Number plate restoration

[BDuck 14]

I want to restore the plates that my grandparents had on the XD, which were Victoria - The Garden State in green on white.

 

 

I know vicroads offers this style, but unfortunately the plates on my car are custom, as they are what my grandparents had.

They are a 2-Letter 4-Number (eg: XX*1234) combo in which Vicroads wont provide as they aren't standard issue.

 

 

My question is, has anyone taken to restoring their old number plates, and would you have a guide on what products to use?


Cheers.

[deankxf 20,292]

@SPArKy_Dave you're surely either needing the answer or already researched it?

[BDuck 14]

Needing the answer mostly from someone who might have attempted it.

Having the answer has been me watching various YouTube videos but more hoping for a more local approach.


Otherwise I'm about to buy a bunch of rust-oleum and sharpies.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

[deankxf 20,292]

59 minutes ago, BDuck said:

Needing the answer mostly from someone who might have attempted it.

Having the answer has been me watching various YouTube videos but more hoping for a more local approach.


Otherwise I'm about to buy a bunch of rust-oleum and sharpies.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk
 

if you don't get an answer on restoring them, see if you can keep contacting up the vicroads chain (head office used to be in Ballarat and once i had something keep going up the chain until it got to the boss man there)
I'd be asking if you can have yours repainted(enameled whatever it is)  by the mob doing it, due to the sentimental nature of them.  they may actually allow it. 

My dealing with them probably near 20yrs ago is i bought a car with standard issue plates that were cool in My opinion,  FCK-***(numbers)  and i sold the plates for the price of the car. i got an angry call from the buyer a few weeks later, Vic roads won't allow the transfer  of the "offensive" plates. so i ended up on the phone a fair bit until i got to the head office mob. rational discussion was, there's literally one number different on a car around the corner, are you going to repossess that too? they are standard issue, there's 1000 of them out there.. guy agreed, it wasn't 000 number so what's the problem. 

anyway.. what was a NO, eventually turned to an OK (plus i didn't want to refund the guys money without a fight and he was happy to keep them regardless but was shattered when they wouldn't allow them to be displayed. )

 

worst case, try get the Vic roads mob to take yours in to the mob who makes them for repaint if you had them prepped perhaps. shouldn't be any skin off anyone's nose if you are paying post in every direction

[SPArKy_Dave 8,881]

5 hours ago, BDuck said:

I want to restore the plates that my grandparents had on the XD, which were Victoria - The Garden State in green on white.

My question is, has anyone taken to restoring their old number plates,

Cheers.

 

There is an Aussie numberplate collectors forum - www.plateshed.com
I'd probably ask them.

 

Reproducing the reflective background, is the most challenging.

To my knowledge, the letters/numbers were coloured green, via screen-printing applied paint.

 

I've also heard there are a few old number plate press machines around - used for creating 'movie reproduction' plates.

If u can prove u own a certain combo, I've also heard certain owners of said machines may press a 'movie reproduction' plate for people,

who may wish to have a vehicle used in a 'film production'.

 

Even if Vicroads would reproduce initial's style number plates with the Garden State slogan, their reproductions are quite frankly... crap.

The letter/number font is not era correct at all

nor is the letter/number placement, nor the green colour

and the 'Garden State' slogan is printed on, rather than embossed/screen-print highlighted.

 

IMO, as expensive as they are, Vicroads should at least try to get them accurate.

 

Same with using the original combination plates, on club permits - as they allow in QLD and WA

 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Who makes number plates in Victoria?

Victorian registration plates are manufactured at Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat, Victoria.

Vehicle registration plates of Victoria - Wikipedia

 

 

[SPArKy_Dave 8,881]

1 hour ago, deankdx said:

worst case, try get the Vic roads mob to take yours in to the mob who makes them for repaint if you had them prepped perhaps. shouldn't be any skin off anyone's nose if you are paying post in every direction

 

If the number plates/vehicle are sentimental for @BDuck, I personally would strongly suggest do not let them out of your sight.

Certainly don't post them anywhere, or allow Vicroads to handle them, or leave them with any third party.

 

You'd just as likely end up with the plates getting 'lost' and shredded - (as per most returned plates, to my knowledge), due to a 'communication error'.

[BDuck 14]

Thanks for the info guys.


Maybe I'll just mount them as is, as they're still readable and I feel like the new ones maybe look too new haha

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[deankxf 20,292]

i do wonder how good this would work, surely be better than  bare metal for keeping the cops off your back though.

 

https://www.rustoleum.com.au/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/reflective-finish-spray 

 

 

[BDuck 14]

Maybe I'll buy some and make a mock up plate for testing.

 

Cheers

[SPArKy_Dave 8,881]

1 hour ago, BDuck said:

Maybe I'll buy some and make a mock up plate for testing.

 

Cheers

 

When I got my first XF wagon (with original Garden State Plates),

they were deteriorating same as your picture - from the lower edge, up.

 

To preserve them, I first cleaned them, then sprayed a clear over the top,

then re-mounted them with a clear number plate protector.

 

Doing that, stopped any further deterioration.