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Chaps

 

Since it has turned rather cold and nasty and the forecast is more of the same, I've started on one of my winter projects, to refurbish the dashboard dials.

 

Being a US model, the speedometer is measured in mph and I intend to knock together a graphic for the outer ring of the face, denominated in kph, and have it printed on self-adhesive vinyl.

 

To achieve authenticity, does anybody know what font is used for the numerals?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

post-12218-0-35702200-1510522517_thumb.jpg

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Chaps

 

Since it has turned rather cold and nasty and the forecast is more of the same, I've started on one of my winter projects, to refurbish the dashboard dials.

 

Being a US model, the speedometer is measured in mph and I intend to knock together a graphic for the outer ring of the face, denominated in kph, and have it printed on self-adhesive vinyl.

 

To achieve authenticity, does anybody know what font is used for the numerals?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

attachicon.gifL1040844.jpg

 

Chaps

 

Since it has turned rather cold and nasty and the forecast is more of the same, I've started on one of my winter projects, to refurbish the dashboard dials.

 

Being a US model, the speedometer is measured in mph and I intend to knock together a graphic for the outer ring of the face, denominated in kph, and have it printed on self-adhesive vinyl.

 

To achieve authenticity, does anybody know what font is used for the numerals?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

attachicon.gifL1040844.jpg

 

Chaps

 

Since it has turned rather cold and nasty and the forecast is more of the same, I've started on one of my winter projects, to refurbish the dashboard dials.

 

Being a US model, the speedometer is measured in mph and I intend to knock together a graphic for the outer ring of the face, denominated in kph, and have it printed on self-adhesive vinyl.

 

To achieve authenticity, does anybody know what font is used for the numerals?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

attachicon.gifL1040844.jpg

 

 

Chaps

 

Since it has turned rather cold and nasty and the forecast is more of the same, I've started on one of my winter projects, to refurbish the dashboard dials.

 

Being a US model, the speedometer is measured in mph and I intend to knock together a graphic for the outer ring of the face, denominated in kph, and have it printed on self-adhesive vinyl.

 

To achieve authenticity, does anybody know what font is used for the numerals?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

attachicon.gifL1040844.jpg

 

 

 

Bruce.

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Hi Paul

 

I think it's demi. What you have to remember is that this was done pre digital so the quality won't be as good as you will get now. Also the process they used will have had an effect on the final finish. There will have been some loss of sharpness when the artwork was processed and it was probably screen printed so again some loss there. You may have to play around with the font to get it to look as bold as the original clock.

 

38328651016_4669ccfef2_o.png

 

Rog

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Chaps

 

Since it has turned rather cold and nasty and the forecast is more of the same, I've started on one of my winter projects, to refurbish the dashboard dials.

 

Being a US model, the speedometer is measured in mph and I intend to knock together a graphic for the outer ring of the face, denominated in kph, and have it printed on self-adhesive vinyl.

 

To achieve authenticity, does anybody know what font is used for the numerals?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

attachicon.gifL1040844.jpg

Hi Paul,

Speak directly to the Technical Dept. of Caerbont Automotive Instruments who have all the original Smiths Instruments Drawings and Tooling as they produce exact copies of the originals Phone Number 01639 732200. Good Luck,

Bruce.

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Hi Paul,

Speak directly to the Technical Dept. of Caerbont Automotive Instruments who have all the original Smiths Instruments Drawings and Tooling as they produce exact copies of the originals Phone Number 01639 732200. Good Luck,

Bruce.

 

Hi Bruce

 

I looked at their website, but I think creating the graphic is an interesting challenge and will avoid the risk of removing the pointer and scratching the japanned screwheads. And bang next door to my office is an excellent print shop, who will undoubtedly rise to the challenge. The trick would appear to be the type of vinyl it is printed on, so that it doesn't lift off the slightly dished speedo face.

 

 

This was the inspiration for having a go myself - Euro 60.00 for a replacement sticker is a little rich, methinks.

 

Paul

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Hi Paul

 

I think it's demi. What you have to remember is that this was done pre digital so the quality won't be as good as you will get now. Also the process they used will have had an effect on the final finish. There will have been some loss of sharpness when the artwork was processed and it was probably screen printed so again some loss there. You may have to play around with the font to get it to look as bold as the original clock.

 

38328651016_4669ccfef2_o.png

 

Rog

 

 

Thanks Rog - that's the beast! I'll knock up a vector file and anybody else who wants to convert their ex-US 3.7 diff speedo to KPH will just need to get the file printed locally.

 

Edit: thinking further, I will need to identify just the right shade of 'slightly nicotined white' to match the aged digits on the tachometer...

 

Cheers

 

Paul

Edited by PaulAA
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Hi Bruce

 

I looked at their website, but I think creating the graphic is an interesting challenge and will avoid the risk of removing the pointer and scratching the japanned screwheads. And bang next door to my office is an excellent print shop, who will undoubtedly rise to the challenge. The trick would appear to be the type of vinyl it is printed on, so that it doesn't lift off the slightly dished speedo face.

 

 

This was the inspiration for having a go myself - Euro 60.00 for a replacement sticker is a little rich, methinks.

 

Paul

Paul. I can see your point at 60 Euro, who was that from?

 

Bruce.

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Hi Bruce

 

I looked at their website, but I think creating the graphic is an interesting challenge and will avoid the risk of removing the pointer and scratching the japanned screwheads. And bang next door to my office is an excellent print shop, who will undoubtedly rise to the challenge. The trick would appear to be the type of vinyl it is printed on, so that it doesn't lift off the slightly dished speedo face.

 

 

This was the inspiration for having a go myself - Euro 60.00 for a replacement sticker is a little rich, methinks.

 

Paul

This is more than a vulgar sticker if you read the explanations, and for 60 EUR i wouldn't bother, really.

Edited by Geko
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Hi Paul

 

I think it's demi. What you have to remember is that this was done pre digital so the quality won't be as good as you will get now. Also the process they used will have had an effect on the final finish. There will have been some loss of sharpness when the artwork was processed and it was probably screen printed so again some loss there. You may have to play around with the font to get it to look as bold as the original clock.

 

38328651016_4669ccfef2_o.png

 

Rog

 

Roger, what do you think about the "1" numerals? Looks close, but makes me wonder if Smiths had a custom typeface.

 

Paul -- you haven't mentioned that your dial already has kph indicators inside the mph outer scale. What's wrong with just focusing on those rather than the headache of making stickers?

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Paul -- you haven't mentioned that your dial already has kph indicators inside the mph outer scale. What's wrong with just focusing on those rather than the headache of making stickers?

 

True, Don, but the figures are small and I'm finding that dodgy eyesight (excellent long distance, but slow to re-focus on near objects) is a hindrance. That and a touch of pedantry, not easily assuaged by the gainsayer my post attracted.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

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Roger, what do you think about the "1" numerals? Looks close, but makes me wonder if Smiths had a custom typeface.

 

Paul -- you haven't mentioned that your dial already has kph indicators inside the mph outer scale. What's wrong with just focusing on those rather than the headache of making stickers?

Hi Don

 

Yes the '1' does look slightly different and it could be that Triumph had their own font, but more likely just used the normal one and maybe adjusted some of the numbers slightly. It's what we did back in the day.

 

Cheers

Rog

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Hi Don

 

Yes the '1' does look slightly different and it could be that Triumph had their own font, but more likely just used the normal one and maybe adjusted some of the numbers slightly. It's what we did back in the day.

 

Cheers

Rog

 

I'd buy that, Roger. The typeface looks like Eurostile everywhere else so an alteration to the "1" seems likely. One possible reason could be the American market, where we don't handwrite "1" with any bar at all on the top. Contrast this with Germany, for example, where the upstroke is normally bigger than the downstroke on "1"! Perhaps a slightly Americanized Eurostile?

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Chaps

 

A bit more advice, if you can.

 

A previous owner had evidently fiddled with both of the big dials. It seems that the warning light lenses had broken away from their stubs, which are still buried in the rubber light hoods, and glued them messily to the dial face itself. The gluing has made quite a mess of the contact faces and I would like to replace them, but I cannot find a source.

 

Any ideas where I might be able to buy all four (main beam, turn, ignition & oil pressure) in the right colours? I've sent an enquiry to Caerbont Automotive, but I think they sell complete instruments rather than parts, no?

 

Cheers

 

Paul

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Hello Paul,

 

Interesting to see what sort of reply you get from Caerbont Automotive. I looked at their web site and discovered the whole history of Smiths instruments. (Interesting read).

 

I then looked at Google maps from the air to see how big their factory was. To my surprise the building also houses “Speedy Cables” a company that I’ve known about since the 1970’s.

 

There is no mention of any connection between the two companies, their web sites don’t mention each other, but it seems an odd coincidence that a company that makes speedo’s and a totally separate company that makes speedo cables live in the same house.

 

Because everything for instruments and cables seem to be made at the premises I would guess that you could get whatever bits you needed from them.

 

If you get no joy from Caerbont Automotive you could eMail Speedy Cables to see if they could supply the parts, they say they do speedo repairs after all.

 

Unless they want to just charge you £70 and say that THEY have to fit the pieces.

 

Charlie

Edited by Charlie D
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