I'm thinking about repainting my father's old Jacobsen tractor, but I don't want to strip it down until I'm sure that I can get replacement decals for it. They're no longer available new. The originals are in decent shape and could be copied, but I don't know anything about vinyl graphics or where to go for them.
Any suggestions?

Damn, I wish we could edit titles...
Woody wrote:
Damn, I wish we could edit titles...
I'm Ned Source. What do you want?
Tom Heath wrote:
Woody wrote:
Damn, I wish we could edit titles...
Shazzam!
saw this, thought of this:

Any local vinyl shop can make something for you, you can also contact some of the places on eBay that sell vinyl and pay with paypal. We just did that to get some custom stickers with my sons name on them for the nursery wall.
That doesn’t look like any difficult font, just take measurements of length and height of all decals.
If you have 3 mins to spare, type JACOBSON into word and change the fonts until you get one that looks like the original and just buy that. It isn’t like it is a 1929 bugatti emblem that has to be 100% exact.
Any sign shop should be able to cut vinyl lettering, I prefer dealing with locals. Since it's all text, the hardest part will be matching the font. A nice wide sans-serif typeface should get you pretty close, unless you're entering a concours for lawn tractors.
"Eurostile Bold Extended 2" looks awfully, awfully close to my eye.
Tom Heath wrote:
unless you're entering a concours for lawn tractors.
Hmm.. Do I hear a new GRM article topic coming on?
Brings new meaning to concours on the lawns of Pebble beach.
NYG95GA
SuperDork
6/17/10 3:55 p.m.
I worked for a company that was a Jacobsen dealer for 15 years. I sold a bunch of 'em.They made some very good (and sometimes bizarre) lawn equipment. It was considered the Cadillac of lawn mowers/garden tractors for a long time, but their marketing department was non-existant, and they never achieved the market share they deserved.
Having said that, I don't understand what advantage there would be in restoring one to original finish; it's not like it's gonna make it worth more. If it's sentimental, I would respect that, but if it's just an appliance, I think you should choose your favorite race team livery, and replicate that.
Try:
http://maplehunterdecalstexas.com/jacobsen.aspx
I can do it, email me at arnie at widsm dot org
Tom Heath wrote:
A nice wide sans-serif typeface should get you pretty close, unless you're entering a concours for lawn tractors.
You people don't understand the level of my insanity. These tractor decals need to be Bugatti perfect.
Tom Heath wrote:
"Eurostile Bold Extended 2" looks awfully, awfully close to my eye.
Man, that looks pretty close. Good eye!
NYG95GA
SuperDork
6/17/10 6:24 p.m.
Woody wrote:
You people don't understand the level of my insanity. These tractor decals need to be Bugatti perfect.
There has to be a backstory here that I'm dying to read about.
NYG95GA wrote:
Woody wrote:
You people don't understand the level of my insanity. These tractor decals need to be Bugatti perfect.
There has to be a backstory here that I'm dying to read about.
No backstory, I'm just a bit obsessive. I'm the previous owner that you want your car to have.
NYG95GA
SuperDork
6/17/10 6:52 p.m.
Woody wrote:
...I'm just a bit obsessive.
A bit? D'ya'think? It's a lawn tractor, for Crissakes!
That thing screams for a BRE livery.
Probably make it go faster, too... 
If you want a perfect copy, get a good hi-rez digital camera, take a shot from as far away as possible, keeping the graphic full screen (this reduces the distortion as much as possible). Make sure it is brightly and evenly lit (for contrast).
Then let us know you have the file and one of us (or me) can convert it to line art rather easily in Illustrator. From there it can be printed to any size.
I have done it a few time, comes out great.
I'll try to get some good high resolution photos this weekend.
This tractor has been in my family for 32 years. My uncle was a dealer and he sold it new to my father. When my uncle sold the shop and retired, he gave us all the spares he had in stock for it. I have a New Old Stock dash and console for it, so it would be a shame to stray too far from original on this one.
We mowed with it for years, and went through two engines and two mower decks for it. We had a plow, snow blower, trailers and thatchers for it. It's got hydrostatic drive and hydraulic lifts for he accessories. I think that the hydro system is the reason that it's lasted so long.