The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk License Plate Restoration

Anyone had experience with License Plate restorers? I'm currently looking at a few, including some who are linked here on the "Bolt".

Are these guys so busy that it really takes anywhere between 2 and 5 months to have a plate restored?

Thanks,

Word of caution about plate "restoration": Check with your Dept. of Motor Vehicles. In New York, the DMV expressly prohibits use of vintage plates that have been "touched up", repainted, etc. Why? I don't know.

My guess is that people who do that kind of work don't do it as their main business.. more like something they do as a hobby in their spare time.. and likely to be retirees.

Folks like that ain't in a hurry to do anything.

Kimbonstrom speaks the truth. It's better to check before you spend the money. Personally I'm not going to restore my tag. It's only original once.

I (and my son-in-law) restored mine, we got the paint code color and painted them correctly. They look great and are now worth a whole lot more than I paid for them. Mine are 1932 and will be used for YOM (year of manufacture) plates, and are O.K. with the D.M.V.

I had my plates restored by Mojo Artworks. He turned it around fast and stuck to the price. The quality was fine.

Some DMVs allow you to provide them with a full page photo/scan/printout of your plate (for their records).

Thanks for the feedback and comments. Florida requires that you send your plate to Tallahassee for authentication if it is going to be used for YOM. The current statutes state that the plate be original, not restored, and legible to law enforcement.

The plate I have was poorly repainted, but I'm hoping that the powers to be will pass it anyway. What happens after that? Hmmm...

tclederman - thanks for the feedback on Mojo.

Hey all ya Tarheels out there , Can the older plates be used?
I'd love to run them on my 65 Chevy c/10 and the 58 Lincoln .
Thanks , George

[img]http://thumb1.webshots.net/t/53/553/3/37/33/2402337330051990781pMAjvY_th.jpg[/img]
Here is a YOM plate unrestored, the front is the same.

Nioce looking truck AD. How did you get those bed rails so smooth?

i had my stainless man straighten my yom plates for my fleetmaster then i used spot putty primed and painted them.

I have a 52 farm plate I wanted to use, but the
DMV wouldn't allow Me to use it, because it will not
be used in farm use...but they would allow Me to use
a 1952 commercial plate, so thats what on My truck.
A one time $35 fee is good for as long as I own
the truck...I repainted the plate and re-did the
letters and numbers... Bill_B

George, I'm not too sure on that. I had a guy that has a 29 Ford Model A and he has YOM plates on it. I found a really nice 66 plate at the emporium in Salisbury and I'm planning on putting it on my truck. I dont have a matched set, but I'm ok with that since the DMV here only requires you to have one on your vehicle. The next time I'm home (I'm at NC State University right now), I'm going to go by the DMV and ask.

YOM plates can not be used on vehicles later than 1962. It is not to hard to accomplish if you find someone at the local DMV who will take the time to help you out. GOOD LUCK with that!!!
Best bet is to contact you local DMV and get the local info. For CALIF you can get most of the YOM info here: www.davesclp.com

In New Jersey they don't allow non current plates for historic or collector cars...you need to buy QQ or Historic plates. However, I am a license plate collector and amateur plate restorer..so I like to put YOM plates on my trucks when I drive or show them...I finesse the law by attaching my YOM plates over my current historic plates using velcro dots. I've been stopped once and the officer only wanted a close-up look at my 'Burb.
I don't know of anyone who was arrested or even got a ticket for this type of YOM plate display.

Hey George and 66 --

So you know, the NCDMV says this (I called and asked about this topic specifically): You are more than welcome to purchase/post vintage or YOM plates on your vehicle. They do not need to be registered because the state requires you to purchase a regular plate regardless of what you have ON your vehicle. Stupid, right? Oh, and the actual plate that is registered has to be maintained within the vehicle at all times.

For everyone else --

Here is an answer about the restored plates that I got from two different states' Highway Patrols: Some plate restorers are of less than honorable repute, and have been known to restore plates with materials that can not be registered by traffic cameras and such, thus making it more likely for the plate owners to break laws. Not always the case, but often enough the case to warrant a ban on them in some states.

Just some info to chew on...

Randy

Thanks for clearing that up Randy, I guess my crappy white and blue one has to stay on the truck...

Here is a great example of a Year of Manufacturer YOM plate on Lue's Blues Paddy wagon Keep Florida Green? Now, who would have thought that keeping Florida green was an issue back in 1951 when most everything was simply tossed out the window - beer cans, soda bottles, etc.

As you can see the plate is currently registered, denoted by the little sticker in the upper right corner. The Florida Statues state that the plate can stay with the vehicle even if it is sold.

In Florida the YOM plate must be sent to Tallahassee for authentication, i.e., they research the records to verify that the plate was indeed produced and registered by the State at one time. I suppose this is a fraud protection process as anyone could conceivably make any plate they wanted, especially if they were spending some easy time upstate at the plate manufacturing facility. You must also send in your title number and VIN where the State can verify that the plate is indeed going to be installed on "your" vehicle and that it is of the same YOM as the plate.

I'm just hoping that the poor touch-up done to the plate will pass roster. One of the more popular plate dealers here in Florida told me that he has never had a "restored" plate rejected.

My original Florida "personalized" plate 41-CHEVY was taken by someone else after I let it lapse over ten years ago. Although I really liked that plate it's doubtful that I'll ever get it back, so now I'm trying to get my county and YOM specific plate approved.

Although I don't yet know the outcome of the DMV's decision I feel pretty confident that they will honor the request. A few phone calls and pleas for some common sense, in addition to the $34.60 check, will hopefully help. My biggest problem so far was trying to locate the specific statutes pertaining to what would pass muster and what wouldn't. It seems strange to me that if a plate was indeed manufactured by the state and subsequently registered, that it would be rejected because it was later professionally restored, while a same plate would be approved including all of it's rust, dings, and faded paint.

I'll let you all know of the outcome whatever it may be.

I have a 1936 FL tag on my 1936 GMC. It was restored and I had no problem getting them to authorize it. There were two problems though, one, the plate got dinged in the mail back to me from the DMV due to it not being packed properly and they stuck the decal on it crooked. Faceless bureaucrats........GRRRRRRRR.

License Plate restoration - how to article

http://www.nationaltbucketalliance.com/tech_info/Generalinformation/licplate/plate.asp

It is a good read.

-W

dunfire - how do you say GRRRRRRR? My plate was delivered, by the USPS, to the DMV at 0436 last Friday morning. As of yesterday it hasn't been received by the correct department. It took one day in the mail to be delivered up-state but so far 7 days undeliverable in-house. The folks I spoke to up there are friendly though and don't come across as "faceless bureaucrats", at least not yet.

Woogeroo - Yes, nice article. Does anyone think the "Big Guys" who charge $80 bucks for this type of service, and take anywhere from 5 to 15 weeks to complete a project, do anything different?

Down2sea,
Did you mail it to Direct Mail and Title Correction Section, Bureau of Title and Registrations, Neil Kirkman Bld. MS #72, Tallahassee FL? There number is 850-922-9000. In 2004, when I sent my plate, there were five people in this dept and this is all that they do. Never hurts to call and tell what a great job they are doing!

Yes, exactly. The person I put it Attention to has yet to find it. Why would the USPS deliver a plate at 0436 in the morning anyway?

any other websites or other info on plate restoration? any place with color information, example what color used for each state, and year? Thanks, Mike

Felix2.com is a good site. Unfortunately, last week my laptop hard drive failee and I lost all of my bookmarks :hammering: :hammering: :mad:

License Plates of the USA is a great site.

I suppose I would be remiss in not including the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association

Thanks Down2Sea, will have to check them out, have some old plates I may try to restore in my "spare" time !!

Mike

depends on what state you live in.I have 1955 farm plates on my 55 and regular 1972 plates on my 72.Both are registered under the historical registration system in Ohio.My wife painted a couple sets of plates for me a few years back,but it is a very tedious job.There are several places that specialize in plate restoration,but it aint cheap.

Do any of you know where I can buy a 66 plate for Indiana?

seen 'em on eBay, under collectables, find transportation then go to automobila...should find some, have patience they always pop up.

Mike

...just checked ebay, about 7-'66 IND plates for sale, a few truck plates...resonably priced too.

I got my plate back from the DMV in Tallahassee today and it was approved - warts and all. The folks up there couldn't have been nicer and more cooperative in locating the wayward plate. The girl who went looking for it said that those dang revenue'ers more than likely had it and that's where she found it. It was approved and back in two days with the sticker put on at an angle

I sent the plate to Mojo Artworks for some restoration. The turn-around was really fast and I'm pleased with the job. The 19 prefix on the plate indicates Brevard County in which I reside and is what "sold" me on the plate at a pretty steep price. I'll be putting my former "Personalized" 41-CHEVY plate on the front of the truck.

Although I wish the plate was in "original" (like Tiny's) condition but it wasn't; I would have left it alone had it been. I'm sure the Florida sunshine will yellow it out a bit fairly quickly and give it a somewhat older look in fairly short order. I suppose I could now throw some rocks at it and put it out in the canal out back to give it that vintage look :blat: but after all of the bucks in this thing I don't think so.

You can view the before and after pictures at the bottom of My '41 link below.

A friend just told me a day or two ago that S.C. has agreed for YOM tag to be ran on your vehicle. The question I have for my DMV is going to be "if it was required in 1937 to run a tag on both the front and the back do I still need two"......because now S.C. only has to have one. I figure the Black on White 1937 tag would look spiffy on it. Has any of you had the same question about front And back????

Achipmunk - Florida only requires a rear tag and The Law doesn't seem to address what you put on the front. I see many cars here at the shows with a YOM on the back and everything else, including old Florida plates without the sticker on the front. That's why, much to my relief, I can install my "former" personalized plate 41CHEVY on the front although it's now registered to someone else.