DMC Dealership sign delivered today!

[dmruschell]

I just purchased a DMC dealership sign today! I've been wanting one for a while and finally found one. Of course, there are a few things that need to be fixed and was wondering if anyone here has had any experience working on these signs. The plexiglass on the top needs to be replaced. I'd also like to replace the fluorescent light setup with LEDs. However, if anyone has successfully gotten the fluorescent light setup working, I'd be interested to see if I can get it working in the mean time. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

DeLorean Sign.jpg

[dmruschell]

Have you considered growing a mustache and consulting the workshop manual?

Sometimes, when I shave, I leave just the mustache and see what it would look like. I immediately decide that it looks terrible and shave it off, too.

I didn't think that the Workshop Manual had any info on the sign, though I guess it would make sense if the Workshop Manual was meant to help dealerships work on the cars.

EDIT: You should update the cars in your signature.

[louielouie2000]

Congrats on landing that dealership sign! I've been watching it on eBay and forcing myself not to buy it! I'm glad it went to someone in the community. Please keep us updated on its restoration.

[Delorean Industries]

If you want to keep it original I have six or seven of these in storage. The ones we have in use have been converted over to LED's. I kept the stock components though.

[Nicholas R]

However, if anyone has successfully gotten the fluorescent light setup working, I'd be interested to see if I can get it working in the mean time. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

DeLorean Sign.jpg

I helped Cliff Schmucker hang his and get his working. If I recall correctly, there are either 2 or 3 different lighting zones inside. I think the "DMC," "DeLorean," and "Motor Cars" are each their own zone. it was 2010 so I can't remember for sure about the exact zones.. Surprisingly, his lighting seemed to work pretty well. We did testing to make sure it worked, and it seemed as though everything was great. With the lighting working, we went ahead and hung the sign in his workshop. Unfortunately, when we were all finished, we turned it on, and only one zone lit up; the DMC. The "DeLorean Motor Cars" did not light up at all. We couldn't figure out why because when we tested it on the ground it worked great. The only thing we could think was that when we were testing it on the ground, the sign was upside down so we could get to the bottom access panel (see the picture below of Cliff and removing the panel). When we flipped it over, something must have happened and part of the sign stopped working.

Luckily Cliff was an electrical engineer so it didn't really phase him. The pain was just that now we had to work on the sign with it 25 feet in the air using a fork lift man-basket. We swapped out the 30 year old ballasts for the fluorescent lights, and sure enough, all zones lit up perfectly. Fluorescent technology has improved since the 80s. I think the ballasts we swapped in were about 1/4th the size of the ones we pulled out, so doing so is possible. The hardest part was accessing them. I think we had to get the end panels off in order to access them. Hope this helps!

Cliff and I.jpgsign 2.jpg

[Dangermouse]

Luckily Cliff was an electrical engineer so it didn't really phase him.

[Nicholas R]

Haha, to be clear, it did not "faze" or "phase" him,

[dmruschell]

If you want to keep it original I have six or seven of these in storage. The ones we have in use have been converted over to LED's. I kept the stock components though.

If converting it to LEDs is not difficult, that's probably what I'd prefer to do. I'm still considering all of the options, though. I'd be interested to know how you do it, since I've seen your signs and they look great. Given your products and how well they're engineered, I'm also guessing you've figured out a few tricks along the way.

[dmruschell]

I helped Cliff Schmucker hang his and get his working. If I recall correctly, there are either 2 or 3 different lighting zones inside. I think the "DMC," "DeLorean," and "Motor Cars" are each their own zone. it was 2010 so I can't remember for sure about the exact zones.. Surprisingly, his lighting seemed to work pretty well. We did testing to make sure it worked, and it seemed as though everything was great. With the lighting working, we went ahead and hung the sign in his workshop. Unfortunately, when we were all finished, we turned it on, and only one zone lit up; the DMC. The "DeLorean Motor Cars" did not light up at all. We couldn't figure out why because when we tested it on the ground it worked great. The only thing we could think was that when we were testing it on the ground, the sign was upside down so we could get to the bottom access panel (see the picture below of Cliff and removing the panel). When we flipped it over, something must have happened and part of the sign stopped working.

Luckily Cliff was an electrical engineer so it didn't really phase him. The pain was just that now we had to work on the sign with it 25 feet in the air using a fork lift man-basket. We swapped out the 30 year old ballasts for the fluorescent lights, and sure enough, all zones lit up perfectly. Fluorescent technology has improved since the 80s. I think the ballasts we swapped in were about 1/4th the size of the ones we pulled out, so doing so is possible. The hardest part was accessing them. I think we had to get the end panels off in order to access them. Hope this helps!

Cliff and I.jpgsign 2.jpg

That does help a bit, so I know what I'm looking for. I'm not an electrical engineer, but I did replace the ballasts in my garage and converted the lights to the newer style thinner bulbs. 7 fixtures, 2 ballasts each means that I can almost do that job with my eyes closed lol. So, replacing or updating the ballasts wouldn't be a huge job if that's the direction I end up going.

[BLWNAWY]

I helped Cliff Schmucker hang his and get his working.

Cliff and I.jpgsign 2.jpg

Is that the one Cliff bought from me? That crate base sitting next to it looks very familiar. Great looking installation. For the record I had a commercial sign company go through that sign when I bought it (from Shreveport LA) in the late 80's, and had it lighted in my shop through 1998. When I moved to my current place I had it mounted on the wall, but no longer plugged in as power wasn't close by. Wish I still had it, but in its place is a 16' long shelf full of BLWNAWY parts......