Sorry - It's not an old car.

So…..

I have no idea what I will do with this.
But, it’s cool (to me, anyway).
I like it.
It was going to be scrapped.
I saved it.

(If you ask “Why?”. I’ll give you the same answer everyone else got: “Because I could.”)

Anyway……

Let’s see what y’all think.

Do I restore it?
(The big black holes are where neon tubes once were plumbed.)

Or, keep it as is?
(Pretty cool history in it’s patina and rust. If you see things like that.)

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

That thing is cool as hell! I believe I would keep it as is.

That's an amazingly cool old sign. I would leave it exactly as it is. It might be cool to get new neon but I'd leave the character of the weathering.

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

Keep that one as it is (bring it indoors to "preserve" it) AND make an exact duplicate, so you can see what it looked like in its days of glory.
Cool sign!

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D

do what Larry said.. If I had a big studio apartment.. that would be on my wall

That's how I've been leaning.


Not to mention....

DJ has informed me that if I so much as touch the thing with a garden hose to rinse it off – I’m dead.

So, “As-Is” it is.

I may do as Larry pointed out, and make a duplicate. (good idea - Thanks!)

It’s for sure an inside for life item now.

We have a new C-X hangar that could certainly use some color and contrast (and a massive ~15'x20’ of it) hanging from the rafters. It’s pretty stark now.

The issue with wall hanging, is that I want to see/show both sides.
(we be talk'n big cables here.)

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

don't hang it in there.. that hanger is waaay to nice for that... you need like some IKEA furniture or something
I love that.. clean, soul-less look going on there.. its.. frign cool..

now if you had one of those old school ex-military hangers with old pinup girls on the walls by the head mechanics desk .. now we're talking

That's why I want it in there !! To add some "soul" to the place.

The heli-hangar has the room, and is not as "soul-less" as the C-X hangar. So maybe there.

The "Toy-Box" Hangar is always full. And, too short anyway.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

are you looking to adopt??? 18 years old, going on 19 in like.. 12 days.. charming, smart, always out to learn.. drives a Mercedes and doesn't puke if you flip the plane upside down

Adopt you?
That won’t get you anywhere (or anymore than) you can get yourself, starting right now.
Are you going to college? If you can’t afford to, how about a few business courses at the local community college?

Better yet - How about reading this story in the Polk County news?

TheDon celebrates his 35th birthday today.
Back when he was 19 he was big into European automobiles. He loved working on them, and was good at it.
He attended his local community college auto mechanics program and got an Associates Degree in Auto Tech. He also took a few small business management courses as well. Upon graduation he got a job working on cars at a local European Auto Shop.
After 2 years, he left to open his own shop in his mom’s garage, and took most of the clientele with him. He quickly out grew the garage and rented some shop space in Haines City.
As business grew, he knew to grow with it. It was a gamble (as with all business), but he opened another shop in Lakeland. Then another. And another. Pretty soon “TheDon’s European Auto Service” was taking business from the city dealerships in both Orlando and Tampa.
Now – with 12 locations to serve you, TheDon’s European Auto Service centers are the most popular service centers for all European auto owners in the central FL region.

And TheDon…. He likes to visit each of his centers by dropping in via his privately owned helicopter. That is – when he’s not scouting out new locations in Miami, Atlanta, Bermingham, Charlotte and Memphis in his private jet.

Don’t give me any BS. Yes you can. You’ve got 26 years. Get going.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Very very cool sign.

I don't know the ramifications of replacing the neon on its value. It would seem to me you could do that as long as you didn't cut up the old sign.

I mean, if it were a 37 bugatti F1 car and was missing the wheels you could put new wheels on it as long as they are the right kind.

Very cool, though. Even though I am not into planes so much as you are, I would want that sign. It is an awesome example of the type.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

So long as it passed the WAF ("wife acceptance factor") you should be good.

I like the idea of it in the hangar - gives a sense of history, Americana and perspective to what otherwise some people might have called another soulless airport hangar.

I have no idea as to whether to leave it as, or totally restore it down to the neon tubes.

You both decide that and then tell us what happened.

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

lol... did the sign give you the ability to see into the future... whoaaaaaa I need me one

ps.. its mechanical engineering

DJ is the one who found it.
It was a shoot on some dudes picture posting account.
She contacted him regarding where it was.
Tracked down the owners.
But the new owners of the property took it down a few years after these pics were taken. Good news - It was covered and stored on a custom made pallet behind the old motel.

Soon to be on a trailer heading this way!!

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Cool.
In that case change the auto mech stuff to big time design contracts and get after it.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !