Chevy Tri Five Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

UPDATE: Dealer Emblem as a tribute piece?

Jump to Latest
9K views 35 replies 23 participants last post by  angs1957  
#1 · (Edited)
I'm busy putting the finishing touches on my 55 restomod and I have a "situation" to deal with...and curious to hear whether anyone else has dealt with this. The guy who did my body/paint work did not close up the holes in the lower left of the trunk, which I didn't realize until much later (and with help from people on tis forum!) were likely left from an old-school dealer-installed emblem and not an OEM chevy badge. Frankly I feel like the shop that did the work should have known better, but that ship has sailed and I'm not about to pay to have the holes filled and trunk repainted now.

My car is a tribute to my late father, so I had the idea of designing a "fake" dealer badge to go in that space (name and details TBD). I have options available to me in terms of how to get the thing made, from CNC'ing from a piece of steel or aluminum to laser etching. Then I could powder coat or get chromed to look like it was part of the original car. The idea would be for it to look like a real-deal emblem from back in the 50's yet capture the essence of a tribute to my dad.

Anyone ever done something like this? If yes I'd love to see examples...

344617


344618
 
#5 ·
There are people who collect dealer emblems. Find them at Swap meets sometimes. Might find something usable as is or get ideas for a custom.

Bought my second wagon partially because it had a Hoehn Chevrolet Memphis dealer emblem.
344619
 
  • Like
Reactions: Old Man
Save
Reply Quote Like Like
#8 ·
Locate someone with a laser, they can make exactly what you are looking for in great detail. The higher end units can cut aluminum with great detail. Your other option could be a 3D printer which could script you a perfect unit. Both would be reasonably priced, I have a local individual hear that does a lot of work for me and his pricing is very reasonable and the results are fabulous. :)
 
#10 ·
I normally hate it when dealers add any permanent insignias to a new car.
Their license plate frames can be tossed easily enough, but I don't want them to drill any holes or stick on any logos.
Fortunately, that's pretty rare in the Northwest.

But on my '57, there was an Ellis Brooks Chevrolet logo on the trunk, which I like because it's a strong hint as to its provenance.
I grew up in the bay area (Oakland, also where the car was built) hearing their almost constant radio commercials.
So I found a license plate frame on ebay and bought that, too.
Both the dealer logo and the license plate frame show their age.
Any suggestions on how they could be cleaned up to look a bit better?
 
#12 ·
I got a stick on one like this from eBay:

www.ebay.com

American Graffiti Milners used cars "Dealer Emblem" Modesto CA. A Hot Rod MUST! | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for American Graffiti Milners used cars "Dealer Emblem" Modesto CA. A Hot Rod MUST! at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com

Inexpensive removable option to cover the holes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
#16 · (Edited)
I decided to retain the original selling dealer's emblem when I repainted my '57 sedan in 1990. The dealership was defunct even in 1978 when I bought the car. Here it is.. (All I did was polish it and reinstall it in 1990- still looks good today).
344636


My daughter and son in law had a 1970 Chevelle SS454, that they pulled the 454 and installed a supercharged LSA engine from a Camaro, and the daughter had an 'LSA' emblem made to fit exactly where the 454 emblem was previously so that it then was labeled: 'SS LSA', so companies do exist to make whatever emblem you can provide an image of along with dimensions/etc...
 
#19 ·
This will be a great tribute for you, to your Dad, GREAT IDEAL !!!!
There are many vintage dealership emblems or tags on eBay, but it would be slim to none to find something on those vintage dealer emblems to honor your Dad. I found a place that will make custom made ones ( Custom Chrome Auto Emblems Free Quote ), but it appears they make a minimum of 300 only, but if you contact them, they may be able to direct you to someone that will make just one custom emblem, or they may help you out, because it may touch their heart as it did mine & many others on the TriFive site ?? My neighbor has a sign shop & make any kind of exterior pin strip type vinyl sticker, as long as you have a drawing of what you want. I was at his shop the one day when a customer came in to pick up his vinyl stickers, & had nothing but unbelievable praise on his work. That guy restores vintage Rupp mini bikes, & had Brian make the vintage Rupp fuel tank & battery box cover exterior vinyl stickers out of exterior vinyl from a page from an old catalog, & they were multicolored sticker to boot. I don't remember what the Rupp logos looked like from memory, but the guy that restore them was totally delighted when he picked them up !! They're a thick vinyl, but I don't know if the drilled holes would show through over a period of time. If it something that may interest you to try, get back with me & I'll give you his name & shop phone number, or his shop is called Sign Me Up, & the shop is located in Manheim, PA. I think you're located in Massachusetts, so you would have to mail your design & then receive it by mail, unless you're planing a trip to Lancaster County, PA.
Keep us posted on what you found & did.
I wish you the best of luck with your project !!
 
#20 ·
Update on this topic: I have friends and colleagues in the graphic design, product development and manufacturing biz, and several of them stepped up to help me out. We went through several iterations of the emblem and came up with what you see below. Once we got going, we went from pencil sketches to vector files to 3d files in a matter of a few days. Below is a pic of the rendering, as well as a pic of the paper print taped to the car.

I had a guy I never met before step up and offer to CNC the thing out of aluminum for me...just because it's tribute and he's a nice guy. I was originally thinking I'd powder coat it with a chrome finish, but did a test with Prismatic Powder Super Chrome II and it's not as chrome-looking as I want. I'm going to look into having the piece chrome plated locally.

As a tribute to my dad, I could not be happier...I know he would have loved how the car turned out and the emblem is a nice, personal touch.

Image


Image
 
#22 · (Edited)
When my dad gave me his used car, my 57, to drive on my 16th birthday in 77, the first thing I did was remove the old gran pa dealer licence plate frame. That and the bumper guards. I was too cool for both to be on my car. For whatever reason, I kept the licence plate frame. All these years I dragged it around. In 2015 I put the dealer frame and bumper guards back on because they are pretty cool.

I think your new "dad" dealer script is about the coolest thing I have seen! That will look great!.
 
#23 ·
Dragsix how wonderful that you still have the car your dad gave you all those years ago...and that your younger self was smart enough to hang onto that license plate frame. My sister and I partnered on the 55 (she was mostly the Bank, I was Labor + some of the money) because another family member saw fit to sell my dad's 55 after he passed and before anyone knew what happened...so we bought a different car and made that the tribute to him. I couldn't be happier with the results, and it's a family heirloom that will pass down to our kids.
 
#24 ·
I will make an assumption here, but I assume that like me, you had a dad that stuck around, raised the kids, taught any number of great things to their sons. My dad has been gone for pretty close to 15 years now. What I would not do for just one more day with the man. I suspect you feel the same way.

So when I, as I am sure you do, get into my car, my dad's presense is with me. Makes me feel like a kid again. I am sure you feel the same way and the addition of your dealer dad badge will just be icing on the cake! Well done.
 
#28 ·
What about the old metal license plate frames with the dealer's name & city in raised letters?
I see one pair on ebay for $680 now, and another pair sold for $787 last month after a bidding war.
The air up there is too rarified for me.
Would it be too complicated to duplicate the one that I do have?
Seems there might also be a market for reproductions of this now-defunct dealership's frames, base on the prices I've seen.
 
Chevy Tri Five Forum
posts
2.6M
members
72K
Since
2005
A forum community dedicated to 1955, 1956, and 1957 Chevy owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, engine swaps, reviews, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more! Open to all models including Belair, 210, 150, Sedans, and Nomads.
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Chit Chat Area, Anything on your mind goes here. New Member Introductions Stock Chevy Discussion 55-56-57 Project Update Section, Post Project Updates Here Suspension Questions Chassis, Brakes, Shocks, Etc