Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Brewster]

My Humber came with a pair of Ace plates, one of which is quite battered. I’d welcome any suggestions of ways to knock it into a better-looking shape. The letters/numbers seem to be riveted on to the backing plate. If I drilled the rivets out would it be an easy job re-attaching them?

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[ukdave2002]

If they can’t be re-riveted, you could drill the digit rivet, glue a short peg in, and fix with a Starlock Washer, this is how Bluemels digits are attached.

Dave

[Brewster]

Thanks for your reply, Dave. I think that would be a lot of trouble to go to and the plate - and car - are never going to be up to “show” standard in my hands. I’ve settled for some judicious tapping to various degrees of violence with a hammer. It’s now a decent looking plate from about 15 feet and, since it goes under the front bumper, nobody will pay it much attention.

I realised why it was bent: someone has grabbed it at both ends and tried to pull it off. Scumbag. Fortunately, the rear plate is harder to get hold of so it appears unmolested.

[alastairq]

I agree regarding plates.
My Dellow has, I think, still got its original number plates.
The style of the font is very 1951 indeed.

They are impressed ally plates, and bear the scars of along life.
In other words, the rear one, being exposed, is quite bent and wriggly...The front one has endured the odd collision or two, and the ally is splitting apart.
Rather than replace them with new, expensive, plates [which probably won't have the original font anyway, despite best efforts].....As they are probably part of the original car[much still is, some not]....I decided to tr repairs.

For the front plate, I found a stiff[old?] piece of sheet ally, cut it to size, and affixed it to the rear of the actual number plate. I used a mix of the fixing screws, some small[hence, obscure] pop rivets here & there, and glue, to hold the various split pieces[not entirely broken, but it would be if clouted] to the ally backing plate.
To further stiffen the plate [it is exposed up front, rather], I ''found'' a length of small size steel angle...probably around half inch bee half inch, or slightly less....and glued and bolted it [with small, very small, bolts] along the bottom edge, to the rear.
I freshened up the black background paint using a small brush [I have lots of modelling tools]...and some satin black from a rattlecan, sprayed into the cap. This about matches to finish of the original paint, and is unseen once dry.

Any fixings which are in the black area are also painted.
The ally finish [letters, etc, and the border] come up nicely with a small piece of scotchpad...

Now, some may blanche at the idea of using rather obvious things to fix, like rivets, etc....but I don't mind, since the plate is till the old plate...regardless. On something that is over 70 years old, and still in active use, as intended in 1952, then one must expect some signs of repair, patches, elastoplasts, etc.

The rear plate is another story. It is mounted on a bigger piece of ally [which is also battered] which holds some round indicators [not original.....original means, arms stuck out....although my arms are slightly older than the car is, so I suppose they would be 'in period'?
Even if other drivers knowledge & abilities are not.

Anyway, I have yet to get around to cutting a 'new' piece of ally to shape, and re-mounting the [battered] plastic indicators, and sorting the very bent number plate without destroying it. Also very exposed, being mounted to the most extreme rearwards tube [spare wheel carrier]..so would be the first thing to get clouted if reversing. Wheel carrier is so stout, it would inflict serious mechanical mayhem to any following car that didn't stop as quickly as the Dellow....I like it when they can't drive home afterwards, and I can!!

All my small light bulbs are of the festoon type....Aside from the scuttle mounted Lucas sidelights [with their little plastic red indicators on the lamp body.

I think the light bulbs are original as well....None of this LED stuff as yet...
_________________
Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
----------------------------------------------
Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[Brewster]

An old car should show it’s age. Cars that have been restored to “as new” condition don’t do much for me.

[Ray White]

[alastairq]

[Ray White]

[alastairq]

I wasn't referring to documented history. Rather, as when looking at an anonymous old person, one can physically {see some of their] history written into their face[for example].
That alone can speak volumes......

Like my Dellow, for example?

I have a small bit or written history of the car, not much though.
Sometimes old event results can yield some aspect of a car's history.

Often, the usage prior owners put the car to, result in physical evidence [history?] I know, when it was sold in the early 1990's [I have an old newspaper cutting, and the letter between the UK vendor, and the US purchaser]...
The new owner intended to race the car in the equivalent US series for old cars[not banger racing!]
I have some bills and receipts, for items, and possibly, some work done....but on the whole, the physical arrangements built into the car are testament to what happened to it in order to be raced [meeting rules and regs, for example?}

So there are alterations apparent which I will not change...there is a side bulge in the bonnet and side panel which, although I have the means to revert to original, I shall not. The bulge is a part of the car's 'history'...{ I know who did it, and why, but that's not formally recorded]..
None of the instruments are what it left the Dellow factory with. Replacement, especially with what was available at the time, or what was better, is also part of a car's history.
{Much would have been changed when the car wasn't in fact, very old....in car terms...maybe done within ten years of it's construction?}

All part of its history.
Things got mended, things got modded...all history, or evidence of a 'past'...

One modernism I wont change is that it has a very modern box of electrics under the dash. Fitted in the USA as an easy way to get juice flowing to the right parts, simply. Although the original fuse box is still in situ..and it still runs a dynamo [no need to change it, the thing works as good as ever]

But the box underneath the dash has all the electrical bits and bobs one could ever need, ready wired in one neat package.
So, if I ever want to install , for example, a hazard warning light circuit, the connection to the essential gubbins is right there, duly labelled as well. All it needs is a wire or two from the indicator terminals, and hey ho. I know it works, I fitted a reversing lamp and switch[trials regs require one]...and, for an experiment, ired it to the hazard light terminal...the lamp duly flashed when switched on. Marvellous!
These control modules aren't cheap either, but previous owners had plenty of cash, so it seemed.

All out of sight, unless one stands on one's head under the dash..having extracted the gear lever from one's ear hole first..

All history....
_________________
Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
----------------------------------------------
Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.

[Ray White]

Sorry Alastair; I was barking up the wrong tree.

I get where you are coming from.

Take for example, my Dad's 1929 M Type MG.(UW 5990) He bought it for a song and did various clever repairs on the cheap. My Granddad built a more 'up to date' body for it and the car ended up with a folding screen and a bob tail. The alternative would more than likely have been a scrapper.

I did find the car but it had been restored to look more like a traditional M type so with another body and different engine it bore no resemblance to the car my Dad owned and knew... so although I have my earliest memories of being driven in it, there is no way that I would want it now.

[Brewster]

An old car should show it’s age. Cars that have been restored to “as new” condition don’t do much for me.

[Rich5ltr]

[Ray White]

Of course, the guys who really like the idea of "patina" must surely be car dealers. Before the current fad for cars that have "led a life", the discerning buyer would have walked away at the sight of dings and dents on a car with bubbling paintwork. This would leave the dealer frustrated and moved to take it to his mate with a tub of filler and a spray gun.

Now, of course, a dealer's life is much easier. They can make good money from any tatty old banger ... and do so while keeping a straight face!.

[Richard H]

Nice to see some original numberplates. I have the original Bluemels plates from 1950 on my Austin A70, and the plastic digits were in remarkably good condition, but the plates themselves were bent and battered. I managed to straighten them out quite well with a small hammer and some persuasion. Lovely to have them as they look so much better than nasty modern repros.
_________________
Richard Hughes

[badhuis]