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MG TD TF 1500 - License Plate Restoration

I know this has been covered before but things change. I have the original California DMV issued license plates that were issued for my car which I'd like to have restored. They are the black and yellow style. Has anyone recently had plates restored and would recommend who was used? I appreciate any input. Thanks. Lou
L Staller

Check out this web. It has a few threads on restoring CA plates. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/california-black-plate-restoration.472616/

Looks like the yellow it school bus yellow, but if your plates still have some good color, your paint shop can probably match it and make a rattle can.

I would spray the letter/number color and then mask the numbers/letters and cut so only the top is masked then spray the back color.
Bruce TD4139 Cunha

In Massachusetts, a Year Of Manufacture plate must be in original condition and can not have been repainted:
(ii)
The plate must be in good repair
and in original condition
. Its letters, numbers and markings must be
clearly legible. Any indication that the plate has been repainted or otherwise altered will cause the Registrar to
reject use of the plate.

Bud
Bud Krueger

Same in Florida. However, I have been told you send the plate in to the DMV, they approve and put a sticker on it. Then the plate goes to a plate restoration company, is restored, and the sticker replaced. Rumor has it this is commonly done . George
George Butz

I would suspect Calif is much more relaxed from my experience. If they look good and are a match set, that's all they will require.

Lou: Are you sure you have Year of Manufacture Calif plates for the TD/TF? If so you will need the metal year tags too. There are two of them but I suspect the person at the DMV would not know that. One will probably do.

See some of the past threads on this.

The 49-55 plates are much bigger than what we have today. There were later black/yellow plates that everybody talks about but these are not relevant for TD/TF. 1949 and 1950 had yellow plates marked 1947 and the black was introduced in 1951. Each year you got a new set of metal tags to cover the 1951 date. In 1956 they changed to the plate size we have today but still with metal tags and they were once again yellow. I think it was 1963 when they went to the stickers and brought back the black plates which is what everyone usually refers to as Calif Black plates because of the muscle cars.

Christopher Couper

I don't have YOM plates. What I do have are the black and yellow plates that were issued to the car in 1963.
When I bought the car and completed the title transfer I requested that I keep the plates that were on the car, which they approved. So, I can now legally use these plates on the car that's why I what to restore them.
Thanks for all the input and info about plate years and colors.
Does anyone have a recommendation for someone who does a decent job restoring plates? Thanks.
L Staller

I cannot recommend anyone in particular but I would do a Google search and see if you find anyone that really knows how to restore them. What I saw on first glance did not look good.

This site looks like the best but I have no experience with them:

http://www.tagdr.com/#

BTW here is the link from the CA DMV explaining the requirements for YOM plates in case anyone is interested:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/reg_hdbk/ch21/ch21_36

I cannot register my YOM plates because the number I have is currently in use on a modern set of plates.

So I just bungee a new set over the top when I am on the road. Got stopped once but the officer just wanted to look at the car :-)
Christopher Couper

This thread was discussed between 11/04/2015 and 13/04/2015

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