20 September 2013

Custom DeLorean Clock Plate

Early DeLoreans came with a clock, located in the Front Plate (#108240) in the Center Console.  It seems that some of these clocks fail through...wait for it...time.  Later DeLoreans came with radios with a clock, so the original clock was omitted.  Those later cars have Front Plates with no hole. 

As clocks stopped working, some were replaced, most were left alone in non-working condition.  Once in a while, someone who is way smarter than me will make clocks for replacement.  These go for about $100.  Not a bad price, actually, a very good price.  I almost considered getting one.  Since I have a 'modern' radio with a clock in it, I do not really need another clock.

Another option for the 'clock hole' is a plate.  Aesthetically, it looks cleaner, as it does not look like a broken clock.  It just looks like something should be there...like a clock.  While that looks clean, it still looks like something is missing.  I have a clock plate in my car.

Clock plate in place of where a working clock used to be
I wanted to do something different with the plate and give it a 'reason for being'.  So, I took some measurements and made a new plate.

Measurments of original plate
 
Custom clock plates.  One with DMC logo, other with Hot Wheels logo
It is basically the plate that I already have with the sides extended for holes, so it can be mounted directly on to the Front Plate.  I made two versions with different logos, for fun.

Custom clock plate installed
The logo adds a little luxury to the center console.  It looks like it is almost the intended look of the center console...almost.

Close up of custom clock plate
Simple custom project that took very little time.  Reason being that this does not involve any moving parts or anything essential to the function of the vehicle.

It took about ten minutes to remove the Front Plate from the Center Console and measure the existing plate.  I spent maybe ten minutes modeling the part.  The longest time spent was waiting for the part to print.  Finishing the part only involved spraying a few coats of paint and waiting to dry.  Then, removing the Front Plate again and installing the new part.  Total time invested was about an hour, not including waiting for print and watching paint dry.

2 comments:

  1. That's actually a really great idea. I don't like messing with the car - I like it the way it is. But that really makes a lot of sense if you have a modern radio. I still haven't decided if I want to go original or super modern with a flip-out nav screen. I'll probably never decide, and my pos replacement tape deck will just stay in the car.

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  2. Any chances you can reproduce these clock delete plates and sell them?

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