650 SS Silver Grey Paint

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Stephen Hill

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I am painting the tank on my 1969 Mercury and want to do a faithful colour match to the silver grey on the tank of a 650 SS.
This looks like a good source for info on the correct paint: https://www.nortonownersclub.org/support/technical-support-general/norton-colours-and-paints
Which describes the paint as: Ford Silver Fox GM25411
When I search on: Ford Silver Fox GM25411 things get a little complicated. Sometimes this paint is described as a mettalic paint, and sometimes it isn't.
I also found a few other possible paints: BMW Titan Silver and Norton Silver Grey Polychromatic Paint Code Number L89G.930B

I'd appreciate any comments and advice on this.

Stephen Hill
 
I went ford silver fox years back , no idea of codes etc. Just told the local guy that was my choice. Works for me but my old knocker is a bit of a hybrid.
 
I used Ford Silver Fox for my 650SS tank. My mate who sprayed it is a bodywork specialist and he said it was metallic.
 
The factory tank's silver was a little greenish. Anyone able to find a suitable match in a North American paint system?
 
An original 650SS would be a very nice bike to own. It is worth the trouble of getting it right. One of my mates had a Manxman. It had dual carbs which was rare on a Norton twin in those days. I think it was much better than a 650 Triumph Bonneville, until the Bonneville became unit construction. The 750 Altas was a bit silly - the motor did not need to be that big to be effective. Commandos are probably slightly better - but I know what I would rather be riding in a speed duel. I would trust a 650SS in a high speed bend - much more than any Commando. You would always know where you were with it.
 
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Mines halfords Ford silver fox mixed it up while I waited been on for about 12 years used the halfords petrol resistant clear to been pretty tough an at least you don't have to worry if you catch the bike. Should be able to see it quite clear in the clip when I'm pulled up / riding

Hope this helps :)

 
Stephen Hill said:
I am painting the tank on my 1969 Mercury and want to do a faithful colour match to the silver grey on the tank of a 650 SS.
This looks like a good source for info on the correct paint: https://www.nortonownersclub.org/support/technical-support-general/norton-colours-and-paints
Which describes the paint as: Ford Silver Fox GM25411
When I search on: Ford Silver Fox GM25411 things get a little complicated. Sometimes this paint is described as a mettalic paint, and sometimes it isn't.
I also found a few other possible paints: BMW Titan Silver and Norton Silver Grey Polychromatic Paint Code Number L89G.930B

I'd appreciate any comments and advice on this.

Stephen Hill
Click to expand...

Just a little info that may help:

When I searched for the cherry red that was original on my Atlas, the NOC listed best match was a Ford Monoco Red. When I search the American database for a paint code, I could not find any "Monoco" red. Somehow I found paint color names for Ford Anglias, and there was listed a Monoco red which seemed to be a close match. My local paint supplier went to a European database and found a code which proved correct.

This information is offered as a possible search function: do a search on silver fox for Ford Anglias in the years 1958 to 1968.

Good luck!

Slick
 
I started this thread in 2020. At the time I didn't have any success trying to find a local paint supplier who could start with the original paint codes or paint colour names and come up with a current formula that worked with a currently available paint. Perhaps if I was willing to work with a speciality supplier, who had historical information, probably living in a different country, etc, it might have been possible. It seemed too complicated so I decided not to go down that path.

There are lots of silver/gray metallic paints available (just look at the cars in any parking lot). Working with a local auto paint supplier and painter I came up with a good match that was either a factory BMW or Acura colour. When I find my notes, I will describe in detail what paint and code I used.
 
It would be nice to have the original paint code, especially if you are a purist.

The most important factor is-- if you like the color, then go for it.

Show us pics when you get her painted.

Cheers

Slick
 
The problem is getting from the original paint code to the final product on the tank. 60 years later, multiple companies, changing paint technology, dimming eyes, failing memories, and most importantly the lack of reliable cross reference tables, seems to make the task very imprecise. You can probably find a "paint whisperer" who will promise you originality, but who knows what goes on behind the curtain.
 
Somewhere I found a Norton Sliver Gray Polychromatic Paint Code Number L89G.930B. But this code meant nothing to the suppliers I contacted.
This site: https://www.nortonownersclub.org/support/technical-support-general/norton-colours-and-paints
recommends two colour matches for the Norton Silver Gray: Ford Silver Fox or GM25411. These names meant nothing to any supplier I contacted.
I found this site which provided a code for Ford Silver Fox, but again, the code meant nothing to any place I contacted.
http://www.enfostuff.com/color-samples/1967-1971-english-ford-colors.html

I found a strong endorsement for BMW Titan Silver as a good match and went with that. Looks good to me, but I have never compared it to any other versions of Norton Silver Gray.
 
texasSlick said:
It would be nice to have the original paint code, especially if you are a purist.

The most important factor is-- if you like the color, then go for it.

Show us pics when you get her painted.

Cheers

Slick
Click to expand...
I agree totally with Slick. I think the whole exact original paint color obsession is crazy. Once you use modern paint with clear coat instead of lacquer it's not the same as the original. It's not like you're restoring a Rembrandt.
 
Totally agree on that last comment. I provided the info above in case somebody wants to try to try and match using colour names and codes. I found the exercise futile. I think there are a few specialist firms that say they can do it, but I wanted to limit the exercise to local resources.

Thought exercise: At the next INOA rally, which is in Winthrop Washington, line up all the Silver Gary Nortons and compare the colours. My guess is that they would vary a lot. And have a prize for the most correct colour. Can you imagine the arguments? :)
 
Nobody likes to hear their restoration is incorrect at shows. That is why I try to go for the closest match.
However, I realize that none of the modern silvers are probably going to look the same as factory paint.
 
Stephen Hill said:
I am painting the tank on my 1969 Mercury and want to do a faithful colour match to the silver grey on the tank of a 650 SS.
This looks like a good source for info on the correct paint: https://www.nortonownersclub.org/support/technical-support-general/norton-colours-and-paints
Which describes the paint as: Ford Silver Fox GM25411
When I search on: Ford Silver Fox GM25411 things get a little complicated. Sometimes this paint is described as a mettalic paint, and sometimes it isn't.
I also found a few other possible paints: BMW Titan Silver and Norton Silver Grey Polychromatic Paint Code Number L89G.930B

I'd appreciate any comments and advice on this.

Stephen Hill
Click to expand...
hello update ford silver fox is now a pearl paint and darker the old paint so gm2511 is no long made and the polychromatic is the wrong code as its a darker silver the new code is ral9022 pearl light grey met and ford silver birch is no longer made and Norton owners club paint code data is long out of data most paints are no longer made only old stock left most paint codes are out of data too now I had 3 weeks trying to sort this night mare out replacing them with the standard colour codes ral codes Norton Owners Club editor and phil Hannah and me are doing a new up date of paint codes and colours and the dominator maintaince notes all in a new paper back book
 
Would I be correct in thinking that the Norton silver was the same for all bikes from the 50's and 60's?
This could be a silly question as probably anyone who may have known are probably long gone.
Saw multiple shades of silver at the INOA in New York last year and none looked to be original paint.
 
A great question, and as you say, probably difficult to answer.
For starters you'd have to look at the factory description of the the gray colour over time, and see if they used the same name for the colour. If the name changed, was this just sloppy language, or did it mean an actual colour change? If the name never changed, did the formula change? And if the formula never changed, did the supplier change?
My guess is the name changed, the formula changed, and the supplier changed. The records seem incomplete, so I doubt we'll ever know the real answer.
 

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