Hot Rods California Black and Yellow License Plate Color

To my Cali friends- What is the preferred paint color, (brand if you know) to restore a CA Black plate with Yellow numbers? It’s 1960 vintage.
I’m particularly interested in what color is best for the ‘Yellow’ numbers as well as recommended application.
Thanks

 

Black and safety yellow is what I've painted them..

 

I've heard it called school bus yellow, safety yellow, chrome yellow

 

Caterpillar yellow is another suitable paint. (As in heavy equipment, not the bug.)
Many home centers and hardware stores have it but you might find it easier to order online and pick it up at the store...... or have it shipped.

 

Beginning in 1956, the California license plate colors were reversed. The 1960 license plate, like the 56, should have a yellow background/w black letters. The yellow is paler than school bus yellow. Search "1960 California license plate" and click on images. Blue plates came later.

 

Even if you are using the same colors, it is illegal to paint over the reflective coating on California licence plates.
I think that you can paint on the original vintage plate but not the new vintage style plates but don't hold me to it.
As far as color goes, I think bus yellow is the color you want.
Have you contacted the Ca. DMV?

 

Reflective coating did not show up until after the HAMB era.

I had 1980's plates that were just painted.

 

1963-1969 flipped again to yellow characters on black.

 

The people at the powder coating place had a color that looked close enough for my old plate.

 

Now, CA. DMV is printing (stamping) plates that are black with yellow characters. They sell them as 'Custom' offerings.
Gripes me to have gone thru the hassle of changing to black plates, (real ones) then seeing KIAs, Datsuns, etc. with OUR cool black plates...all with some clever, offshore slogan...

 

These plates are on the 60’ Bug Eye Sprite I am restoring, I drove it in high school in late 60’s. It has black plates with yellow on three letters and three numbers.
I am also working on my 51’ Ford F3 truck. It also has black plates with yellow letters/numbers.
Any recommendations on how to paint the yellow? Regular brush, foam brush?
I’m thinking a semi-gloss for the black background?
Thanks

 

That and the black looks off, like kinda brown, but does look better that a white plate.

 

Yellow on black is not correct for 1960. Your plates were used 63-69. School Bus Yellow would be close enough for the letters & numbers. Caterpillar Yellow would be closer to the original background color of 56-62.

After an accident, I repainted the blue & yellow plate on my motorcycle, using gold in place of yellow. A police officer noticed and said it was illegal; however, I did not receive a fix-it ticket. It was never questioned again. Considering the number of vehicles I see with expired/missing plates on the road, I wouldn't worry about the police stopping you, if the shade of paint you use isn't quite right. A young officer probably won't know what the correct color is for your vehicle anyway.

If you keep yellow-on-black plates, you can either paint the entire plate yellow, mask off the letter and numbers and then paint it black, or you can paint it black and either air-brush the letters and numbers or use a fine, soft artist brush that will leave no streaks. You can then paint the entire plate with satin clear-coat; gloss clear might be too shiny.

 

If a ‘63 to ?? Plate is what you have. The right (facing) tag area should have 63 stamped in it.

 

The reason I won't watch that movie - the horrible fake plates .... after all the work that went into it, how hard would it have been to rent a few sets of plates from a collector ?

 

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0066434/

 

The current black and yellow plates do not look like the old ones if you're into old shit. First they do look brown...are reflective and the font size is based on 7 characters...not 6 like the old plates. In about 1977 or so..CA adopted the smaller font
The new number and letters are narrower than the old school stuff. Give me original plates any day.

 

The Milner '32 had the now famous THX 138 plates. Those characters had a special meaning to George Lucas. They were probably vacuum formed plastic plates id imagine. I don't remember any of the other cars plates in the movie...but I do agree..seeing fake plates ruins the suspension of disbelief for me...all I think about then is...why didn't they use a real plate? The last movie where it was an issue was Ford v Ferrari. While I loved the movie...I believe the Cobra Matt Damon drove had bullshit plates. The rest of the movie made up for it though.

 

I have a can of Acrylic Urethane that might have the paint number or code on it......that's at least the color I've been using (since the 90's because it A.U). I went down to the paint store and that's the color we decided on.

 

Yellow 1956 plates with black characters and a 1960 sticker are correct for the car but in 1963 you would have gotten a black plate with yellow characters. I personally like original unrestored plates but I have painted a few sets for customers. I am a glutton for punishment and find a color in the chip books that is close. Then I do sprayouts and tint til I'm happy. I never came up with a formula. I will say the original yellow is more on the red side than green. I have had good results shooting the yellow first, letting it flash then shooting black. After the black has dried I sand the characters back to yellow then clear them. Many ways to skin a cat but that's how I do them.

 

All very interesting, thanks for the history.
My car is a 60’ but it shows registered in 61’, I have the original plates that are black with yellow letters/numbers, three characters each.
I think the next iteration of CA plates were the blue background with yellow letters/numbers, same three characters each as I recall.
Interesting that my 51’ F3 has black with yellow letters/numbers, it seems to be a commercial plate, it is more than six characters.
My 49’ Buick has the black with yellow numbers/letters, three each.
I’m not original owner so that may have been reregistered at some time and updated to the black background from the yellow background?

 

I recently was surprised to get a pair of the new black (shade of bronze?) & yellow (not school bus yellow - I have school buses go by my house every day during the week) plates- 4 numbers/2 letters without wide separation as on original plates - my '63 Nova SS has white plates & definitely do not look right - so, ordered the standard new black ones, not the personal ones - - since my car is not a restoration and has many replacement parts could not justify cost of restored '63 plates - the average person is not going critique my new plates, or plates used in a movie that is not a documentary - had tried to order plates a couple of months ago - they were to send message of order being accepted, then give location local DMV office where I could pick them up and turn in white plates -but, next DMV message said order could not be filled - so, had to assume that the high number of prisoners being positive with Covid-19 that production stopped - but, new ones were mailed to me with new registration form and year/month stickers - pic with envelope covering part of plate is my new ones & other is a restored plate found online

 

Those are not original plates.

Be it a '60, or a '61, it would have left the lot with yellow plates.

California pulled plates back then. My 1960 has black plates, and they have the aforementioned 63 stamped in the metal, where the year sticker goes.

They went on the car when when the second owner purchased it in 1964.

 

I wish Maine had cool plates like that. They did have black plates with yellow lettering in 1944, but it was just for that one year, and because of the war, you only received one plate. For some reason they changed plate colors every year in those days...

 

Gimpy is right. I was born in Oakland, CA in 1955 and never left. Our 56 Nomad had black-on-yellow plates. Our 64 Olds Jetstar 1 had yellow-on-black plates. I also recall turning in old plates when the color changed.

Don't underestimate what a child retains well into his golden years, but don't ask me what today's date is.

 

Read about that method in Skinned Knuckles years ago. It works very well.

 

The yellow plates in the fifties used metal tags, there was a law passed to standardize plates nationwide, resulting with the yellow on black and sticker type tags. There is a vendor on flea bay selling decal kits to redo plates.

 

- I bought one of those kits that included letters/numbers to apply - the font was not close to that of year that I ordered for - contacted seller, including picture of mine/theirs, for sending correct ones or give a refund - seller argued with me and said that they were the same - took PayPal to get refund

 

CA plate history, late 50's-70's:
1956 - ALL cars in California were required to get new plates, Yellow background, Black letters.
1957 to 1962 - Years stickers added to the 1956 plates.
1963 - ALL cars in California were required to get new plates, Black background, Yellow letters.
1964 to 1969 - Years stickers added to the 1963 plates.
1970 - New plates introduced: Blue background, Yellow letters. New cars got these plates. Existing cars were NOT required to get new plates. The 1963-style Black plates were (and still are) valid. FYI, the Blue plates are also still valid.

So what this means to the original poster --> If you can prove to the DMV that the blacks are plates are original to the car, you use those plates without any extra fees. Proof will be if the plate number is on the pink slip or an old registration slip.

As far as legality --> with so many new black plates running around, the cops won't notice or care. Just don't butcher the job, lol.