license plate restore

[69ChevyLB]

Found the corect year and weight class (back then the first number on the truck plates showed the max gross empty weight of the truck) for my 69 long bed 2wd. I got them for almost nothing at a local swap meet because they are pretty rusty. In Ohio you can get paperwork from the BMV that allows you to run these plates. Has anyone sanded/stripped these plates and repainted them back to like new condition? I don't see why the BMV would have a problem doing this.

[rough69]

I would use "Electrolysis" as it would prevent any further damage to the metal from sanding / grinding etc. and leave you with a rust free part to clean and repaint.

Example site:
http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/andyspatch/rust.htm

Good luck!
rough69

[Longhorn Man]

I was under the impression that truck tags started with a T back then, and that was the only way to tell truck from car tags (non comercial tags)
I don't think 69 was reflective paint was it? Was that white on black?
You are aware that the vintage tags can only be used on a vehicle with antique tags, NOT as a daily driver, right?

[OhioDan]

Found two places on the net that restore plates back to new(?) condition. Only thing, I can't see $80.00 per plate.

[bb1979]

There was an article in rod & custom a while ago can't find it right now but here's basically what it said from what i can remember....

1. Strip the old paint off

2. Spray the letter/number colour over the whole plate, build up a number a coats over the whole plate this way you don't sand back to metal in step 4

3. Spray the background colour over the whole plate.

4. carefully colour sand the letters and numbers till you get to the paint applied in step 2.

5. clear coat????

I may have that order backwards??? Its the same as painting the raised section in the tailgates a different colour.

[BAGGERSOCAL]

i would show them the old plates the way they are then have them reastored
you could use aircraft paint remover gel to remove the paint
then bead Blast.

[cdowns]

i always just put them in a blast cabinet then built them up with high build primer filler then using heavy coats of enamel sprayed the main color masked then did the nunbers and letters

[ChevLoRay]

I googled license plate collector and got (drum roll, please) www.licenseplatecollector.com for a website.

Under the category License Plate Restoration, there were five listings of people who do restoration. Some had prices as low as $20 per plate. Some just paint...at least one repairs holes.

There's a whole group of people who collect and have annual meetings just to discuss license plates. My ex-husband-in-law (ex-wife's husband) was a member. They had one plate that said "Ex Hippy". They were somewhere that Dr. Timothy Leary was at the same time. He saw it and autographed it. Ex still has it. Ex-husband in law died in a car accident. She's a gold-digger.

[piecesparts]

There are many people that good sell used and EVEN new plates from the older eras. I purchased a couple different ones for my 68 (here in Knasas) that are brand new---still in the original envelope from the state. I paid about $15.00 for each one. These people sell them for all states--check out the swap meets.

There are a lot of people around here getting older plates that they have in their shops soda blasted and then repainting or even powder coating them for restoration.

[ChevLoRay]

$1500?????? Typo, right?

[ckhd]

Everyone quoting legalities needs to realize that different states have different laws. For example:

In Arizona (where I live) here are the basic rules:

1) The plate must be the type that would have originally gone on the vehicle when new (this means a "non-commercial" plate for our pickups)
2) The DMV must approve the plate
3) The vehicle must qualify for "historic plate" status (be at least 25 years old)
4) The registrant must pay an extra $10 "special plate" fee.

How do I know this? Because my '68 has '68 plates, and my '72 'burb has '72 plates. It took research AND a lot of arguing with the nit-wits that man the counters at the DMV.

Also, in both '68 and '72, Arizona had reflective plates. Judging from the several "Non-Commercial" plates I own from that era, Arizona used an aluminum plate, applied a reflective vinyl sticker, stamped the plate from the back and then skimmed the raised portions with paint. There were two different color schemes, one from '66-'68, another from '69-'72.

My biggest problem with 'resoring' these plates will be finding the correct color of reflective vinyl sticker.

[ChevLoRay]

My '69 plate is the front plate I had when I was in Arizona in '69. They had not yet expired when I got home and licensed a new VW. My younger brother "borrowed" the rear plate for his VW and I never got it back.

Yep, it's a nice reflective yellow with black lettering and still in good shape. Looks good on the front. Some old men saw it and said (of my truck), "They last longer and don't rust much out west" when they saw the AZ tag. Funny thing....my truck is an Arkansas truck. Just seeing the tag made 'em think it is an AZ truck. Probably adds value to the goods.

[ckhd]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

I paid about $1500 for each one.

Holy freakin' crap! I have some unused '32 plates. Wonder if I could sell them for that much.

[69ChevyLB]

Thanks for all the replies. These plates were stamped from steel back then by prisoners in the state pen. There were different colors every year and they were not reflectorized. These are off white with blue lettering. I know I have to have historcial vehicle plates to use them. I had planned on taking them to the BMV before cleaning and repainting to see what they say.

Longhorn Man; these plates say truck across the top. I am 62 and don't remember Ohio using the first letter T to designate truck plates. They may have when the non commercial plates started.

[class01]

i went to a car show in charlotte and there were a TON of people selling plates, my buddy was looking for some for his catalina.they were selling brand new 67 plates for like 40 bucks

[Bishops Trucks]

I've done a few plates. I sand blast or chemical strip (depending on condition). Prime with a good quality metal primer and then spray the main color. For the letters, use a small, hard wallpaper roller with very little paint on it to do the letters. You will have to hit them a few times to get them right but a few thin coats are better than one thick coat.

[piecesparts]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

$1500?????? Typo, right?

Shucks guys it is Sunday morning and I had a late night car show about eighty miles away last night. It took a while to look at 300 cars and trucks.
Fifteen dollars does sound about right, can't you guys see that dot between the five and the zero. It has been there all along. SHEEESH, what a guy has to do to satisfy somone.

[Premium72]

in ga all you have to do is have the tag inspected a the tag office( has to be able to be read from a certian distance.) and you can slap that puppy on your daily driver. did this with my 49, ran the tag for 7months no problems till the engine poped...good luck with clean'n it up.

[xshadow]

In VA you have to show DMV the plates. It use to be 10 bucks to regester them now I hear they just raised it to 50.00...

I repainted a set of 72s I sprayed the tags then painted the numbers by hand with a small brush. I didn't tape off the numbers i just painted them.....IT WASN'T EASY...but it turned out great! they were on my truck for about three years when I sold it. The new owners used the plates for a while then gave them back to me. I haven't used them again but they still look great... I don't think I would pay someone 40-50 bucks to repaint my plates but I don't think I would do it for someone else for 50 bucks eather..not the way I did it...
I know someone who had a rusty set that dmv wouldn't let him register. he went home sprayed the plates and then used a regular roller to paint the numbers it looked terrible but he took them back to dmv and they let him use them....