Colour Schemes

There are no indication or VIN (Vehicle Identification Numbers) included on Y Types to give any clue as to what the original paint scheme was for your car. However, often a good guide to the original paint colour of the body can be gained by removing the voltage regulator or the small circular junction box on the engine bulkhead as these were probably not removed in the course of a respray. Alternately, if you have already embarked on a strip down and do not mind chipping away at the layers of paint, the edges of doors also often receive little in the way of attention on resprays too. Failing that, here are some notes on the colour schemes employed that hopefully will be of some assistance to you.

Unless otherwise stated, all comments refer to both the YA and YB Saloon cars, and the Tourers. Where the Tourers alone have a feature this is annoted as (Y/T only). Clearly there will be many aspects which do not apply to Tourers, these are not annoted as (Saloons only)

Y Type Colour Schemes

The table below shows all the body and interior colours available during the production of the Y Type. These tables have been copied by permission of David Lawrence from his book Let There Be Ys. Further reproduction without permission in other publications or websites is not permitted.

Y Saloon
Exterior	Interior
a. Elizabeth Grey / Shires Green	a. Vellum Beige, Brown piping
	b. Dark Green, Green piping
	**c. (Regency Red, Red piping, from mid 1947)
b. Black (throughout production)	a. Vellum Beige, Brown piping
	b. Dark Green, Green piping (from beginning to approx. mid 1949)
	c. Dark Green, Beige piping (from approx. mid 1949 to end of production)
	d. Regency Red, Red piping (from mid 1947 to approx. mid 1949)
	#e. Brown (piping unknown) (from approx. mid 1949 to end of production, but probably never used)
	f. Maroon, Beige piping (from approx. mid 1949 to end of production)
c. *Elizabeth Grey / Marcham Grey (from mid 1947 to approx. June 1949, if it existed)	a Vellum Beige, Brown piping
	b. Dark Green, Green piping
	c. Regency Red, Red piping
d. MG Maroon (from approx. mid 1947 to approx. June 1949)	a.. Vellum Beige, Brown piping
	b. Regency Red, Red piping
e. Sequoia Cream (from approx. mid 1947 to approx. June 1949)	a. Regency Red, Red piping
	b. Dark Green, Green piping
	c. Vellum Beige, Brown piping
f. Autumn Red (from June 1949 to end of production)	a. Vellum Beige, Brown piping
	b. Maroon, Beige piping
g. Sun Bronze (from approx. June 1949 to end of production)	a. Maroon, Beige piping
h. Almond Green (from approx. June 1949 to end of production)	a. Green, Beige piping
	b. Beige, Brown piping
* It is not absolutely certain that the exterior colour scheme of Elizabeth Grey / Marcham Grey actually appeared in production, although judging by the length of time it appeared in advertising and publicity material, it is felt that it probably did appear. However, this colour scheme was not seen during research. ** Knowing the Factory's dislike of the pairing of the colours green and red, it seems unlikely that the Regency Red interiors would have been installed in Elizabeth Grey / Shires Green cars, although they probably were fitted to Elizabeth Grey / Marcham Grey, if they existed. # Interior trim of Brown was not seen during research, and probably did not appear on production cars. (See Let There Be Ys for further details.) + Green is the same as earlier Dark Green and Beige is the same as the earlier Vellum Beige. The prefixes to the names were merely discontinued.

Y/T Tourer
Exterior	Interior
a. Shires Green (later replaced by Almond Green)	a. Shires Green, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
	*b. Vellum Beige, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
b. Regency Red (later replaced by MG Red)	a. Regency Red, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
	**b. Vellum Beige, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
c. Black	a. Shires Green, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
	b. Regency Red, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
	*c. Vellum Beige, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
d. Sequoia Cream (later replaced by Ivory)	a. Shires Green, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
	b. Regency Red, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
e. Clipper Blue	*a. Vellum Beige, Beige piping and "Hidem Banding"
* Two examples of original Beige piping on Beige upholstery have definitely been seen during research, one from an originally "Black" car and the other from either a "Shires Green" or a "Black" Car. Evidence (from two cars in the U.S.A. thought to be unrestored) also strongly indicate that "Clipper Blue" cars also used Beige piping on the interior trim. Research suggests the possibility that "Red" cars with Beige interiors may have had red piping. However, this is not confirmed and actually thought unlikely. NB.** The "Shires Green" interior was a brighter shade of green than the "Dark Green" used on the saloons.

Paint Formulas

Body Colours

This table provides a list of formulas or colour equivalents to the original colours used on the Y Type. As a recommendation, have a quart (or gallon) of paint mixed first and spray it on a large piece of sheet metal to help you decide what colour you like. Even better is to get a few quarts of paint and give your car a quick paint job before restoration to make sure you like the colour. When you are satisfied with the colour choice then you can strip all the paint off and start over. Sounds crazy, but at least you will like the results.

Manufacturer	Black	Sequoia Cream / Ivory	Clipper Blue YT Only	Sun(burst) Bronze	Regency Red (later MG Red)	Maroon (later Autumn Red)	MG Maroon YT Only
Colour
BMC / BL Code	BK1	YL5 or YL 6	BU14		RD14 BLVC257	RD21	RD6
B.W.		4138?			3010?	EM83?
Dulux Ausl.		5748 or 5750	5843	5851	5842	5839
Dupont	99	83449	93-25888			7415 93-96233H	93-83450H
Ditzler (PPG)	9000 - 9300	81271	12297	23662	71993	50930	50930
Glasurit					JAG302		MS279
ICI Prefixed PO-	8858, 0122	2979, 2065, 2980, 3487,	0146, 3300	2027M, 2027M	9448, 3000	3895, 2473	2071, 2752
NTG	NXBK1	NXYL5	NXBU14	NXN001	NXRD14		NXRD6
Rinson-Mason (R&M)	A946	BM127	BM042		BM121R	BM108R	BM108R
Rover
Martin- Senour		25235 23235?	25286		25011		20216
Original MG Part No.	S4/145	S4/147	S4/151	S4/149	S4/150	S4/146	S4/146
	Grey (Met)	Silver Streak Grey	Marcham Grey	Elizabeth Grey	MG Green (Met)	Shires Green	Almond Green	Woodland Green
Colour
BMC / BL Code	GR14	GR25			GN31	GN25	GN37 (Met) N5292	GN29
B.W.	2209M
Dulux Ausl.				5749			5846 (Met)	6310
Dupont							8195LH	93-98249 6606 8194L
Ditzler (PPG)		72030 33676					44159 50930 (Met?)	2246 43342
Glasurit							MS292 AST602
ICI Prefixed PO-	2367	2209		0126	2007M	2379	2007M, 3483	0191, 9767
NTG		NXGR25	NXN004	NXN003	NXGN31	NXGN25	NXGN37	NXGN29
Rinson-Mason (R&M)		BM027					BM076	BM078
Rover		4227 SW4B
Martin- Senour		25280					20214	20561(?)
Original MG Part No.		S4/163					S4/148 (Met)	S4/164

If you are having difficulty obtaining help from your supplier to get the correct paint and need the formulas, a good contact is Nexa Autocolor. Their website address is www.nexaautocolor.com. You may need to register some details with them, but they have been very helpful. Always quote the ICI code number above.

Hex Holdings (www.hex.co.uk, email loughborough@hex.co.uk, telephone +44 (0)1509 505011.) can also supply most of these colours in aerosols, either 2-pack or cellulose form. One Aerosol will cost �10.26* (*all prices quoted as at September 2006) including VAT (�8.73 without). Each aerosol contains 400ml. Delivery which will be by courier. Most MG colours will be available, all we need is an original MG/ Rover code. The cellulose that we mix is ICI Belco product and is becoming harder to obtain due to the new UK Government legislation. Most solvent based paints will be discontinued by the end of 2006.

Note: The colours shown in this table are approximate. Due to the nature of each computer display and the limits of the colour pallet of your system, there may be a large difference between these colours and the actual production colours. The colour references are believed to be correct, however, before purchasing your chosen colour you should check colour codes with your chosen manufacturer. Neither the MG Car Club, nor the Y Type Register can accept any responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided above and it is only intended as a guide.

Note: Apparently MG did not have strict formulas or consistent suppliers for their finishes, so even during the production of the Y Type there would be large discrepancies between cars of the same colour. The cars were also not documented with their colour on an ID plate. This practice did not start until the MG TF model in late 1953.

Note: CKD cars were delivered with primer only. This was also available as an orderable option so any paint colour is original on one of these cars.

Note: The exterior piping (cord filled fabric material between sheet metal parts) colour matched the body paint colour.

Engine and Transmission

Item	Colour	Comment
Engine block, head, tappet chest inspection cover, water outlet manifold, gearbox case, oil pump housing, crankshaft pulley, water pump, water branch pipe, throttle return spring clip, front engine steady bracket (yoke under water pump).	Engine Green on early car, Red later	This colour was similar to MG red but a little darker.
Sump, timing chain cover, gearbox bell housing.	Natural aluminium
Breather pipe and clamp.	Engine colour	Some cars may have had this painted black.
Inlet manifold.		Bare metal casting.
Exhaust manifold, manifold clamps.	Aluminized	This is a spray of liquid aluminium that gives the appearance of a white, softly textured surface. Very hard to keep clean.
Engine stabilizer and bracket on wing.	Black	Some like to cad plate the nuts and expander but they were all black.
Valve cover / Rocker cover.	Painted Aluminium	See comments above
Oil canister - old style.	Red	These were through away elements. There is a decal that went on these parts. Cast element housings were an add on.
Oil canister - newer style 1952 (Tecalemit) Part number I62451.	Red	A slightly darker colour than the instrument cluster/steering wheel centre colour.
Oil canister - newer style 1952 (Purolator) Part number I62429.	Red	Used on some later cars. Noted by the large attaching bolt and capped plate at rear of the filter. They had no identifying plate as on the Tecalemit filters, but were decorated with a decal naming the company and listing the maintenance procedures.
Air cleaner, starter, dynamo body, fan blades.	Black
Thermostat body, upper hose elbow.	Black, Engine Green or Red	This is a controversial item. Many believe that this was painted the same colour as the engine but replacement parts were black. Others believe that it was assembled as a unit with the radiator and therefore black. All the pictures that I have are not clear on this as they are in shadow.
Dynamo fan / pulley, distance piece.	Engine Red	Most believe these to be red but some claim they were black.
Engine block drain tap, sump drain plug, engine ID plate.	Natural Brass	Some paint this the engine colour. The ID plate should be left natural but on original cars the drains were most likely painted red.
oil line - block to head.	Engine Green or Red	Many like to leave the brass ends natural. Most likely all the same colour from the factory though.
Carburettor parts: choke coupler (Y/T only), jet links, springs, couplings, anchor clips.	Black	Note that some of these parts were blued and not painted black. Bluing is a metal treatment that has a black, transparent type of look to it. It is very common on firearms.
Most carburettor parts (see exceptions elsewhere), air cleaner wing nut (export air filters only), transmission dipstick cover wing nut, carburettor overflow lines, dynamo lubricator, tachometer reduction gearbox (Y/T only), distributor body, oil pressure gauge line and brass coupling on firewall.	Natural	Many like to polish these unfinished parts for an enriched look.
Carburettor, fuel pump base sections.	Natural Aluminium	Polishing these items makes for a very nice effect but was not originally done. If you do polish these parts it is recommend that you spray the carburettor body with a clear sealer because it will be impossible to keep the polish up after the carburettor is assembled.
Fuel pump and carburettor fittings.	Natural	Brass parts left natural. Again polishing and coating with a clear paint will preserve the shine of these parts.
Exhaust pipe bracket, clamp and spacer on transmission.	Black

Chassis

Item	Colour	Comment
Frame, suspension parts, rear end, brake drums, brake lines, springs, shocks and all chassis parts.	Satin (soft mat) Black	Note most people prefer to use a high gloss paint for all the chassis parts in current restorations because of its look and durability.
Radiator.	Satin (soft mat) Black	It is not recommended to finish the radiator fins with a heavy based enamel. Optionally you may first paint the fins with a heat based (exhaust type) flat black finish and then paint the rest of the radiator with a high gloss finish. The original was painted with a very thin coat of satin gloss black paint.
Shock absorbers.	Satin (soft mat) Black	Some late Y's with Armstrong shocks were left unpainted for the body with the shock arms painted black.
Wheels.	Body colour on Ys YTs Yellow / Cream	The valve cover and wheels were originally painted with plain silver paint, non glossy. Similar to the finish you would get out of a spray can today.
Exhaust pipes, exhaust pipe brackets.	Black	Most paint the exhaust system with modern heat paint. Originally painted with chassis paint which would then have undoubtedly burnt off!

Woodwork

Interior / Soft goods

Item	Colour/Material	Comment
Seat fronts and outside bottoms, seat back face, map pockets in doors, piping around door map pockets.	Leather	Dyed to match vinyl cloth interior. Used where wear and tear would be a factor.
All door panels, kick panels, seat backs and rears.	vinyl cloth (Rexine - Slightly textured precursor to vinyl.)
Dash underpanel.	Black millboard	Sound deadening material was attached to the millboard on the non-black patterned side.
Glovebox Interior.	Brown flock like coating	Must have been sprayed on.
Top, side curtains - YT only.	"Salt & pepper" speckled canvas	Similar to light tent material. Side curtain windows were made of celluloid and yellowed immediately. Side curtain nuts were painted tan.
Toolroll.	Black canvas
Side curtain box - YT only.	Black woollen felt
Headlining	Beige Union cloth	This was bordered front to rear following the roof line and around the rear quarter lights, across the back of the rear of the sunroof recess, and over the top of the rear window, with a unique bobble lace covered "hidem" rubber extrusion.
Plywood filler panels	Rexine covered	These ran across the tops of the door frames, and down the 'B' Pillar posts on the inside of the car.
Gear lever gaiter.	Black leather
Steering column excluder.	Tan leather
Carpets.	Black short hair wool	Carpets were untrimmed and were trapped under carpet strips. The carpet under the seats was separate from the carpet in front of the seats. Under the arch of the seat back, covering the hand brake cables, was a piece of cardboard covered by carpet with the front edge bound in black leather. Under the drivers feet a rubber mat was stitched in.
Carpet retaining strips	Black folded metal sections
Rear Grab Handles.
Rear blind (anti-dazzle).	Finely woven natural coloured linen cloth
Rear seat arm rests - central and each side.	Leather
Shelf behind seat.	Plywood covered with Union Cloth headliner material
Boot area.	Floor over Spare wheel - Black plywood, side walls and rear of back seat - Black millboard

Brightwork and Chrome

Item	Colour	Comment
Headlamp bodies, headlamp adjusting nuts, headlamp rings, headlamp ring retaining screw, King of the Road medallion.	Chrome	Note that on later YB's (late 51, 52 and 53) the headlamp bodies were sometimes painted black.
Headlamp bar through radiator, radiator cap	Chrome
Side Lamp - Lucas 1130 "torpedo" lights.	Chrome	Red plastic translucent Lucas medallion on top with opaque "white" glass front secured in with chrome ring.
Radiator hose clamps, air cleaner clamps, steering excluder clamp.	Cadmium	Zinc plating is often used as a substitute for Cadmium today. Some headlamp bracket bolts may have been chromed or painted body colour.
Oil filler cap, body plate, MG Car Co. plate, patent plate.	Nickel Silver	Note that etched writing or background on nickeled items were painted black. Plates were made of brass. Plates held in place with brass round headed slotted screws with square nuts.
Air cleaner manifold.	Polished Aluminium	Some like to paint the background of the MG Logo red or black.
Transmission dipstick, engine dipstick.	Chrome	Some like to paint the background of the MG Logo red or black.
Hub caps.	Chrome	See note on hub cap medallions.
Hub cap medallions (late YAs - 1951 approx & YBs).	Polished	Background painted red.
Radiator shell, nose and slats.	Chrome
Radiator and boot (trunk) medallion.	Chrome	Brown MG on cream background.
Fuel tank filler cap, bonnet hinge strip.	Polished	Polished stainless steel.
Fuel tank filler cap lever, tail light and marker light screws, windscreen screws and nuts.	Chrome
Splash pan x-screws and washers (front wing).	Chrome
Bumpers, overriders (YT & YB only, although University Motors did fit their own to YAs), door knobs, door latches, side curtain clamps (Y/T only), side curtain nuts in door tops (Y/T only), seat back adjusters and brackets, bonnet catches, windscreen parts and brackets (brackets = Y/T only), rear lamp bodies, dashboard edging, glove box hinges, bonnet handles, side curtain strips (Y/T only), hand brake (not grip, which was black plastic) and release button, gear shift lever.	Chrome
Steering wheel column upper outer tube, lamp switch bezels, gauge bezels, steering column expandable cover.	Chrome
Tachometer cable (Y/T only), speedometer cable, choke cable, starter cable, emergency brake cables, clutch cable housings, seat runners, fuel lines (braided).	Cadmium
Rear view mirror	Black

Miscellaneous

Item	Colour	Comment
Engine bulkhead.	Body Colour	The whole body tub was painted at Morris Car Bodies plant prior to despatch to Abingdon in one colour.
Starting handle, front licence plate brackets, front license plate and clips, starter cable bracket on bulkhead, horns and brackets, accelerator pedal assembly, fuel pump body.	Black	Handle on Starting Handle was brass.
Side curtain frames, top frame, side curtain nuts on frames (YT's only).	Tan
Fuel line.	Black	This was part of the chassis assembly and got painted black. Many today polish this with copper polish for a nice effect.
Dash panel screws.	Chrome
Door checks, bonnet latch receivers on inner wings / valences.	Body colour
Windscreen wiper motor cover.	Black crackle paint
Tools.	Black
Wiring Harness.	Black	Black with two thread yellow tracer.
Battery underliner in battery box.	Black	Rubber.

Y Type Colour Schemes	Paint Formulas	Engine and Transmission
Chassis	Woodwork	Interior / Soft goods
Brightwork and Chrome	Miscellaneous

Item	Colour	Comment
Floorboards.	Black	Made of mahogany plywood.
Dash Y and YB.	Natural finish	Plywood but with walnut veneer on glovebox lid and instrument panel surround which are book matched one to the other.
Dash YT.	Covered in interior cloth (Rexine)	Same material as seat backs and door panels.
Woodwork around side windows.	Natural finish	Bottom face is book matched burr walnut veneer.
Windscreen bottom rail.	Natural finish	Book matched burr walnut veneer on front face. Top surface natural varnished wood.
Windscreen side and top rails, sunroof surrounds.	Varnished natural wood

YB Saloon
Exterior	Interior
a. Black	a. Maroon, Beige piping
	b. Beige, Brown piping
	c. Green, Beige piping
b. Autumn Red	a. Maroon, Beige piping
	b. Beige, Brown piping
c. Woodland Green	a. Green, Beige piping
	b. Beige, Brown piping
d. Grey (later called Silver Streak Grey)	a. Maroon, Beige piping
NB. The interior colours were the same as those used on the late "Y" saloons.