My Traveller has reached 60yrs old today

[gtt1951]

And, as a special treat, I gave him (Moggy-Moggs) his original number plate back - I made it up for "showing" so that people don't get confused with his current 1963 number.
He looks so much better with this number and this style of plate - can't afford to buy the reg back as the current owner (on retention) wants about £3K for it![frame][/frame]
Regards to all, George.

[SteveClem]

That's such a shame,George. But the car looks great and probably doesn't miss the original plate.

[OHP 900]

Would love a series 2 traveller, great car! I take it you made up the plate, where did you get the numbers and digits? They're old bluemels ones. I'm looking for some for my lowlight I've got two Ls four Ms and two 9s. Need two 8s two 2s and two backs. Nerdy I know but they're the ones it should have and it's only got a sixties vinyl sticker on the boot lid.

[DAVIDMCCULLOUGH]

Looking good George!

This means that my traveller must also be 60 very soon, which I hadnt even considered! I must look for the heritage certificate to check.

[irmscher]

Lovely traveller

[IaininTenbury]

Try Tippers Vintage Plates - very good for proper authentic period plates of various styles.

[gtt1951]

Hello OHP 900, I bought all the letters from these guys
http://www.numberplates-4-u.co.uk/
He also made me up a "pressed" plate with 3.5" letters for my 4-door, whose original Hills plates were looking the worse for wear/time. He normally takes a stand at the Beaulieu Auto Jumbles.
It was quite difficult to get all the 3.5" letters and the profile of the last one to get (the P) was different to the B I already had.
There were a number of "type faces" and made in both metal and plastic. I could have had the correct shaped P, but that was an original aluminium one (a Hills one) and the price was much higher.
I'm including a photo of the rear of the metal plate to show that, because of the mix of manufacturers, the posts are different diameters. The metal plate was salvaged from my very first Traveller (before it was towed to the scrap heap in 1984) - reg 6717 PJ - but all the letters had been removed in the past and a "modern" plate placed over the top.
I thought that, at least, the P had an existing home (2 holes) but the replacement P had 3 posts![frame][/frame]
The P is 2nd from the left and you can see the original top hole for it, only the bottom post fitted and I had to drill 2 new holes. You can also see all the other holes that did not match the letter/number posts.
The "9" fitted a treat in the place the plate's original leading "6" was.

[gtt1951]

Looking good George!

David, that is because I photographed his "good" side

The other side shows work has started on the lower front wing and the bottom of the driver's door - will actually need to do "cut and weld" replacement bits of steel inletting (I did buy a pair of door bottom outer skin repair panels, but the Welding Tutor (evening classes) said that it would be a lot less work to just cut out a long rectangle and let a new piece in).

Regards, George.

[OHP 900]

Me and dad are planning on going to Beaulieu if all goes well, drove back from the great Dorset steam fair today in the 803 van. We'll be sure to look out for the plate guy, will try Tippers too. 'Standard' bluemels letters and digits were white plastic, aluminium ones were a more expensive option I believe. I know for sure that these 'pyramoid' numbers and letters came with bead-less bevelled plates front and rear. This was during the post war period up to the introduction of the suffix plates of the sixties etc. That's when the numbers and digits were scaled down and their profile changed (flattened). Other companies like Hills and Ace offered alternatives. Ace plates usually always had sharp beaded edges as did most pressed Hills plates. I think it often depended on what the dealership used. My lowlight is an early Stewart and Arden car, with the MM Middlesex area prefix. There are other surviving lowlights with the same Middlesex MM regs (MMM, OMM etc). Pictures show some with their original bluemels plates and old period photos further show evidence of the use of Blumels white plastic numbers and letters. That's why I'm after the Bluemels plates. The picture of your plate back looks to be a bluemels one looking at its profile, with the curved edges and bevelled perimeter. Hope that made sense

[panky]

When I got my '71 traveller the front plate had been replaced with a modern plastic one but I managed to find letters and a blank on eBay to match the original rear plate. I've since found little repro Bluemels badges to attach to the bottom of the plates. I imagine at the time the reflective plates where a dealer option and since the original rear was still in good shape I thought I'd stick with them

Sorry about the chrome trim

[irmscher]

Bling

[gtt1951]

Hello OHP 900,
The salvaged rear plate off my '63 Traveller was indeed made by Bluemels. It is a pity that I never took note of the 3D plate manufacturer for my original '64 saloon (reg 234 BVB) - the former is no more and the latter still shows up on the DVLA vehicle check site.
Hope you get the bits you are after,

George,

[OHP 900]

Thanks, I would have thought it can't be impossible. Other car companies used the plates in the same way others used Smiths and Lucas. Just got to find the right ones. Great photo, saved on my phone as it's a good reference. Thanks for all the help guys!

[gtt1951]

If your reg is a "J" suffix, then you are entitled, legally, to have either a White-on Black or Silver-on-Black plate.
I've seen a number of cars, with transferred old numbers, using White-on-black, on a car that was registered post 1971 - the authority to use this style of plate is not on the registration number, but on the current car's manufactured date.
Regards, George.