tm9-801.com

Paul,

Here's a pic I came across while flipping through my G506 SNL. It very clearly shows a decal on a Series One - Tandem Hydrovac...

Great photo.

The decal definitely says 'HYRDOVAC'

Just 4 more lines to go!

My guess is that the answer is either in a different vehicle's TM (ie a picture with readable text) or someone has a very original one laying around.

If we could track down and get a photo of that red First Series vac that would solve all the problems.

Came across this photo:
Should be enough to figure out the top decal. It's obviously much different from the M-8 decal that has the model number of the vac on it.

I have gotten the text of the decal BK-10823

There appears to be at least two separate versions that have the same text, but different fonts. The complete text is:

Yellow and black print

1 BENDIX PRODUCTS DIV.
2 OF BENDIX AVIATION CORPORATION
3 SOUTH BEND IND MADE IN U S A
4 WHOLLY PROTECTED BY PATENTS
5 AND PATENT PUBLICATIONS
6 THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

The decal 372001 appears to have the same information. The only line I can't seem to get any idea of what it says is the second line, under the big 'HYDROVAC'

1 HYDROVAC
2 ????????????????
3 (?) BENDIX PRODUCTS DIVISION
4 (?) BENDIX AVIATION CORP
5 SOUTH BEND IND U S A

I *THINK* I have the decal 372001 figured out.

1 HYDROVAC
2 MANUFACTURED BY
3 BENDIX PRODUCTS DIVISION
4 BENDIX AVIATION CORP
5 SOUTH BEND IND U S A

I scanned in a 9600dpi (681 mb for just a 2x3in section! Thank god my laptop ROCKS) and loaded into fireworks. I inverted the colors and then started playing with the contrast and brightness till I got the best image I could. Its two words, "Manufactured by"
I originally thought it might say Model Number but there are three things that changed my mind:

The TMs never say refer to it by any other method than the tags
The part number for the decal is the same over 4 different models, both Series I and Series II
The pattern of the 'splotches' didn't lend themselves to the pattern of a model number.

I have emailed a few people and hope to hear back, or even (with much luck) get a photo.

But right now I think I have the text, and can determine the rough size from the images.

Here's the reverse I used to the the first decal... some may say that the second from the bottom line is incorrect.. but it clearly says 'Publications'.

I've just gotten a reply from a Gentleman that has an original Type I hydrovac with *ALL* the decals and he has sent me some photos that are absolutely fantastic.

I am awaiting permission to post them, but suffice to say my 'decoding' of the decals is 100% correct (yay me!) The photos are full color close up and include measurements.

Christmas is officially June 11th, 2012!

Hydrovac pron!

There is also another Gentleman in Australia who has additional images... if he can find them then I should have more than enough to start the printing of the decals.

Nice pics!!

That gold speckle on the 'patents' decal is going to be a PITA.

I've already talked to some other printers and they said to try it as two separate screens to fake the speckle.. a wet on wet print.

NAZDAR might have an ink already... emails have been sent.

I remember asking my brother-in-law about "metallic" color inks years ago, and he indicated that standard ones (ie solid gold, bronze, copper, silver, etc ) were available, and pretty straight forward to work with. "metal flake" finishes were another story all together! The process we were talking about at the time was screen printing, and not offset printing....

How's this look for the first decal??

That's a good start. You got the "E" down

I think the gold flake ink is a standard ink.

I think the font is going to be the hardest part.... may have to get the editor out.

do you have higher resolution or larger pics than what you posted above? A little higher resolution would help a lot. The word HYDROVAC is a standard font, while eeverything else is a custom variation of Century Gothic that I edited for the lubrication guide project that I mentioned previously. I took a stab at the second decal too...

PM'd you a zip file.