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Re: paint color choices

To: gougar@csd4.csd.uwm.edu
Subject: Re: paint color choices
From: sfisher@Megatest.COM (Scott Fisher)
Date: Fri, 4 Feb 94 15:04:02 PST
>   I've been trying to decide on a color for my BGT, and I can't seem
> to make up my mind. The original color of my '73 was purple, I believe.

There's a really dark purple called Aubergine that I happen to be
awfully fond of.  Never seen a BGT in it; the last car I saw in
that color was a *perfect* '73 Midget.  It's great -- looks 
almost black on a misty day and shines like, well, like an
eggplant (which OFATP call by their French name, aubergines).
Really lovely color.

There's also a very dark red that some people might call purple.
I wouldn't, but I don't know what you actually saw.  I believe that
this is Damask Red, but I can't verify that.

There's also a wonderfully pale dove-grey-lavender color that my
daughter wants to paint a car one day.  A Magnette would look
fabulous in it, but I'm not sure about the B.

> I have never seen a purple MGBGT, so I don't know if this is a good 
> color or not. 

Well, speaking of opinions, in mine the prettiest color for the B or BGT is
that dark red, a sort of half-dried-blood color.  I think the B looks
its best in dark colors because the chrome strips stand out so
brightly against them, though friends with white and yellow ones
like them because the chrome looks darker.  Whatever.  I also like
the way the curves of the B look in a dark color, so that the highlights
hit the tops of the fenders and the shadows below change colors.  

Of course, BRG is the *best* color, but that deep red-maroon looks the
prettiest.  If I were to buy a BGT, I'd want one in the red.

> My first thought was silver,
> to sort of go with all those neat chrome pieces, but then I saw a silver
> B, and it just didn't do it for me

The chrome gets lost in silver, I find.  I saw a silver '70 roadster
yesterday; also, the silver tends to fade and get dull faster than 
any color except red.  

>    Regarding wheels, I saw a first generation Toyota Supra with some
> very tasteful, yet sporty 14 or 15" alloy spoked wheels. I'm pretty 
> sure these would bolt to an MGB.

The B takes 4 bolts on a 4.5" bolt circle.  Toyotas in 4-bolt wheels
have two listings in the chart:

4 on 100mm (3.93"): Toyota - Celica, MR2, Tercel '86-'89
4 on 4.5" :         Toyota - most exc. MR2 and P.U. to '89

The question in my mind is that the Supra was derived from the Celica
originally, but the later Celicas were FWD.  I don't know whether it
will fit.  My suggestion is to get a piece of wood and two dowels, 
drill the wood out to match the spacing between two adjacent lugs (or
two across the wheel), and place dowels (sized to match the lug bolts)
in the wood.  Then use this as your sizing guide.  If you pick the two
across the wheel, you'll have the easiest time, as .57" (the difference
between the two wheels above) will be enough to cover any slop in your
drilling.

--Scott 


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