Distributer color (well look)?

[Kevin in NJ]

Which modern paint best replicates the original distributer sheen.

I am assuming it would have been sprayed black enamel rather than dipped. So would be be less glossy then what one expects from a dipped part?

What do you guys with points cars use?

I am not going for points, but if a good coating is easy to do I will try it.

Thanks.

[peters180a/170b]

i sprayed it with the same paint that goes on the carb.

[Rich in Tucson]

Originally Posted by peters180a/170b

i sprayed it with the same paint that goes on the carb.

Which is?

[Logan]

we use black paint out of a spray can.

[BillLee/Chandler, TX]

Go to the local hobby shop and buy a spray can of LustreCoat black. It is "hot fuel proof", meaning it is butyrate paint and isn't affected by the alcohols and nitromethane in model airplane fuel. It also isn't affected by the alcohol in our current gasoline.

[msmaron]

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Try BUMPER Black from eastwood flat and has that japan black look to it

[Purdy Swoft]

I paint my distributor housing, generator, starter and original coils when used, satin or semi gloss spray can black.

[Aerocraft]

I prefer to use PPG DP-90 satin black epoxy primer. Same for the carb. Gasoline won't touch it once cured. Gar Williams

[31Tudor]

The new judging standards revision lists the finish for the distributor as semi-gloss.

[Craig Lewis]

Boy this one of the longest list of wrong answers I've ever seen on here.
The only thing they left out is black jiffy marker!
Why don't we consult the Model A Paint & Finish Guide from MAFCA and be done with it?
Page 18 from a list of 19 engine components
"the following were dipped or sprayed with black enamel"
including: fan, starter, splash pans, gen & band, oil pan, mounts, oil filler pipe, return pipe, DISTRIBUTOR, rad support rods, coil, insp. plates, clutch arm, pedals, throttle linkage.
.... the way I read it is you'd be the most correct with gloss black engine enamel.

[31Tudor]

[QUOTE=Craig Lewis;352838]Boy this one of the longest list of wrong answers I've ever seen on here.
The only thing they left out is black jiffy marker!
Why don't we consult the Model A Paint & Finish Guide from MAFCA and be done with it?
Page 18 from a list of 19 engine components
"the following were dipped or sprayed with black enamel

Well I guess you could use the Paint and Finish Guide, however the new revision of the Restoration Guidlines and Model A Judging standards says in section 2, page 10, "the cast distributor base was painted semi-gloss but typically showed little gloss due to the texture of the casting". So if you painted it gloss you would no longer be correct.

[Craig Lewis]

Well I guess you could use the Paint and Finish Guide, however the new revision of the Restoration Guidlines and Model A Judging standards says in section 2, page 10, "the cast distributor base was painted semi-gloss but typically showed little gloss due to the texture of the casting". So if you painted it gloss you would no longer be correct.[/QUOTE]

I was thinking about your comment when I posted.
...it's a valid point.
My quote was from the brand new 3rd edition Paint & Finish Guide which I ordered with my J.S. revisions
....they came in the same package.
I'm not sure what came first, or does it really matter?

I painted mine with gloss black Plasticoat eng. enamel and the textured cast housing certainly dulls the gloss.
I think this is what they're trying to say in the standards except they wrote semi gloss in stead of gloss...won't be the first mistake in that book.

[31Tudor]

I think this is what they're trying to say in the standards except they wrote semi gloss in stead of gloss...won't be the first mistake in that book.[/QUOTE]

May be true, but if you are restoring for judging the Restoration Guidline is the standard and you are judged to the standard which is semi-gloss. I noticed in the new guidlines even in undercarriage, it is now pretty distinct in their referrence to satin, semi-gloss and gloss.

[Purdy Swoft]

What is the difference in semi gloss and satin. I thought it was just different ways to describe the same finish. Either way that you say it, it has a sheen but no shine, it is smoother than flat and cleans up well, it also doesn't show small flaws the same as a full gloss finish. can anybody describe the difference between semi gloss and satin finish????

[RonC]

I can't believe distributors would be dipped in enamel? Weren't they masked off to provide for grounding? If so, sprayed would be a semi-gloss finish.

[Glenn C.]

Oil pans also dipped in black paint ???.....I doubt that for sure. I believe the original pans were left plain. Please don't dip my distributor either. Now back to the original question of the post....remembering that it is not a points vehicle. If you want durability.....use the paint from the hobby shop for the carb and distributor.

[Tom Wesenberg]

In post #10 Craig said "dipped or SPRAYED", so you'll know that the distributor and oil pan would have been sprayed.

If I have a bunch of chassis parts I'm spraying with DP90 I do like Gar said and add my distributor body, if I have one ready to paint. If I am just painting the distributor then I usually just grab a can of gloss black spray paint and shoot it. The gloss black from spray cans has much less gloss than the high priced DCC 9300 and IMHO it looks good and works well. My 28 distributor was just rattle can gloss black over 10 years ago and still looks good.

[Rich in Tucson]

Please forgive me for giving this thread a navigational nudge, however I think it going the direction of the Costa Concordia....

A rephrase of the original question (apologies to Kevin if not accurate): if YOUR car(s) went through recent fine point judging AND received full points for correct paint finish of the distributor body, WHAT paint (brand company name, part number, modification that you did to it, etc.) and HOW did you use it for YOU to achieve full judging credit?

This forum may be the only source of feedback available to many of us to achieve what I assume most might agree is "correct" or at least would be acknowledged as decent and appropriate craftsmanship. The folks nearby me (Local Model A Clubs) who have gone through Fine Point Judging either did it so long ago (1980s) and have forgotten their methods, are flat out unwilling to share their methods, or paid someone else to do their restorations.

I and others often ask questions like these to determine whether it is worth the effort for us to make the same choice in our restorations. Personally, I am more interested in long-term conservation and preservation of the cars and parts for their use as automobiles and if I can find a modern paint that I apply once and that will look close to original (read - appropriate for the car) and last 100 years I might choose to use it for those aspects alone. If the only choice for an original look is to recreate an old paint from obscure and hard to obtain materials that may look original for one year and promote rust after three, I may well choose to head to Home Depot for the modern Krylon, Rustoleum, etc. that I know will at least last (well, maybe those are bad examples).

Of course there is no one with a car they restored 100 years ago and no single correct answer, but for me the more data the better!

[Marco Tahtaras]

Originally there was just a VERY thin coat of paint over bare steel. Your best bet to come close to replicating the original finish is a light coat of black enamel from a spray can over a clean bare casting. There was NO paint buildup!

As a side note (since it was mentioned above), it turns out the oil pan was not painted with enamel. In summary, the oil pan was boiled in diluted Ford metal cleaner. It was then sprayed inside and out with a light coat M-621 Pyroxylin Sealer thinned with M-645 Pyroxylin thinner. Then the exterior was sprayed with M-660 Black Pyroxylin (again thinned with M-645 Pyroxylin thinner).

Of course none of the metal texture or draw marks were obscured in any way, and of course there were no dents!

[329s]

Originally Posted by RonC

I can't believe distributors would be dipped in enamel? Weren't they masked off to provide for grounding? If so, sprayed would be a semi-gloss finish.

I would think so to RonC...I mean look at the distrubutor itself and just amigine them coming down the assembly line to be painted...now just how was it done to prevent spray paint to NOT get where it is not suposed to be?

Hmmmmm????

Pluck (Steve Plucker)