Dave, I am a little late to this party and may have overlooked a previous response concerning the clear overlay, but according to an engineering print, there was a clear separate overlay applied to the original cert label. So what were the judges concerned with, the fact that it wasn't yellowed or did they not know that Chrysler used an overlay?
Hello Mr. EJ! The Judges DID KNOW that the overlay was suppose to be there. The problem they expressed was that I had put a new laminate over the top of the original VIN decal. I was going to leave it "as is" but after the door jams were detailed, the original overlay looked too "old" in contrast to the rest of the surrounding area. I found a comfortable stool to sit on as I meticulously cut around the perimeter of the "old" overlay and then removed it. I used one of our printing/cutting machines to fabricate another overlay that was patterned exactly from the one I removed. When everything was finished, the VIN decal was original but the overlay was new.
Fast forward to the Nationals. One of the Judges asked if the VIN decal was one of my reproductions. I told him "No" that the decal was original but the overlay was new. He said he asked because the clear covering looked too "nice" to be forty years old. We ended up being deducted for the new overlay. None of us understood why that particular feature was given a deduction when things like the original body panels were repainted, most all of the original metal components were re-plated, the original front bumper was re-chromed, etc.... but none were given deductions for their "new" coatings/coverings. Wouldn't you think that those particular restoration features be judged with the same linear logic and thought process? What was/is the difference?
