rogerpete Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 (edited) Being a simple working stiff, and my father is semi retired from farming, we don't have an abundance of funds to sink into cars. We are working on his 1930 DC8, which will be a driver. This car will never sit in a museum, and we don't go to car shows that involve judging. Our cars are for fun, for driving & for cruising kids & grand kids in. That being said...His honey comb radiator had a significant leak, and not having the funds, we patched it ourselves. You can see that thread in this forum. So now we are looking at the radiator shell for chrome. The DC8 emblem was pretty goofed up, missing quite a bit of enamel and pretty tarnished. Here is how a working stiff turned it into presentable condition, since we didn't have $400 for restoration...I have a bad habit of not taking a picture before I start something. but here is a picture after about an hour of rubbing with a compound designed for fogged headlights. The Dodge Brothers lettering & 6 point star have started to shine, but I have been very careful not to rub down the raised edges on the DB8 portions. Once I was happy with the results, I used the buffing wheel on my dremel, and touched up the sides.wiping everything down with Naptha to clean real good, this completed my work for now. I have about 4-5 hours as of right now. I then go to my local hobby shop and buy, (brace yourselves), Testors enamel model paint. I picked up some light blue and white. I am now $4.35 into this project of purchased supplies I didn't have...Mixing the two colors, I got the right light blue I was looking for. I popped a hole in an egg container, and dropped the emblem into the hole, so it would lay flat, and just a little closer to my eyes. You have a couple options at this point, assuming you can see this small. You can load the paint into a syringe, you can buy a detail brush, (which is like 7 bristles on a handle) or even cheaper yet...again I hope your sitting down...a book of matches.If you pull a match out of the book, and take a razor, cut off the head at an angle. Now you have a disposable paint applicator that is great for detail work.So apply the paint to the missing areas. If you thin the paint, it levels pretty nice. Give it 3-4 days of air drying to cure, then clear coat it with lacquer. Is it perfect? No. Does it look good at 12" away, Dang great if I do say so myself. Other then time? I have less then $9 in the project. Sorry for the light glare on the last photo, the clear coat gave this thing a mirror like finish! I am sure there are some "purists" out there that say Poo-Poo on Roger! But in reality, this is not a Rolls Royce. This is a Dodge, a working mans car. And these working men like driving their Dodge.Besides, this saved money for chrome, and I know that is gonna be a lot of money.........(hope I didn't offend any Rolls Royce non working men out there ) Edited August 29, 2013 by rogerpete (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I would say it looks just fine and thanks very much for the tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozrocks Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I'd have to agree. Looks like a very good job to me. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I REALLY like the way you git 'er dun Roger....... :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
35cz8 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Very nice. SOme great ideas here for a fun driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32bizcoupe Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Good job. Love to see the rest of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30DodgePanel Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 They say "a good painter can paint with a rock", in this case it's a match. Looking good :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie 8 Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I am very impressed with the work you did on your Dodge's emblem. I have a DC8 roadster which is almost finished after about 40 years and many setbacks along the way.. At some time in it's life the DC8 emblem was stolen, and also the Fedco plate so at least you had a start on me. Believe me they are thin on the ground but I have one on the way now. What condition and body style is your Dodge DC8? I'm hoping to get a few pictures up on the site soon. Cheers.Jim1930 Dodge DC8 Richards roadster.1961/2 Morris Mini 8501974 Landrover ex military 6 cylinder (farm work horse) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 I am very impressed with the work you did on your Dodge's emblem. I have a DC8 roadster which is almost finished after about 40 years and many setbacks along the way.. At some time in it's life the DC8 emblem was stolen, and also the Fedco plate so at least you had a start on me. Believe me they are thin on the ground but I have one on the way now. What condition and body style is your Dodge DC8? I'm hoping to get a few pictures up on the site soon. Cheers.Jim1930 Dodge DC8 Richards roadster.1961/2 Morris Mini 8501974 Landrover ex military 6 cylinder (farm work horse)Dads 1930 DC8 is a rumble seat coupe, and he has had DC8's since the 1950's. I am just a tire kicker. I will post some photos of the radiator, the newly chromed shell, (when we get there), and the emblem once we get them back in. We have a "good" Dodge 8 emblem (the silver cast metal cut out letters, not the enamel one like in this thread), for the radiator, and we have a "bad" spare Dodge 8 emblem, with a piece of the 8 missing. We are gonna cut some brass and solder/braze it into the missing spot, and have it chromed just to see if we can do it. With dad's common sense knowledge & my "what do we have to lose?" attitude, I am willing to bet we will have another thread on how to repair broken pot metal emblems... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahartley Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 (edited) ^ Loctite makes some terrific INDUSTRIAL adhesives. You might have to get them through an industrial distributor like Motion Industries.Never know what you'll find on Amazon too....... Edited August 30, 2013 by cahartley (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted August 30, 2013 Share Posted August 30, 2013 I like the way you have had a go at doing it yourself. I take this approach myself. I often use enamel model paint in the way you have and I also like the results. You get a sort of kick from doing it yourself and if anyone with their deep pockets thinks it should be done differently they can go *****!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeC5 Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Very nice job. Besides the minimal cost, you get the satisfaction of true DIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted September 23, 2013 Author Share Posted September 23, 2013 Got the shell back from the Chrome Shop ...and had to put the "revived" emblem on it before we even hit the garage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerpete Posted September 23, 2013 Author Share Posted September 23, 2013 Here is a rather poor "before" shot...you get the idea- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.White Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 That looks great!Coincidentally, I am currently restoring the old rad shell on my '26 touring. I have never taken on such a challenging job - the steel shell was rather pitted with rust which has ruined the original nickel so this has been removed with a flap wheel; dings and dents removed and the wavy surface now flat, I am now ready to "brush" electro plate new nickel. This project will be covered in a new thread.keep up the good work!Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin b Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 I like what you did . Im the same way to save a buck, but also the satisfaction of it. When people come up to you and say did you do that. It is very hard not to smile and puff the chest a little bit and proudly say yes I did. Keep up the good work.Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now