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Source For Dash Vin Stickers

Discussion in 'Early Jeep Restoration and Research' started by 70sVintagePreferred, Dec 25, 2018.

  1. Dec 25, 2018
    70sVintagePreferred

    70sVintagePreferred New Member

    st louis
    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2016
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    10
    Does anyone know of another possible source to get the dash vin stickers besides bear creek survey or if bear creek will be able to offer vin stickers again? went to go check their site today and it says they are no longer able to print stickers. i really need mine, i can already tell im going to have issues registering my jeep without a readable tag on the dash that has the vin and the front and rear GVWR on it.

    i dont want any answers telling me to go try to talk to the dmv, highway patrol or whoever- im a state licensed inspector, the system is computerized where i am and it will reject the safety inspection if all the info on the tag is not readable. if i try to fudge it it will throw up a red flag and place a lockout on my inspectors license which is not good for work.

    I REALLY need to find a way to replace the vin decal on my dash..
     
  2. Dec 25, 2018
    TIm E

    TIm E Aggressively average

    NW Arkansas
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  3. Dec 29, 2018
    ojgrsoi

    ojgrsoi Retired 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Weatherford, TX
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    why would you not use the vin tag on the firewall? The dash tag is more of a FMVSS sticker than the vin on the vehicle.
     
  4. Dec 29, 2018
    Twin2

    Twin2 not him 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Virginia Beach, VA
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    the dash sticker only had month and year built and serial number . no weight information
    got mine from bear creek . but that was years ago
    you had to order sticker and email information to him
     
    andy daniel likes this.
  5. Dec 29, 2018
    ojgrsoi

    ojgrsoi Retired 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Weatherford, TX
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    True. These aren't like the FMVSS decals on newer vehicles.
     
  6. Dec 30, 2018
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    I started messing around with Photoshop today and was able to pretty closely match the fonts for the date and serial number that Bear Creek used on their reproduction decals when they were making them. I'll post an example soon.
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2019
    ojgrsoi likes this.
  7. Jan 1, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    (continuation of my post immediately above....)

    Well, it turned out my wife didn't want to take down the Christmas tree and decorations today, which allowed me time to obsess further about the idea of re-creating a Jeep VIN sticker.

    After gathering a bunch of photos of examples of original 1970-75 Kaiser and AMC VIN stickers, I realized that I had taken the wrong approach in my post above. The goal should not be to match the layout and fonts from Bear Creek's now-defunct versions, but rather from original stickers. Toward that end, my latest effort is below.

    This is a photo of a random original AMC Jeep VIN sticker in the format used during 1972-73:

    [​IMG]

    For comparison, here's the version of this format Bear Creek offered:

    [​IMG]

    Below is a sample re-creation of the original VIN sticker above that I developed in Photoshop. This is a completely new format. While it's not a precise re-creation of the original sticker, it is very close.

    [​IMG]


    The fonts took a good deal of time to try to match, and are as close as I could find to the ones Jeep used. A font similar to the one on the machine-generated, line-printed portions was especially hard to locate. I finally found one that's very close, though not identical to the original. (To help give the impression that those portions were printed on the sticker by a line printer, they are in 85% grey, rather than black.)

    Note that on the original, there's a clear border around the printed area of the sticker. To match this, the border shown in white would actually be clear on the finished sticker.

    This sample above is low-res, but I've made a high-res template for this VIN sticker format. There are several additional formats I haven't had time to re-create yet, but I'm now confident it's possible to do so with a high degree of accuracy. I'm now in search of a printer that can print the stickers with a clear border like the originals.

    Update March '19: To see examples of current revisions of all four 1969-1975 reproduction VIN sticker formats, scroll down below to Post #20 (the last post on this page).
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2020
    Thean, Rubicloak, Danefraz and 5 others like this.
  8. Jan 1, 2019
    Oldriginal86

    Oldriginal86 Member

    Pasadena, Md.
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    Nov 5, 2014
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    589
    That looks awesome. Bet the purists would have a tough time telling it from an original.
     
    maurywhurt likes this.
  9. Jan 18, 2019
    3b a runnin

    3b a runnin Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    virginia
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    I hope you have found someone. Please post the info if possible.
    thanks in advance
     
  10. Jan 18, 2019
    Keys5a

    Keys5a Sponsor

    Florida Keys
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    Maury, I'm in need of that same sticker you have been experimenting with, only I need one with May 1974, and in the vin line a 4 in the second digit, and 836xx serial. I was going to get one from BearCreek, but never got to it.
    If you find a printer, count me in for one!
    -Donny
     
  11. Jan 19, 2019
    Zoomer

    Zoomer eJeeper (walking)

    Minnesota
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    I think the owner of bearcreek survey is a member here, can't remember user name though. If they aren't going to make them anymore, I wonder if they would be willing to share their artwork?
     
    Criss likes this.
  12. Jan 22, 2019
    Chilly

    Chilly Active Member

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    Thats terrific work! I'm for sure interested once body is back from paint.
     
  13. Feb 24, 2019
    Rubicloak

    Rubicloak Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Nevada
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    Maury, like the above members, I too am in need of a dash sticker. Have you had any luck in sourcing a printer? I have a friend that owns a print shop. Would you be willing to share your creation and I could have him print and see what the printed version turns out like?
     
  14. Feb 25, 2019
    Keys5a

    Keys5a Sponsor

    Florida Keys
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    I have had a sticker printed with Maury's artwork, and an outside printer that Maury sourced. I ordered it through the printing company.
    I'm very satisfied with the results. Its a very close reproduction that would be hard to tell from original.
    -Donny
     
    Rubicloak likes this.
  15. Feb 27, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Rubicloak, I just sent you a PM.....

    Donny, thanks for the plug! :)
     
  16. Feb 27, 2019
    3b a runnin

    3b a runnin Active Member 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    virginia
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    I would like to get 1 of these also. How do I go about it?
     
  17. Feb 28, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    3b a runnin, I've sent you a PM with the info. Thanks for your interest!
     
  18. Mar 1, 2019
    mbjeeper

    mbjeeper New Member

    Moundsville, WV
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    Apr 23, 2017
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    Me too! mine is barely legible and mostly painted over. I'd love to have one made.
    How?
     
  19. Mar 1, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    mbjeeper, just sent you a PM....
     
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2019
  20. Mar 2, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Below are updated examples of the VIN sticker / decal formats I've put together for 1970 through 1979 CJ-5 & CJ-6s. Some of these formats are also appropriate for other Jeep vehicles such as the Jeepster and Wagoneer.

    As these formats were being developed, I initially worked with Donny (Keys5A) to create the sticker artwork for his '74. To get his actual sticker produced, I finally found a printer that can print the reproductions with a clear border to match the clear tape on the original VIN stickers. These reproductions are very high-quality stickers printed on white-backed vinyl with permanent adhesive, and covered with UV-resistant gloss laminate.

    As I have no desire to get into the business of printing and mailing stickers, I emailed the finished artwork to the printer, and sent their contact info to Donny. Donny then got in touch with them directly to arrange payment and shipping of the finished sticker to him.

    For anyone who would like one for their Jeep, this is the same process I plan to use moving forward. You can contact me via PM or by email at snoopy2x @ gmail.com (leave out the spaces before and after the @ symbol). Update 12/1/19: The moderators have allowed this service to be included in the forum's Vendor Directory here: :Dash Vin Sticker Artwork For 1970-1979 Cjs

    Though Donny's sticker turned out nicely, we learned through getting it made that the font used for the line-printed portions (same as in the example in post #7 above) was really a bit too heavy. Donny was able to compare that font firsthand to the one produced by the factory line-printer, as he has an original VIN sticker.

    I've spent a good deal of time refining these sticker formats over the past several weeks, and eventually found another font that's a better match to the original line-printer font. This was used in the samples below, and is in 90% grey, rather than black, to help give it the appearance of having been line-printed. I've modified some of the characters of this font in Photoshop to make them more closely resemble the originals. Certain letters and numbers were shifted either up or down slightly to correspond to the original VIN stickers, which all reflect this characteristic. I was also able to create and incorporate more accurate header artwork for each of the sticker formats.

    I set out to make these reproduction formats as accurate to the originals as possible. Here's a sample of the current 1972-73 reproduction VIN sticker artwork partially overlaid on the image of an original 1972 sticker. As I hope is evident, achieving this level of replication was anything but "a quick Photoshop job":

    [​IMG]


    Below are photos found online of original VIN stickers from the different year ranges, paired with low-resolution samples of the corresponding current reproduction sticker images.


    Format 1 was used on the 1970 model year Kaiser CJ's, Jeepsters, and Wagoneers, and possibly other vehicles as well. The printed portion, i.e. the area inside the clear borders, measured 2.25" x 6" in the earlier versions, but was reduced to about 1.7" x 4.5" in the later versions:

    [​IMG]


    Format 2 was used on the 1970 & '71 AMC CJ's, Jeepsters, and Wagoneers. The printed portion of these decals measured approx. 1.7" x 4.5":

    [​IMG]


    Format 3 was used on the 1972 & '73 AMC CJ's. They were also used on Jeepsters, and possibly on Wagoneers as well. At this point, the only confirmed size I have for the printed portion of these stickers is 1.7" x 4.5":

    [​IMG]


    Format 4 was used on the 1974 & '75 AMC CJ's. They were also used on Wagoneers. The printed portion of these stickers likewise all measured 1.7" x 4.5":

    [​IMG]


    Another variation, Format 5, was used in the DJ-5 Postal Jeeps built by AM General Corporation during the 1970s (though the exact year range is unknown). This VIN sticker was also 1.7" x 4.5":

    [​IMG]


    This VIN decal, Format 6, appears to have been used only during the 1976 model year. Some in this format had the manufacturing date line-printed on them, and some didn't, so it's up to the individual owner whether to include that or not. This sticker measured 1.75" x 4":

    [​IMG]


    Variations of this VIN decal, Format 7, were used from the 1977 through the 1979 model years by AMC. These decals typically measured approximately 2.25" x 4.0", though there were differences in the dimensions over time. These stickers sometimes included the assembly-line printed manufacturing date, but other times did not (at the owner's option, this can either be left off or an approximated build date can be added):

    [​IMG]


    This similar VIN decal used by American Motors in Canada from the 1977 through the 1979 model years, Format 8, and typically measured 2.5" x 4.5":
    [​IMG]


    Variations of Format 9 were used during the 1980 through 1982 model years. The dimensions of this decal were typically 3-7/8" wide x 2-3/8" tall:

    [​IMG]


    Variations of Format 10 were used on Canadian-manufactured CJ's from the 1980 through '82 model years:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2023
    iharding, Criss, Hellion and 3 others like this.
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