I shall shortly be repainting the engine of my 1936 Nine Sports. It's currently (rather flaky) olive green, like the colour used by BMC in the 50s and 60s on Minis, Morris Minors etc. I had an idea that Nines up to about 1935 had black engines but some sort of green thereafter, but Ian Blackburn once wrote in his Nine Workshop column that all sports engines were likely to have been black. So: what colour should I paint my engine? All guidance gratefully received.
John
Engine colour for 1936 Nine Sports
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John Simister
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:32 pm
- First Name: John
Re: Engine colour for 1936 Nine Sports
Personally I would go with Ian Blackburn John.
Re: Engine colour for 1936 Nine Sports
Hi John,
Great to have you back in the Singer fold and to see a Singer featured in Octane again.
Interestingly I have some early 30's engine parts that are all a darker green than BMC and later engine parts that are black. My mate Barry who has been playing with Singers since the 50's tells me the engines were dark green in the early days - 32 to 34 - and black thereafter. Obviously that means originally completely painted. No polished alloy front covers or copper pipes!
So black it would most likely be in your case for the '36, as Ian said.
Great to have you back in the Singer fold and to see a Singer featured in Octane again.
Interestingly I have some early 30's engine parts that are all a darker green than BMC and later engine parts that are black. My mate Barry who has been playing with Singers since the 50's tells me the engines were dark green in the early days - 32 to 34 - and black thereafter. Obviously that means originally completely painted. No polished alloy front covers or copper pipes!
So black it would most likely be in your case for the '36, as Ian said.
Your Friendly Canadian Pre-War Singer Specialist, Collector & Historian,
Editor & Pre-War Registrar & Canadian Contact -NASOC
Singer Enthusiast for over 40 Years.
'28 Senior, '33 & '34 Sports, '36 Le Mans SS & Bantam
Editor & Pre-War Registrar & Canadian Contact -NASOC
Singer Enthusiast for over 40 Years.
'28 Senior, '33 & '34 Sports, '36 Le Mans SS & Bantam
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John Simister
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Mon Sep 24, 2018 4:32 pm
- First Name: John
Re: Engine colour for 1936 Nine Sports
Black it will be, then, thank you. But the front cover will be bare aluminium and I'll live with the spectre of concours failure. Not that my car is remotely that way inclined. I might suggest to the Singer Owners' Club that a new class is inaugurated for the national weekend: most pleasing and authentic-looking patina.
Re: Engine colour for 1936 Nine Sports
Good luck with the refresh, John.
I agree, 'Oily Rag Original' should indeed be a class.
Photo of a 'green engine for reference...
I agree, 'Oily Rag Original' should indeed be a class.
Photo of a 'green engine for reference...
Your Friendly Canadian Pre-War Singer Specialist, Collector & Historian,
Editor & Pre-War Registrar & Canadian Contact -NASOC
Singer Enthusiast for over 40 Years.
'28 Senior, '33 & '34 Sports, '36 Le Mans SS & Bantam
Editor & Pre-War Registrar & Canadian Contact -NASOC
Singer Enthusiast for over 40 Years.
'28 Senior, '33 & '34 Sports, '36 Le Mans SS & Bantam
Re: Engine colour for 1936 Nine Sports
Hello John,
The engine in my 1936 Singer Nine Sports is painted black.
That's not definitive, as the car was restored in the UK 1979 by Malcolm Crump. He did, however, follow some of the color scheme from the original car, which he purchased as a complete banger in ca. 1975, wearing its original livery, according to the factory card. Given the condition of the car when he purchased it, it is not very likely the engine had been repainted, and while the engine now in the car is a replacement, it IS black. Did he take the color cue from the original engine? I suspect so, but can't be sure.
May we see photos of the engine in the car ( IS it in the car? ) now that you've made your choice and moved along?
Hope the driving season was kind to you.
Regards,
David Kellogg-Achin, Secretary
North American Singer Owners Club
The engine in my 1936 Singer Nine Sports is painted black.
That's not definitive, as the car was restored in the UK 1979 by Malcolm Crump. He did, however, follow some of the color scheme from the original car, which he purchased as a complete banger in ca. 1975, wearing its original livery, according to the factory card. Given the condition of the car when he purchased it, it is not very likely the engine had been repainted, and while the engine now in the car is a replacement, it IS black. Did he take the color cue from the original engine? I suspect so, but can't be sure.
May we see photos of the engine in the car ( IS it in the car? ) now that you've made your choice and moved along?
Hope the driving season was kind to you.
Regards,
David Kellogg-Achin, Secretary
North American Singer Owners Club