Repaint dash panel, restoring speed numbers

[37 Pontiac SilverStreak]

Team,

how would I restore this piece? It has painted on numbers and logos. Would I have to stencil them back? Any advice greatly appreciated.

[NTX5467]

This MIGHT be a long-shot, but . . . if you might find one of the many "vehicle wrap" enterprises which might be able to scan the item, then clean up the artwork and color correct the background, they might produce "a sheet" which they would then attach to your base item and, hopefully, reproduce the correct sheen of the original item. There is also a "water borne" method where the image film, as I understand it, "floats" on the top of a small pool of water as the base material is raised from the bottom of the pool, with the film then adhering to the base material. One of our car club members has knowledge of this process, with respect to woodgraining instrument panel trim. I don't see why something of that nature might not work.

ONE "hitch" might be the copyrighted Pontiac emblem and the distinct possibility that the particular font used for the other printing was also part of one copyright for the design of the particular item. I also suspect that the only part of the item which might currently contain these issues might be the Pontiac emblem itself. Perhaps it could be covered or protected as the rest of the item was "decaled"?

I have NO idea of what something of that nature might cost. But it seems to me that it could be a viable alternative, even if the company had to get some licenses from the manufacturers (or parent entities, who might hold the current trademarks and copyrights) to do restorations in the manner I have mentioned.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[Guest bofusmosby]

Trevor

Here is how I plan on doing the instrument panel that you want to do. First, get a good high resolution photo of the instrument panel and store this on your computer. Then, get on Ebay and buy some large size water-slide decal paper. These are just like the ones we used to put on our models when we were kids. Be sure and clean your original instrument panel, and try to match the original tan color of the metal. When this is complete, the tricky part will be to size the graphics to the exact size so that the graphics will fit perfectly on your instrument plate. Using your computer printer, print the graphics on the water-slide decal paper. Soak the decal in water until the decal becomes loose and then slide the decal off the sheet and onto the instrument plate. You will then be able to position this decal, and line it up exactly where it belongs. After it dries, then apply (spray) a few clear coats of krylon clear spray to blend in all the graphins, and to eliminate any visible lines. Make sure that the spray you use is suited for sun exposure, or this coating will yellow in time. I plan on doing mine in this manner. As a matter of fact, I bought an old instrument panel plate off Ebay to experiment with, so I don't mess up the original. I will be applying these decals in stages, and NOT he entire graphics in one application.

I actually photographed my original instrument panel, and with Photoshop, I erased all the brown and rust, and went over the numbrs and letters. It's not perfect, but it's still a work in progress. Here is a link to the type of paper I am speaking about. They have paper for the inkjet printers, as well as the laser printers.

10 Sheets Clear Inkjet Waterslide Transfer Decal Paper Waterslide Transfers | eBay

I have included a photo of the graphics I have been working on.

Sorry, I didn't mean to post this incomplete indian head, I did that by mistake. I have a completed one that looks pretty good. At least you can see what it looks like in the beginning of the process. Remember, if you white out everything you DON'T want, when you print the graphics on a clear paper, only the graphics should show. This is NOT a professional job to me, but it is something that I am able to do, and save a lot of money in the process.

Edited March 1, 2013 by bofusmosby (see edit history)

[dictator27]

Hi Trevor

This is the step-by-step restoration of a dash panel. Hope this helps.

Instruments

Terry

[Guest bofusmosby]

Terry, do you already have the decals for the 37 Pontiac Trevor is asking about? If so, what are you selling them for? I might be interested as well. I don't need any of the gauges, just the speedometer and the other graphics on the instrument plate.

[NTX5467]

(without looking at the links) Is there a particular type or brand of ink that will work best for this project, for an inkjet printer? Or the laser printer? Some are more water-soluable than others, I believe? Plus the resistance to the various "things" in the paint? Might automotive exterior "clear" be better with their (as I understand) "UV protections" built in?

In doing the Photoshop operation, is it advisable to "scale-up" the images to do the corrections to them and then scale them back down the desired size for printing?

I find what I've seen, regarding the "decal" items, very interesting! It might be a way to replicate the labeling on '68 Buick instrument cluster panels!

Thanks for the information! I look forward to progress reports, if possible!

NTX5467

[Guest bofusmosby]

If your questions are directed to me, I'll try to answer them. First of all, to scale the images up....YES! I would go a large as possible, then when they are shrunk back down to their normal size, any imperfections will not be noticable by anyone else but you. LOL If you click on the speedometer numbers I posted, it still isn't perfect, so there is more work to be done. This is just the image I have been working on. The final image will be about 20% larger than is is here, but even when enlarged, it still looks pretty good. I am always a perfectionist, and it would seem that no matter what task is at hand, I can always see my own faults. After the image/graphics are printed, you would want to spray a clear coat on them to waterproof the ink. Speaking about the type of printer that would be best, well, I have never used a laser printer, so I really can't answer that question. About the paint (clear) that is used, well, good question. I know that Krylon makes a clear coating that is formulated for U/V rays, but an actual clear for a car might be better, except I know for a fact that the Krylon dries very quickly, and I have used it many times for other things.

Even though it might sound like I have experience with this, I have not tried it as of yet. On my 37 Pontiac, the graphics are in horrible shape, but still useable, so I bought on Ebay a junk instrument panel to experiment with, and I do believe that what I have in mind will look good when finished.

There was a guy that had one of these instrument panels that was going to sell to me. I went into great detail of my process, and he seemed to be quite impressed. Well, the communications suddenly stopped! He would not answer my calls or Emails. About 6-8 months later, he was trying to sell this very panel (restored with the decals)on Ebay for $650. It looked pretty good. I don't believe it ever sold there, but I'm sure he was able to sell it to someone. So much for sharing info with others. I have no regrets. I would gladly help others with no financial gain in mind. Many have helped me with other problems I have had, so what goes around comes around.

[jpage]

I redid my Dodge gauges by having a graphics shop reproduce the face details on a reflective decal paper and just recovered the gauge face plate. In your case where you have small and separate lettering ,I would have a good graphics shop photograph them and individually reproduce each detail on a clear paper. After repainting the panel then apply the decals accordingly. After they're dry ,top coat with a good clear spray( compatable with the decal of course) and it should look almost like original. I wouldn't worry about the logo if you're not planning to sell them. This might save a lot of fooling around and maybe some money in the long run and should produce better results.

[Guest bofusmosby]

What did the graphics shop charge you for this?

[dictator27]

Terry, do you already have the decals for the 37 Pontiac Trevor is asking about? If so, what are you selling them for? I might be interested as well. I don't need any of the gauges, just the speedometer and the other graphics on the instrument plate.

Don't have anything like that, Jim. I'm just researching this myself to do the gauges in my 27 Studebaker. By comparison to yours or Trevor's, mine are pretty basic, just black letters on a white background. The white is in excellent original condition, and only needs a good(gentle) cleanup. The only gauge face needing serious attention is the speedometer which is the revolving drum type. This thread has already answered the questions that I had.

Terry

[Friartuck]

Another source for specialty paper (both both ink jet and laser jet printers) to make water transfer decals is Papilio:

Papilio Inkjet Media

We use them to make decals for our R/C model airplanes.

[NTX5467]

Thanks, bofusmosby, for the reply and information. I'll admit I was probably a little early in my questions, though, as after I posted them, I did some searches and found two related websites, www.justaddcolors.com and www.texascraft.com . Papilio products were there, too. Lots of other similar products, too, including bumper sticker media (that could be "dangerous"!). I also read the information on the supplied link, which was very informative and got me thinking that the water slide decal media was more available than I suspected -- I'd never thought of it being that available, though. A "whole new world" of possibilities!

Thanks for sharing this information!

Enjoy!

NTX5467

[jpage]

I think it cost me about $40.00 ( the shop owner was also my employer at the time). They printed about 4 sets on one sheet to save money and the hopes that I could sell a few sets. It took longer for me to get the girl to really look at the font and get it right; she made several attempts and I think she was getting irritated at me for making her do it over and over till she got it right. Not that they weren't conscientious, but she thought it was for free. In the end they did a very nice job and the gauges look great!

[37 Pontiac SilverStreak]

Great stuff...

I'm still investigating my options, will post results when dash is started... I have a few more items to remove from car then I am starting restorations, figured, start with small items first