I've wasted too much time and $$ trying to find the right decal for my 1954 oil bath air cleaner, so I thought that I would recap my quest so you don't duplicate my mistakes. Looks like the same oil bath decal was used on all years of AD trucks.
Cut to the chase:This press-on decal from the Filling Station seems to best match the decal shown on original pics of oil bath air cleaners. (click image for larger view) The "AC" logo is white. The other areas that appear white are actually clear, so they look black when the black air cleaner shows through. The spacing and style of the letters and borders appear to match the pics of the original decal.
< Original Pic 1 >< Original Pic 2 >Here it is freshly attached to my newly painted air cleaner.
Here is a close up.Tips:> Trim the edges of the decal close to the red border, but do not cut into the border. This reduces the amount of the low gloss clear edge that will be against your black air cleaner that will probably be glossier.
> Clean ALL the dust off of the air cleaner where the decal will attach.
> Use the pics of original air cleaners for placement of the decal.
> Use a toothpic or other item to gently press against any small air pockets, especially in the clear areas where the black air cleaner shows through. Those areas should look uniformly black. I also used a pencil rubber eraser to press out air pockets.
Decals that didn't work:> The Packard Club Internet Store
1937-47 Oil Bath Air Cleaner (All) (Water Transfer) = $5.00 (This item may be out of stock)
This decal is thin, laid onto my air cleaner well, and was my first choice until ... After I attached it, I saw that it was printed wrong. The "AC" logo that looked white against the backing paper was actually clear.
So the "AC" looked black when attached to the air cleaner.>
Classic Parts and
Chevs of the 40's. Just as the Packard decal, the "AC" logo was clear, so it looked black when attached to the black air cleaner.
I used this decal (forgot which vendor) before I repainted my air cleaner.>
Jim Carter Truck Parts decal was totally different to the pics of the original air cleaner decal. Perhaps it was copied from an earlier model(?)
Hope this helps those of you that suffer from a "pickey gene" similar to mine.
