frame paint

[Nova Research Project]

I believe that many parts sent in to the parts system were treated to a different finish. This was so that they looked better and held up better to storage. As example many pulleys had a phosphate coating on the assembly line but were dip painted as spares.

The original frame coating was a bituminous type spray that was easily removed with wax and grease remover. Not to mention rain etc. It was not paint. I would expect that was a nasty coating to handle as a spare. I expect the NOS sub frame was painted vs coated.

Even the A arms were coated for the line. Yet all of the NOS ones are painted.

So you can not always use the NOS finish as a guide. Sometimes you can. Like Master Cylinders. They were treated the same way for the line and as parts. I have seen several NOS units that are coated black, just like in the early magazine pictures.

Greg