I’m sorry this is somewhat off-topic, but I can’t think of anywhere else to
ask the question. The rear number plate on my 01 XJ8 is delaminating rather
badly. It was fitted by the dealer just before I bought the car last May,
and their plate uses the modern ‘Charles Wright’ font (which I find ugly)
instead of the Futura used on pre-September 2001 plates. The latter would –
just – be legal to fit to a vehicle of this age, but despite a good deal of
Googling I can’t find a manufacturer who offers anything but the modern
font.
In reply to a message from John Nelson sent Sun 6 Jul 2003:
John,
Your local branch of Halfords will make you up a new set of plates.
They have a range of plate styles and fonts available, but I don’t
know if they will have the specific one you are looking for. Worth
a try!–
The original message included these comments:
Can any kind soul suggest a source?
–
scuddriver XJ8 4.0 2000
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from scuddriver sent Mon 7 Jul 2003:
Hi
I ordered my plates from www.fancyplates.com If I recall they can
do the old font.
I tried Halfords at the time but they couldn t do the bigger size
of rear number plate the car requires.–
Kreesh
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from John Nelson sent Sun 6 Jul 2003:
Go to your local sign-maker. They will probably have an Apple Mac
linked to a big plotter type machine which will cut out vinyl
lettering which they will make up on screen to any font or layout.
A lot of them have templates for numberplate lettering already, or
it is easy enough to do from first principles if you give them the
height of character you want and the spacing and width of your
plate etc.
Get them to do your letters in black vinyl sticky back plastic and
put a tear-off layer in front onto the cut letters, so that in
effect everything stays in place while you peel the backing off and
apply the letters to the reflective background which comes already
attached the aluminium of the numberplate blank. You should
persuade your friendly Jag dealer to supply a blank from their
stock (I got mine for free) because Jag plates (on the XJ series at
least) are bigger than standard. A blank should consist of a
perspex front and aluminium backplate with reflective layer already
fixed to it. The two are laminated once the lettering has been
stuck to the reflective background, so just press your ‘custom’
vinyl lettering in place onto the reflective base and give it all a
good rub and then tear off the front positioning layer without
disturbing the letters underneath. Then get the backing plate with
lettering laminated to the perspex front by either the dealer or
somewhere that makes up number plates.
The only glitch in this scheme is that technically these days
plates are not supposed to be made without a whole load of
formalities and to today’s legal spec etc. so you may find them
reluctant to take part in this deal. In practice, getting the
lettering made up is no problem. Buying or blagging a blank Jag-
sized plate shouldn’t be a problem either. You can stick the
lettering on yourself with care and the only bit left is
laminating. I guess most independent places apart from the
jobsworth chainstores like Halfords would be OK about laminating a
plate they haven’t been responsible for drawing up, because then it
is not their problem if you get pulled because their name is
nowhere to be seen. Plus, provided they didn’t supply the blank or
the lettering and the whole lot looks reasonably legal in layout
etc. then they can’t really be said to have made the plate so it’s
no skin off their nose.
Good luck. It worked OK for me.–
Peter Crespin X300 Daimler Six
Buxton, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–