Head Colors (Colours?)

[Mark Gordon]

I will be dropping my head off at the machine shop today for a valve job, surface skimming and I hope that's all. When I bought my car (build date of March 1967), the head was plain, unpainted aluminum. I don't believe that it was painted when it left the factory. I will be painting it gold when I get it back, but I was wondering why Jaguar used the various paint schemes for different displacement engines and models of car. The earliest heads were green, then later models came with blue, pumpkin, gold or silver heads. Other than esthetics, is there a reason for the changes?

[1954Etype]

Mark

Your head should be unpainted silver I think you'll find. They were pumpkin originally (very early cars) then gold then unpainted. The XKs and Mk1s and 2s had green and blues I believe. You should find all the info in the Knowledge Base. The colour denoted the head type (straight port etc).

[christopher storey]

Green were B type 3.4 . Blue were B type 3.8 . All 3.4/3.8 straight ports were gold ( a very few were pumpkin) . All 4.2 heads on all models ( E types,Mark 10 , 420 , XJ6 or whatever ) are straight port , and were painted gold up to about the time when the cam covers changed

[Mark Gordon]

Thank you, Angus and Christopher. Your answers point to where my confusion arises. I think that you are correct, Angus, in that my head should be silver and it is and originally was silver. Christopher, mine has the original smooth, unribbed cam covers and I've seen quite a few cars of mine's approximate vintage with the gold head. I know that in the transition periods during the various changes made to E Types, some cars came one way from the factory and others another way. Perhaps the color of the heads is another example of inconsistent changing? I am really only asking the question out of curiosity because I like the looks of the gold head and I am planning on painting mine regardless of what it "should be."

[1954Etype]

Thank you, Angus and Christopher. Your answers point to where my confusion arises. I think that you are correct, Angus, in that my head should be silver and it is and originally was silver. Christopher, mine has the original smooth, unribbed cam covers and I've seen quite a few cars of mine's approximate vintage with the gold head. I know that in the transition periods during the various changes made to E Types, some cars came one way from the factory and others another way. Perhaps the color of the heads is another example of inconsistent changing? I am really only asking the question out of curiosity because I like the looks of the gold head and I am planning on painting mine regardless of what it "should be."

Mark, that is exactly what you should do, paint it gold if you want. It isn't a permanent mod and can easily be reversed. (Looks nicer too!).

[Mark Gordon]

:D