The hub caps were forged and machined by Albion Brockhouse. Jaguar had their own massive chrome plating operation and the caps were done in that along with all the other bright work.
So, would Jaguar have spent the time and money painting them? I have no definitive answer just conjecture based on probability.
David
I too had my knockoffs refurbished by Mara Plating with exceptional - IMO - results. My car is dated 26Sep62. I saw no evidence of painted letters. My son has a 1962 Mk II, quite original, unrestored. His knockoffs match mine exactly. No evidence of paint. Both sets have the p/ns inside them Harvey references.
The title of this post is Advice on restoring
Knockoffs . Not the economics of Jaguar cars.
If I was going to paint them I would simply brush the paint on and wipe it off the surface. I wouldn’t try to paint inside each letter. I can’t imagine that it would add much to the cost of production in time or material.
Good point. I did edit the title to reflect the good discussions that have occured regarding originality.
Okay how about a picture from Road and Track in 1961. They look painted to me. I doubt that they would have changed in 1963.
Well, I think that definitively will settle this matter.
Whoops… I forgot about bonnet latch rubbers… 
That is a Federal hub cap from an S2 complete with an S2 flat hub wheel which ties in with the aforementioned 1968 date.
That’s how I did mine.
Here’s another reason they were likely painted.
Chrome gets polished, or at least the copper or bronze under layer. it’s hard to polish down in the bottom of the letters. So putting pant in there covers the rough chrome plating.
Thats what I did worked great
Since I submitted this question, I have looked through a 1/2 dozen books, looking for photo evidence. One thing I have learned is that closeup photos of the knockoffs are rare. The ones submitted by Dick and Art are the first good ones I have seen. The second thing is that it is probably foolish to infer anything from the standard side view photos of the Etype taken back in the day. First, the definition of the photographs just isn’t there. Second, the light really plays tricks on the convex surface of the knockoffs. And the depth of the knockoff lettering puts it in a shadow with anything but direct lateral lighting, which again is rare. That said, I have seen a lot more photos where they look to be unpainted than painted. Not conclusive, I know.
Bill, not that I doubted you but I just got off the phone with Pauls Chrome Plating. They agree with you, that the area in the bottom of the lettering is not able to get a good polish and that paint would be the way to go.
That could also be just a kind of shadowing, not perfect light reflection on the non perfectly flat surface of the stamped letters (with poor photographic resolution).
Similar tone of gray on the first circle of the knockoff where light is not directly reflected
Well, now I am not so sure that the story has ended: these are the original knockoffs for my '63, guaranteed to have been delivered with the car, and there does not appear to be a hint of black paint in either one of them.
No, it had a lot of miles on it and lotta years on it, so that might have eroded all the paint out of the bottom, which I’m sure it was applied not well, but, here’s another data point, boys!
I am wondering. I know painted wire wheels were the norm in the UK and Europe whereas chrome wire wheels were specified more often in the US. Although the SPC gives no indication of this, could there have been two levels of surface finish on the knockoffs, commensurate as to whether they would be used with painted or chrome wire wheels? As I posted in my pictures above, if there was any paint in the knockoffs I have, it must have evaporated because I see no evidence of it.
I just looked at my copy of the 1966 issue of R&T that contained their first story about the new Jaguar E-type 2+2. There is a very clear profile shot of the car on the cover. There appears to be no paint on the knockoffs.
IMO, the only reliable sources of information on this are factory and road test photos. As soon as a car gets into private hands changes can be made to the finishes and any paint on chrome can weather off.
There is also a distinct possibility that not all knockoffs got painted…!
