[Verdoro 68]

Transmission decals are in and look good.

[Verdoro 68]

Received the PN code '71 455HO automatic stickers today. These are laminated like the manual stickers. I freaked out for a minute because I noticed the line under "DO NOT REMOVE CAPS" extended beyond the edge of the decal. I thought I made an error in my file, but it looks like something the printing company did. I reached out requesting that they print a new batch without the error. Glad it wasn't my fault.

Otherwise, they look pretty good. A little different from the manual version, but so was the original I referenced.

[Verdoro 68]

Finally got the test batch of '68-'69 compressor decals in. These are done on brushed aluminum vinyl with a gloss UV coating and came out pretty nice.

I've been looking into aluminum asset tags which would allow stamping the mysterious codes, but I haven't been able to find a place that will do them in a large size, in two colors and in small batches so this is the next best thing.

This batch all uses the same code number. Current repros don't have a code on them (and have the wrong logo and fonts! see ) so I figured it was better to have a code than none at all.

While not 100% authentic because of the material and stamping, IMO these are a way better option than what's out there. I did the art for the '66 labels a few weeks ago and may have a few of those made too. One thing I'm not sure about is the brushed grain. It's vertical on these. It's hard to tell what direction it ran - and if it was even consistent - back in the day.

As a reminder, the current repro:


Test batch:

[Cammer-6]

Ken is there any reason why you couldnt stamp that number yourself?
A roller stamp or flat stamp would work. Scan the original numbers and engrave,
make a positive from that as a stamp.

[Verdoro 68]

Possibly. I’ve been assuming this material wouldn’t stamp since it’s mylar, but maybe I’ll give it a try.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by Verdoro 68

Finally got the test batch of '68-'69 compressor decals in. ....

These are exceptional. Wow.*

[Cammer-6]

Originally Posted by Verdoro 68

Possibly. I’ve been assuming this material wouldn’t stamp since it’s mylar, but maybe I’ll give it a try.

may need to add heat to the stamp with a layer of felt under it
As you well know practice makes perfect

[Verdoro 68]

I had a lot of initial interest in the a/c decals, but surprisingly haven't had any takers on the small batch I ran. Maybe they'd do better without a pre-printed code. Every original example I've seen has a different code and I'm not sure if they were model specific.

I got a set of letter punches to try on the a/c decals. It's not going to work. First, as individual number stamps it's extremely difficult to line them up and space them nicely. I'm going need a different tool if I'm going to stamp them. Second, the mylar material is too soft for stamps. They work, but they work too well and the stamp is pretty deep. So, I'll keep hunting for a better solution.

Anyway, some good news. I finally got a batch of the '71 455 HO automatic emissions decals I'm happy with. It took a lot of hand holding with the printer and I'm sure they had some eye rolling on their side with how picky I was being. Funny since the manual decals weren't an issue.

The existing 455HO automatic repro isn't quite as egregious as the manual version, but there was still some opportunity for improvement. Notice the carburetor screw adjustment says "in park" on the existing repro and the fonts are wrong. At least the graphics aren't cut off.








Here's an original:

[Cammer-6]

for stamping numbers warm the stamps and put hard felt under the item you want to stamp
2x2 wood with a slot routered out to press fit stamping dies into it

[Cammer-6]

teaser pics of the artwork I did about 20 yrs ago for a few air cleaners

[Verdoro 68]

Work on this project slowed as I started a new full time job last fall, so I haven't been promoting these much, but I'm still getting a few orders a week from eBay and Etsy. I had some sizable orders from a few well known restoration shops which was super cool.

Top sellers are the '68 emissions decals, '71 455HO emissions and '64-'66 coolant waterslides. I've had pretty good feedback on the air cleaner kits as well, but they haven't been as big of a seller as I thought. They're also pretty high effort to assemble, so honestly, I'd rather sell more stickers. Ames expressed some interest in carrying some of these decals so we'll see where that goes.

I did a few variants for guys in the community that previously haven't had a reproduction for their car. I recently did a variant of the Frigidaire a/c decal with for '69 Firebirds and a '68 wagon tire pressure decal. After doing a decal for Wade Congdon's dual quad RAV, I had a request to do some more custom decals from a few other Ram Air V guys





Most of my effort lately has gone into completely recreating the '67-'68 Firebird convert full size spare jack instructions which aren't reproduced. I put off doing jacking instructions because I knew they'd be a high level of work. I lost count of the hours I have into these but I think they're shaping up nicely. Next up is a test to see how they work as waterslides since they're so large. Thanks to RAIJohn for all the help on these.



Those illustrations were sooo time consuming!

[Verdoro 68]

Finished a few prototypes of the '67/'68 FB convert jack waterslides this morning.

I'm happy with the way these came out! I left a 1/16" of clear decal around them to emulate the factory application. The waterslide paper only takes 30 seconds or a minute to release the print from the backing. It's relatively durable stuff as far as the application goes. I was worried about tearing it since it's so large, but it wasn't an issue. Microfiber works well for applying these things and smoothing air bubbles. The decal is still wet in the pics below so you'll see some bubbles.

Gonna send a few test decals out to my helpers.









My graphics are much more crisp compared to the repro '68 GTO jack instructions. Not to mention the repro has the wrong corner radius and wrong fonts. I might have to tackle the one for '68 GTO next for my own benefit.

[tempest1964]

Nice job!

[bluejudge]

Originally Posted by Verdoro 68

Finished a few prototypes of the '67/'68 FB convert jack waterslides this morning.

I'm happy with the way these came out! I left a 1/16" of clear decal around them to emulate the factory application. The waterslide paper only takes 30 seconds or a minute to release the print from the backing. It's relatively durable stuff as far as the application goes. I was worried about tearing it since it's so large, but it wasn't an issue. Microfiber works well for applying these things and smoothing air bubbles. The decal is still wet in the pics below so you'll see some bubbles.

Gonna send a few test decals out to my helpers.










My graphics are much more crisp compared to the repro '68 GTO jack instructions. Not to mention the repro has the wrong corner radius and wrong fonts. I might have to tackle the one for '68 GTO next for my own benefit.

Nice work, are you able to do the door VIN sticker for the 70 GTO’s. I was looking to get that for my car, they sell the sticker but do not add the VIN number as far as I know. Thanks, Marc.

[Verdoro 68]

I haven’t gone down that path yet, but I think the folks at ECS can do one with the VIN.

https://ecs-automotive-concepts.mysh...72-gm-vehicles

[Held for Ransom]

Originally Posted by bluejudge

Nice work, are you able to do the door VIN sticker for the 70 GTO’s. I was looking to get that for my car, they sell the sticker but do not add the VIN number as far as I know. Thanks, Marc.

I believe ECS Automotive Concepts does. Contact to confirm ('73-up does).
https://ecsauto.com/collections/gm-decals

[Verdoro 68]

I felt motivated after outputting the '67-68 convert jack instructions so I ordered a bunch more repro decals from Ames to work from.

The '73-'74 Super Duty valve cover repro decal uses the wrong fonts and has the incorrect number of dashes compared to the original. No one asked for these, but it seemed relatively easy to make a more correct version for a cool car. Not quite as easy as I thought, but I'm down the path now.

Existing repro


Original




I'm still refining the fonts and the spacing. It's not quite right yet. I had ot do some reverse engineering and make a grid and space things out based off the hash marks and dotted lines. In case anyone was wondering, there are 92 vertical hash marks and 48 horizontal dashes

I went scouring for more examples of original SD455 decals, but they're few and far between. If anyone has a clear shot of an original, I'd love another example.

Originals look to have been slightly embossed. I'll have to some research to see if I could make that happen. Otherwise, the metallic material I found for the A/C compressor decals would work great and be a higher quality improvement over the existing repro.

Work in progress new art...

[RA1John]

Outstanding work as always Ken.
Your graphics skills and attention to details are quite impressive.

Thanks for your patience and persistence on the '67-'68 Firebird conv. full size spare label.
Can't believe no one has reproduced this one until now.

[Verdoro 68]

Originally Posted by RA1John

Outstanding work as always Ken.
Your graphics skills and attention to details are quite impressive.

Thanks for your patience and persistence on the '67-'68 Firebird conv. full size spare label.
Can't believe no one has reproduced this one until now.

I appreciate all the collaboration on this one! Couldn't have done it without your help collecting examples. Let me know how the samples work out and if they need any further tweaking.

Regarding the SD valve cover decals, I've been shopping for a place that can do embossed metallic decals that can withstand underhood heat and have come up empty so far. I can get brushed metallic that's heat resistant and actual brushed aluminum labels ($$$), but no one seems to do embossing of a material suitable for underhood use. The hunt continues.

[MDSHARK81]

I have a 71 Trans am, 4 speed, with AC. I’d be interested in a set of any decals you make for my car. Especially the emissions decal for engine bay!! and air cleaner.