VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1949-1954 Bowtie emblem

Does anyone know of a source for some vinyl decal material in bowtie blue? I have a re-chromed trunk emblem and the bowtie needs to be blue again. Rather than paint it, I thought perhaps it would be easier to get some vinyl material and do it that way. I want to do the hubcap bowties also

I went to the local hardware and got some blue and red colored elect tape. I did hood and trunk emblems plus hub caps. Cut with carving knife . Just takes a little patience .

So why not paint?Are you sure the tape will not come off after the first washing?COT 40's has the correct red and blue paint in small cans

Are you sure that the paint will not fall off either? If you don't scratch the chrome paint does not adhere well. If the adhesive on the vinyl is good it will stick through the car wash. That is if the surface was clean and dry with the vinyl was applied. An example is the vinyl stripes on thousands of cars and trucks.

Scuffed the inside of the bowtie with a scotch-brite pad tried to paint it with a brush, And I do not like the way it turned out. I am sure the paint will stick without a problem. Could try to mask the whole emblem off, and have someone airbrush it, but I don't know anyone with an airbrush

I've had the best luck with vinyl paint...The decal's they sell are kinda pricey...There are a lot of "air brush" guy's out there...That can prove a bit pricey, too.

I used to use paint pens from the hobby shop, easy to use, but the one's I've gotten lately tend to fade after a while...

StoveboltSteve -

I needed "bowtie" blue for the bowties on the hubcaps of my '54 3104 truck. I contacted the GM Heritage center for info on paint colors and they gave me the mix number. I bought the paint at a PPG store. I masked the bowtie with 1/4 inch #06405 3M 471+ Vinyl Tape and used an airbrush to shoot the paint. I didn't scuff the chrome before painting. It's holding up well. Don't know if the color that the Heritage Center gave me for my '54 truck is the same as the bowtie on your passenger car. Here is my recent VCCA post on the color, technique, and results.
> '54 Hubcap Bowtie Blue

1-Shot "158-L Dark Blue" seems close to the PPG blue that the GM Heritage Ctr specified for my hub caps. That's the brand and color that Chevs of the 40s sells for painting emblems. You can probably buy locally for about the same price. You can apply it with a good brush. It flows out smooth. Sticks well to glass (and chrome). It dries slowly, so watch out for dust nibs. You will probably be able to wipe off any paint that ends up in the wrong place on the emblem before it dries. ("158-L Dark Blue" is not the same color of 1Shot that I showed in my VCCA post. "Reflex Blue" shown in the post is lighter than "158-L Dark Blue.")
> Chevs of the 40s blue

FYI - The red paint for emblems that Chevs of the 40s sells is 1-Shot "104L Bright Red". You can't see the name in the photo, but the UPC code confirms the color. 1-Shot has a vermillion red paint "100-L Vermillion", but it looks too orange to me.
> Chevs of the 40s red

If you want to use vinyl, stop by a couple of local vinyl sign shops to find the best shade of blue. Shops have various shades of colors of vinyl stock based on their needs. They may give a small cutoff to you or charge a small amount. Draw the pattern on paper, then sandwich the vinyl between the paper and a cutting base. Cut with a razor blade and straight edge.

I used black vinyl sign material from a local shop for the bowtie on the radio block out plate on my '54 3104 truck.
> Black Vinyl Bowtie - '54 truck radio blockout

Most suppliers sell vinyl decals for bowties and logo lettering for trucks. The bowtie on the decal pack is lighter and brighter than the paint color that the GM Heritage Center specified. You will probably need to trim the decal to fit your application.
> Chevrolet truck vinyl decal

- Lonnie

Thanks, LonnieC, That is some good information, I appreciate it!