The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk GOOD source for valve cover decal?

Can any of you recommend a supply house that has a GOOD "Thriftmaster 235" valve cover decal for my 54? I just installed a new one that looks like crap.

The decal has a cloudy matte finish that stands out like a sore thumb against my freshly painted valve cover. The valve cover paint color shows through the yellow printing on the decal to produce a muddy yellow.

The decal that I put onto my previous valve cover 10 years ago was clear gloss and the yellow stayed yellow after attaching it. Looks like it was painted on. No idea where I bought it.

Luckily, I was able to remove the decal without damaging the paint.

Thanks for your help,

- Lonnie

Hey Lonnie, I had the same experience as you. I intend to take the decal off and take it to a sign painter, show him the decal and have him paint it on. I will use a heat gun to soften the adhesive, haven't done it yet, but it should work.

53 Panel -

I just updated my post. I was able to peal off the "crap" decal. I used a little paint thinner, but I don't think that it was necessary. 'Course I pulled it off only a few minutes after attaching it, so that may have helped.

At this point, I will leave the valve cover bare rather than put on another crappy decal.

- Lonnie

I got one from Jim Carter I am happy with.

Big Tee,

That's where I bought mine. Maybe he has two types in inventory. Is the clear body of your decal crystal clear gloss, or does it have a matte finish?

- Lonnie

I will look when I get home. I actually bought both. The Thriftmaster 235 and the script Thriftmaster. I installed the script Thriftmaster but can look at the 235 TM decal I have when I get home. What color is your valve cover? Perhaps that is throwing it off. Mine is the original grayish/blueish 216 color (see pic), so perhaps that made a difference.

Thriftmaster decal

My new valve cover is Chevy "car blue", not truck gray. The decal on my old valve cover, which is still on the truck, has a gloss finish and the blue valve cover does not ghost through the yellow decal.

Although the muddy yellow looks bad, the bigger problem is the matte finish on the whole decal including the clear parts.

- Lonnie

I just bought one for my 261 Jobmaster from Carters too.
It's in shipping route as I type this.
It was pretty cheap... $2.78
I'll try not to get too excited about it but I'll let you know how it turns out.

Jerry

I always wondered if the valve cover letterings back in the day were decals or painted. Don't know the answer but you could always put each letter/part on separately (but uniformly) if you are good with an exacto knife.

Depends on which day you are referring to. Stencils might have been used in some years. In 1954, the THRIFTMASTER/LOADMASTER name on the valve cover is shown in the Factory Assembly Manual as a "DECALCOMANIA".

In the USA, DECALCOMANIA was often used to describe a transfer: a sheet with letters/figures on it would be placed over the "substrate" and the transfer-image would be rubbed-off onto the substrate.

I have no idea how the engine "name" got onto a 1954 valve cover, it might have been hand-painted (or roller painted) using a stencil, but I doubt if it was free-hand painted. It might have been a decal as we know it (and can buy them) or it might have been applied using a transfer process (DECALCOMANIA). Does anyone else have any knowledge about this, or care to speculate (BS) on this?

Earlier names on valve covers appear to have been painted using a stencil?

Anyone else know of decals with gloss background?

I phoned some supply houses:

> Classic Truck Parts decals are matte.
> American Classic Truck parts says that their valve cover decal is gloss - but it is the same item # as Jim Carter. May have been describing the yellow printing instead of the clear background.
> Jim Carter has only matte decals.
> Chevs of the 40's says their decal is gloss, including the clear background. I ordered one. Will arrive next Friday. I'll let you know. This will be about my last chance to put on a good decal before the Daytona Spring Car Show on 3/25-27.

- Lonnie

Lonnie,

Can you post an address of a photo to look at?

I think the 1954 235 decal I put on my engine had a clear background - I'll see if In still have the decal on that valve cover. I think I got that decal from Chevy Duty ( now Classic Parts ) over 8 years ago.

Tim -

This is my decal from Jim Carter after I pulled it off of my valve cover (immediately after I had put it on). You can see how the matte finish is not crystal clear. Here is Jim Carter's description. The matte finish looks bad in his photo, too.

This is my decal that I put on my original valve cover ten years ago. The finish is glossy like a freshly painted valve cover. The yellow stays yellow. Not sure, but I may have bought from Chevy Duty, too. Classic Chevy (formerly Chevy Duty) told me that their decals now have a matte finish like Jim Carter's.

This is my old decal side by side with the Jim Carter decal that I removed from my "new" valve cover. Easy to see the cloudy background on the new one vs clear on the old one. You can also see how the yellow is true yellow on the old one vs blue showing through the new one.

Here is a close up of the new decal on my old valve cover. Not attached as well as if it were a fresh decal. But you can easily see the blue showing through the yellow. It is even worse with a fresh decal onto a freshly painted smooth glossy valve cover. You can also see how the matte finish stands out against even this old dull valve cover.

Here is Chevs of the 40's description of the valve cover decal that I bought today. They told me that the clear parts are glossy.

Just to clarify ... I am replacing the valve cover in these pictures with one that I bought from Dave Chapman. That's why my original decal is still on this valve cover. I attached the new decal to my "new" valve cover that is freshly painted, then pulled it off when I saw how bad it looked.

Thanks for anyone's help on locating an acceptable decal.

- Lonnie

Lonnie,

That looks terrible.

10-4
See why I freaked and pulled it off !!!

- L

How are you applying the Decal?

Sometimes when we apply decals we spray the area first with soap/water mixture(baby shampoo). similar to what window tint guys use.

My guess is that all vendors get the decals from the same source, and it's just junk.

Still looking for someone who has recently purchased a good clear, glossy decal with opaque yellow letters.

DADS50 -

I applied it dry. Marked out the location with masking tape.

Since this is an adhesive decal, I don't know if soap/water will damage the glue.

Don't think the method of application will improve the "see-through" letters nor the dull finish of the clear parts.

They probably all purchase from the same decal producer. But I'm still hoping that one of them has a different / better printer.

- Lonnie

Lonnie,

You are correct. Water is not going to help an adhesive-style decal (it might even hurt). I used no water and it was clear (so clear that it is hard to see the edges of the decal without studying the valve cover).

Denny will kill me for mentioning this but he was so frustrated that he made his own decals using some vinyl. I think he made two or three but said he was NOT going into production!!!
....and it may not have been the right one for your motor anyway.
I agree, the frosted one does not look "right".

The thought of going to a vinyl sign shop crossed my mind, too.

Do you know if Denny G. had the job done at a sign shop or if he did it himself? I wouldn't be surprised if it was another one of his amazing projects. I'm usually OK at detail work, but his talents are WAY beyond anything that I can do.

- Lonnie

looks like DG had a vinyl paint mask made(1950 216)
DG site
excellent results

Question - slightly off the subject, but related. What color should the valve covers be? I presume engine color. Have a 283 and just had the engine done, but I am not finished with the valve covers.
HB

HB,

The valve covers would be the same color as the rest of the engine, most likely gray if it is a 1962 truck 283.

Here's an update on my quest for a GOOD valve cover decal ...

I stopped by a sign shop today. They can cut vinyl with a plotter-cutter that will duplicate the "Thriftmaster 235" decal. Will the yellow only - no backing. However, I asked about the effect of heat and oil on the vinyl. The mgr said that the heat may soften the adhesive.

Then we discussed cutting a reverse image and using it as a stincil to paint, kinda like Denny Graham did. This could be the answer.

>> Any suggestions on painting onto a freshly painted blue valve cover so that the blue does not ghost through and so that the painted edges do not build up too thick?

The cost will be about $20. One day turn around. I'll probably get a yellow Thriftmaster and a stencil cut tomorrow.

Also, another decal will arrive today. This one is from Chevs of the 40's. I'll let you know how it looks.

- Lonnie

Thanks for letting me jump in and distract. Engine Gray - That is the color of the engine. Glad to confirm,
HB

Thats a real good price.
I asked a sign shop around here and they wanted $90.00 set up fee.
I think they may have just inflated the price to send me away. To small of a project.

I did pick up a decal today from Tuckers. (last one they had).
Installed it. The clear portion did dry up clear. Not frosty like your example
But the yellow was not crisp. I think a blue valve cover would bleed through.

results ...HERE...

I know its not the correct decal for a 1950, my engine is a 235, out of a 54 car.

I think your on the right track with a paint mask or transfer.

Good Luck

OK, the "Jobmaster 261" decal I ordered from Carters arrived and I applied it to the freshly painted cover. The green paint shows through the yellow on the decal.
Also, I applied the decal the flat side of the cover but now I'm seeing pictures of the decals wrapping around the upper corner to the top of the cover... oops.
If that is the correct location, I'll see if I can peel it off and reapply.

Here is the conclusion to my valve cover decal quest ...

The sign shop produced a copy of my Thriftmaster 235 logo in yellow vinyl. When I attached it to the valve cover, I almost cried - - - because it looks so GOOD! The owner of the shop told me that the adhesive may soften with the heat of the engine. We'll see.

He also made some stencils of the logo. I experimented painting the stencils with Rustolium "Gloss Sunburst Yellow" thinned about 50/50 and sprayed through an air brush. Really a good looking yellow. It took six coats to completely cover. Paint thinner dried too slowly. Lacquer thinner dried faster, but isn't recommended as a thinner for enamel. Acetone didn't mix well and stayed sticky for a long time. AND, the acetone and lacquer thinner melted the plastic jar and o-rings of my air brush! The vinyl left a residue when I pulled it off, but it can probably be removed with paint thinner after the paint is fully cured. If the vinyl logo on my valve cover fails, I'll experiment with Duplicolor yellow engine enamel in a rattle can.

Now for the cost -
The shop charged $10 to set up, and $7.50 each for four stencils and he gave me a positive for free (the one that I used on the valve cover.) Total $40. That's a great price and he is a great guy to deal with. I scanned and cleaned up the logo. Don't know if he used my scan or if he scanned it also.

FYI - the two decals that I ordered from Chevs of the 40's arrived. They look good. They are on clear gloss material, not a matte finish. I don't know if the valve cover paint will show through the yellow.

> hellowmrwilson:
I placed the top bar of the logo 1/4" below the valley in the valve cover. Looks good to me and looks like the the original location.

Thanks to all of you who gave me insight and help.

- Lonnie