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Mk1 Ruby - Ian Williams - 28-12-2017
I was browsing some pictures and found this lovely shot of what appears to be a brand new Mk1 Ruby, the thing that stood out to me was the obvious difference in the finish of the window frames compared to the rest of the paintwork. Can anyone advise what these finishes were when new?
LATplate-Red-7934-Austin-Seven-Ruby-ed-ws.jpg (Size: 236.14 KB / Downloads: 611)
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Ruairidh Dunford - 28-12-2017
I finished my Mk1 Pearl windows in black with a spot of light blue mixed in on the advice of Nick Beck - it gives a slightly pastel finish to the black.
His son Rob is a Forum member and will be able to give more details.
The photo is splendid - nice find!
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Ian Williams - 28-12-2017
Would you say that the finish in the photo is matt or satin rather than gloss, it certainly appears that way to me?
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Ruairidh Dunford - 28-12-2017
No idea Ian - sorry.
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Mike Costigan - 28-12-2017
Most, if not all, Mark 1 Rubies had the window frames painted in a second colour, which is the case here. Usually this would be black to contrast with the main body colour; I suspect here the main body colour is black, in which case I would guess the window frames are Westminster Green to match the upholstery.
I have encountered several cars with the original paint finish over the years, and from my experience the frames have always been normal gloss, but this photo doesn't show any reflections in the frame paint, which rather suggests it is a matte finish in this case. Most interesting, and a super photo.
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Robin Oldfield - 29-12-2017
What a lovely photo. The Ruby is an early model as it has a 'bobble' on the indicator arm. But are my eyes deceiving me, or is the starting handle resting to the right rather than the left?
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Mike Costigan - 29-12-2017
On reflection (and aren't those beautiful reflections in that paint job!) I think I need to add to my comment above. First of all, I'm relying on my memories of vehicles seen fifty years ago - not a good start! But let's look at 'Old Smokey', seen here in 1969:
1969 Ashgate Road.800.jpg (Size: 167.65 KB / Downloads: 458)
As you can see, the original Maroon was chalky and far from glossy, and the Black wings only slightly more glossy; it's relatively easy to buff-up a matte or semi-matte finish to give it a bit of a sheen, maybe those window frames were not, as I recall, faded gloss, but well-preserved matte?
As for that original photo, again we need to take evidence seen on period photos with caution. Why was the photo taken? Was it for publicity purposes, in which case it may represent finishes as presented to the public, or was it taken for evaluation purposes, to assess whether a proposed treatment was satisfactory? As Robin points out, this car has early trafficator arms, and the reflections show a row of cars possibly with chrome radiators, so my guess is it's probably a 1934 car, maybe a pre-production model, in which case this may not represent normal production line finishes.
And, yes, Robin, it looks to me like the starting handle is not located in the usual position.
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Ian Williams - 29-12-2017
It will be extremely interesting and educational to scrutinise more period pictures just incase we are making mistakes when restoring cars today.
I found this one which although LHD export appears to have the same finish
AUSTIN MOTOR CO - 7 RUBY ARQ - 1934.jpg (Size: 52.71 KB / Downloads: 450)
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Mike Costigan - 29-12-2017
I would agree, Ian; the window frames on that one don't appear to be a gloss finish. Notice the very pronounced reflection in the glass, which I would expect to be repeated in some manner in the paintwork if it was gloss. Also interesting: that car has no trafficators; did they not feature on Australian cars of the period?
Edit: Of course, it's left-hand drive, so probably not Australian anyway ...
RE: Mk1 Ruby - Robin Oldfield - 29-12-2017
(29-12-2017, 10:14 AM)Ian Williams Wrote: It will be extremely interesting and educational to scrutinise more period pictures just incase we are making mistakes when restoring cars today.
I found this one which although LHD export appears to have the same finish
Ian, you've found two wonderful period photos by just 'browsing' - on the internet or your own collection? If the latter, keep bringing them on, please. No we don't want to be making mistakes when restoring cars today, and you don't have to be a concours addict to hold that view.