Warn 8274 vintage decals? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

FRQ

Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Threads
13
Messages
92
Location
Belgium
Does anyone know of a source for a set of vintage 8274 decals for my 1980 model? A few people here used to reproduce these but sadly no longer don't. The last source for these that I know of is user Mojojeeper, but his PM inbox is full. He stopped listing them on eBay and I haven't been able to contact him.
 
Im pretty sure ebay has em
 
Still haven't managed to find a set. I remember there being multiple sources for these, anyone have any ideas?
 
Still haven't managed to find a set. I remember there being multiple sources for these, anyone have any ideas?
Contact WARN directly. They have them
 
Contact WARN directly. They have them

I did, they only have the new ones and offered to send me a set but never did. Didn't bother contacting them again since it's the old style I really want anyway.
 
In case anyone finds this thread looking for decals, Collins Bros Jeep has them: CLICK. They also list them on eBay.
 
Contact @SMG here on the forum. He made them in the past.

Montana Jacks is the best resources I've found for Warn replacement parts.
 
@bwesty SMG no longer produces them and Warn can only supply newer versions. They sent me a set free of charge, but I really wanted the correct ones for my 1980 model.
 
@bwesty SMG no longer produces them and Warn can only supply newer versions. They sent me a set free of charge, but I really wanted the correct ones for my 1980 model.
That's disappointing but I'm sure there isn't enough demand to justify it. Thanks for the update.
 
Yes, it seems the few small producers threw in the towel, I'll update this thread when I've received the Collins Bros set. I hope they're good quality, but I'm already quite certain they won't be as good as the original Warn ones.
 
I received them a while back but haven't gotten around to applying them. I'd describe the quality as "useable", certainly nowhere near the metallic Warn OEM decals. Better than nothing I guess, but for those ordering from outside the US not really worth the total cost. I'll try to take a side by side pic tomorrow.
 
Better late than never:

bXKoNE4.jpg

3rdnSUn.jpg


OEM Warn decals on the right. Much crisper and they feel a lot more durable, I guess we'll see how the replicas hold up.
 
It really doesn't seem like oem stickers were very good to begin with, otherwise we wouldn't have to replace them.....
I would recommend clear coating the decals for added life/protection.

Is your left hand stickers foil type?
 
Not sure, they feel more like plastic with some sort of metallic flake to them. Once I remove them from their adhesive backing to apply I should be able to tell by looking at the back. With regards to the OEM stickers, they were great, easily some of the best I've come across and I've had quite a bit of vintage equipment and tools pass through my hands.

My 8274 is a 79 model, the decal was missing some small chunks and the winch had been repainted several times. However the decal itself was still a bear to remove. Knowing what I know now, I would've taken the time to try and salvage it rather than slather the entire winch body in paint stripper (at the time I was under the impression they were still available from Warn). Live and learn I guess.
 
I dont really get peoples fixation with painting these.
I have to fight with my OCD to not go crazy and polish mine.
 
That's exactly what I did, gave it a 3 stage polish, had to get rid of some paint residue and powdery aluminium oxidation anyway. Not quite a mirror finish, but close. It should develop a nice even satin finish in a year or so that's low maintenance and easy to clean.

LKEUIH8.jpg
 
Last edited:
I hand sanded with 400 and 800 grit to get rid of the paint flakes the stripper didn't remove, followed with metal polishing wheels on a handheld drill, a kit a bit similar to this but smaller diameter wheels:

gX2QM85.jpg


I bypassed the first coarse disc that is meant to remove material so you get a perfectly smooth surface that will mirror polish and went straight to a stitched cotton disc on a drill with blue compound and finished off with a loose cotton disc and jeweler's rouge. To get to the nooks and crannies I used similar small pads on a dremel. This particular case was quite easy to do, I've been told the older 8274 castings were of higher quality, so that may have been a factor.

If you really want to get a mirror shine, using a coarse sisal disc with heavier grit compound to start should get the job done quite quickly, I just didn't see the point since aluminium tends to oxidize quite quickly, my goal was to achieve a smooth finish that's easy to wipe down and won't be subject to fast, heavy oxidation and pitting (the typical white powder residue that tends to appear quite quickly on rougher castings).

I have a bench polisher as well, but didn't bother with it since the larger diameter of the discs is poorly suited to get into all the nooks and crannies of the 8274 casings. I did put the parts in my 20L ultrasonic cleaner afterwards to get rid of remaining polish stuck in the rougher parts of the casting, but some solvent and a bit of patience should work just as well.

You should be able to achieve this over a weekend working at a leisurely pace, but I wouldn't bother unless you're stripping your winch down anyway, manhandling an assembled case with brake and drum attached would probably be a pain if you were really intent on polishing the entire thing and not just the top housing.

I didn't intend to even go this far, but due to Brexit, I ordered a bunch of toys from Gigglepin 4X4 in the UK when it was still "cheap", I will be building it up with a 24V 7HP Bowmotor 2, some reinforced top housing bearings and brake linings and an Albright solenoid. A bit overkill for my purposes, but still cheaper than Warn parts over here in Europe. 👍
 
Last edited:

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom