What better way to complete your period-correct restoration and/or add a nostalgic flair to your vehicle than to have a restored vintage plate. It adds a unique, finished touch.

We had a chance to speak with John Larson, owner of oldpl8s.com. He gave us insight on what inspired him to take on restoring classic license plates as a business and a bit about his process.

You’ll see, as is sometimes the case, an automotive interest turns into a passion. A passion that can now become a part of your own build.

D!  Thanks for your time, John. Tell us what inspired you to resurrect old license plates to give owners of old vehicles that “new” classic look.

J L  Well, I’ve been an old car guy pretty much my whole life. I picked up a few license plates at swap meets and I tried my hand at restoration to make them look new. Over the years, I’ve gotten good at it.

I’ve been selling the plates I restored from the swap meet for a while and people kept asking me to restore their own plates. I finally said, ok, I can do yours too. And now I do both.

These plates are all original DMV issues. There are no reproductions. I don’t make the plates. I restore the old ones that the DMV has made. Once restored, I sell them and then people can put them on their cars and register them under that number.

D!  It’s a great idea.

Tell us a little bit about your restoration process.

J L  I strip the plates down to make a good surface, sometimes to bare metal, sometimes just to a good, paintable surface. I work out all the dents and fill any holes, cracks, things like that. I get them looking good and then I paint them and they’re ready to go.

D!  Is there a particular type of paint that you use to make sure that they are protected and withstand time?

J L  Yeah, I use good-quality paint. I have them on all my own cars. I’ve been kind of my own test pilot and everything holds up. I’ve never had any problems.

D!  We see that you have several different styles and years of each of them including motorcycles. What are some of your most popular styles? 

J L  The newer plates are more popular. – the post-war ones, the ’47 and later, ’51, ’56 because there are more of those cars out there. The older ones from the ‘20s I don’t have as much demand for those, but I try to have pretty much everything. So, when somebody calls, whether it’s a car, truck, motorcycle, trailer, or whatever, I can get them set up.

D!   How are OLDPL8S registered?

I sell original, DMV-issued plates ranging from 1914 to 1980 which are registered under the DMV’s “Year Of Manufacture” (YOM) program. This allows you to register a car with the plates that match the year the car was built, with the correct colors for that particular year.

The DMV “Vanity” plates do not look like the original plates for any year and the “Legacy” black and yellow plates do not have the same letter/number configuration used on the 1963-69 black and yellow plates.

…when somebody calls, whether it’s a car, truck, motorcycle, trailer, or whatever, I can get them set up.

D!  Great information. Thank you.

We appreciate that you take the time to restore vintage plates. It’s a nice opportunity for classic vehicle owners to keep their classic looking like the era it was born.

Get yours. You can find John and the vintage plates you need to complete your project at oldpl8s.com

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