How to make your own fender tag

[A12 Superbee]

I was going to post this on the other Fender tag topic but it's more focussed on that 70 Charger so here is how to make your own tag!

All these pics are of my own attempt to make a copy of a tag I already owned, so the good thing about this is you must have an original tag in your possession to do this, so no chance of making fantasy tags. I did this only because I found that when I was at car shows with the hood up, and lets face it when you own an A12 you always have the hood up, that I was petrified that some little thief would make off with the tag. Why? who knows but some people will just steal something for sh/ts and giggles, not because they actually will use it, and I was forever going back to the car to check if it was still there. Screw that, I needed to relax at these shows and spend my time looking at cars so here is what I knocked up.

Step one is to make a small box out of wood. I chose balsa wood because it was the easiest to cut. You want it fairly deep so that the mould is a thick block and not prone to breaking during the process.

[A12 Superbee]

Step 2. Place your master tag in the bottom of the mould, facing up and pour in plaster of paris. Make sure the plaster is a touch runnier than normal so you capture as much detail as possible...

Once its dried you can peel away the sides of the box and you will be left with a block of plaster and your tag sitting on the top. Gently prise it out with a knife...

[A12 Superbee]

You will be left with a nearly exact representation of your tag in the plaster. A tip tho, perhaps give your tag a light spray with some cooking oil to allow it to release from the plaster easier as you can get some small parts of plaster come away with the tag which will affect the accuracy of your finished product.

[A12 Superbee]

Ok, next part is what you are making your tag out of. I used automotive body filler, the kind that has fibrous strands in it and I think it was specifically for metal filling but there's probably any number of types that would work.

Don't be too concerned about going outside the edges as you can just trim it all off with a knife, just make sure you keep it relatively thin as you want it to look as thin as a real tag but not so thin that it will break easily..

[A12 Superbee]

Now, here is the only really important part that I found worked for me. I removed the fake tag before the filler was 100% dry, it was basically set but still slightly pliable. I did this because I did not want to risk it snapping as I pulled it out of the mould so it actually bent slightly and came out quite easily. Again, a light spray with cooking oil may help you here but don't use too much or you might lose detail.

Once the tag is out, paint to the colour of your choice.

Here is my real and copy tags. I have had guys look at the fake on my car and not tell the difference.

If anyone is interested in giving this a go and wants some tips, please just drop me a line.

[Tilar]

Interesting, I don't have anything real special but I still wouldn't want someone to take my fender tag... Thanks for sharing that. 

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Good stuff!

[nvrbdn]

pretty cool idea. 

[Ghoste]

Nice info. 

[bill440rt]

Wow, now THAT is creative!   

[TUFCAT]

Are you worried about it being stolen?  I've heard more tag theft worries in the past few days than I've heard the past 20 years in the hobby.  

[A12 Superbee]

1 hour of my time (not including the drying time for the plaster) and now, no I'm not worried at all at my piece of body filler being stolen.

Punks around here routinely swipe badges off cars, maybe not at car shows but it's only a philips head screw-driver away isn't it. I have heard of small parts getting stolen at shows tho, gear knobs, small trim parts, chrome trim.

Plus A12's be a lot rarer here than over there and there only needs to be 1 guy who wants that really rare tag and its gone forever,now I don't have to ever worry.

It might be slightly paranoid but like I said, for 1 hours work its no big deal.

[JB400]

Clever idea.

[tan top]

    clever , idea !

[fy469rtse]

Good job,  now when do you start on the moulds for the grills 

[Homerr]

Looks great!


I still wish that someone would do fender tag copies that had a very obvious 'Copy' or 'Repro Fender Tag' stamped into it as well.  Then everyone, including punks with screwdrivers, would know that it is basically worthless to try and snag it.

Wait, I've got a idea that will make someone literally tens of dollars!  Do an exact copy of the tag but use Comic Sans for the font!

[resq302]

A12,

Fantastic idea!  Kudos with coming up with something so clever! 

I agree with your concern.  Like you said, you don't have that easy method of closing and locking your hood.     Some parts are replaceable.... others... well, they aren't so easy.

[wingcar]

Thanks for sharing....................

[TUFCAT]

Why not go with a repro tag from www.datatags.com ?  

[Dans 68]

Why not go with a repro tag from www.datatags.com?

I'd guess expense.

Nice job with the reproduction. But you probably should have made a couple and salted the extra one away. 

Dan

[resq302]

Why not go with a repro tag from www.datatags.com ?  

This way the tag is not a fraudulent one.  Being made of fiberglass one can easily tell it is not original.  This way we don't end up with another car someone is trying to pass off as it isnt.

[TUFCAT]

This way the tag is not a fraudulent one.

....This way we don't end up with another car someone is trying to pass off as it isnt.

Hopefully constant awareness of this subject may prevent others from making (undectable reproductions) in the first place.   Good thing we have experts on the board who can tell the difference.

[A12 Superbee]

Thanks guys!

One of the reasons I chose body filler was that anyone who knew their stuff would pick it up as a fake as soon as they held it in their hand, that way I couldn't be accused of trying to pass off something that it isn't.

In regards to why not going for a commercially available copy, well I can pick those as fake pretty easy and again, i didn't want someone looking at it on my car and seeing it's a fake tag and questioning the cars heritage. If they ID the fake I made as a fake, I hope at least that they'll see it was made from the real tag and suspect the car is still the real deal, but out here these cars are so freakin rare that I could make a tag out of porridge and they wouldn't know....and they'd still call it a Charger, which I get pretty much every day.

[TUFCAT]

I love your avatar dude! 

[ECS]

Being made of fiberglass.......

I recall a thread where the guy from american muscle cars was restoring Fender Tags.  I believe he restored a rusted, rotted, pitted, "moth eaten" looking Fender Tag by tig welding and using some JB Weld.  It was simply amazing!  If you didn't know better, you would have though it was a new reproduction "fake" Fender Tag.