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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1144
Location: Wild Wonderful | I just received my Data Plates from A. G. Backeast. I ordered one for my Blue and White
1958 DeSoto Spring Special, and one for my Spanish Gold and White 58 DeSoto.
This is what happened.
First, I sent them an email stating that I needed a Data Plate for each car. I told them that
one was rusted and the other was missing. Carl, whom I presume is the owner, asked me if the
one that was missing is for an Adventurer Convertible. I knew what he was getting at. It says
on their website that they don't make fantasy tags. So anyway, I told him that both tags were
for Firedomes. I sent him the pictures of the tags that I needed done and the info for each. I also
sent him a picture of the cars in question. So he sent me an email stating that it would be $275 for
each, a total of $550. And to send a Check or Postal Money Order, the pictures and info to his son Brett.
So I mailed it on Feb. 27th, and I received the tags on March 5th. (Less than a week).
Sure, it's a lot of money for two little pieces of metal, but it was needed and I like them.
Thanks Carl and Brett.
(bluess.jpg)
(agbackeasttags.jpg)
Attachments ---------------- bluess.jpg (237KB - 749 downloads) agbackeasttags.jpg (243KB - 748 downloads)
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 7498
Location: northern germany | are they required by law?! otherwise, i don't get it. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| that's getting pretty crazy high priced...
I guess if your the only guy making it you can gouge people...
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1144
Location: Wild Wonderful | 1960fury - 2018-03-05 6:20 PM
are they required by law?! otherwise, i don't get it.
Yes. The Law Book of Forward Look cars states;
All Forward look cars will display their Data Plates at all times.
When such item has become rusty, or has fallen off, said item must be
replaced as soon as possible. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1144
Location: Wild Wonderful | mikes2nd - 2018-03-05 9:11 PM
that's getting pretty crazy high priced...
I guess if your the only guy making it you can gouge people...
Actually, I have heard that others paid $400 to $450 for each. So I think they came down a little on the price.
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Expert
Posts: 4589
Location: Northern New Jersey | Thats a lot of Scaroles! |
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Location: The Mile High City | That's great Kurt! Some may look at the price and see it as expensive - it is! However, these are individual items, custom made. By the time you bought all the correct punches and made the rolled bead plates, I bet you would have AT LEAST that much into it in blood, sweat, toil, and tears! To me, if your car is missing the data plate or it is damaged beyond recognition, and you care about such things - A.G Back East provides a high-quality and relatively affordable service. These images are proof positive. If you could care less about such things, yeppers - it's a total rip-off! |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| those embossed stamps might not be that hard to find :)... but at 300$ a tag, the hardware gets paid off quickly.
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 537
Location: Upstate NY | How did you tell him what codes to put on it? Did you send a copy of your punch card from the historical society? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1144
Location: Wild Wonderful | bbrasse1 - 2018-03-08 5:44 PM
How did you tell him what codes to put on it? Did you send a copy of your punch card from the historical society?
The Punch cards were never mentioned. I did all the research, and figured out what I needed on the plate that was missing.
http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=20263&...
The punch cards did help ME figure it out.
These are the pictures that I sent them.
(agb58blue.jpg)
(blue58ssdesoto.jpg)
(58desotogold.jpg)
(agbset.jpg)
Attachments ---------------- agb58blue.jpg (242KB - 722 downloads) blue58ssdesoto.jpg (207KB - 758 downloads) 58desotogold.jpg (210KB - 768 downloads) agbset.jpg (199KB - 742 downloads)
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Regular
Posts: 65
| So you paid a guy 500 bucks to use a punch stamp on a piece of steel. A local machine shop could have done that over a lunch break when the guy was bored. You got taken.
Seeing as they aren't original, and he did no research - he literally just took a punch and smacked in the letters and numbers of the sizes you wanted.. To each their own I guess, but I really really don't get it. |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13066
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | This is not an easy task - there have been a matrix fabricated and also a matrix for the option figures - they all line up perfectly.
The price is high, but the initial costs was surely high for making the matrixes |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 537
Location: Upstate NY | If your plate is bad like his, I don't see many other ways to get one and most people don't have the tools and equipment to do it. Mine is rough but readable. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| yeah I'm looking into it for fun. I found a reasonable priced "debosser" what is very flexible in handling spacing.
But you need one set of those letters, one set of those numbers and something to crimp the edges. The letters and fonts are pretty fine.
He's running on pure profit I'm sure by now but how many does he actually do?
I think the hardware would run 1500$ from what I'm seeing. |
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Regular
Posts: 65
| Um no. A set of punches, letters and numbers at most should cost you 100 bucks. If you have a vise, you can bend and crimp steel however you want.
500 dollars is absolute robbery. If you can't swing a hammer and line up a punch, sure pay all you want. Otherwise - yah, you got scammed. There is zero special equipment needed for this, and anything the guy tells you otherwise is a load. Hell If I had known this was a thing I could have punched one out for you, I have a set of punches - it's not hard. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| do you have the exact font? This is debossed, you cant punch it. If you don't want perfection you could make this pretty easy. You can punch into like a hard rubber but it still wont look right.
I guess a set of fonts/numbers are probably pretty cheap. I was thinking like 500$ for a set of fonts. Manufacturers are set up for all kinds of deboss/emboss fonts I understand so you can have a set of fonts made for anything.
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Veteran
Posts: 211
Location: Suwanee, GA | Let's see your handiwork, RatKing. |
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Expert
Posts: 1480
Location: Pacific Northwest | Yeah RatKing. I'd like to see what you can do in thirty minutes. (Only if you're bored though) |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| yeah I think he is lowering his prices. they are pretty high but if your the only guy in town... I think someone else is doing body tags now.
a custom set of punches is only 100$? and then you need someway to align them, your going to punch by hand?
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| Thats two sets of punches also and the bracketry to align them and a simple press to put the ridges. This is aluminum so its very soft at least.
250$ isnt unreasonable from what I see |
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Expert
Posts: 1490
Location: Florida | In December, I sent an inquiry to A.G.Backeast for a VIN tag for a '64 Chrysler. The respondent said he sold the business and the current owner was a few weeks backlogged with returned emails, and provided the new email address.
In 3 weeks, I did receive a reply as promised from the new owner. With a photocopy of the title and $300, the original stainless VIN tag would be reproduced in polished aluminum. The locating holes and spot weld impressions would also be replicated, along with the raised border, raised portion of the VIN and also the stamped portion of the VIN common to 1960 and up VIN tags. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| thats how the D501 convertible got caught at Barrett jackson, the aluminum vin tag gave it away. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1141
Location: Blackpool, United Kingdom. | Hi,
Anyone had any luck getting tags, I have had a email back stating if no vin stamped in body they cannot supply any tags, even with title and documents and build sheet from Chrysler historical,
Told them there are no vin stamped in body, but they say they are stamped behind heater box on a 57 Desoto.
Thanks Paul. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9883
Location: So. Cal | They are wrong. The stamping behind the heater box didn't start until 1959. I sent you a PM.
Edited by Powerflite 2021-06-24 1:16 PM
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8445
Location: Perth Australia | Is the vin stamping across the whole range?
I have a 60 plymouth and I have not seen a vin anywhere.
The one in the door jam is long gone
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1141
Location: Blackpool, United Kingdom. | AG Backeast have new owners now and due to the time involved in making this style of data plates they are now $1500 each, so take care of you're old plates if you have to remove them.
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9883
Location: So. Cal | They just put themselves out of business. You should just buy a different car for that price. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| hmm maybe time to get in the business...
there is another company that does tags isnt there? |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| reaching out to other guys... they were thinking 100-200$ for a body tag... they are geared up for all kinds... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1141
Location: Blackpool, United Kingdom. | He says it's the time involved, plus the plates are thinner guage than normal to get the digits to look sharp, by the time he has made one plate he could have done 20 of the other makes, so it's $1500 for them now. |
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Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 10179
Location: Lower Mainland BC | springsweptwing - 2021-08-06 1:14 PM ....by the time he has made one plate he could have done 20 of the other makes, so it's $1500 for them now.
LOL. As if he has 20+ orders lined up everyday that might get delayed by one day (maybe) to do a Mopar tag. I'm not buying it.
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5054
| springsweptwing - 2021-08-06 4:14 PM He says it's the time involved, plus the plates are thinner guage than normal to get the digits to look sharp, by the time he has made one plate he could have done 20 of the other makes, so it's $1500 for them now. lol im on it... :) i think body tags will be cheaper actually... competition is good |
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