I'm currently getting 5 CS steel wheels repainted too..

With the colour match, I was looking at his (painter's) computer and it didn't have the silver birch 06968 listed. I managed to gently rub back and clean off a black coat of paint off my spare and found the original silver which I think I might use for a colour match instead of using the paint code? Thoughts?

It looks more like a dark silver, not the light colour we see in so many photos. I think it is correct though. At the same time I'm getting the inside of the rim painted the dark plum red too, and am matching that too as the spare still has that colour on the inside of the rim where the tyre was.

The painter would like to know if the Silver Birch is satin, gloss or matte? I am getting the switch panel done too, I guess that is gloss?

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S

Not sure about the rim paint finish , but i'm sure i've read on here that the switch panel is the same colour , and i have an original here (somewhere ) that i think is Satin .

I'll see if i can find it and check , for my own curiousity .

Depending on your location, this may be useful to you. I had a rattle can of Silver birch made up at Colourfast DIY Lawnton, matched to a spare mk2 CS switch panel I had. Paint was perfect match to the colour under switches, when removed, on the original panel. It is a clear over base. I used a gloss clear.

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S under restoration

Goodie - Be good to find out.

Ausdino,

That sounds interesting, I would like the switch panel to be as close as possible. (I'm on the Sunshine Coast)

Would Colourfast still have the paint recipe you had made I wonder?

Cheers

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S

I have a look and see whats on the can tonight for you. Failing that, you could give them a call and see if they have a record of it.

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S under restoration

Have a look here Matt,

http://www.elevenhundred.com/colours.php

The original wheel silver did seem to be a little darker than what most people end up using. The original had a strange green tinge to it also which you can see in some of the photos in this thread.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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68 Morris Cooper S Mk1 (*ex 78 1275 LS 4th last built, 70 Morris 1500 OHC & 70 MiniMatic)

I'd be interested in the colour you are getting matched for the inner painting of the rims if your happy to pass the information on. Cheers

firefirey - I will of course, I just don't know the format these colours can be described as. I will post pics of the wheels upon completion, they might still look like rubbish...

Pulling my switch panel out today, fun fun

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S

Agree that original S wheels were a darker shade than appear on some restorations. Maybe UK 'Silver Birch' was different from Aust. "Silver Birch'.

In a former life, was once mixing auto paint for a Peugeot colour from the factory formula: the colour was a mid metallic silver. It came out with a definite strange green tinge too, even though there was only the silver base, white and reduced black in the mix. Very strange optical illusion.

Can has Basecoat as per Spectro, P/C 218, Silver Birch Met.

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S under restoration

Thanks ausdino, I'll see if I can get that replicated. I've taken the switch panel off and using paint stripper, carefully removed 3 layers of paint leaving the original paint. It looks lighter than the wheel colour. I'm wondering now if they were never a perfect match. Makes sense as I'd be confident to say the panel and wheels would not have been painted at the same time let alone in the same factory...

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S

The paint colour specified by BMC for both the switch panel and wheels was the same. For the Mark 1 it was called Silver Birch, for the MK II Silver Ash. The extent to which this happened in practice can be debated.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=87398&p=956799

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=91718&p=993559

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ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Thanks for setting us straight on the colour. All this time I thought it was silver birch.

That's an interesting document for the combinations. It doesn't appear to have my combination listed even though I thought it would have been common. Is there another sheet?

Jet red with crystal white roof, Black interior... (I have the original paint stickers that would have been applied to the body.)

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1970 Mk2 Cooper S

I've posted the full set of sheets for the Mk 1 and MK II Cooper S here - viewtopic.php?f=25&t=96010

Your car's configuration should be listed.


Below is a photo of my Sept 1970 switch panel and wheel showing the paint colour comparison. To the naked eye in sunlight they look exactly the same.

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ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43