By venkman30
#389480
hey everyone. well after many years of being a ghostbuster fan i finaly decided to build an ecto.

so for my ecto i will be doing up an 1998 ford taurus se wagon. it's silver but will be starting the white paint job very soon.

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i am using 2 code 3 lightbars. 1 is an lp6000 and the other is a mx7000. i have removed all inner colored plastics as they were blue and red. i am thinking about using a tint paint to paint the clear outer domes on each lightbar. just not sure what color i am gonna go with.

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i also have a revolving federal sign and signal firetruck light and a smaller snow plow light. plus a few other lights to be added.

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i guess i should mention i am going with a gb 2 style car.

thinking about adding an old vacume engine into one of the top rack boxes to give it a bit more of a realistic sound effect for when the top rack is turned on. also i am planning on making the sniffer move side to side. i took the speaker out of the lp6000 and will be mounting it on the rack and then running it to a laptop whch i will be installing where the glovebox is and i will be running the siren and music from it.

probably gonna be going with the original no ghost logo.

i'm gonna be making my own toggle switch boxes for the inside on the dash also.

other then that i don't know what else to put in this post for now.

i look forward to reading your comments and advice on the car and build.
By venkman30
#389656
well unfortunately we didn't get really anything done to the car this weekend due to us going fourwheeling all weekend. i did manage to get a photo of some of the stuff i will be using for the roofrack. the long tube was just for reference really. it's not being used as it's just a cardboard tube. i did decide to go with the smaller back metal container tho. the other one i had is about double it's size. it was one of those big blue plastic liquid drums. way to big. anyways here are a couple pics just to reference how some of the car is gonna look. remember the way it looks in the pics isn't exactly where everything is gonna be exactly. it's just for reference.

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By venkman30
#390472
so just a quick question. more of a whats your thoughts question really. now how bad do you think it would look it i didn't paint the car white this year and got it done over the winter and had it white for next year? i wojuld still do it all up for this upcoming halloween but the car would be the color it is now. or should i take the time and paint it white now? let me know what you think.
By Boomerjinks
#390478
venkman30 wrote:so just a quick question. more of a whats your thoughts question really. now how bad do you think it would look it i didn't paint the car white this year and got it done over the winter and had it white for next year? i wojuld still do it all up for this upcoming halloween but the car would be the color it is now. or should i take the time and paint it white now? let me know what you think.
You're really excited and have Ecto on the brain.

The obvious answer is do it right the first time.
User avatar
By Chace
#390483
venkman30 wrote:so just a quick question. more of a whats your thoughts question really. now how bad do you think it would look it i didn't paint the car white this year and got it done over the winter and had it white for next year? i wojuld still do it all up for this upcoming halloween but the car would be the color it is now. or should i take the time and paint it white now? let me know what you think.
NOT TOO GOOD!

There are a few colors that do well with a gb themed vehicle aside from white. Most are associated with other emergency vehicles. Bright yellow, lime green, things you don see often on "normal" cars. There have been a couple of examples of black used successfully but I'd avoid it. But people (and I speak from the experience of my first Ecto attempt) expect a wahite car with red black and white logos. Alternate color vehicles work REALLY well as backup or support vehicles but your Ecto needs to look a a glance by a non fan who has seen the film as an Ecto and one that hasnt as an odd government vehicle
User avatar
By Alan Hawkins
#390488
Also most body shops will tell you to paint your car when it's warm. I'm going to assume you are not looking to spend 3k on your paint job right? Going the budget route? Earl Shibes etc. Paint it in the hot part of the summer so that the paint can cure. Spend the extra bucks and do the door and hatch jams.

Looking forward to seeing more of your build :-)

Sent from my DROID X2 using Ghostbusters Fans on Android
By drjameshouse
#390497
Alan Hawkins wrote:Also most body shops will tell you to paint your car when it's warm. I'm going to assume you are not looking to spend 3k on your paint job right? Going the budget route? Earl Shibes etc. Paint it in the hot part of the summer so that the paint can cure. Spend the extra bucks and do the door and hatch jams.

Looking forward to seeing more of your build :-)

Sent from my DROID X2 using Ghostbusters Fans on Android
This isn't always necessary if the shop can bake the paint. But if you can, to be on the safe side, paint it during 70+ weather.
By venkman30
#390510
i do have access to a garage which is heated and used for painting so no worries there. ya i was kinda thinking the same thing. i really want the car white also so i for sure gonna go ahead with the paint job. thanks for the advice guys. much appreciated.
By odiemodie
#402900
I'm inspired by your willingness to get your ride fixed up as the GB transport. Aye, not all of us can afford to get the real thing, even those who can afford it are having probs in doing so. People want to see the actural beast, but with subs, if done right, can be quite flattering and even appealling, folks commenting: "Will you take a look at that... that's a nice attempt in recreating the GB Ecto... not too shabby at all!" I'll be joining you in the "Taurus Ecto fleet" and hoping with the short amount of time and definitely MOOLA, as Boomer said, I'll try to get it right on the first time... my pride rests on this build! :-|

So...go on, brother! Do yer thing! :cool:
By venkman30
#405289
so i got a question for any ecto builder out there. just wondering how and where you ran your lightbar wires to the inside of the car and how many different light functions did you have set up on a toggle switch box? also if anyone has or can take any pics of their toggle switch box that they could post on here for me to see so i can get a better reference and ideas since i will be making this from scratch. when i got my lightbars the wires are cut close to the lightbars so i am gonna have to wire all this up and i'm not looking forward to it. i do have all the light function wires taped to gether and labeled so i know which wire does what but still need like fuseable links and lots of extra wire and toggle switches. i do plan on running an extra battery(not sure if i want it on the top of the car or in the hidden underfloor back compartment in the car. i am open to any comments and advice.
By 69428scj
#405388
The blue hoses are what the movie car ran the wires through. You can find a pic of my panel somewhere in my thread, but I went front bar, rear bar, deck lights, strobe lights, propello ray, mechanical siren, Ecto siren, then on the side I have a button for the montage siren.
By odiemodie
#405497
69428scj wrote:The blue hoses are what the movie car ran the wires through. You can find a pic of my panel somewhere in my thread, but I went front bar, rear bar, deck lights, strobe lights, propello ray, mechanical siren, Ecto siren, then on the side I have a button for the montage siren.
That's how I'm gong to run the wires on my Taurus, kinda going make it rather not too obvious in way you can see it running from the inner rear fender well down under the car, then right up into the engine compartment where the battery is, but that's a just thought, since this is a temp set up, and I can't drill any holes in her... yet. Another idea that was brought up in a different thread, to lessen the spaghetti work, w/o drilling any holes for the wiring to go through, I'm thinking of the ol' battery banks set up. Chargable heavy duty AC/DC battery cells in the roof containment box. The only time I will have all the bells and whistles going full tilt is when the car is on a display, duration time will be intermitted, short demos. Whereas, in a parade, the timeline will be longer, 20-30 mins. or so, that will be the only concern, the LP 6000s or XL 7000s along with the PA system and extras up there will be drawing alot of power... I'll do some tests for duration, aware the sound and light show may not last long on lone batteries alone... anyone done this kind of set up before? Going without the car battery to power the roof EQ... I'll consider this like an Egon and Ray tinkering project!
By t0dd
#405755
My vision was to sit on my front porch during Halloween, pass out candy, and control the car as it sat in the driveway. The electric work may not look pretty, but I got it done. The picture is not of the completed job. I wanted to show you the fuse boxes that I used between the battery and lights. I picked those up at the local auto parts store. I have a remote control box that I created with many visits to Radio Shack. It has a master on/off switch, buttons for 9 sounds, momentary switch to start and stop the siren, toggle switches for the strobe, bar, Federal and Par lights. I wanted different switches for the lights so I could reserve battery life. However, because I really don't know what I am doing, one of the switches is actually turning all the lights on and off except for the strobe. I have yet to correct that problem. I do have a battery in the rack so I would not drain the car battery. That way I do not need the car running while on my porch or at car shows. I do not run the lights continuously at the car shows and the battery lasts for most or all of the show. The battery has lasted throughout the Halloween parades with the lights running continuously. The remote is larger than I would like it to be: 8" x 6" x 3". I can be around 20 or 30 feet from the car and control it all. Its great to be able to remotely fire up the sound and lights at a car show when someone walks by.
User avatar
By Chace
#405807
Here's how mine on my custom rack are run....

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Take a look at the black hose behind the blue lollipop strobe above my head...the wires begin there and run through that in a square pattern along the edges of the rack, picking up lights from the other strobes and the rear light bar as it goes.

If you look on the passenger side in that same pic, you'll see the hose snakes up, then down and gets more narrow at it approaches the front bar, that's where it goes in the roof, through a hole under the bar.

Now bear in mind a couple of things here...

1. I wanted all my stuff permanentely bolted to the car...so all together with the hole for the wire and the mounting brackets for everything else, there are 9 holes in my roof.

2. My stuff was installed by some friends of mine who happen to run a shot that professionally installs lights and sirens for local law enforcement and emergency vehicles.

Interior wise the wires run under the headliner and down the inside of the side post to three switches, one for the siren, hidden the the center console box, and two under the false floor in the hatch. The power/ground also comes from under the hatch which is the stock placement for the battery in the Magnum. The end result is my interior looks completely stock.

You can't see a great deal of detail in this, and I apologize for not having more/better photos, but you can see what I'm talking about in the switch placement in this video I made when I first got the car back from having the new bars/strobes put on. (I should also note that because of the placement of the on/off switch for the bars I didn't use the multiple functions...they are simply on or off)

By venkman30
#405831
sweet looking ecto. thanks to everyone for all the great info and help. i appreciate it all. did some more work to the rack today. not alot but some. once i get more done i will be posting some update pics. but again, thanks to everyone for all the great help.
By odiemodie
#405845
Terrific set up, Chace, thanks for the informative visual tour (it is now part of my featured Youtube Ecto building tuitorals). Very straight forward and streamlined, complimenting your Magnum. The modern clear LED lightbars are choice, only to become blue light when activated. Nice... no way looking too busy nor "Top heavy" at all!

@t0dd: Interesting picture progress/ tips, they are helpful in giving me other suggested directions on how I can approach the power requirements, no kidding... you do seem to have some kind of idea! BTW : 9 MPG? Referring to your Ecto's appetite, is it?

@venkman30: Continue your diligent efforts (as the lone GBer in your hometown... was it?) in building your Ecto... I'm with ya all the way! :-D
By venkman30
#406016
got another question for yous. it doesn't have anything to do with the wiring of the car but i was wondering what ppl used for the long side tank on their roof rack. i have been trying to find a piece of pvc pipe for it but can't seem to find a size big enough and some stores that carry it want over a hundered bucks for a 13 foot piece (thats the only size they will sell). just wondering if anyone has any other ideas of what i could use or if there is a way i could maybe build it myself. any help would be great.
By venkman30
#406550
so i got some more work done to the roof rack for my ecto. it's not much but it's some. i've been going back and forth on what kind of container to use for my liquid nitrogen container (since i'm kinda going for a mix of the two) and i finally decided on the one i am going with. it's a fuel container off a transport, my brother picked it up for me where he works which is at a transport company. i got my two yellow tanks pretty much ready to be put on the rack once it's together but i forgot to take pics of them. speaking of the tanks i was wondering what other ecto builders used for their labels for on all the roof rack eq? any help on that would be great. any and all comments are welcome. (and yes that goes for the haters also. sometimes those comments are the best for in the long run) so anyways on with the photos.

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it's still a wip.
By venkman30
#407018
not alot done today but here are a couple pic's anyways. one thing i am finding out now is that i am gonna have to add some support beams for the roof on the inside of the car as the roof rack as of now is quite heavy and makes the roof start to bow. and that's not including the lightbar and the battery that still has to go on the eq rack.

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By odiemodie
#407061
Great attempts on the set up , Venkman. You're really giving me lots of thoughts and ideas on how I'm approaching this homemade build. Had a question: You're gonna make the roof EQ permanent, right? If not, as what you say, the combined weight of the parts/ pieces are starting to make the roof bow, they're are going to be a bear to take off, as well other concerns I'm worried about for you. Those containers do look heavy. I've still got my Ecto on the drawing board (the old school way, on paper, no photo shopping). whereas you're already on your way... props to you on that!

Suggestion tip: going for the cheapest way of getting parts/ pieces, auto or scrap yards is one thing to check out (ask about a yard that may have some "retired" EMS, Firetrucks, road work vehicles... Hmmm... putting that on my "Must do ASAP" list!). I like to scope, rummage boneyards, and bargain with the yard owner, who sometimes is cool with the asking price or has a reasonable quote on a particular part. Always something interesting, but can be some grunt work if you find a piece you need that requires little rebuilding itself, though the awesome end results is you did it yourself!

Having the EQ up there too heavy is a real concern of mine, so I'm favoring to use an all aluminum cross frame, and probably everything else, heavy duty all weather plastic. The only things that will have their own weight will be the barlights. Sounds too light, the plastics, but they all will be fastened together, resulting in a weight ( and hopefully, an even weight ratio) that is enough that it won't blow off the roof, as the bolt downs/ clamps onto the present roof rack strips will make it solid. When it comes to having bolting/ strapping things that are not originally part of the car, aerodynamics don't apply here, but I'm kinda of a econo bloke, so I'll build the EQ rather streamlined as possible, even as far fashioning a wind reflector, the kind you see on semi-tractor trailor cabs and some bike roof racks, 'cept this one will be transparent and contoured, just to be alittle different. Had a non traditional idea in what to make the frame out of: plastic tubing or balsa wood! Just kidding, if wood, it will be pine. Alittle easier to handle, though, it probably won't be durable (prone to cracking) to last long periods from all weather elements abuse like metal, but hey, it's design to be taken apart, not to stay on all the time... well, MOST of the time. When I get another vehicle, like my '74 Gran Torino GS going, then the Taurus will be a permanent Buster mobile.

Take care, be safe about the weight issues, and keep up the work, Venkman!
By venkman30
#407086
thanks odie. ya it's gonna be a perminant ecto. the 2 side tanks look heavy buy reaaly they arent. there just empty helieum tanks. the rack it's self alon with the inside box if you will is what is making it heavy. i'm gonna be supporting the inside of the car with a couple beams to give extra support to the roof. after i have the rack completly done then i will prob be making braces or something like that to mount the rack to the original roof rack fram of the car as the eq rack doesn't sit on them to begin with. i didn't want the side tanks hanging or sticking out past the car so thats why my eq rack is thinner.and the tank on the very back is also very light also. still lots to to but glad it give you some better ideas odie since we pretty much have the same car. can't wait t see what you come up with. i'm hoping to get more done to the car today after i'm done watching my neice. oh i never got to take a pic of this yet but i plan on installing a battery voltage meter on the eq rack that way i can keep track of how much juice is left in the battery on the rack for when i am running all the lights. thought this would be good for the parades and such. that way if i notice the battery starting to get a lil low i will be able to turn the lights off and let the battery charge. but still lots of work to be done.
By venkman30
#408337
got more of an update for those interested. got my blue side hose for the car. it's long enough i can easily cut it in half and have the two running from undernieth the eq rack down the side of the car. i still need to figuer out how i am going to go about attaching the two bottom hoses to the car. got some more done to the rack. i gutted an old computer power supply and attached it between the two yellow side tanks and added a red led strip to the inside of the heat vent which is connected to the actual power supply on off switch. i still plan on attaching a couple turn knobs and some caution stickers to it to give it a more useful look. the back light bar bracket is now attached to the eq frame and the lightbar it's self is mounted. the red box in the upcoming pis is just in there for reference. i plan on making a white box roughly the same size and then adding a green plastic tub on top of it which will be able to be come unattached to access the battery. i still also need to find a tank for the other side but like stated befor i am having a hard time finding a 6 to 8 in dia tube for there and the sniffer (i believe that is what it is called). i have everything else for the sniffer pretty much ready to be put to gether but i just need to find somethig big enough first. but anyways on with some pics.

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a couple supervisors making sure no one slacks off on the job. ( sis inlaw and niece. only 2 and already a big gb fan)
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builders not so hard at work at the momment. (i'm wearing the glasses and grizzly adams is my brother. lol)
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here is a shot with the power supply box with the led strip turned on. it's actually pretty bright at night which yous will see.
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and here are a couple of pic's of the lightbar at work in the dark. it's actually really bright for jus having the one lightbar lit up. can't wait till both are ready and all other lights powered on also.
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i didn't have the power supply box on so i had to put it back on and snapped a couple more shot's.
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hope yous enjoy sofar.
By venkman30
#408664
finally got my side tank today. thank god for friends who live on farms. it's a 6 inch dia sewer tube. cleaned it all up and got the first coat of yellow on it. bondo'd up the double red barrel box and gonna be sanding it and painting it hopefully tomorrow. i would like to say that by the end of this weekend hopefully the eq rack will be 95 percent done. weather permitting of course. sofar things are coming along pretty well. sorry i don't have any pics to show this time. i'll post some up this weekend of any further progress.

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