Our own PaPa Joe and His Grandson Eli have designed License Plate Toppers just for the Southern Bolters, please take a look....
"My Grandson Eli made these with his 3D printer (especially for the Southern Bolters). They are made of PETG Filament, which means they should last a good long time. They are fairly beefy also (1/4 to 3/8 thick including the mounting ear. The material duplicates a polished aluminum finish. However you can paint them any color you wish. I recommend finishing with a good Clear Coat after painting.
Toppers are $25 each. Toolbox Emblems are $20 each. The emblems can be attached with either double face tape or flat rubber coated magnetic strips. You can purchase the strips at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. $2 from the sale of each piece will be donated to the Southern Bolters to help with our social gathering expenses. Shipping is free, at this time. We accept PayPal and personal checks. Send PayPal payments to joekirk315@netzero.net Checks made payable to Joseph Kirkpatrick. (PM me for mailing address)
This is not a profit making venture. Eli gets the profits minus the shipping and donations. Which will cover his cost for the material and new parts needed to be able to print with the PETG. You can PM me to order.
Last edited by TUTS 59; Mon Aug 22 2022 07:01 PM.
Craig "Living life in the SLOW lane" Come, Bleed or Blister something has got to give!!! '59 Apache 31, 327 V8 (0.030 over), Muncie M20 4 Speed, GM 10 Bolt Rear... long term project (30 years and counting) '58 Viking 4400, 235, 4 Speed (Thor)
Craig "Living life in the SLOW lane" Come, Bleed or Blister something has got to give!!! '59 Apache 31, 327 V8 (0.030 over), Muncie M20 4 Speed, GM 10 Bolt Rear... long term project (30 years and counting) '58 Viking 4400, 235, 4 Speed (Thor)
Well, for now he helps me with the ‘53. It will be his someday. I tried to keep it as close to stock as possible. He will probably turn it into a hot rod.
UPDATE: To all who have purchased and received their toppers/emblems… if for any reason, other than extreme abuse, your topper/emblem breaks we will gladly replace it for free. This goes for anyone purchasing in the future as well.
I received mine in good shape via USPS. Joe, would you explain the process used to achieve the outline effect. I really appreciate the detail, but the process of adding some color or outline could a challenge with shaky hands.
Hi Archie! I do not have steady hands anymore, like when I was younger. I usually get my wife to do the intricate stuff. It took me awhile to do the outline myself. I did it with a brand new black Sharpie. I just angled the tip of the pen on the edges and followed them around. The letters were easy. Just painted the top with the sharpie. I am going to redo it. Going to spray paint it with bright chrome paint and see if I can brush paint the truck blue. Then outline with the sharpie again. Then clear coat it.
Wow, Jay. That was really nice of you to make a VIDEO!! I found it fascinating and very detailed. I bet it'll inspire and help those who want to paint theirs.
We need to paint ours. Maybe a(nother) winter project.
The Stovebolt Collective thanks you for another big help.
Peggy M “After all, tomorrow is another day!”—Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind Share knowledge and communicate it effectively. ~ Elihu
I fixed the botched paint job. Looks better. Last thing will be some gloss clear coat.
A few last tips. Use a pin or sewing needle to get paint inside the horizontal line and inside the Keepin’ ‘Em On The Road letters. Works much better than the paint brush and then wipe method I described in the video.
My Grandson started this venture to honor the Southern Bolters. We have printed a couple other regional toppers, but have kept it a Southern thing, for the most part. AND Lugnutz’s painted topper was icing on the cake! Fantastic job Jay!!! I am honored that you made the truck the same blue as my “Old Blue” ‘53! Check out the video, (link above in Lugnutz post) if you haven’t yet. I want to thank all those who have supported Eli. He feels like a real contributor to the Southern Bolters now. We have had this thread going for well over 30 days. We will continue to make more toppers/emblems as we get requests for them. However, I am starting to get requests for “Stovebolt.com” toppers. And an Admin has suggested a change to the design which I really like. I guess what I am asking is would there be enough interest, and is there any objection by the Southern Bolters? We will still continue the original design for any Bolters who want the exclusive Southern toppers. Please let me know what you think. And again THANK YOU all for the support! It means more than you can imagine.
I think a “New” Stovebolt.com topper would go over very well. After all we have a potential market of over 42,000 members.
Martin '62 Chevy C-10 Stepside Shortbed (Restomod in progress) '47 Chevy 3100 5 Window (long term project) ‘65 Chevy Biscayne 4dr 230 I-6 one owner (I’m #2) “Emily” ‘39 Dodge Businessmans Coupe “Clarence”
"I fought the law and the law won" now I are a retired one! Support those brave men/women who stand the "Thin Blue Line"! Hug a cop! USAF 1965-1969 Weather Observation Tech (I got paid to look at the clouds)
Ok… here is a picture of a printed topper. It is printed with PLA filament. The PETG just doesn’t work well with my Grandsons printer. The PLA filament is pretty durable. It does tend to warp some in direct sunlight. I am going to put a couple coats of either acrylic clear coat or I may try urethane. Either one should make it more durable. Give me some feedback… what do you think?
I purchased a custom topper for the car I gave my granddaughter. It had a flag background and the name of her high school and my son removed it. I asked why and he was correct, it tells where the car will be 5 days a week and for how long. I did think of putting her name on it but thought better of it and did not..
Okaaay! We haven’t had enough sun to test the PLA filament for UV affects. However For heat affect I can tell you it is very durable. I had this next to a space heater and also used a hair dryer to dry the paint. Do not use any other paint than acrylic for plastic. As you can see the paint (maroon) I used for Stovebolt ran, and the blue crinkled when I applied the clear coat. I believe the acrylic paint and clear coat will sufficiently protect from sun UV affects. Let me know if you are interested by PM.
Edit: The new toppers are $20. The PLA filament is not as expensive as the PETG. We will replace, for no charge, any that get broken or stolen.
Last edited by PaPa Joe; Mon Dec 19 2022 01:28 PM. Reason: Added second photo.
Do not use any other paint than acrylic for plastic. As you can see the paint (maroon) I used for Stovebolt ran, and the blue crinkled when I applied the clear coat.
I printed a radio blank off plate for my ‘52 made of PLA and I painted it buildable primer and Ace Premium spray paint. I had no issues with it affecting the PLA.
Phil Moderator, The Engine Shop, Interiors and Project Journals
It wasn’t the paint affecting the PLA that was the problem. It was the coats of clear seal that affected the paint I used. Hobby Lobby model paint crinkled and ran. The known problem with PLA filament for outdoor use is that UV rays from direct sunlight will will cause it to warp. I am hoping the clear seal coat will protect it from the UV affects of constant sun exposure. We used PETG filament before however it is harder on my grandson’s 3D printer. (Had to replace the nozzle after a couple printings.) It’s not a high dollar top of the line printer. The toppers were something my grandson wanted to do for the Southern Stovebolters. They have been great at making him a part of the gang at our outings.
Just a quick note… I think I posted this before, but wanted to be sure… To all those who have purchased toppers and emblems from us, they have a lifetime warranty. If your topper/emblem gets damaged or warped for any reason we will replace it free.
I did a thing. My license plate topper has been sitting on the shelf ever sInce I painted the thing. Today I made a thin metal backing plate which I epoxied to the back of the topper to add stiffness so it would be less likely to break. I then proudly mounted it to my Cowboy Cadillac front license plate (won’t fit in the back). Show your off! I dare ya!
