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Hello can anyone tell me if the original 1969-70 fender 442 emblems where smooth on the back with no part number? I seen 230722 and 723 this way on ebay or are the repops just want to make sure im looking at NOS Thanks
Flat on the back for the fender emblems. Hollow for the trunk emblems. Can't recall the 69/70 tooth emblems, though, although I think they were flat, too. Last 69 442 I had was a long time ago. I know nothing of the repops. The emblems were cheap, cast potmetal with chroming/paint over them. Close inspection of one would make you cringe if you went by today's manufacturing standards. But hey, they were metal and kind of cool in their own way. Some emblems look better than others.
Over the years I've purchased many of these style of 442 emblems across the parts counter. I always wondered why they never sold them in sets. Profits I guess.
Somewhere in the early 90s, they were still available from the dealerships. But an interesting thing started to happen- GM started refurbushing the emblems, or having them refurbished. Plus they were hit and miss on supplying the speed nuts or push clips (if trunk emblems) in the box like they used to, and finally, it was just the emblems with no fasteners. I noticed this once when I was looking at a fender emblem I had just purchased. You could see that the black inlay on the numbers were a different sheen of black. Some trunk emblems came with gloss black inlays. Also, and here's the real kicker- you could definitely tell where there are spiral cut marks where they had been installed at some point, the stems polished down and rechromed. From GM!!! And they were selling them as new.
This is what I can tell you about the emblems on my 1970 442.
I recently had these emblems off for cleaning and noted the following:
W30 emblem, the backside is somewhat hollowed with one leg of the W cast 6015, the opposing leg of the W cast 406479, threaded posts.
The fender 442 emblems are smooth and chromed on the backside, no numbers, threaded posts, substantial weight.
Hood extension 442 numbers are hollowed on the back side. The lead number 4 is cast with 403932; the middle number 4 is cast 403933, and the trailing 2 is cast 403934, threaded posts.
Trunk 442 emblem: the two 4 numbers are hollowed on the backside and cast with “General Detroit,” and 8721342; the number 2 is hollowed and cast with 8721343, push on posts with all numbers.
Hope this helps someone else down the road.
Last edited by tnswt; June 13th, 2021 at 10:17 AM.
These are repops. Clearly stated in the ePay listing.
But the guy selling them is wrong about that. I don't care what he puts in his listing. They're not repops. Someone told him they were because they didn't have p/n cast into the backs. My originals have no p/n's on them. They look like originals to me.
I had them listed before and someone pointed out that if they were NOS they would have a number stamped on the back and the backs would be rough-these are smooth.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by tnswt
This is what I can tell you about the emblems on my 1970 442.
I recently had these emblems off for cleaning and noted the following:
W30 emblem, the backside is somewhat hollowed with one leg of the W cast 6015, the opposing leg of the W cast 406479, threaded posts.
The fender 442 emblems are smooth and chromed on the backside, no numbers, threaded posts, substantial weight.
Like these? W30 Emblems New. Only difference is mine show 6014 and 406479 and they're also somewhat hollowed on the back. There's also a small W on the first part of the W (backside obviously). I suspect your posts are threaded simply because they've been mounted and the nuts cut those threads. New W30 Emblems FS
Like these? W30 Emblems New. Only difference is mine show 6014 and 406479 and they're also somewhat hollowed on the back. There's also a small W on the first part of the W (backside obviously). I suspect your posts are threaded simply because they've been mounted and the nuts cut those threads. New W30 Emblems FS
Yes, I agree, the posts are threaded because they have been mounted with nuts, but my reference was made to note the difference between the push on post used on the trunk emblem and the screw type post used with other badges on the automobile.
Continuing and according to the OP from the following links, the 6015 and 406479 emblems were pulled from original 1970 and 1971 W30 automobiles. That is interesting information and the photos show both sides of the emblems; of particular interest is the definition of the backside of the emblem.
Location: Edmonton, AB. And "I am Can 'eh' jun - eh"
Posts: 24,525
Originally Posted by tnswt
Continuing and according to the OP from the following links, the 6015 and 406479 emblems were pulled from original 1970 and 1971 W30 automobiles. That is interesting information and the photos show both sides of the emblems; of particular interest is the definition of the backside of the emblem.
That is indeed interesting. The backside of the emblems are also very crisp in details unlike the reproductions. I guess that the repops (even though they are "licensed by GM" from Fusick) had to have some degree of difference? IDK I'm just spit balling here. And yes, I understand your comment about the posts for emblems that fit into barrel fittings on the deck lids. Same as the OLDSMOBILE letters on the decklid of the 71 and 72 Cutlass Supremes - those were strictly friction fit into the barrel clip. My 72 Cutlass uses the same thing with it's decklid script.
I'll add to conversation that I have a box of NOS 69-72 442 emblems purchased from dealer in 1993 that fender emblems are smooth on back and front hood and decklid have part numbers on back and what I'll call contours.
Decklid take barrels while fender and hood take speed nuts. Decklid stems are little shorter.
Hood are slightly smaller in size as compared to rest of numbers.
NOS boxes have speed nuts or barrel clips.
Although NOS, the black paint on two do have some bleedover from masking for painting on the chrome face of numbers.
You got them in 1993? That's about the time I started noticing they were refurbishing original numbers and putting them in a box. They could have been doing it for longer, I don't know. You have to look carefully at the fender or tooth emblem studs where the speed nuts would be and some have faint cut marks, barely visible. If I can remember where my box of emblems are I'll see if I can drag them up and show pictures. Of course, I'd rather have GM "restored" ones than repops, but if I had nothing, I'd use what I could get.
Still, not all NOS GM boxed emblems came with the retainer packs inside the box. Near the end, as I mentioned before, it became hit and miss until finally there was nothing in the boxes except the numbers right before they got discontinued. Those cheesebags. I reduced my stash on ebay about 5 or 6 years ago and now I think I'm down to about 3 or 4 sets. I made my money back on those many times over.
And if anyone cares, the same fender emblems were used from 69-73. The trunk lid was a slight difference. There's the 1973 only trunk emblems that look very similar, but are a little different than the 69-72 versions, which had a slight curve to them. The 73 versions were a bit flatter to match the trunklid contours better. Plus different part numbers. 9878291 and 987292. They're hollow too, with the General Detroit logo and part number cast into the back with push pin posts.
If you end up with GM "restored" emblems, check the p/n on the back of the trunklid emblems. It's unlikely, but you could end up with a 73 emblem by accident in there somewhere. Just be aware if you run across a different p/n trunk emblem. You'll likely never get it to match your 69-72 trunk lid curve.
June 12th, 2021, 09:18 PM
