making an ecto 1


by MuchoSpengler

17 years, 11 months ago


ok so i finally got a new car (saturn, so happy) and i was thinking of painting it white, getting vanity plates…i know where i can get lights…anyone make or know where i can get made some ghostbuster logo decals? much obliged.(*egon) (*egon)

by spengs1

17 years, 11 months ago


What kind of Saturn did you get? Did you know you wanted to make some sort of Ecto replica from a new car? If so, you could have gotten the car in white. I'm not an expert in painting cars, if its done right, professionally, it may cost $2,000-3000.

In case you didn't know, it may be illegal to have emergency lights in your state. Yellow and green for example may be ok, you'll need to consult your state laws.

I don't want to discourage you, with the right Saturn, an Ecto replica could look alright. People just need to take everything into consideration before taking on these types of projects.

by Sayingkingkilla

17 years, 11 months ago


I always figured emergency lights were illegal but wasn't sure. But you said yellow and green, what about red? Could they give you permission to use red.

And if they do, and you turn your lights on, does the public have to treat you like an enforcer(let you go past red lights and pull to the side). But then you'd probably have some special type of business to do that.

by Kingpin

17 years, 11 months ago


Sayingkingkilla
I always figured emergency lights were illegal but wasn't sure. But you said yellow and green, what about red? Could they give you permission to use red.

And if they do, and you turn your lights on, does the public have to treat you like an enforcer(let you go past red lights and pull to the side). But then you'd probably have some special type of business to do that.

Emergency lights vary from state to state, however a lot of people opt for yellow as they seem to be available for public works… I'm not sure about green, but red, white and blue are frequently used for emergency vehicles.

However, some people have been able to use blue lenses. I'd suggest contacting your local law enforcement, I would've recommended checking the prop sites… but new members are closed for the time being.

by SamG

17 years, 11 months ago


Emergency lights are not allowed on civilian vehicles in the Uk,.. Arn't they?

by MuchoSpengler

17 years, 11 months ago


i've already done the necessary checking for the light laws and such and it dosent seem to be a problem in my area…so long as they are non functioning..like i can have the shells just not the insides.. i think was the law on what i read…i got the saturn before i got the idea so its a little bitty twin cam TT

by CrimsonGhostbuster

17 years, 11 months ago


Repainting your car is going to be pretty freakin' costly. I think this one of those ideas you'd better let go. Nothing wrong with getting a decal or two for the doors though.

by Guido75

17 years, 11 months ago


Coming from a paramedic, Red and Blue are pretty much outlawed to any vehicle besides emergency vehicles. Yellow, and green are perfectly legal.

by ViolentG

17 years, 11 months ago


The whole issue on vehicle lights depends where you are. If you're in the UK, you need to check out the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, the most in-depth of which is at Her Majesty's Stationery Office (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1989/Uksi_19891796_en_1.htm).

Technically if you follow the law, you're not allowed warning lights of ANY colour on your vehicle in the UK, unless you're using them for a specific purpose. To give you a quick rundown:

Amber is the most misunderstood - it's not a “free for all” colour contrary to what people believe, and if the traffic cops catch you, expect a ticket or a court appearance dependant upon the circumstances. Amber lights can ONLY be used on vehicles which:
a) Do not exceed 25mph in speed on a public road
b) Are used for the purposes of road clearance
c) Are used for the sole-purpose of attending breakdowns and recovery
d) Are used for the purposes of refuse collection
e) Are of an abnormal width
f) Are used for testing fuel on roadside spot-checls

Red lights (particularly to the front) are a complete no-no, unless you're a fire emergency vehicle. To the rear, they can only be used by police, ambulance or fire emergency vehicles.

Green lights can only be installed and used by a general medical practitioner registered with the General Medical Council attending an emergency.

Blue lights are just a complete no. Don't even go there. Older, “classic” and restored emergency services vehicles in the hands of private collectors used for the purposes of shows often retain the blue-light fittings, but they drive with them completely covered up, because they'd have absolutely no authority to drive on the road with them showing, whether lit or unlit.

Yellow lights (and yes, there is a difference between yellow and amber) are also a solid no.

Interestingly, only the above applies to public roads… so technically if you're on private land, you can have whatever colours you want. However the definition of a public road is quite wide - in England and Wales a road is ‘any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes’. In Scotland, there is a similar definition which is extended to include any way over which the public have a right of passage. It is important to note that references to ‘road’ therefore generally include footpaths, bridle-ways and cycle tracks and many roadways and driveways on private land (including many car parks, whether public or private).

So basically, warning lights are mighty expensive and can be a complete pain to install, so before you go spending any hard-earned cash, i'd strongly recommend looking at your local laws and researching what you can and can't have, because some cops will just LOVE to make your life hell. Once you've researched, one of the best places to start looking is eBay. Do some searches under “lightbar”, “whelen”, “light bar” and “beacon” and list the results by highest price first. This should filter out any other rubbish. To an extent, you can search under more vague terms, but they don't tend to bring back many results.

Hope this helps / is of interest!

by Guido75

17 years, 11 months ago


im talking about for the us about the yellow and green