a picture but didn't. Never thought it could help others in deciding which paint to use.
Frank Cronin

I used the Moss paint. I like the color. Out of concern about whether it will stand up to coolant leaks, I performed a not-very-scientific test. I put some pure coolant and some water and coolant mix on a painted sample and kept the sample wet for over a week. The test lasted only a little over a week and the sample was at room temperature all the time, but when I then washed the sample clean, there was no evidence of any damage to the paint. I've only run my engine a couple of hours or so, but the paint looks good so far.

Picture one: start of test.

Joe

Joe Olson

picture two: end of test

Joe Olson

For what it is worth. I used KRYLON ( spray can ) p/n 42325 Burgundy .

Gerard
Gerard Hengeveld

Bill Hirsch in New Jersey USA
Len Fanelli

I used the Hirsch paint and added hardener to it, seems to be very durable.
Rich (TD 3983) Taylor

PJ,
I've only needed a rattle can, mostly for touch up, and replacement water pumps,,,, never looked for larger quantities,,,

SPW
Steve Wincze

Moss "T" paint from about 2006.

MG LaVerne

And what happened to it when you got anti freeze on it. Good leak detector I suppose.

MG LaVerne

Repainted with some ordinary automotive enamel thats holding up just fine after a lot of miles.

MG LaVerne

B series Maroon from Moss on the TD. Put on when I had core plug failure on it as well.

MG LaVerne

It's a shame that the Moss paint has issues, seeing that it has the same slight orange tinge to it as my original paint had. Did Moss have this issue resolved or are they selling the same paint as before? PJ
Paul S Jennings

I'd like to know the answer to Paul's question also since I just bought 3 cans on the stuff...
W. A. Chasser Jr

I went to Sherman Williams yesterday and the guy there said to bring him a chip and he will match it in acrylic enamel automotive paint. Now I need a chip of the original color, which I don't have.
While researching this, I found out that 1970 Corvettes had a wheel paint, Argent Silver that had a very slight green tint in it. T series Valve covers? PJ
Paul S Jennings

The Argent silver paint you are referring to is also what was put on the 409 valve covers in 1961-61 and is available through the Showcars website in spray cans. look them up and hit the 409 section

Bill it has a slight metallic to it
W. A. Chasser Jr

The solution for the troublesome Moss paint is a coat of clear on top. I don't know if they have changed the formulation, but if not then I wouldn't run the stuff without clear on top for reasons stated above.

I've put about 20,000 miles on Duplicolor Ceramic with their clear on top. Still looks like new. Far more durable than the trusty old Dark Canyon Red that I used to use on my B-Series engines.

Steve S

Abingdon Spares sent me a can of Seymour EN-59 GM red for the T-series engine. This is red, not the MGA/MGB maroon.
C.T. Irwin

What do you guys recommend for oil weight and vendor?

Blair
Blair Weiss

This thread was discussed between 31/07/2014 and 04/08/2014

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