DARRYL's LICENSE PLATE RESTORATION Opinion...

Rich, you are awesome man!
I like the wooden stakes, I'll be using that on some tin work in my near future.

 

Well, the week came and went with no License plates in the mail ~ after talking to her last Monday and promised I'd have them by the end of the week ~ that's the 4th or 5th time I've been given some bullshit from this place and hell yes... I'm pissed off now.
I'm openingly looking for someone who lives close to Darryls License Plate restoration to go by there now and act as my agent to retrieve my plates... finished or not! I'm willing to just eat my 170.00 in order to just get the back and take up one of these HAMB members offering to do my plates... if I can ever get them back!!! I can't exactly pop in there myself- being 2,000 away so if any of you HAMB buddies out there can lend a helping hand, send me a message, here or private, and we'll see if I can free my license plates that apparently are being held hostage by the terrorists at DARRYL's LICENSE PLATES ~ I've already paid their ransom!!! ....... SHIPPIE. ..........


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You are a retired LEO, albeit breaking the law by altering plates, why don;t you call the local constabulary and have them rough the place up.

 

I do some plates with powdercoat periodically. It's sure a nice break from doing black Harley Davidson parts day after day (seems like that's all people want powdercoated some days). It took me a little while to get my techniques figured out, but it's plenty doable. I don't know the legal implications of doing the work so I make sure and note on the invoice that the plates should be used for decorations only and not for actual use on a vehicle. If the owner chooses to use them on the car, that's their business.

 

AG, how you doing that with powder? Powder the plate and follow with One Shot or is that a two stage process using two colors of powder?

I have pair of '48 Tennessee plates I'd like to do.

 

Harrison, both colors are powder. It's a two stage deal where I did the white first then the black last. I get all my powder from NIC. The black is their Ink black. The white I can't remember what they call it. I just order it in bulk from NIC and keep it in a big jug. It might be called Cloud white. I'd have to look to make sure.

 

Beautiful work,, HRP

 

Just because their put back to the original colors the way I recieved the plates 36 years ago doesn't mean their altered in my eyes... I consider them restored back to original condition ~ they'll look EXACTLY as they were before they got damaged.... legal to me and nobody will ever know the differance ~ not even a retired cop like me if they''re done right.

 

Doesn't anyone read the whole thread anymore? The OP clearly stated these are his original tags they were of the non reflective variety and were damaged. He is simply fixing them. He isn't altering anything

 

Now that's funny!


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Uh, no they were brand new plates, fresh off the prison press, which means that they were reflectorized. Painting them, in many, if not most states, is illegal.

 

36 years old...?



I'm confused

 

Okay, I'm lost now too.

Bottom line: Restoring a old plate to its original issued painted non-reflectorized colors is a gray area. You are not supposed to "alter" plates. This will likely be missed by most LEO's, if they are "correct" in color and pattern.

Removing the reflectorized coating from a new plate will likely NOT be missed by a sharp-eyed LEO, and you may see your car going up onto a flatbed and heading for an impound lot, and possibly worse.

No drama here, just the law. Caveat Emptor. Make your own decisions.

 

Yea, I hear yea SHIPPIE!
Sent my 3 digit (very rare) 1928 B.C. plate to Darryl's aprox. 3 months ago also. Phoned a couple of time (they do have it) They are always polite on the phone and say it will get done, but like you say it's painfully slow! ...still waiting!

 

Mississippi law allows restored, refinished, repainted, etc. "If ... the license plate is in satisfactory original condition or has been refurbished to a satisfactory condition...." The state has denied good originals and required me to restore and repaint prior to approving.

 

Yup, but in the OP's state, altering a plate is a felony, if you get caught.

 

An example to learn from ... a guy can be the best at his craft but he damn sure better have some strong business sense if plans on being self-employed.

 

I repainted a 36 Oklahoma plate for my 36 Ford 20+ years ago. Metal was in good shape and we sprayed the base color (yellow in this case) and repainted the black letters by hand.
It's easy to do! Never any problem with the tag people or the cops...

I have a 49 Oklahoma plate on our 49. The metal is fine but the paint is faded and thin. Mostly looks like rust - I plan to run it as is when we get the car on the road this spring(?).

 

I had horrible experience with DARRYL's. I was close to getting my project on the road. Searched online and found him saw his great work and price was fair. I called him up never once offered the rush service. Besides told me it was like 4 weeks and it would be done. I sent payment prior work done cause he told me needed to pay for materials and labor. Ok, then told me give him a call in 4 weeks for a status. I do get a story that he's busy and it's almost done, Great. Was told to call in like 2 weeks it'll be done. I do tells me all set getting mailed end of week. Even better I wait and wait 4 weeks later. No plate I call, all this time it's an older lady(mother wife not sure)He's always in paint booth and he'll call you back. Get call back he's sorry explains the process and asks what the plate is going on. I just want my plate. OK just finishing it up will be sent next week no worries. Never showed, ok i feel it's gone can't cancel payment to much time has passed. Call again older lady said that plate was going to be mailed but it was in the drawer waiting for shipmet and it was scratched so bad needed to get redone. WTH? I'm now very upset it was 1 plate low number and rare 1930 of course. Just lost hope. Months pass and never a call or plate to show in mail. 1 year later to the date sent I call. Oh we never got this plate. I lose it you took my money and never delivered, fake promises. She tells me Darryl will call me back. I get a NASTY voice mail this isn't a part time job it's full time, I'm not some clown that restores plates on the side. Blah blah blah ..... long story I got so BS that I called PA Attorney General and they said fill out online complaint. I filed on a Wednesday, Friday morning I get a call from the PA AG and asked if I had a complaint and Darryl gets on the phone and his tone was stern and said my plate was done and was to be delivered overnight and was like yeah sure. Anyhow it was. I open package and there is his business card and notes written in ink, I refused rush service and a proverb about patience and crap. Oh and a sentence reading. Those wo can do, those who can't complain on the internet. Really? Don't promise if you can't deliver. Opened and found my plate in one piece. It was in showroom condition, but to me not worth the stories and what not.

 

Does the H.A.M.B. have any members from Duryea, Pennsylvania? Maybe a member could check this business out? Not to threaten, but to give us an actual 1st hand account of this business. (and maybe Darryl's side of the story?) Being thousands of miles away, it is frustrating to say the least. If anybody is interested just do a search on Darryl's License Plate Restoration for contact info.
Lets see the power of the H.A.M.B. in action!

 

Here is the way I do them:

In Texas, you can use a vintage license plate that matches the year of your classic car or truck as long as you have two plates in good condition with the proper colors. You can register them as either Classic Car which requires you to re-new the plates every year, or as Antique plates which are pro-rated on a five year cycle. Registering them as antique plates only requires one plate on the car (even though you need both of them to be approved at the county tax office) and you do not need a vehicle inspection sticker anymore. As antique plates, you are supposed to only use the car for parades, car shows and club activities, but I have used them on a few of my vehicles for years and the police really have not bothered me when I use the cars for a regular drive around town.
I had a couple of pairs of plates that were in nice condition, but they had a few nicks and dings in them. The county tax office said that for the plates to be approved, that I had to touch them up. I decided to totally repaint them and this is the process that worked the best and looks awesome:
Here is the plate I started with:

Regular paint remover makes quick work of stripping the old paint off:

A wire brush gets all the old paint off:



Small dings can be worked out with a hammer and dolly. Filler may be needed on bigger dents. I used polyester primer to prime the plates:


We now need to paint the plate. The numbers and letters are white so I painted the whole plate white with catalyzed urethane:

When the paint is dry, I applied 5 coats of clear over the white:

When the clear was dry, I applied two coats of black basecoat over the clear:

The next thing to do is to very carefully sand through the black base coat to reveal the white numerals underneath. I use a sanding pad and 1200 grit sandpaper with lots of water:

Since we applied 5 coats of clear, there is no chance of sanding through to the white underneath. Start with one numeral at a time until the edges are as nice as you want them:




When all the numerals are to your liking, you can apply a couple of coats of catalyzed clear over the whole thing. The clear will bring out the shine in the black and the white and protect the whole plate:



Here are a couple of the '69 and up plates that have to be reflective. I used a metallic white with a pearl on top, and they came out pretty awesome:

 

I have had them do a couple of sets through the years. The do great work but are slow.
Seems to be an elderly retired couple, they wont intentionally screw you they are just a bit dis organized and maybe overwhelmed- they do LOTS of business.
I send the plates out 6 months before I need them

 

Thanks Mr. Musico for the reassuring post!
I guess patience truely is a virtue!

 

I would imagine you need some "stencils" or something to silk screen the letters/numbers...? How does that work any how...?

Oh...! Okay...Now I get it...Why do I always have to make things so complicated...?
Guess I'll have to try this myself...I have paint equipment AND time on my hands...

 

Mr. Musico is correct ~ their work is outstanding, but they really need to be upfront about the wait time instead of making up excuses.... I'm happy to report I did recieve my plates yesterday and must admit... they're as good as it gets.. But the price was outragous along with the excuse after excuse.... here's the final product.....



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I got my plate back a few days ago and was VERY IMPRESSED!
Darryl's work is Concours Quality and YES well worth the wait! Would I deal with him again?.. A DEFINATE YES! He's honest and while admitedly slow (unless you want to pay an additional fee for quicker service , aka Post Office), but his workmanship is second to none!
I only wish i would have a before picture for you to compare. This original 1928 plate had a big crease across the middle of it.
Here is the plate restored.
http://www.darrylsplates.com/

 

I just got back my 1 plate, unfinished from Darryl, after having it for 7 months, numerous promises and lies. It was strippd and bead blasted, paid $126.00 up front, and was only refunded $81.00, pretty expensive storage, no business sense whatsoever, only unrealistic promises. "EXTREMELY DISSAPOINTED", he should stop scaming people, and retire.

 

I would never send anything to Daryls licence plates if my life depended on it

 

Extremely rude and unprofessional people on earth