Plate restoration

Anyone restore license plates? I scored a pair of 51 Nebraska plates with the county I live in at the Denver flea market last summer for $15. I forgot I had them until I was cleaning the shop the other night.

Anyone out there restored old plates? Any lessons learned?

 

redid a set with a buddy once. we did it lobuck, though. waited until his new tags came. took the old paint and rust off with wire wheels, gave them a couple coats of rattle can high gloss black, grabbed the pinstriping kit and some yellow one-shot and gave the lettering and numbers a pass, stuck the new tags on. looked halfway decent when done. if i had it to do over, i might have shot the whole plate with some type of clear last. anyway, it'll look ok if you just give the paint plenty of time to dry between coats.

 

Sand blast, straighten, prime, paint and clear. JB Weld works good to fill minor rust holes or damage, and even a bullet hole.

 

Do a search....there was a post a while ago about someone doing it as a side business.....stan

 

I had a guy on the HAMB restore a 1940 tag for me and he did a great job. The only problem is Indiana will not let you register a restored plate. Got a nice plate to hang on the wall though.

 

I think he goes by cat fish here. Great work. If you can't find him PM me and I'll find his number.

 

first thing you need to do is get the numbers approved. dont know if you will have to come to lincoln for that or your local court house can do it. but the colors are yellow back ground and black letters. might be able to find the paint code on a google search and do it your self.

 

There are plate restorers listed in Hemming's. Like others,I am not sure if they'd be legal to run. On the other hand,how would the state know if you had restored, or just NOS plates?

 

In Oklahoma you need to submit a picture of the plate with a form from the Tag Agency for approval. Each year you paid a fee for the plate. The person that restored my plate is:
License Plate Restoration
10955 Center Drive
Vernon Texas 76384
Gerald Thiele
(940) 552-2038

Did a great job

 

Most important- make sure the plate is clear before it's restored.
Learned that the hard way. Had a set that was clear 5 years ago when I bought them. Not now.

The pair I have now are professionally restored. Only thing DMV said about my restored plate was "Those are in great shape for 78 years old". I smiled & didn't say a thing.

 

I did a set awhile back here is how I did it.
1. make repairs and bead blast clean.
2. primer
3. paint the color you need the letters to be.
4 apply a couple coats of clear.
5. let dry for a day or two.
6 now apply the color for the back ground over the whole plate.
7. let that color dry till its just past tacky (nnot completely dry.)
8. take some thinner on a towel and wipe the color off the letters.
9. reclear.
I did my plate like this in spray paint. I used paint that they sell here at ace for graffiti.
thery came out really nice. when I do others I will be using real paint.

 

Here in Michigan you send a photocopy of the plate in with the form. Photocopy is black and white so they don't really know the color.

My 1947 Michigan plate is black with purple letters........"Honest offer, I think thats the original colors for that year.....yeah I painted my car to match the plate"

 

I checked with my county courthouse. I have to restor them and then send them to Lincoln to ensure the paint is right. The lady at the courthouse didn't tell me anything about having the number approved. She said it didn't even have to be the correct county or year, just the right state.

BTW for NE in 51 it's a black background with white letters.

Thanks for your help...