1967 Chevy C10 (pickup) Paint issues

[Foxery]

I took my baby to a body shop (recommended by a good friend) to have some dings taken out of my paint job, and ran into a snag. They painted straight over the giant black "CHEVROLET" lettering on the tailgate. Augh!

So, after some confusion, they decided that the letters had been stickers/decals, that they had peeled off but never ordered replacements. That was 2 weeks ago, and now they claim they can't actually find giant black letters that say Chevrolet. Here are the pictures, followed with questions:

Tailgate Note that the letters are inset into the body about 1/2". They are physically part of the metal.
Closeup showing the spot they were asked to patch. Maybe the size of a coin.

Questions:
1) Can anyone confirm or deny with certainty whether these would actually be stickers, or if it should actually be black paint? (I honestly had never considered this before, and the original painter is no longer alive to ask.)
2) Given that I was able to provide the exact original paint, (and it's kept covered/indoors, so minimal fading,) is it normal and reasonable for them to wipe out the entire tailgate just to patch that spot?
3) Will human blood stain glossy paint or chrome?

 

[JulesMaximus]

No, human blood will not stain paint or chrome...or so I've heard anyway.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

For that year it likely was paint. Or even just masked off primer. Either way, it should be easy enough to cover the tailgate with paper or tape and cut out the letters and shoot some black on.

 

[herm0016]

probably paint. I do not see any lettering kits in the major resto shops. nice truck, we have a 72 super Cheyenne BB, short box that is done up, they are fun to work on/play with.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Judging from the closeup and the bubbling evident on the "H", it does look like what you had on there before were indeed stickers of some sort (unless that's a rust bubble or a dent coming through from the inside). That said, one way or another they should make you whole since you did not give them permission to remove the decals/accent paint.

ZV

 

[Foxery]

Added photos for the curious:
Full body
Rear view - from a year ago (camera is too crappy for the detail I need)
The Interior!

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Judging from the closeup and the bubbling evident on the "H", it does look like what you had on there before were indeed stickers of some sort (unless that's a rust bubble or a dent coming through from the inside).

Yeah, that's all I had to go by... going to make some calls to classic parts companies today to see what I can find. There's also a similar looking vehicle parked in a yard near work; I may swing by to see how similar!

That said, one way or another they should make you whole since you did not give them permission to remove the decals/accent paint.

Oh, I had a chat with the shop owner. Seems everyone in the company had been admiring my baby, so he knew exactly who I was They're taking $180 off the bill for wasting my time, and will apply decals if I can find them myself, or possibly get a professional to paint them on directly (?) if I can't.

The real burn is that I was all excited about finding a local shop who did great work with good prices. The rest of the paint, and some odds'n'ends the Service dept took care of for me, are fantastic. Except now I can't trust them. Sigh.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
That said, one way or another they should make you whole since you did not give them permission to remove the decals/accent paint.

Oh, I had a chat with the shop owner. Seems everyone in the company had been admiring my baby, so he knew exactly who I was They're taking $180 off the bill for wasting my time, and will apply decals if I can find them myself, or possibly get a professional to paint them on directly (?) if I can't.

The real burn is that I was all excited about finding a local shop who did great work with good prices. The rest of the paint, and some odds'n'ends the Service dept took care of for me, are fantastic. Except now I can't trust them. Sigh.

I dunno, it sounds to me like you can trust them. They admitted their fault, they offered a discount, and they will correct the problem for you.

Everyone makes mistakes, but it seems to me like these guys are standing behind their work and are willing to make amends. Many shops will give a person the run-around or even refuse to fix things they screwed up. It's hard when the first time dealing with someplace results in a problem, but they seem to be honestly working to fix it, which is rare these days.

EDIT: That's a fine looking truck too.

EDIT II: Tailgate letters in white. They have letter decals in black too, but they don't seem to match, must be for the StepSide trucks. The fleetside decals look like they would be a match, so you may want to call the company and see if they can make you a set of black ones.

EDIT III: According to this site, the lettering was painted on, at least in 1966.

ZV

 

[Sluggo]

LMC seems to offer the letter set in red, white black and chrome.

www.lmctruck.com

If the link doesnt work its page 53 of their 67-72 Chevrolet/GMC catalog.

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
LMC seems to offer the letter set in red, white black and chrome.

www.lmctruck.com

If the link doesnt work its page 53 of their 67-72 Chevrolet/GMC catalog.

Sweet - LMC was on my list to call, but I checked back here first That looks like exactly what I'm after, and for only $9!

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
I dunno, it sounds to me like you can trust them. They admitted their fault, they offered a discount, and they will correct the problem for you.

Everyone makes mistakes, but it seems to me like these guys are standing behind their work and are willing to make amends. Many shops will give a person the run-around or even refuse to fix things they screwed up. It's hard when the first time dealing with someplace results in a problem, but they seem to be honestly working to fix it, which is rare these days.

I dunno, it feels like I did get the runaround - they told me every week for 3 weeks that it would be no problem, and done shortly. They haven't called me once; I keep calling and/or showing up in person for updates. It took a visit to the boss to get anywhere. However, I think my troubles all boil down to 1 guy, so I may have a chat when I pick it up along the lines of wanting to do business again, but only if someone else can be in charge next time.

EDIT III: According to this site, the lettering was painted on, at least in 1966.

The LMC listing is specifically for 1967 and up, so I'm betting that changed between those two years. Since my goal is to keep this as original as possible, I'm glad I asked.

edit:
EcklersTrucks.com has listings for 1954-66, then 1967-72. At any rate, that's a pretty good confirmation that they are decals, not paint

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: Foxery

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
EDIT III: According to this site, the lettering was painted on, at least in 1966.

The LMC listing is specifically for 1967 and up, so I'm betting that changed between those two years. Since my goal is to keep this as original as possible, I'm glad I asked.

edit:
EcklersTrucks.com has listings for 1954-66, then 1967-72. At any rate, that's a pretty good confirmation that they are decals, not paint

I noticed that there were two different styles of letting for the stickers, the fleetside letting looked different from the other letting on the site I listed, so make sure you get the correct one.

ZV

 

[Auric]

The way the lettering does not match the stamping suggests decals rather than paint. The black colour goes up the edges in some places and does not fill out in others and yet the dimensions are uniform. Also, it looks like there may be some staining in addition to aforementioned bubbling. If it is paint and rust bubbles, then it is unlikely to be limited to the letters. Plus, it looks dull like faded vinyl rather than faded paint (and the original shade of black was more likely at least satin, if not glossy, rather than flat) and the orange does not appear similarly faded. /Sherlock

 

[Quiksilver]

Originally posted by: Foxery
Tailgate Note that the letters are inset into the body about 1/2". They are physically part of the metal.
Closeup showing the spot they were asked to patch. Maybe the size of a coin.

Look's like decals to me, judging by the bubbling in it and it looks a little off center to me.
Personally though, I'd rather have the letter just painted on even if it wasn't original; looks better imo.

P.S.
I know a professional painter, but he's based in Tennessee (paints Porsche vehicles for a living).

 

[Foxery]

Nah, I want to keep this all original. New letters are in the mail, (fleetside,) and a friend with steady hands will help me put them on. I know it's trivial, but it has to be perfect

I finally picked up my truck from the shop today and settled the bill. There's a dark fingerprint on the tailgate handle, but bleh, I'm not taking it in again for that. I'm just relieved to finally have it back!

 

[Auric]

I can certainly understand the desire to restore the decals but applying them satisfactorily could be difficult and frustrating.

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: Foxery
Nah, I want to keep this all original. New letters are in the mail, (fleetside,) and a friend with steady hands will help me put them on. I know it's trivial, but it has to be perfect

Be sure to use the soapy water trick, it will make applying them much less frustrating.

 

[Auric]

Originally posted by: Sluggo

Be sure to use the soapy water trick, it will make applying them much less frustrating.

That can be done with adhesive backing? Or is it just plain vinyl like the electrostic variety for glass or whatever?

 

[ENGINE327]

any one know where the orginal paint code would be?tony

 

[Bartman39]

any one know where the orginal paint code would be?tony

Some had it on the inside of the glove box door... Early GM cars and trucks had a paint code on the right side cowl area...

As for Foxery`s truck the original letters back then were paint, decals did not come out till quite a bit later... Nice truck for sure miss my 69 C10 pretty bad...:'( (was in primer ready to paint when sold)

 

[herm0016]

glove box door or build sheet if you are lucky enough to have that. otherwise if you know someone at the GM archives they can look it up in a production book.