Cabin Lighting Fixture Upgrades?

[Bitsyncmaster]

Front map light options depend upon the flat mounting area, which is fairly wide (5.5" max) but not very long (1.75"), unless of course you plan to mount it elsewhere in the headliner.

LED's typically are very directional, which can be a problem with a stock fixture. If you position the fixture to shine into the cabin in map light mode, it will be pointed towards the hood in door mode. If you position the fixture to shine into the cabin in door mode, it will be pointed towards the hood in map light mode.

You could just wire it to always be in auto mode. Then you can aim it anyway you want.

[Bill Robertson's Sock Puppet #1]

Do you mean always in door mode (Purple/White ground)? The problem with that is you lose the ability to turn the light on while the doors are closed.

The car pictured in the DMA scrapbook has had its fixture modified to shine straight down in door mode, and still turn on map mode (doors closed) when flipped back towards the passenger cabin.

[opethmike]

These pictures are in the Delorean Mid Atlantic club's scrapbook. I'm pretty sure they are LED's

Pretty sure? I would hope you are sure, since it is YOUR car, Bill.

I saw the car at the 2010 event. Super bright interior. Looks nice.

[KMC-DMC]

As well as changing the interior dome lights to LED, I also added 12v LED strips to the footwell.
These really make the car feel a bit more modern and handy if you need to work down in the footwell areas

[justlooking]

Sorry, the stainless steel bodies are grounded to the battery? That's news to me . Tell me more about how this connection is made, Emdf and Mike (since youre in agreement).

DeLoreans have fiberglass bodies. This means the body cannot be used as a ground for attached components. Contrary to your assertion, the stainless steel body panels do not remedy this. Moreover, not a single component on the car relies upon the stainless panels as a path to ground. This is unlike a car with a steel body, and this was his point.

Looks like Bill got you on that one.

[Bill Robertson's Sock Puppet #1]

I say yet again: the name on my account is "David Brooks".

DeLorean stainless body panels are tied together, and to the battery, with *ONE* single 18 gauge wire (enters the passenger compartment under the windshield by the passenger A pillar). This is for static electricity dissipation only. DeLorean body panel bonding was never intended to ground electrical devices. That is why, unlike metal bodied cars which do use their bodies as a massive ground plane, every single light socket has both a positive lead and a negative lead tied to ground junctions inside the car.

Keeping the thread on topic: note that aftermarket xRef light sockets often do not have dedicated ground wires -- you may have to add them for installation on a DeLorean.

[DMCMW Dave]

There are specific wires that connect the body panels to the frame. Often broken off or missing, not something to rely on for a good connection, but in general you will find that the panels are grounded. You are correct, nothing relies on this as a conductive path, it is done to prevent static buildup on the panels.

[Bill Robertson's Sock Puppet #1]

For accuracy: body panels are not tied directly to the frame (it's not as though you have to undo a bunch of body panel wires to separate the frame from the body). Panels are tied to each other, then via the single passenger A pillar wire mentioned above to one of the dashboard hold down bolts, then to the blower motor, then via the blower motor's ground to the rear bulkhead bolt/frame.

[DMCMW Dave]

For accuracy: body panels are not tied directly to the frame (it's not as though you have to undo a bunch of body panel wires to separate the frame from the body)..

I'll disagree with that one. ground.jpg

Actually you do. There is one of these wires at each side of the rear of the car. Front fenders are grounded to the harness at the RH windshield corner and then with small wires (usually rusted away) via the hood that tie the panels together and the windshield surround. Door is grounded via the internal wiring harness. The only panel without a specific ground wire is the roof T-panel, but ut generally makes a physical contact with the rear quarter panels.

None of which has anything to do with Cabin Lighting fixtures.

[refugeefromcalif]

There is one of these wires at each side of the rear of the car. Front fenders are grounded to the harness at the RH windshield corner and then with small wires (usually rusted away) via the hood that tie the panels together and the windshield surround.

Nice to know!

I was wondering what this wire was. It's located at the drivers side windshield/fender. Normally it's tucked underneath but, I pulled it out for the pic.
Being that it's a braided unshielded wire I figured ground but, couldn't figure out why it was there.






George