Another Decal Project - 69 Z

Don_Lightfoot · #1 09-23-2009, 05:24 PM

A member here has been communicating with me this past week wondering if I could make a correct decal for his 69 Z/28. He has owned the car for more than 30 years and it supposedly still has the original “Disc Brake Backing Plate Decal” on the car.

He sent me a picture of the original decal as well as a picture of a repro he ordered. The repro does not have an underline, corners are rounded and the background colour is different than the original (at least according to the picture of the original – maybe it’s faded or changed over the years). I checked the Rick’s First Generation Catalog and their decal has a Pink background, also no underline. I am by no means knowledgeable on these details for 69 Camaros so I thought I would get some input from members here before I finish them for him.

The car owner sent me the dimensions of the original and I have been able to match them exactly. The width of the bottom of the “A” is 5/8” and the width of the “I” is 3/16”. Had to play with the “A” quite a bit to find a close appropriate font and what percentage of “letter width” for the “A” was required. Based on the below pictures, what I would like to know from the 69 Z gurus on here is:

What do you think about the background colour?
Did this decal indeed have an underline?
Is there a correct one available at present?

Appreciate any input.

ORIGLS6 · #2 09-23-2009, 05:38 PM

Yours is too straight. Ya need to screw it up some.

Hey, just remember; "No good deed goes unpunished."

Just kidding Don. You're doing good work.

**Alss** · #3 09-23-2009, 06:02 PM

Don, got to make them all the same size..tough to determine differences when one is bigger than the other..that optical illussion thingy.. Don..appreciate your effort, thanks

ALbert

**MosportGreen66** · #4 09-23-2009, 06:11 PM

Hi Don, constructive criticism: On the original decal, is the right leg of the "A" skinnier than that of the left?

Keep up the good work.

-Dan

**Rixls6** · #5 09-23-2009, 06:22 PM

Don,
The center triangle in the original "A" appears to be shorter than what yours is so far. That was the same sort of thing on the posi stickers, that you corrected.

Don_Lightfoot · #6 09-23-2009, 06:46 PM

Tough crowd (which is OK). Maybe it would be easier if I played Vegas

Dennis - Yes, the original is at an angle. The owner thinks that it was maybe some kind of stamp. We've decided to make his "oversize" so he can cut it himself at the angle he wants. This is not reflected in my sample in the picture.

Al - You must be catching up to my age pal if your eyes are reacting like mine. Resized picture below.

Dan - Hard to determine if that leg is indeed thinner. My personal opinion is "no" based on the font style used. However, you never know when dealing with these 40 year old fonts.

Rick - Very true about that space. I fiddled with that for quite a while. Don't know if I can make any further adjustment.

The space between the A and the I is an easy fix to expand it a bit.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

ORIGLS6 · #7 09-23-2009, 07:06 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Don, constructive criticism: On the original decal, is the right leg of the "A" skinnier than that of the left?

Keep up the good work.

-Dan

[/ QUOTE ]

Probably true Dan, but I'll guess it's more of a halo effect caused from additional ink built up on the print plate. Very common in the printing industry years ago. The new methods have eliminated that (digital printing) and it's difficult to recreate it with today's technology.
Many of the current "correct" tags and decals are made from rubber stamps so they can create the halos and light/skipped impressions. "The Devil's in the details."

**Jonesy** · #8 09-23-2009, 08:37 PM

More spacing between the underline and AI. I needs to be thicker.

**firstgenaddict** · #9 09-23-2009, 11:09 PM

The problem is the printing process is different... original was printed with a Rubber matrix plate which is why you see the heavy edges with the lighter area just inside like a halo.
Impression pressure was to high, causes the ink to squish (technical term) out from the plate. THIS is the reason you can't get the triangle in the middle of the A small enough.
Get a rubber hand stamp made using the same size font as you have now, then load it with paint and you will get the right look.

**PeteLeathersac** · #10 09-23-2009, 11:49 PM

If you're looking for more constructive criticism.

.

On the original, isn't the A a tiny bit taller at the top than the I is?.

Also the original A looks like there's more space between the lower legs..

The original has more black showing between the top and the inner upper point of the triangle...as someone pointed out above?.

It looks like the original has a bit more space between the A & I at the bottom where they're closest together too..

And isn't the AI actually on a very slight angle compared to the lower line so it's closer to the line on the right side than it is on the left?.

Was the original imprint color for sure black...somehow what's left of the original looks like it could've been a dark brown or?.

~ Pete

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