Vendo 81 pic--Any way to "age" new vinyl decals to blend with original door?

[sdebol]

Hello!

I've been a long-time lurker but finally obtained a registration so I could ask some questions!  I have been using this Vendo 81 (my late grandfather-in-law's) since the early 90's.  When I first obtained it I did some minor repairs (replaced the wiring harness, thermostat, door light ballast, door insulation and liner, evaporator fan motor, and some broken bottle door glass--but that's about it and it's been running fine ever since).  

The farm produce building in which he used it caught fire so I assume the discoloration in the white paint is at least partially due to that.  

At the time I did the other repairs I applied the "coin returns here" and "open bottle here" water release decals.  You can see they're flaking off now.  

If I replace them with vinyl decals, are there any techniques for making them look old so they don't stand out as stark white decals on an otherwise aged machine?  I never liked that about the current decals even when they were intact.

Or maybe given what you see in the picture it might be preferable to just leave them off?

There was an illegible remnant of a large decal in the lower center of the door that I removed--it was in the spot that I often see the large bottle-and-hand or 10 cents decals.  I thought about adding one of those back but haven't for the same reason--thought it would look too new compared to the rest of the machine.

I'm planning to have the the interior of the machine professionally restored (hopefully within the next year) but am thinking I will leave the exterior as-is.   I think I prefer it looking old compared to the shiny new off-the-showroom-floor look--even though those do look wonderful.

Would appreciate your opinions!
Steve

[mygoose101]

From your photo it looks like there is still enough decal there where I would leave it as is. Nice machine!

[ajf5577]

It’s only original once. Enjoy it as it is.
If you want to restore one, there are plenty out there to mess with.

[Eric]

Leave as is.. That's a nice machine.

[Jim]

Agreed, leave this machine ORIGINAL ! ! !
The "white top" will clean up nicely too!

[sdebol]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.  But to clarify, when you all are saying leave as-is, are you all referring to the exterior?--or do you mean leave the interior original as well?
I have no problem leaving the exterior unchanged--I was considering restoring the interior to replace the old insulation and make sure rust wasn't getting out of control.  I'll post some interior pictures in a different thread.

[mygoose101]

Redoing the interior and leaving the exterior alone has been gaining popularity the past few years. I think it's a solid way to go.

[Eric]

I mean the exterior.. great looking machine  I would check the inside for rust issues, change out insulation, clean it real good, etc.

[SIGNGUY]

Yes as stated, leave the exterior.
I offer a refurbishment for my customer's..or a RAT ROD restoration as one put it,  where we leave all visible components original, paint, chrome, etc.. but then still tear down the machine, remove all insulation clean up the insides, powder coat tub and inner works, restore bottle stack and shelves and then reassemble with new gaskets, electrical , insulation and such.. so it runs and cools like  restored machine but still looks original outside ..

[sdebol]

Yes as stated, leave the exterior.
I offer a refurbishment for my customer's..or a RAT ROD restoration as one put it,  where we leave all visible components original, paint, chrome, etc.. but then still tear down the machine, remove all insulation clean up the insides, powder coat tub and inner works, restore bottle stack and shelves and then reassemble with new gaskets, electrical , insulation and such.. so it runs and cools like  restored machine but still looks original outside ..

This is exactly what I will be looking for.  Is it inappropriate to ask what a ballpark figure for this type of restoration would run?