Anyone ever redone a set of vintage plates? Got a set of 69 Virginia plates for my car which I ca register under 'year of manufacture'. They are unused but looks like they were stored maybe on concrete flooring a while. On side has some surface rust. Was thinking a little sanding, primer, paint, then a roller to hit the raised portion. Am I on track?

 

Strip them with paint striper, remove all the dings with a small finish hammer, prime, paint, then re-letter by hand with One Shot sign paint. I redid my original black plate a few years ago.

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Let me get this straight, you hand painted them raised letters and numbers freehand with sign paint? After being married to a German woman over 30 years, I don't know if my nerves are that good anymore, not to mention my sanity. I flinch a lot when there's a skillet close by. Really nice looking job!

 

Depending on which state you're in, it would be a heck of a lot easier to find a set of mint plates in a local antique store. Or if there are no local stores, you can find them on eBay.

 

Yeah Brian it's Virginia. I got these on ebay butt cheap and a mint set runs around 75-150. Trying to keep it sane while enjoying the process of something I haven't done before.

 

I've done several sets, very similar to TK 65s methods. I use urethane Imron for the base and the lettering and the go over the top with clear. Time consuming,....yes. Outstanding results that will last for decades,.....yes. The idea of using a roller just does not create the crisp look I am looking for. There is nothing more disappointing than vesting your time and materials into something that falls short of your expectations. Of course, then again maybe I just don't know how to properly use a roller! Best wishes

 

Well, I don't know about Virginia, but here in Michigan I can find mint plates all day long for under $10 at antique shops. But if you want to learn a new skill, knock youself out!

 

So what brush do you recommend? Blackgold, nice little Cutlass you got. Apparently Virginians are a tad proud. Can't come close to a single plate in rough shape round here for 10 bucks so I think I will take your advice and knock myself out.

 

in mass if you get the wrong lady at the dmv who says your plates have been refinished she hands them back to you rejected,i then took compound and 0000 steel wool to dull them down and threw them on the pavement and brought to another branch and got them approved.this was after I bought three plates and cut and welded the #s I wanted in the plate to get F85 455. I couldn't give up on it.

 

Textbook case of situation power. 0000 refinish, obtain approval, go home and polish or recoat with clear. Problem solved..

 

Right JC! I just can't let things go from time to time. Have already had them down to the DMV and she ran the numbers and told me I was good to come in when I'm ready and pay for my tags. Of course a complementary Mason jar didn't hurt.

 

I probably had 30 hours in 1 plate( you only need one yom plate in mass) then someone told me there is a company that makes them for $75. DOH! thank god I checked with them about the # before I made it.

 

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Haha! Well it is handsome none the less

 

Is this the kind of surface rust that may be easily removed? I know here in the land of entrapment that there is no refinishing of plates allowed. Hmmmmm. Post some pics before getting into these survivors please.

 

Will be a few days before I can brddg have to haul a load to Cali and bring back some veggies first but is isn't real bad just don't know about removing it

 

I know of a person that deals with a lot of plates and after the prime coat he puts on a heavy color coat of the number color let it cure then completely paints the whole plate in it's main color. The next day he hits the raised portion with sandpaper and rubbing compound to expose the color on the numbers.

He had a lot of practice and it looks good.

Henry

 

That looks great! You do a better job than the jailbirds did originally. Most people don't have your skill though.

Henry

 

Thanks Henry. That's and idea too. Again, any suggestions on a brush from you guys who painted them on?

 

i think it will work if you use a foam roller, Also i agree on the 1 shot paint. Also sign companies use both. I would at least try the foam roller before you strip the plates as you can practice.--- Where is Cana?

 

Well if you're talking about biblical Cana it would be around the West Bank......... But here in the home of the hillbilly we are about 150 miles west of Charlotte, NC just across the state line from Mt Airy, NC

 

Thanks. It was the original rear plate to the car so I had to restore it. Plus, on cold winter nights theres not much else to do around here.

 

I have the black original Ca plates on my 65 but they have not been registered since 1998 or so and what i've heard is once they are off the books-computer you have to reregister and get the new plates.If thats the case the original ones will not be surrendered.TK65 nice job on the plate.Nick

 

if the plates are currently legible you might want to take them to dmv and get them approved/registered and then refinish them to avoid their disapproval of being refinished

 

Some states will not allow repainted or restored plates. Some have the reflective grains in the paint that makes it more legible at night. In Florida, you have to mail the plate to Tallahassee for inspection and approval. I had a professionally restored 1969 plate rejected a few years back. Reason given was it had been restored, repainted or altered. So that beautiful plate now hangs on my garage wall.

 

Depending on the level of effort you want to put in, strip the paint, fix any dings, primer, paint the plate the lettering colour then the background colour. Use a sanding block to reveal the lettering colour, then clear coat.

You can see a pictorial explanation of the process here although you may have to register an account to view the images.

The final result looks sharp.

 

even easier method... paint the whole plate the letter color. let dry, then take wd40 and go over the letters. Spray the plate color and let dry, the paint will wipe right off from the wd40 spots.

Also make sure to use the right type of paint. For Texas its a reflective paint for some year plates.

 

[QUOTE=

Also make sure to use the right type of paint. For Texas its a reflective paint for some year plates.[/QUOTE]


Reflective paint was introduced on the 1969 Tx plates.

Henry

 

Ah this is true.

 

I do know about Virginia, and you will not find "mint" antique plates for $10. $75-up for an uncirculated pair is common, and most of these will be commercial or motorcycle plates, not true car plates. I paid something like $30 for a nice pair of 1962 plates for my wagon.

 

I've found VA plates, NOS in the wrappers, for $40-50. Depends on who has them. VA does allow restoration of plates, and if you take a beat-up pair to DMV for approval those will probably get rejected.

Good move on running the plate number because Great Seal plates have six numbers like pre-1973 VA plates do and sometimes conflict. An A plate is a good way around that. Just don't do like a lot of people and register a CONV plate to a convertible, because it doesn't stand for convertible- it's a business vehicle plate. Likewise T is for a truck and H or YH is for a taxicab or rental car.

I bought a high-dollar pair of 1976 Virginia Bicentennials for the 1976 Ninety Eight, anticipating putting them on when it hit 25 years old The year after I bought them, the General Assembly changed the antique plate laws to where a YOM plate had to have the year embossed into the plate. The Bicentennials have the year silk-screened onto them. DMV lady says "you can register them as a regular plate". I said, "that defeats the purpose of having them". So those are in their wrapper in a cabinet, and the big Oldsmobile wears standard issue white-on-black Vajenya antique plates. Don't like them, but I dislike the yellow antique plates even more.

After the last time my local legislator monkeyed with the Virginia antique plate statutes I told him I could do something the AACA folks he'd met with and blown off couldn't do- I could actively campaign for his challenger. He kept his seat by less than 600 votes the next election and I think he realised the car people in 14th House district had something to do with that, because he's been quiet about the AP statutes since.

 

I wonder what makes good, used Virginia plates so rare? When you sell a vehicle do the plates stay with the vehicle? Here in Michigan the plates stay with the owner. You're allowed to transfer them to another vehicle (for a fee, of course). But I'm guessing most people just get a new plate and throw the old in the basement or trash.

Then again, that's today's laws. Back in the 60s and through the mid 70s Michigan made us get brand new plates every single year. So everyone has a stack of old plates in their basement. And these eventually migrate to antique shops.

 

If you buy plates, make sure you get both. Nothing is worse than buying one plate that someone has already registered.

 

Well, for one thing you were talking about finding "mint" plates, which to me means uncirculated. Used VA plates in driver condition or better are not hard to find. Keep in mind that the plates stamped with the year were typically discarded when the new ones arrived.

 

Here in Michigan antique shops have them by the bucket full (Michigan plates that is). All different conditions, many of them bad, but I can always find the year I am looking for in very good condition. This is why real car guys go antiquing.

 

i wonder if you send them back to the big house if they would repaint them???

 

I ended up with a slightly different solution for my car after moving to Texas with it 11 years ago. They had the option of YOM plates (registered I believe) or an antique plate. 2 plates are required for everything I'm aware of, except for antique plates. They only give you one. Looked like an opportunity to me.

I didn't have any TX plates, but I did have 69 Michigan Manufacturer plates. I just went with the antique plate on the back and have one of the 69 MI plates on the front. I swap the rear plate for the other MI plate at shows if I'm in the mood.

It isn't hard to find new '69 TX plates at swap meets around here, but they aren't cheap. Since my car was never within a thousand miles of Texas before this century, I kinda like the "outa state plate" look...

 

Still out on the road but I'm gonna post pics of the plates as soon as I get home and that oughta cause some good discussion on what level of resto is appropriate.

 

Here's the plates. Suggestions other than full resto?

 

If that's the worst, IDK if I'd do a full resto. Scuff it with a wire toothbrush to bust up the loose rust, then get some rustoleum paint and brush paint only the rusty area. Then use a nice license frame that will cover the edges. You might even luck up and find a slush-cast dealer license frame from the original selling dealer.