Since we have the machines to make nearly anything it was decided that a license plate wasn't that big a challenge. I would NOT recommend doing so for a plate that can be found and purchased but for an unobtainable one it is about the only way out. We needed one for a 55 Chevy wagon that was for a fireman at that time. The plate is lettered FD (fire department) but the real problem is they were of a different size than normal plates. The 1965 plate is a normal size one for comparison. The son had some very good pictures that we could use known 55 dimensions to calculate the plate size. We have dead soft copper sheet to make headgaskets for the supercharged pull tractor so one of the thicker ones was used which just required hardwood dies and stamps rather than milled out and heat treated steel ones. We didn't even get any sawdust on the machines but had a friend that is a super cabinet maker cut them out. He had alignment pins so we could just use a normal press which was good because wood couldn't take the stamping process. If anything is on a surface it will leave an impression in dead soft copper so we coated the back side with fiberglass resin and sprayed the front with several coats of clear which in a sense has "decoupaged" the plate. Even so you can see where very gentle tightening of the left mounting bolt dented the copper enough to chip the paint.
Over here Man if you tried that over here you'd be doing a stretch in the local high walled establishment! You gotta be a registered plate maker over here. Nice work, well thought out.
Sweet ! There are places here that'll make license plates *but* some states are really agressive about prosecuting them so getting Ca. plates if you live here , is getting to be a SERIOUS PIA .
Any plate that will pass the counter ladies inspection at the DMV is acceptable as long as the vehicle is so old (21 yrs. ??) and the overall condition and paint is correct. The number is from the pictures of the wagon in 1955 which we had a friend in law enforcement run to see if there was any problem--there wasn't. Of course at the DMV you VOLUNTEER NOTHING and only speak in response to a direct question with the shortest answer possible. I laid the plate on the counter and she took one look and said it looked good, didn't even pick it up. I've had ones that had extensive repair of dents, holes, cracks, and creases but as long as the front looked good they passed.
We located a few vintage Arizona plates that were DMV clear but, were in rough shape & would have never passed inspection... We had these guys make new plates with our figures.... We nailed the plates to a board & threw them up on the roof so they would weather & patina quickly.... DMV cleared all the plates with no problem & they had no idea they approved new copy plates. http://www.licenseplates.tv/usa-state-plates-1.html
on stuff like that ,,or if theres a screwed up paper mess,I go into this small DMV just outside of bakersfield. The ladies in there are actually happy to see someone come in and thheyll pretty much let anything slip by. Or make it "hassle-less".
