Local score today!

[Bamamav]

We are allowed to register year of manufacture license plates here in AL. I bought one on eBay for my car, but it was for a different county, which doesn't matter on the registration, but I wanted one from my county. There are 67 counties in AL, represented by numbers 1-67, 1,2,and 3 being the three with the largest cites, Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile. Starting with 4, the counties are listed in alphabetical order. My county, Fayette, is 32. Don't know why they numbered them that way, but they did. I am always on the look out for 32- tags of any year because you never know what car you might end up with at some later date. Finding one with a certain county number is like finding a needle in a haystack, it doesn't happen often.

Anyways, there was a local guy that just happened to have a bunch of 32- tags that he pulled off the side of a chicken coop. Sure enough, he had a 1947 32- tag, I purchased it off of him today. It has a few bends and a couple of nail holes, but no rust out, which is amazing in it's self. I can bump the kinks out with a hammer and dolly after I get the surface rust off, the holes will take a bit of work, but I think I can get them closed up pretty good. I'm hoping the number sequence isn't already registered, they used the same number system for years, and won't register two with the same numbers even if from different years. After I get it restored and painted, I'm going to the courthouse and see if I can swap my Vintage Vehicle tag for this one. If I can't, I can still run it on the front.

From a chicken coop to a Lincoln coupe, what a trip!

 

[I-R-POPS]

Nice find. Congrats.

 

[Country Misfit]

That is lucky.

 

[smallfoot]

That's a cool find! Florida used to use a similar number system on counties. They were numbered tho in reference to size of county(probably population rather than physical size in area) We too can re-register old tags here. Our county was Orange and it's number in size was 7 so that preceded any other numbers on the tag. There are so many specialty plates and other personalized tags here, I think they went away from county numbers altogether.

 

[earthman]

excellent!

 

[Snake Farm]

That's a cool find! Hope it works out that you can register it.

We can run manufacture year plates too but they are treated as regular plates and require yearly inspection whereas our antique plates exempt you from state inspection and cost 35$ for a five year plate instead of 35$ per year.

I am tempted to drop the antique plates on my '57 because I have a '57 plate with the first four numbers being 1-957 I always watch for plates with engine sizes too. For instance most Chevelle guys around here would kill for a 1970 plate with 396 or 454 in the numbers.

 

[Willowbilly3]

We use a similar system but it's the first 10 by population (not today but 1950ish). So our numbering system changes once. I have an unissued set of 29s for my rpu but they are too nice to hang on the car.

 

[Bamamav]

Here's a pic of the tag



Here's the bad places





Pretty solid even though it has a few flaws. Got it in the de-rust electrolysis bath right now.



After I get it de-rusted, going to bump the dents out and try to fill the holes with JB Weld or something like that. Then several coats of primer, lots of sanding, then it gets painted white with black numerals.

 

[Yankee Transplant]

OK explain yourself Lucy .... whats the bucket of soapy water and a battery charger doing ???[P[P[P[P[P

 

[Sam_Fear]

OK explain yourself Lucy .... whats the bucket of soapy water and a battery charger doing ???[P[P[P[P[P

Do a search on RRR for "Electrolysis".

 

[Bamamav]

Electrolysis cleaning. The soapy water contains Arm and Hammer washing powder with baking soda in it. You run a low current through the water with the battery charger, - goes on the part you want to clean, + goes to a steel electrode placed in the water. Current flows from - to +, and pulls the rust off with it, which collects on your electrode. It will take almost all the rust off without harming the base metal.

 

[Yankee Transplant]

Well dang thats cool .. when I get ready to do a cleaning on something fragile , I'll come back to this

 

[smallfoot]

You can also play with different types of metal on the cathode and electrode to do some "coloring". Also playing with different solutions of liquid..ie...citric acid/water.
For instance, in a slightly acidic solution, place a piece of copper on the - and a piece of silver on the +...you can color the silver pink. Some museums use the process in cleaning severely rusted, corroded, or tarnished metals with other solutions.

 

[26Troadster]

now mav you know you want a 64 on there.[ddd congrats on the find.

 

[Bamamav]

I had a 64 on the Maverick, never did find a 32 for it.

 

[sgtpontiac]

I've used the washing soda and a lead electrode before

You can also play with different types of metal on the cathode and electrode to do some "coloring". Also playing with different solutions of liquid..ie...citric acid/water.
For instance, in a slightly acidic solution, place a piece of copper on the - and a piece of silver on the +...you can color the silver pink. Some museums use the process in cleaning severely rusted, corroded, or tarnished metals with other solutions.

works ok but seems to take a while to work....cheaper than fast etch or some of the other rust stuff but not as fast ....Bama...that bucket and charger set up is sure scary looking...LOL...SHOCKING...[cl ....

 

[Bamamav]

Sarge, it is slow, that is the good thing about it. By going slow, you can keep a watch on it and not ruin the piece you are cleaning. The rust and non solid metal goes first. I kept the tag in about 36 hours, it is practically rust free now, haven't had time to take a pic yet.

Yeah, it's shocking, but at least it's low voltage! The 12 volt battery charger provides plenty of voltage, you only want enough voltage to cause the loose rust to travel to the + electrode. It does produce a small amount of hydrogen gas, so you would want to do it in an open area and not inside a closed area. I do mine in the carport, there are no flames or pilot lights close by, any breeze will take what ever hydrogen gas away. The only smell you will have will be like fresh ironed clothes from the soap.

 

[OddRodsGarage]

For anyone that is interested there is a guy over on the HAMB that has a book listing all states ... all years ...and all counties pre. 1969

I do not know the rime and reason of Michigan's system but he did tell me that for my county in 1955 starts with the letters SH
Oldog