The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Keeping the old names?

Ive been told several times that I need to keep the name on the doors and hood of my GMC once I get to that phase of the project, which in reality is probably really far down the road. And I whole heartedly agree on keeping the name.

So the question I have is this, should I restore the name as original, hand painted on the doors and hood?

Or do I use the name and go with the more scripted flow seen here on an old beer cap?

My wife and I have been debating this for awhile and I really cant decide which way to go. Metz started up in 1864 and ended in 1961, so the names been on the door since this truck was fairly new. Id like to do it justice when the time comes, so Im open to opinions.

Thanks, Jeff

Jeff,

I'll be of no help, I like them both.

Where on the hood is/was the name?

Tim

if you want to do it justice the Script name would be the best looking. but if you wanted it to be accurate keep it the way it is since that is what is written on the truck. But if you want my opinion I think the script would look so choice!!!

Ya either looks good..of course the original is the original..

Suprised you didn't go with "Dunkin Donuts"..Honestly some of us are thinking about inventing our own: https://www.stovebolt.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=452751#Post452751

At least you have one to work with..

You could do a combo of both..the cap with Getz in the middle and brewing company underneath and going beyond the cap on both sides

Have fun with it,

Keith

There is nothing more correct than the original. Anything else isn't original.

Classic door art isn't always the most "stylish" by today's standards but that's exactly the source of it's charm. It take discipline to keep something original. How committed are you to historic accuracy?

It's your truck, do with it as you please but I'd be thrilled to have been entrusted with the preservation of such an artifact.

I go with Woody on this one. Although, you could put the Metz on the back of the cab or somewhere where it will be seen if you want that one on too? It is, in the end, your truck though.

Well, once you repaint, it's not original any more anyway. I would opt for the script since I'm sure the company would have done it that way if they could have. I'm thinking someone without much artistic ability just stenciled that one on there.
In the end, it's your truck and you do whatever you want to,
Scott

I vote for the cap, complete with the circle.

I like the script one best, but I don't think you can go wrong either way!

If there is a logo on the door or wherever... it's not orginial anyway! It would be better said... "the way I got it". Nothing is orginial when it has been redone. You could say, restored as orginial or restored as I found it. It's your baby, do as you like.

I would stick with the original, because thats what the truck has. Beyond that, there may be a trademark issue if you want to use the bottle cap logo. If that is a registered trademark, you should get permission from the owner to use it. Although realistically speaking, probably the owner wouldn't care if you gave them some free advertising. But that can be a sticky matter, because it becomes unclear in the public view who has liability for the truck if it is involved in any legal issue. Unless you are perfectly clear with trademark issues, stay away from copyright and trademark matters on signage. Basically, that means not using anyone's logo that has been used in public to identify a product. But if you really want proper advice, you need to talk to a copyright/trademark attorney.

All this isn't meant to rain on your parade, but most sign painters won't paint someone's logo anywhere unless the customer (the payor) has permission to use/display it.

Harvester

Reminds me of the ol' adage about how to choose what to name your kid: stand out on the back porch and yell it three or four times at the top of your lungs. You might find that Alouiscious Finkmeister Cartwright isn't such a cool name after all.

For your truck, imagine yourself answering the obvious question from people who see you parked at the burger joint: "Wow, that looks cool! Is it original?"

Seems to me that you'll either answer "Yes, I applied a fresh coat of paint over the original script."

or

"No, it HAD lettering from 19XX, but I updated it with this new script from 19XX because I etc. etc. etc."


William Finkmeister McCormick Antagenen...the third

Question-did the truck have some sort of bed or box on the back originally? Or was it used as a tractor-trailer setup? An option would be to keep the logo as is on the door, then use the one from the cap on either a sign on a stake bed/box, or if it was a tractor/trailer, find an appropriat box trailer to put the logo on. Of course with permission from the company, if they are still in business.

Question: Why not combine them both?

Surprised this thread hasn't been moved to Paint and Body Shop.

The company went out of business in 1961 due to the backlash of prohibition from the 1950's. I highly doubt that anyone could have an issue with reproducing the name, logo, whatever, since that was almost 50 years ago. Also the trucks a good 1800+ miles away from where she originated from.

Finding any information about Metz has been difficult to say the least.

Anyways, Ive added a picture to show the hood. Metz extra dry Beer

Cletis, I like the idea of using the script and circle surrounding it, hadnt quite thought that far ahead. My mind starts spinning ideas around long before anything actually comes of it.

48bigtrucks, thats an interesting point about the original lettering, most of this was probably done on the cheap and I think it would do it justice to do a better job then the original.

One of the reasons I like the old script on the door is that you can see where the brush strokes started and stopped by looking at the circles where the brush either touched the body or was lifted off. You can see where the paints thicker near the first stroke and thinner as the brush was moved. Im not doing a pristine restoration, but I do lean towards originality.

It would be nice to learn more history about the truck, but a lot of that is vague and forgotten by now. I wonder what roads its been down? How many miles shes seen? How many sets of hands worked that steering wheel over the years?

Even if she isnt restored to original specs, its nice to think the history wont be lost.

Thanks for the opinions!

Jeff

Here you can see a postcard of the brewery during its glory days.

You have the truck, now you need a keychain.

You will ALWAYS need more money for the restoration. Get yourself a keg bank.

If you have a truck, you gotta spend another $10 for a shirt!

Wear the shirt when you show off the original beer can.

Now get yourself a genuine original serving tray to put the beer can on.

All set!


(Thanks BJ.)

Bill

Thanks for the links Bill. Always good to see more Metz stuff about. I dont need much of the goofy stuff seen on ebay and the like, but occasionally some neat one of a kind stuff pops up there. Like the Beer tap handle pictured in my photo album that went for about $320+ on ebay. Im now looking at reproducing another for use as a shifter knob.

Ive gone through some historical websites and was able to find some nice black and white photos of the company buildings in the early 1900s.

But being so far away has its disadvantages for digging through old records in person.

Jeff

Would it be possible to preserve the old lettering by spraying clear coat over it, and designing some type of decorative border around it? Once it's preserved that way, repaint the rest of the sheet metal around it. A good sign man can freehand some sort of decorative border around the original logo to blend in with the new paint. Just an oddball suggestion!
Jerry