TOPIC: Paint color number or name for 71 cylinders

Happy New Year to everyone, I am getting ready to paint the cylinder barrels on Lee's 71 and would like to know if anyone knows either the number or the paint name.

Dan

Bob Bulduc had recommended a black barrel paint that I have used. I will post the name when I get home tomorrow. It is a high temp rattle can, gloss black, works well.

I don't think it matters to much. You don't really need "hi temp" paint on barrels. Many years ago (1988-90) I used both gloss black dupont imron or centauri car paint. I find it a bit to shiney though it does make it more easy to clean.
My choice is now industrial grade dupont imron black in a "semi gloss"..I also still have industrial full gloss for other applications.

Thanks Mike and Dave, I am going to use silver because that was the original color. I have a silver paint that is rated for "valve covers" from Moss. They reproduced the original silver paint used on british sports cars. If heat is really not an issue this may do just fine.
Thanks again and Happy New Year.

Dan

Hi Dan,

Definitely go silver on the barrels. This was the stock color for the Commando cylinders until the 1972. The 1972 Combat motor was first to feature the black jugs. If you see a STOCK 750 with black barrels it is a Combat.

Not all the 1972 Commandos were had the Combat motor however. There were a certain number of 1972 Commandos with the older 9 to 1 compression motors; these motors retained the silver barrels.

The 1973 Commando 850 MKI barrels were silver however. I think this was Norton's attempt to distinguish the 850 motors from the Combat 750 which had its problems.

The 1974 Commando 850 MKII had black barrels as did the 1975 MKIII. This was for styling I think. Also the silver paint seemed to show the rust on the cast iron jugs and leaky head gaskets more than the black.

Lee like those jugs silver. He may have liked black jugs too, but only down at the strip joint.

Jim