OCD Restoration question

[shooter65]

Hi Everyone,

I'm just looking for opinions on what decision you would make. I know most are not so concerned about small details so this is really directed to the one's who are such as Saforwardlook, Fury Pursuit and others.

For example, my car has AC and the Airtemp sticker on the right rear window was originally placed on the window slightly askew. I plan on placing it level when I put the new one on because I prefer to "over" restore but some say it should be put back on the way the factory did it.

This brings me to my question, the tire sticker on the driver door has the wrong size tire marked on it. My car has the tow package which included 8.55x15 tires. My build sheet confirms the 8.55x15 tires were installed during production but the sticker on the door lists the standard tire size, 8.25x15. Normally I'd replace with the 8.55x15 sticker but I'm thinking of placing the 8.25x15 sticker on partially from a historical perspective and as a conversation piece.

Anyone have an opinion, I'm still on the fence on this one.

 

[Kern Dog]

Why not restore a car they way an assembly line crew might have done if they cared about their work?

 

[polara71]

I'd be on the fence too but I tend to do it as it was .

 

[LeBaron1973]

Are you sure it was a factory job? Just that I recall a story about huge efforts made to get side stripes "Correct" and it turned out they were put on incorrectly by the daughters of the dealer - kiss your money goodbye.

In the end it's your car so do it as you wish, my thoughts would be to do a car as the way it "should and would" have been done had the factory had time. Then it's a "tribute or mark of respect" for all those who created the vehicle from the blank drawing board to driving it out of the assembly plant.

Personally, whilst I understand the concept of "as it left the factory" - taking great pains to "exactly" copy bad underseal overspray is crazy, but we all differ - if you're pleased with the end result that's all that matters and I wish you and your car well.

 

[cantflip]

Hi Everyone,

I'm just looking for opinions on what decision you would make. I know most are not so concerned about small details so this is really directed to the one's who are such as Saforwardlook, Fury Pursuit and others.

For example, my car has AC and the Airtemp sticker on the right rear window was originally placed on the window slightly askew. I plan on placing it level when I put the new one on because I prefer to "over" restore but some say it should be put back on the way the factory did it.

View attachment 114449

This brings me to my question, the tire sticker on the driver door has the wrong size tire marked on it. My car has the tow package which included 8.55x15 tires. My build sheet confirms the 8.55x15 tires were installed during production but the sticker on the door lists the standard tire size, 8.25x15. Normally I'd replace with the 8.55x15 sticker but I'm thinking of placing the 8.25x15 sticker on partially from a historical perspective and as a conversation piece.

Anyone have an opinion, I'm still on the fence on this one.

I'm the wrong guy for answers here, but if you don't mind Shooter, I would like to add a couple of questions.

As to the window decal, I have heard many times about sloppy installs. I am curious, this decal on movable glass may have shifted when the window was lowered one dewey/damp day when it was still fresh... I know it's petrified now, but is it possible? Maybe even likely? FWIW, I would hang the new one straight too... but I'm not really "that guy".

As to the tire decal, that sounds like a good one for the build plate guys who try to document how the factories really assembled things. Maybe Doug or others will have insight. What I thought of here, did the sticker actually show the optional tire size on any? I was always under the impression that was the standard tire size and bigger was acceptable. My PA inspection days are long ago, so I pulled out my last book dated 1992...

"Vehicles specified under this subchapter shall have tires which conform to vehicle manufacturer's specifications as to tire size in that the tires are not smaller than that recommended by the vehicle manufacturer..."

I have seen it many times that OE wheels and tires were bigger, but I have seen some labels that listed alternate sizes too(newer cars than yours). Given that anything I find with google would be more likely about newer standards... I'm not going to bother. Is the bigger size label available? Is it correct to the car (doesn't sound like it)?

BTW, don't get any of my offhanded comments about restorations wrong... I think the cars should all be enjoyed. I just don't understand the mentality behind enjoying the fender tag solely based upon the options that exist or don't exist without apparent love for the car itself. I think that is a part of what many hold against G.G., I personally never had the desire to invest in his products... just not my way of doing things.

 

[polara71]

Shooter.....isn't your car a survivor?

 

[Big_John]

I think you will find that the new sticker will be different from the original one anyway.

The original ones I've seen look like a water decal. The supposedly NOS one I bought was more like a sticker in that it was thicker with a thin backing.

Unless you have a different source and the new sticker/decal is just like the original, I'd put it on straight and square. If it is really correct, I'd like to know the source....

 

[shooter65]

Shooter.....isn't your car a survivor?

Hi Polara,

My car could have been considered a survivor but after a lot of thought, I determined that there where too many problems that when I got it to be a safe, reliable driver, it would probably no longer be considered a survivor. There would be too much changed by the time I was done, including significant mechanical repairs, dent removal, rest repair around the rear window, roof, and dutchman, upholstery replacement, carpet replacement, vinyl top replacement. I decided that I wouldn't really be happy with the car unless I restored it properly.

Thanks
Rick

 

[shooter65]

I think you will find that the new sticker will be different from the original one anyway.

The original ones I've seen look like a water decal. The supposedly NOS one I bought was more like a sticker in that it was thicker with a thin backing.

Unless you have a different source and the new sticker/decal is just like the original, I'd put it on straight and square. If it is really correct, I'd like to know the source....

Thanks for the info Big John. I know some of the supposed NOS and "reproduction" parts aren't truly correct so all any of us can do is make it as close as possible at the time of restoration. I'm not at the stage of putting anything back together yet, I still have quite a few parts to source before i start putting things back together. I haven't bought the door tire size sticker yet, but when I do, I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[shooter65]

I'm the wrong guy for answers here, but if you don't mind Shooter, I would like to add a couple of questions.

As to the window decal, I have heard many times about sloppy installs. I am curious, this decal on movable glass may have shifted when the window was lowered one dewey/damp day when it was still fresh... I know it's petrified now, but is it possible? Maybe even likely? FWIW, I would hang the new one straight too... but I'm not really "that guy".

As to the tire decal, that sounds like a good one for the build plate guys who try to document how the factories really assembled things. Maybe Doug or others will have insight. What I thought of here, did the sticker actually show the optional tire size on any? I was always under the impression that was the standard tire size and bigger was acceptable. My PA inspection days are long ago, so I pulled out my last book dated 1992...

"Vehicles specified under this subchapter shall have tires which conform to vehicle manufacturer's specifications as to tire size in that the tires are not smaller than that recommended by the vehicle manufacturer..."

I have seen it many times that OE wheels and tires were bigger, but I have seen some labels that listed alternate sizes too(newer cars than yours). Given that anything I find with google would be more likely about newer standards... I'm not going to bother. Is the bigger size label available? Is it correct to the car (doesn't sound like it)?

BTW, don't get any of my offhanded comments about restorations wrong... I think the cars should all be enjoyed. I just don't understand the mentality behind enjoying the fender tag solely based upon the options that exist or don't exist without apparent love for the car itself. I think that is a part of what many hold against G.G., I personally never had the desire to invest in his products... just not my way of doing things.

Hi Cantflip,

I'm very fortunate that my car is very well documented including the build sheet. My fender tag shows the A35 trailer tow code and my broadcast sheet shows both the A35 and the U32 8.55x15 whitewall tire code so I know the sticker on the door is wrong, just trying to decide how crazy I am.

 

[shooter65]

Are you sure it was a factory job? Just that I recall a story about huge efforts made to get side stripes "Correct" and it turned out they were put on incorrectly by the daughters of the dealer - kiss your money goodbye.

In the end it's your car so do it as you wish, my thoughts would be to do a car as the way it "should and would" have been done had the factory had time. Then it's a "tribute or mark of respect" for all those who created the vehicle from the blank drawing board to driving it out of the assembly plant.

Personally, whilst I understand the concept of "as it left the factory" - taking great pains to "exactly" copy bad underseal overspray is crazy, but we all differ - if you're pleased with the end result that's all that matters and I wish you and your car well.

My car is an original 54k mile car with very little work done to it other than standard maintenance and repair. I've got most of the documentation so I'm confident the tire size sticker was installed on the production line but anything is possible.

I agree with regard to the overspray, that gets crazy quickly. As I said at the beginning, I lean toward over restoring, meaning make it how it should have been built, not duplicate the mistakes of the factory.

In the case of the tire sticker, I guess I have a gnawing concern that the sticker on the door was always the standard size regardless of optional tires installed so I also don't want to over restore to the point of doing something that was never done by the factory.

 

[Rwc]

Please consider the other side of it. Something like that decal being unevel makes your car easier for YOU to spot. That may not matter to you. Ever see a car in a parking lot that looks an awful lot like one you used to own? Walk around d it a couple of times and still aren't sure?
Chrysler never rolled one out that was perfect, why try to make unrecognizable.

 

[shooter65]

Please consider the other side of it. Something like that decal being unevel makes your car easier for YOU to spot. That may not matter to you. Ever see a car in a parking lot that looks an awful lot like one you used to own? Walk around d it a couple of times and still aren't sure?
Chrysler never rolled one out that was perfect, why try to make unrecognizable.

Thanks, that's a good point that I didn't consider. Make something that most won't notice but would still be considered correct for restoration to use as a visual "fingerprint" for your car.

In my case, I will never sell it. If no family member wants to inherit it, (which doesn't seem likely), my wife will sell it after I kick it and I doubt she'll care if she sees it again.

 

[Turboomni]

You could just raise the front end and if need be lower the rear end of the car until the sticker is level.

 

[1970cat]

put the sticker level. it will drive you nuts every time you see it. leave the tire sticker. unless someone can do the conversions in their head, no one will know.

 

[commando1]

just trying to decide how crazy I am.

And you are asking the inmates in this asylum??