Bob's Component Resto, Part 15: Decals
Rumor has it that some of our FABO brethren are still having difficulty falling asleep at bedtime, so tonight we'll try something different. Our component resto team has determined that a discussion of decal restoration will make even the most sleep deprived members drowsy, so here goes. If you're a stickler for detail, you'll want your decals to be correct and in good condition. My 1974 Gold Duster had a number of badly worn 46 year old decals when I bought the car last year. Once I finished all the mechanical stuff, I turned my attention to replacing these decals. Obviously, there's no restoration of a decal - it has to be replaced. Tonight, I'm showing side by side photos of the decals that I've replaced on my car. Some of them were quite difficult to remove, leaving a very sticky adhesive residue. Others were far easier. Generally, the paper stickers are the hardest to remove, while the vinyl ones are a lot easier. I replaced the following stickers, from the rear moving forward (refer to before and after photos): The jacking instructions decal on the underside of the trunk lid. This decal, like many on my car, was carelessly installed at the factory. The assembly line workers took little interest in centering the decals or installing them straight. This paper decal was particularly difficult to remove, but the replacement decal turned out really well. Next I replaced the tire pressure decal on the driver's door jamb. Opposite the tire pressure decal is the large vehicle information decal on the side of the driver's door. For some odd reason, this decal had been partially removed, then reattached to the door with Scotch tape. WTF? This decal no longer had enough adhesive to stick to the door, so I had a new one made (after providing the proper documentation) by ECS Automotive. They did a fantastic job and the repro one was perfect, so on it went. The last photo below is of the new repro one from ECS. I kept the old one, of course. Moving forward to the engine compartment, I replaced the air cleaner servicing decal. This decal highlights the problem with restoring a 1974 model year car. They make very few exactly correct decals for 1974. The air filter part number appears on this repro decal. There isn't yet enough demand for a decal with the right part number for a slant six engine. The closest you can come is a decal for the 318 engine. After painting and restoring my air cleaner, I really wanted a new decal on it so I had to use the 318 one. Also, note the sloppy positioning of the original decal on the unrestored air cleaner in the photos below. It's almost as if the installer went out of her way to put it on sloppily and sideways, to say nothing of it uselessly facing the firewall where it cannot even be read, so I installed the repro decal on the flat recess on the front of the air cleaner. At least it can be read there. Next I replaced the coolant servicing and coolant reserve system decals, followed by the brake vacuum booster decal. The number 25 on this decal is the last two numbers of the part number for the brake booster for my car. The assembly line guy simply looked at the car's broadcast sheet as it came down the line. The number 25 appears on the broadcast, so he pulled a booster with the number 25 off the rack and installed it on the car. The quality of these repro decals is significantly better than the originals, fortunately. I took great care to install them correctly, and I love the way they look. The fourth from bottom photo is an engine compartment shot showing some of the decals. When I do my full engine compartment resto, I'll replace all of them again which is why I bought two of everything. So that's it for tonight's obscure topic, guaranteed to make anyone drowsy. Now climb into your jammies, turn off the lights and it's off to bed with you!
Rumor has it that some of our FABO brethren are still having difficulty falling asleep at bedtime, so tonight we'll try something different. Our component resto team has determined that a discussion of decal restoration will make even the most sleep deprived members drowsy, so here goes. If you're a stickler for detail, you'll want your decals to be correct and in good condition. My 1974 Gold Duster had a number of badly worn 46 year old decals when I bought the car last year. Once I finished all the mechanical stuff, I turned my attention to replacing these decals. Obviously, there's no restoration of a decal - it has to be replaced. Tonight, I'm showing side by side photos of the decals that I've replaced on my car. Some of them were quite difficult to remove, leaving a very sticky adhesive residue. Others were far easier. Generally, the paper stickers are the hardest to remove, while the vinyl ones are a lot easier. I replaced the following stickers, from the rear moving forward (refer to before and after photos): The jacking instructions decal on the underside of the trunk lid. This decal, like many on my car, was carelessly installed at the factory. The assembly line workers took little interest in centering the decals or installing them straight. This paper decal was particularly difficult to remove, but the replacement decal turned out really well. Next I replaced the tire pressure decal on the driver's door jamb. Opposite the tire pressure decal is the large vehicle information decal on the side of the driver's door. For some odd reason, this decal had been partially removed, then reattached to the door with Scotch tape. WTF? This decal no longer had enough adhesive to stick to the door, so I had a new one made (after providing the proper documentation) by ECS Automotive. They did a fantastic job and the repro one was perfect, so on it went. The last photo below is of the new repro one from ECS. I kept the old one, of course. Moving forward to the engine compartment, I replaced the air cleaner servicing decal. This decal highlights the problem with restoring a 1974 model year car. They make very few exactly correct decals for 1974. The air filter part number appears on this repro decal. There isn't yet enough demand for a decal with the right part number for a slant six engine. The closest you can come is a decal for the 318 engine. After painting and restoring my air cleaner, I really wanted a new decal on it so I had to use the 318 one. Also, note the sloppy positioning of the original decal on the unrestored air cleaner in the photos below. It's almost as if the installer went out of her way to put it on sloppily and sideways, to say nothing of it uselessly facing the firewall where it cannot even be read, so I installed the repro decal on the flat recess on the front of the air cleaner. At least it can be read there. Next I replaced the coolant servicing and coolant reserve system decals, followed by the brake vacuum booster decal. The number 25 on this decal is the last two numbers of the part number for the brake booster for my car. The assembly line guy simply looked at the car's broadcast sheet as it came down the line. The number 25 appears on the broadcast, so he pulled a booster with the number 25 off the rack and installed it on the car. The quality of these repro decals is significantly better than the originals, fortunately. I took great care to install them correctly, and I love the way they look. The fourth from bottom photo is an engine compartment shot showing some of the decals. When I do my full engine compartment resto, I'll replace all of them again which is why I bought two of everything. So that's it for tonight's obscure topic, guaranteed to make anyone drowsy. Now climb into your jammies, turn off the lights and it's off to bed with you!
