The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks Decal

I don't normally post in this category because I don't own a truck of this vintage, but you can make your own waterslide decals if you're handy with image manipulation. It isn't difficult, either. The basic manipulation program in Windows 10 is plenty to let you get started and there are free programs like GIMP and Inkscape and even free font creation programs for the advanced person. These decals can be made in nearly any color (not silver nor gold) and could be used for gauge restoration, radio dial restoration, clock restoration, pillar decal duplication, engine decals, whatever.

Anyhow if you are interested, here is what I know about the process condensed as much as possible:

1. you can buy 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of the waterslide decal paper in either laser or inkjet styles. Buy these on Etsy. Some sellers offer free shipping.
2. you can have FedEx (the old Kinko's) print for you using a color laser printer. You will need to convert your files to pdf format first, and this is easy as pie. In Windows 10, select the image you want, choose "print" and when you do this, choose "Microsoft Print to PDF" as the option. It will convert your image to a pdf file and you can then print and adjust the size if needed.
3. IMPORTANT NOTE: please remember only very specialized printers can print in white. Kinko's doesn't have them and I suspect you don't either. So, if you need white letters, etc, purchase white waterslide paper or use clear paper applied over a white painted base. You can get paper in white or clear in either laser or inkjet type. The original poster wanted a decal which was black with white letters. Using white paper and a common laser printer, these are dead easy to make.
4. make sure your base is sanded or cleaned very smooth. Even a tiny dot of dust will show through when your decal has dried.
5. once your decal image has been printed (either by inkjet or by laser) coat it with Krylon or Rustoleum clear spray. Inkjet images will dissolve in water and you can scratch laser print images with your finger while working with them. Plus it will help your images resist humidity, fading, etc.

When you have found or created an image (I use jpeg images) and you are satisfied with it, you're ready to go. This could be a jpeg file of any time...photo, drawing, computer generated, etc. And you will find you can stand on other people's shoulders as many of these decals have already been made or you can find and save them on websites. As for applying the decals, this is an acquired skill and you'll get comfortable with it pretty quickly.

So, if you're interested you can see some of the stuff I've done recently. First is an electronic speedometer conversion I've made for my pickup. You may have seen this in the electronic section. I've tried to keep it looking as original as possible. Next you can see a temp gauge register I've re-done. And there is also a watch dial I created. This watch (a 15 jewel Swiss movement) I could repair, but the dial was so bad I could not read anything on it, so I was left to create my own. The dial was painted light yellow and the decal was printed on a laser printer using clear paper. So now I have a watch which looks brand new...despite the fact it was made during WWII.

Good luck. If you have questions, please send me a PM or email.