Black Shadow engine painting

[craig]

I am ready to paint a Black Shadow engine and I am looking for the details around how it was done at the 1949-1953 time period. I am not looking for recommemdations on paint, but rather at what stage of Vincent factory assembly the pieces were painted. Are there photos or documents that will relate to this?
Were the muffs and heads painted while off the engine?
Was the engine disassembled to paint?
Was a particular Vincent engine builder assigned the task of this engine painting?
Were there portions of the engine or pieces that were masked off?
I am looking for actual period photos of this subject if possible - Shadows being assembled, Shadow engines on the factory work tables,
All help is wonderful
Craig
example would be this 1947 photo, too early but nice

 

[Magnetoman]

rather at what stage of Vincent factory assembly the pieces were painted.

You are not alone in hoping someone has this information and will post it.

 

[craig]

Thank you, i would like to see some response on this .............63 years of research i hope.
I am not finding any posted factory photos of Shadow fabrication

 

[craig]

Here is a new Vincent Lightning showing timing cover logo, maybe the use of two front heads.
Not that helpful with black engine paint detail, but maybe some help.

 

[craig]

here is a paint version that has masked off the timing area and it looks reasonable, but this means a mask/tape job that becomes extensive rather than using the timng cover as the mask.

 

[craig]

not a period photo, but leaving the FT23/2 in cad appears to be correct on early C Shadows

 

[davidd]

I have seen Chantland's original Shadow and I have a photo from the Indian stand showing an engine number of a Black Shadow and it appears that both numbers are stamped through the paint. The mating numbers are painted on Chantland's and on the Indian, it looks like the prefix of the engine number is painted. On the three original Shadows that I have photos of, the propstand plates are painted.

David

 

[nkt267]

I would have thought, maybe logically I hope, that the parts would have been painted separately. If you painted the engine as an assembly then you would overpaint all joins.My experience is that if you did this,then on dismantling the joins gets ruined by ragged edges where paint gets broken..John

 

[TouringGodet]

Here is a new Vincent Lightning showing timing cover logo, maybe the use of two front heads.

That Lightning is almost 1000 numbers higher than the Danish Lightnings. The Danish Lightnings are the first ones where two front heads are noted in the Denis Minett notebook, so yes, that one likely had two fronts.

 

[craig]

Hi David, My reasearch to date shows all the Shadows with Bramptons had cad plated propstand plates FT23/2. And that the cad plated FT23/2 plates carried thru till Shadow 6500 or so. But i would like some elses data to prove that reasearch right or wrong. after F10AB/1B/6500, ± 200, i find the side plates indeed painted black...........a rather curious bit of cosmetics.

I have seen Chantland's original Shadow and I have a photo from the Indian stand showing an engine number of a Black Shadow and it appears that both numbers are stamped through the paint. The mating numbers are painted on Chantland's and on the Indian, it looks like the prefix of the engine number is painted. On the three original Shadows that I have photos of, the propstand plates are painted.

David