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I recently bought a 78 Pace car that is flawless except for the fact the door decals are not installed correctly. They are about 3 inches lower than is normal. ( IE the white letters are in the Silver, not the black where they are supposed to be. In going through all the parts it came with, I found an entire set of original stickers. So I am thinking I could remove the incorrect ones and put on new ones in the correct position, my worry is the door decals may have effected the color of the Black and silver. The color may have faded, and if I remove the old ones, there will be a shadow. This car has barely ever seen sunlight as it still only has less than 3000 mile SNEW. Tough choice. Leave it incorrect or correct it. I just removed the Factory tires it had about 3 weeks ago. This is a true survivor car. Can the shadows be rubbed out?
if the decals have been like that since 78, leave em be. it is not a paint shop eff up. it is FACTORY! and if been that way for 45 years, you do NOT wanna mess with them. therein lies new paint...
Im pretty sure those decals were dealer installed. I would think if it does leave a shadow, it should be able to be buffed out. If for some reason it can't, you can always install your new set in the same place as the ones you removed. Also make sure who ever buffs it out, knows what he is doing. I think that may be laqur paint on your 78 and it would be very easy to rub through.
Im pretty sure those decals were dealer installed. I would think if it does leave a shadow, it should be able to be buffed out. If for some reason it can't, you can always install your new set in the same place as the ones you removed. Also make sure who ever buffs it out, knows what he is doing. I think that may be laqur paint on your 78 and it would be very easy to rub through.
correct all decals for the pace care were dealer installed. If you chose to have the care exempt they came in a plastics bag.
Decals that have been on a car for 44 years.....Personally, I wouldn't have the courage to attempt the removal myself. I would consult with some quality body shops for their opinions/estimates about the removal and any potential issues and how/if those issues could be professionally corrected......44-year-old stickers on 44-year-old lacquer paint....You have a Beautiful car......I wouldn't want to learn/practice on your car LOL
Im pretty sure those decals were dealer installed. I would think if it does leave a shadow, it should be able to be buffed out. If for some reason it can't, you can always install your new set in the same place as the ones you removed. Also make sure who ever buffs it out, knows what he is doing. I think that may be laqur paint on your 78 and it would be very easy to rub through.
That is not true as this original photo indicates.
Like others, I would like to see both the vehicle and the box of decals...to assess originality both those on and off (in the box). I would not do a thing to correct until you've had an experienced team assess the originality of those on the vehicle. I would love to check it out but see, I believe you're in California. Your best option is to have a knowledgeable 78-82 NCRS judging team take a look. The Bowtie judging process would be your best bet to have those studied and determine originality. Given they were dealer installed, can very well mean the dealer failed to apply them correctly. An instruction sheet was included in the box!
Decals in the box, given they are factory issued, are now rather brittle and I would not recommend using them. One of the two sets, in all likelhood, may not have been an original set and why its curious the car has two sets. Below is an article on the original "factory" decals and the boxes they came in.
I moved to Tenn recently and retired. I have no history on the car and decal. I was under the impression the decals came boxed up behind the seats, and the owner had the option of putting them on or not? I wish I knew when they were put on. That would make the decision easier
I moved to Tenn recently and retired. I have no history on the car and decal. I was under the impression the decals came boxed up behind the seats, and the owner had the option of putting them on or not? I wish I knew when they were put on. That would make the decision easier
My 78 came with pinstripes I didn’t care for; the type dealers put on to get a few extra bucks. I used a rubber eraser wheel and then polished with rubbing compound. The car came with 17k miles on it; had been stored in a garage for a long time. Minimal exposure to sun, but all the stripes left ghost stripes.
The eraser wheel needs to carefully kept flat on the surfaces to avoid gouging the paint; easier on flat surfaces, concave curves are tougher.
Charlie
I don't remember what the protocol was for a dealer receiving their 1 car Pace Car allotment from GM. They may have been factory-installed, or maybe the dealer installed them right away for showroom appearance to bring in foot-traffic (that was part of the point of the Pace Car). But if a customer ordered a pace car, they (or at least some) came in a box and the owner could decide which ones (if any) to install. I worked on a Pace car back in the early 80's, cleaning it up for the original owner who wanted to sell it. Most of the P/C stickers were installed, the remaining were still in the original thin box. Side Note: I was a kid ...and on that day my boss was golfing all day ..which usually went into drinking afterwards. So when I had to get lunch and take it for a 'test drive' ....well let's just say, it was a Looooong lunch that sunny summer day that went all around town and eventually down a few lonely stretches of country road....
Has your car been repainted (OP)? If the paint is original, probably best to leave them. If it was a repaint, say, 5 years ago.. then it's something to 'think' about.
Has your car been repainted (OP)? If the paint is original, probably best to leave them. If it was a repaint, say, 5 years ago.. then it's something to 'think' about.
Mark...great post!
Had to laugh having caddied at a golf course during those years.
I am not sure on the paint. Seller told me it was all original, but looking at the paint, I see lots of imperfection such as pin holes in the paint. So no history on this issue. He also told me he bought it from some old guy who lost his mind and was ordering all sorts of parts for it. I got all the parts along with the car. There were stickers on the windshield he told me to never remove as they were factory. But digging deeper, I found the stickers were from an auction outfit in Oklahoma City. So the sellers story does not wash. Still happy I picked it up regardless. It is a dream to drive.
Ok…now you gotta post some pictures.
Beautiful 78PC previously owned by an eccentric enthusiast with an penchant for stickers.
Don’t keep us in the dark.
pace car decals installed incorrectly
