This is not to rehash an old debate, but merely to show what one might expect from a sign restoration. I just got this sign back from the Van Kannals (I still can't spell it correctly). It had damage and a bend that I just did not want to live with, so I bit the bullet. Anything that looks wrong in the pics is the result of camera and light, not workmanship. The sign with light shining on it shows a bit of orange peel. If you look closely at the back side, the orange peel is "stock." I have shown the before and after of the back side to demonstrate the amount of damage (very little) that was inflicted due to the straightening of the bend. I am quite pleased with the result. Your view may differ from mine, but that's why we live in this still great country.

easier on the eyes to look at, came out nice..

Dave, was the repair done to just the damaged area(s) or the complete sign?

one side of sign was re-stored..

Just on the damaged areas. I'm assuming the entire front side of the sign was then clearcoated. The back side of the sign was left as-is. The color shading appears so different because the before pics were taken in one type of light and the after in another type of light.

I have not seen in person any work done by the VKs. With restorations done by a few other people, it was always obvious the sign had been restored by the gloss....the clear-coat just never looked right or never looked like a factory finish.

Dave, how satisfied are you with the gloss on this United Motors restoration? Does it look stock/authentic to you?

For sure the color match and filled-integration look great!

Obviously a modern automotive (I'm assuming) clearcoat is going to be obvious to "those in the know." That being said, it is ok with me. I do think that in certain light it accentuates the orangepeel that is original to the sign, but we live in a world of trade offs and I traded off the blown out tire.

I understand the trade-off aspect.
No question the restoration is an immense improvement and the VKs have done a superb job. I think I'd be a lot happier with it after the fact as well.
Thanks for sharing!
Don