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Reproduction V6 Emblems

Discussion in 'Early Jeep Restoration and Research' started by maurywhurt, Mar 29, 2019.

  1. Mar 29, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Dec 12, 2009
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    I've been looking at reproduction V6 emblems for my '67, as the chrome on my originals had developed small pits over time.

    In order to be able to accurately compare them with the originals, I bought one of the reproduction emblems listed by Amemblems on eBay (Jeep "V6" emblem with two pins newly poured, chromed and painted SPECIAL | eBay , which according to the item description are manufactured by Ralco), as well as another V6 emblem listed as an "exclusive" by Partsdude 4x4 (Emblem V6 with hardware).

    Both of these repro's seem to be high quality. The noticeable differences are primarily in the colors and some minor differences in the castings. Also, the Partsdude emblem includes the retaining nuts, which the Ralco emblem does not.

    Below is a photo of the fronts of all three emblems. The emblem from Partsdude is on the left, one of the originals from my '67 is in the center, and the Amemblems / Ralco emblem is on the right:

    [​IMG]


    Here's a photo of the backs of the three emblems in the same order as above. As you can see, the finish on the back of the Partsdude emblem is better and more consistent than that on the Ralco emblem (not that this matters much). It may not show up well in these photos, but the Partsdude emblem has sharper corners, more like the originals. The Partsdude emblem also has slightly thicker pins than the Ralco, which could help the retaining nuts stay in place better over time:

    [​IMG]


    My first thought was that the Amemblems / Ralco badge was the more accurate of the two reproductions from a color standpoint, as the colors on it definitely look closer to the original. However, it occurred to me that my original emblems have weathered and been exposed to the sun for a good part of the 50+ years since they were made - and that the original colors, and in particular the red, might have faded some during that time frame.

    To check that theory, I took a look at this link showing a 1966 Tuxedo Park with less than 3k miles on it that has been garage kept since new: 1966 Jeep 8322 CJ-5A Tuxedo Park Mark IV | MBP Motorcars . I've found this particular post to be a good source of reference photos.

    One of the photos from that page fortunately shows one of this Jeep's original V6 emblems well (enlarged below). Though some of the paint has come off the emblem over time, the remaining colors are still vibrant:

    [​IMG]


    The colors on the Tux's V6 original badge, and especially the red, are in fact closer to the Partsdude emblem colors than those on the Ralco.

    All the above considered, I decided to go with the Partsdude emblems on my '67. Here's a shot of one installed:

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2019
  2. Mar 30, 2019
    Beach66Bum

    Beach66Bum 1966 Tuxedo Park Mark IV 2024 Sponsor

    Big Island on...
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    I bought the Partsdude emblems also a few years ago. They are very nice,
     
    maurywhurt likes this.
  3. May 11, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Dec 12, 2009
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    As a follow up, I decided to use a more positive fastener to secure the new V6 emblems than the self-threading nuts that came with them. Two of those nuts seemed to "bite" into the emblems' metal pins fairly well, but the other two didn't.

    So, I decided to replace them with press-on starlock internal tooth lock washers (M3 size). Here's a shot of the two fastener types together:

    [​IMG]

    The starlock fasteners are less likely to unintentionally come off, and will correspondingly be a good bit more difficult to remove if I ever want to - but I'm more concerned about the possibility of my nice new V6 emblems ending up on the road somewhere. Short of getting another a new paint job (which my Jeep just had), I don't anticipate ever needing to take the new emblems off.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2019
    Fresbone, Beach66Bum, Twin2 and 2 others like this.
  4. May 14, 2019
    Zoomer

    Zoomer eJeeper (walking)

    Minnesota
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    Sep 22, 2002
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    1,088
    I was lucky enough to land this a few years back:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Rubicloak, Beach66Bum and maurywhurt like this.
  5. May 15, 2019
    Beach66Bum

    Beach66Bum 1966 Tuxedo Park Mark IV 2024 Sponsor

    Big Island on...
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    NOS! Nice find.
     
  6. May 15, 2019
    maurywhurt

    maurywhurt Member 2024 Sponsor 2023 Sponsor 2022 Sponsor

    Western North...
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    Nice find indeed!

    These photos are further evidence that the red on the OEM emblems was in fact a bright red (rather than an orange-ish red).
     
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