Look what I picked up today

[Burdar]

I've been wanting a traffic light for quite awhile.  They are just so cool.  I saw this one on Facebook marketplace a couple months ago but couldn't make myself pull the trigger.  Last weekend at the Nats I saw three of them for $200 each.  Those were cooler looking then this one(painted yellow and had colored lenses) but I didn't really want to pay that much and I had no way of getting it home anyway.  So today I contacted the seller and asked to see it in person.  He was asking $100 but when we met, he said he didn't want anything for it.  It was just taking up space in the shop and he wanted it gone.  Apparently, he is an electrician and works on traffic lights in the area.  When a light is replaced, the city doesn't want them back so he holds onto them.

This one has colored LED light boards and 12" diameter lenses.(it's big)  I found a controller on E-bay that makes the lights sequence.  I'll probably order it and get it wired up.  I should power up each LED board first just to make sure they still work but I was told it's in working order. 

[Katfish]

That's different, how much does it weigh?

[blown motor]

Great score. Will you paint it yellow or is that the colour they are in your area?

[Burdar]

It looks heavier then it is.  I'd say it's less than 50 lbs.  A J-hook into a ceiling joist would hold it easily.  It's mostly plastic.  I joined a traffic light/street sign Facebook group.  Maybe I can learn a little more about it.  Maybe they have a color recommendation if I decide to paint it.  Local signals are a few different colors but primarily yellow and black.

A couple years ago at the Nat's there was a vendor selling customized traffic light lenses with Mopar symbols painted on them.  That's another idea.  Have a Chrysler logo or the Fratzog emblem made up in a vinyl stencil.  Install it onto the lense and paint the rest black...then remove the stencil.  That would look cool when illuminated.

[Spikedog08]

Thats pretty cool!   Nice score!   

[Cuda Cody]

That's a great score!!!   

[70vert]

Nice score! I've always wanted a traffic light too, you can't beat free

[JH27N0B]

That's pretty neat.
An old friend of mine works for his sister and brother in laws electrical contractor company.  They do state and municipal contracts for things like traffic lights.  I've thought about asking him if he could get me a retired traffic light from one of their projects, but I really don't think I have the space in my garage to display one. 

[Burdar]

I'm not sure I have the room right now either.  This thing is big.  They do have smaller ones that use 8" diameter lenses.  Those would fit into a garage/mancave easier.

If I stencil some Mopar logos on the lenses. maybe I could rotate it 90 degrees and mount it horrizontally.  That would take up less room and would fit against the ceiling.  I'd have to see if the lense shades could be turned and mounted sideways then too.  Not sure what to do with it yet but I had to have it.  The wife already said NO to hanging it in the bedroom. 

[Mr Lee]

Its amazing how big those things are when you get up close to one.
I like the fratzog idea


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[blown motor]

You should put a Ford logo on the red light and a Mopar logo on the green light.

[73chalngr]

I have a traffic light in my basement for. There is a company out there that makes a little circuit board that you can wire to 110 and it makes the lights work like a real traffic light.

[Burdar]

You should put a Ford logo on the red light and a Mopar logo on the green light.

There is a company out there that makes a little circuit board that you can wire to 110 and it makes the lights work like a real traffic light.

I found one on E-bay for $30.  I drove my DD Dart to work on Friday so I couldn't get the light home.  I left it in the office at work over the weekend.  I brought the truck today so it's loaded and ready to take home.  I had an old sump pump sitting in the garage that I should have thrown away a year ago.  I knew I was keeping it around for some reason.  I cut the chords off of that to use on the traffic light.  I'm going to wire each light up and make sure they work.  Then I'll order the controller.

[Burdar]

I wired it up last night and all the lights work.  I had to manually switch the power wire to each individual light to test.  I ordered a controller that will do the switching.

There are a bunch of electronics inside.  After doing a little reading, this style traffic light has a sensor that reads the ambient light and adjusts the LEDs to compensate.  At night, only part of the LED board lights up.  In full sun, the entire board lights up.  This explains why only part of the board lit up in my garage.

[blown motor]

Who knew?!