'72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

[Don L.]

Hi folks. Can anyone say what material these decals, found on the LH bulkhead, are made of? My decal looks to be paper and the inboard edge (sliver) fell off this past summer. I've seen replacement decals but can't seem to find paper (can only find white vinyl), which is causing me some confusion. Advice?

[Edward J.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Don, I believe there is a clear adhesive over the decal, it maybe a two Parts.At least it appears that way. the 68/69/70 they may have been a peel and stick paper.

[Joe L.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Hi folks. Can anyone say what material these decals, found on the LH bulkhead, are made of? My decal looks to be paper and the inboard edge (sliver) fell off this past summer. I've seen replacement decals but can't seem to find paper (can only find white vinyl), which is causing me some confusion. Advice?

Don-----


As far as I know, all of these original labels used a plastic material, not paper. Some of the early "reproductions" were paper, though. The very early original (1968-69) labels had a matte finish of the plastic. Later, the label finish became glossier.

[Alan S.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Hi Don,
Good to talk to you!
On my 71 the label doesn't appear to have any paper in it, just as Joe stated.
Going from top to bottom it appears to be: the clear 'glossy' (as Joe said) plastic, then the black ink (it stayed on the plastic as I peeled the label off the car), then a layer of white, ( some stayed on the label, the rest on the car), then a layer of black (most stayed on the car but a bit on the label), and finally a layer of grayish silver (most stayed on the car).
I'm thinkng the 'vinyl' (plastic) label you mentioned will be fine.
Regards,
Alan

Here are a few pictures but the gloss wants to cause havoc with my lens.

[Terry M.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Alan,

I suspect the black material is the black out paint.

[Don L.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

THANKS GUYS! The wealth of knowledge here is amazing!

All the time I've owned this car, I thought that the old, off-white label was the original. The car's under cover on the lift but I'm pretty sure it is paper.

Any advice on which parts house has the best repro? I'm not sure that I'll change, but knowing which is closest will be very helpful as I decide.

Thanks again. I try to learn something new every day. Maybe tomorrow, I'll learn how to sit and stay...

[Joe L.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

THANKS GUYS! The wealth of knowledge here is amazing!

All the time I've owned this car, I thought that the old, off-white label was the original. The car's under cover on the lift but I'm pretty sure it is paper.

Any advice on which parts house has the best repro? I'm not sure that I'll change, but knowing which is closest will be very helpful as I decide.

Thanks again. I try to learn something new every day. Maybe tomorrow, I'll learn how to sit and stay...

Don------


The original labels, especially those used on 1968-69 but also those used later, do appear to be paper. In fact, for many years I thought the one on my 1969 was paper. However, I finally discovered it was not.

[Alan S.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Hi Don,
I took a look at my label with a magnifying glass and I believe Terry is right. When I flicked some of the gray layer off the black layer low and behold there was body color.. red. So, what I listed beyond the white layer was part of the car, not the label.
The reproductions... I've been disappointed with the various examples I've looked at over the years. The information is there but the lay out and fonts vary quite a bit..... at least for my 71's AR label.
Perhaps you'll have better luck with your 72 label. There may be a much better reproduction labels out there. They're only a few $ so you can order some from various places and see what you get.
Regards,
Alan

[Don L.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Thanks for the photos Alan. The color in your original decal appears to be an off white vs bright white. True? The one on my car is not quite white and the reproductions I've seen look to be VERY white, which discourages me. When I saw the difference in color, I stopped and didn't even compare text or font in a new one to what I have. The judges at last summer's national meet didn't seem to mind mine missing the inboard 1/8" or so, therefore, maybe I'll just leave it alone.

If I can find a great reproduction decal, I'll probably use it. Would you please tell me what the overall dimensions of your original are?

Joe: I think that based on your latest post, I'll pull the car down and look harder to see if it is in fact, a plastic material that just looks at a glance to be paper.

Thanks again guys!

[Joe L.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Thanks for the photos Alan. The color in your original decal appears to be an off white vs bright white. True? The one on my car is not quite white and the reproductions I've seen look to be VERY white, which discourages me. When I saw the difference in color, I stopped and didn't even compare text or font in a new one to what I have. The judges at last summer's national meet didn't seem to mind mine missing the inboard 1/8" or so, therefore, maybe I'll just leave it alone.

If I can find a great reproduction decal, I'll probably use it. Would you please tell me what the overall dimensions of your original are?

Joe: I think that based on your latest post, I'll pull the car down and look harder to see if it is in fact, a plastic material that just looks at a glance to be paper.

Thanks again guys!

Don------


Based upon the reproduction labels I've seen, the best of them are "not quite right". I don't know why they can't get these things exactly right. The same is true for other engine labels.

Believe it or not, once-upon-a-time these emission labels were actually available from GM in SERVICE but they have not been in a long while.

[Alan S.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

Hi Don,
Yes, the original isn't as bright a white as the repros. Age? Heat?
The label from my 71 is 7 1/2" x 2 1/2".
Regards,
Alan

[Don L.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up & Emissions Decal- what material?

I think I'll stick with what I have. I pulled the car down today and looked - it does have a glossy looking film over it after all.

The piece that fell off is <1/8" and it's the inboard edge, caused by the decal being located so that it wrapped around the "land" that it was stuck to. Once the adhesive dried out (heat/age?), the edge was like a flap and finally went away. No print was lost. It looks good otherwise. Think I'll take a chance on sacrificing condition for originality on this one...

Thanks to all for the guidance.

[Terry M.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up &amp; Emissions Decal- what material?

Hi Don,
Yes, the original isn't as bright a white as the repros. Age? Heat?

Regards,
Alan

Age and heat would be my bet. Just like a lot of other plastic parts in the engine compartment.

[James G.]

Re: '72 Vehicle Engine Tune-Up &amp; Emissions Decal- what material?

I know this is an old thread,
However having been involved in the printing industry and having sold printed plastic signage including reverse printed on clear I felt compelled to respond.

68-69 use the white vinyl sticker about 1.5" wide with impact printing on the outside (flexo or the like) the SQUISH from the plate impacting the substrate and the ink being pushed out then the plate retracting leaves a distinct heavy edge... is very visible on original stickers viewed under magnification. SEE BELOW.

100B8670.jpg

I believe the above printing method was carried through on to the Early 71 yellow label.

The 71-up to ? emissions label was a different animal all together.

These original labels are printed on the reverse of clear plastic - the clear plastic or acetate is not an overlay like on the blue Fed certification label. it is the actual outside of the printed sticker.

Here are the layers - from front to back

1 - Acetate or clear material
2 - Black type
3 - White coating -
4 - adhesive
5 - release liner
The black type is reverse printed on the inside of the clear material,
then it is white coated over the entire reverse
then adhesive applied with a release liner

Printing on the inside prevents the instructions from being rubbed off through abrasion and offers much better protection from the ink being removed due to solvents in the engine bay - the print and white coat are "behind" a plastic which will discolor over time which is why the decals appear to be "yellowed" or "off white".