What color?

Its a slow day on the MGC forum........so maybe this will get some responses. What color should I paint my '69 MGCGT (black interior of course). It is still original pale primrose but needs to be done everywhere.

What colour you thinking of? Mine is red with a tan interior but the MGB roadster I am doing will be done in primrose yellow also with a tan interior. I think that colour looks nice on these cars.

Always worth a little more in the original color, or at least there will not be a possible non original color deduction.
Of course you have to like Pale Primrose, me I like it. Wish I had one.
Ron

With Ron on maintaining an original colour....plus I have always loved "Pale Primrose"....

Drew

I'm with the above for the same reasons.

Seems a lot of talk about an over abundance of PP MGCs. I suspect it reflects demand for them in their day. The ONLY other color would be red...IMHO...

I have just driven back from church and the diner.
Pale Primrose is a color not found among the cars of today.
Everyone waves.
It is joyful and will give you great pleasure. Stay with PP.

I'd stick with the primrose.

How about black?.......[size=x-small]be nice[/size]

Black is the most difficult color to lay down straight and shows every chip and spot of dirt. Modern paint aswages the chip problem for the most part, but any body imperfection is grossly exaggerated by black. Add to the fact going from PP to black brings on a host of tell tale yellow residue. Unless you are going to completely strip the car...ie. take it all apart and put it together again, yellow will tell its tale to most anyone curious enough...sometimes even when they aren't curious. In the end it looks fraudulant unless done painstakingly correct...IMHO. I have seldom seen a color changed car which didn't show the original with the possible exception of a modest hue or tint change.
But it IS your car....and your decision.

Lloyd...in your case, I think a nice shade of chartreuse.

:)

Or maybe tartan....plaid. (There was an MGTD from Chicago that showed up at Twists UML Summer Party for several years....the engine block was even painted plaid.)

:)

Seriously...I think black looks sharp (I've had a black MG Midget and two black Z-cars/still own one of them)...but it is very hard to keep looking good, and in the case of your GT, would get rather hot rather quickly, especially in the New Mexico climates.

So....count this as another Pale Primrose (but only if you do NOT choose chartreuse!)

Black is a PITA for the above mentioned reasons. I dont think there were all that many PP cars back then, seems we see a lot of them now, I have been going through a spat of Mineral Blue cars myself.
Your call, your car.
Ron

It's your car, paint it whatever you like the best.

Lloyd if I was going to go with a dark color it would be Black Tulip.

Lloyd, I tend to agree with the previous posters. Stick with the PP or at least a light color. I switched from BRG to Snowberry White and I get alot of positive comments on the color.

Paul Briggs
MGC GT #7560

Or....you could do a two-tone like my GT....

Rick.....chartreuse? I would have thought an ol' ricer like you wouldn't want to paint an MG a Zcar color. Also don't confuse northern NM with Phoenix.

Everyone....it seems like PP is the color right now because everyone has one.

I have owned more black cars than any other color......I love 'em.

I also am fairly arrogant about my abiltity to do body and paint.....so black is like a "hey look what I just did"

Robert....the car will be sand blasted over, under, around and through no matter what color it ends up.....so no danger of yellow peakin' through.

Rick....two tone? you forgot to suggest that I also add Camaro mirrors.

Ron......already have a mineral blue roadster.........

Nothing wrong with a black MG. :)

Lloyd/Steve
Black is nice, but too hard for me to keep it looking nice. Black has lots of curb appeal too. Any way I am sure whatever color you choose you will do a bang up job.

Rick
I like your two tone GT and are those hood louvers? How is the project coming?

How is the hip rehab doing? You out in the garage getting dirty?

Cheers Ron

[quote=balloonfoot]
Rick.....chartreuse? I would have thought an ol' ricer like you wouldn't want to paint an MG a Zcar color. Also don't confuse northern NM with Phoenix.

<snip>

Rick....two tone? you forgot to suggest that I also add Camaro mirrors.

<snip> [quote]

Lloyd....ricer. harumph. <grin>

BTW...they are 1979 Buick Regal mirrors. Just wouldn't be kosher or concours to pu a Chevy product onto a Buick 215 (OK - it's really a Rover 3.9 stroker) based MG!

:bouncing:

You forgot to mention the Chrysler New Yorker louvres. And don't forget that third brake light!

:smoking:

I have the same dilemma but have pretty much decided to stay with the PP.

Cheers,

Bill.

Rick......I hope this goofy post finds you in good health in addition to good spirits................

Lloyd: I am a firm believer in the "it's your car, do what you want!" line of thought.

Sometimes when I encounter someone who is so anal that they have to have the car EXACTLY the way it came from the factory, I just want to say: "I'm sorry you can't afford to keep the car - when do you have to get it back to the dealer?"

That said, here is my thoughts: My GT is also an original '69 Pale Primrose 4-speed w/overdrive car. By the time I got the car it had been used and abused a lot already, repainted once then repainted again in Resale Red. Cheap job. Yellow showing through everywhere after a few years. Wanted to restore it in black. (Yes, I agree with all the comments about black and it would be hard to get this metal smooth enough for black!) Then I went to a small MG club meet and saw this perfect '67 MGB GT in black with all the same details (Euro lights, chrome wires, etc.) and the car seemed to disappear. The color made it look smaller and the car just didn't stand out like I wanted.

Changed my mind through several colors after that. The PP cars I have seen all looked great when the paint was fresh, not so much when it aged. Lighter colors like PP and Snowberry White make the car look bigger and therefore set it apart from MGBs, but can look boring to me. I have since settled on a Metalic Red to show off the bonnet "lumps" to further distinguish the C as different.

Yellow is not that common on current cars except Jeeps and my wife's smart fortwo. And the yellow was only for 2008 on that model, but people do notice it!

As far as Rick's idea of a two-tone, there was an MGC GT in this area that was painted a nice blue metalic (like a Shelby color) and the sides were painted white below the SS rub strip, somewhat like some of the UM Specials. It looked very good, too. Haven't seen that car for many years, though it was nice!

C Ya,
Mark

Rick
Went to the website, very interesting project. I am sure you will be glad to get back to yours too.
Yea getting old sucks, and most people dont want to hear about our health problems anyway as they have thir own issues. Hope your new one is a minor one.
Good luck and you will be out in the garage soon.

I do like your paint job on the GT.

Ron

My choice would be.... Grampian Grey

Peace,
D

Three choices IMHO:

Pale Primrose
Grampian Grey
Mineral Blue

All three are excellent, and I also have a thing for red cars, but I would pick one of those three. As for keeping the original color, I don't think these cars are like Corvettes or other cars where strict adherence to factory spec will gain any significant value. Could be wrong about that, but I wouldn't hesitate to change color if I was willing to put in enough work to do it right.

Tom

I think a primrose GT looks good, either in a B or a C. I had a primrose bgt in the 70's and restored one for the x wife in the 90's as her going away present, and now have a primrose C.

I like the gray color exterior and red interior but it's your car so do what you really like. Keeping it original makes it a bit easier.

Grampian Grey!

grumpy man grey? you think that fits me, Marc?

Always wondered where the name came from and found out it was the Grampian Mountains. Yes kinda cold and gray on those winter days. When I was posted to the UK I worked in the "Hole". A underground facility for the UK and NATO. In the winter months I went to work before daybreak and came home after sunset so did not see the sun all week long. Could get depressing but NATO always had some eye candy working for them.

Ron

I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark this time of year also.:thumbdown:

I love Pale Primerose and original car colours....so stick with it.

Paul ;-)

Having once drooled over one of Lloyd's black cars as a teenager, his body and paint sklls have my full vote of confidence, no matter the color.

I've always thought a black B or CGT was one of the most elegant looking English cars this side of the E-type/Aston realm.....so that's my vote, Black.

Have got to say, already having answered this for myself, that Black Tulip is the way to go.....

You can skip the flying eyeball if you so choose..... ;)