Michigan Markers - Rear

Picked up the rear Michigan Marker unit today that John dropped off. The front and back of every Scenicruiser, if not every coach of that era, had a three-light unit at the top of the coach in the middle. Presumably these regulations first made an appearance in Michigan, but the origins of that name are unclear.

As you can see, some work is needed. Should this aluminum be polished and shiny? Also, two of the red lenses are missing, but John thinks he has them at home.

The trick will be to get the 3rd glass lens off the aluminum mounting without breaking it. I can already tell the two screws are locked and will strip. They're soaking in PB Blaster, but I'm not hopeful; there's not much Philips thread left on them. Of course, at least one of the other's will need the holes drilled and tapped.

Even more fun awaits refurbishing the sockets. While they should be relatively easy to find, as you can see from the photos, I don't yet have a single clue as to how they mount, how to remove and how to put in new ones.



One last challenge, the wiring diagram clearly shows a hot wire to each of the three bulbs and then to ground, presumably through the aluminum case. But does that mean no gasket material between it and the aluminum roof on which it mounts? And why does the middle socket wire clearly NOT go to the base of the bulb holder but to what looks like ground? Another project ... alright!

Middle Bulb Socket Wiring