Hi folks, I posted about this yesterday in the woodgrain section and realized that it would be good to post in the general section too. For more details check the other post, but the main point is that you can now get reproduction GM dark walnut pattern woodgrain at stripeman.com. It’s my favorite pattern and I always liked the darker toned dinoc. Thanks, Owen
Link to other post for reference: http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/my-gm-dark-walnut-available-at-stripeman-com.54119/
One thing to note and keep in mind here, after reviewing the website for Stripeman..... While this woodgrain-appearing material is made by the 3M company, it is NOT the same Di-Noc transfer material that our wagons had from the factory. As the website states, the 3M company has shifted their focus on the Di-Noc material to architectural usage, so they no longer have the patterns that were in use when our wagons were new. (You MIGHT be able to find something similar in their catalogue, but then you may have trouble actually ordering the material - I don't know.) The current material used for vehicle applications is more like 'wrap' material.
That is correct Marshall, If you want the kind of di-noc that was applied at the factory back in the day, you have to look for NOS rolls of it on eBay or elsewhere, and the 50-plus year old vinyl might be too brittle to use even if you are able to locate the correct pattern. And if you try to use the architectural 3M wall-finishing di-noc that is currently available, the product is too thick to confirm correctly around body panel compound curves, and it has too dull a finish to look good on station wagons. The only way I’d use it would be on possibly the late model Buick or Chevy whale wagons, where there are no tricky confound curves to worry about - the sides are gently curved with no pronounced arch at the wheel openings. The stripeman product, in contrast, is definitely more high-gloss than the original factory di-noc, but it is long-lasting (5-7 years for exterior use) and looks very good. In the case of my GM dark walnut, you actually are getting the correct woodgrain pattern used on many mid 60’s to early 70’s GM wagons in a variegated, dark brown tone that is a pretty good match for the following models: Chevy Caprice Estates and Kingswood Estates, Pre-1973 Pontiac Safari wagons, Olds Custom Cruisers, and Buick Estate wagons. I’m including a semi-closeup of one of the panels on my Subaru to illustrate this. Cheers, Owen
Whoops - couple of typos above : should read ‘conform’ instead of ‘confirm’, and ‘compound’ instead of ‘confound’