Battery box colour ..

[360gts]

The black painting of the battery box continued right through the MK1 Cooper models.
I have two 67 S' here....one is a July build....the other is a late Sept build.....both have the original battery box and they are painted black.
I am not sure about the MK2.....

[Andrew1967]

So it seems like all Cooper /S Mk1’s had this feature ... the next question is why ?

Seems a lot of effort for nothing and hardly a selling point ... ‘oh yes, and you get a black battery box as standard and a part black painted front panel that is pretty much obscured by the grille’

[360gts]

So it seems like all Cooper /S Mk1’s had this feature ... the next question is why ?

Seems a lot of effort for nothing and hardly a selling point ... ‘oh yes, and you get a black battery box as standard and a part black painted front panel that is pretty much obscured by the grille’

No idea ether Andrew....this is one that has always stumped me!
Have a few theories....maybe they had some really special corrosion resistant black paint at the factory...

Does anyone know if the SDL had the same treatment?????

The models with the boot board didn't have a battery cover....maybe that had something to do with the black paint.

[iain1967s]

The black painting of the battery box continued right through the MK1 Cooper models.

Is it hard/thin like regular cellulose paint, or could it be an asphaltic sealant coating to protect against battery acid?

The 60’s Lucas batteries were not sealed cell, so would vent sulfuric acid gas [hydrogen sulfide] which is corrosive to ferrous metal, and heavier than air so would probably settle and corrode the battery box being at the lowest point.

On the other hand, this is BMC, and they scarcely cared about corrosion prevention anywhere else on the car...

[AndyPen]

My pic was a 64 Super deluxe. I’ll try and get a better pic this weekend

[Hipwell]

For sure.

[Andrew1967]

The battery box on HOY survived relatively intact, having dug the remains of the boot floor out of the scrap heap !

There is some evidence of a piss thin coat of black paint but little evidence of any effort in keying the surf blue paint. This is mostly seen by the flaking green hammered crap that someone put on in the 70's that has a thin shiny black layer on the back of it but clean blue paint from where I scraped it off.

A few flecks of black also have managed to adhere in places to the blue ...

[TECH396]

My early 68 MK2 has what I consider to be a heavy black rubberized coating. It appears to be on all 4 sides and then 1/2" on to the top folded seam.

[TECH396]

My early 68 MK2 "S" has what I consider to be a heavy black rubberized coating. It appears to be on all 4 sides and then 1/2" on to the top folded seam.

[Peter Laidler]

Does this battery box paint apply to Mk2's too? I had a brand new late December Mk2 in Glacier white without black paint behind the grille and with a standard white painted battery box. Mind you, there wasn't much Glacier white anywhere else!

As for the battery box, no black or bitumen there either.