Recent Twinsonic purchase and in progress clean-up...

May 21, 2010
1,256
Minnesota
(10/17 update. Since posts are limited to 20 photos I deleted all the old and reposted with new. Text is all the same but adding a couple of short videos too).

Sold an amber Twinsonic a while back because they don't speak to me as much as some other bars. As time went by, they grew on me a bit (probably because of The Blues Brothers). Had my eye on this one for over a month but finally decided it has a home with me.

I thought this was a 12X but one of the tags says 12. I can't see the numbers on the motor but it is an earlier oval one. I am using the other endcap as a screw tray so I am not able to look at the tag to see if they match yet.

The whole bar needs a deep cleaning. It was in worse shape inside then I expected but my plan was to tear it down anyway. Someone was grease happy and that gummed it up enough to not rotate. Everything else is filthy or greasy.

The only damage is to the back of the speaker cover. Not as bad as it looks but still a decent dent. I hope to be able to get it back to at least 90% but no hurry.

Not doing a full restoration, just a deep cleaning and degreasing.


First attempt at firing up.

Running after cleaned up.



I took it apart and did a lot of scrubbing. Lots of soap and engine degreaser. Gave the moving metal to metal (and brass) parts a light swab of grease and put some white lithium on the gearcage gears. I don't see myself refurbishing the internal parts/plates so I didnt get evertyhing spotless. One of the bulb bases was pretty good under the gunk but the other has pitting suttch. All rotating parts now move freely. I am getting some occasional chain noise so I might just try and soak off all the grease and go from there. Used up all of my degreaser on the frame and parts so I need to get more.

It's mostly back together at the moment to run for a bit. Not sure what else I am going to do to it other then reassemble.

It does appear to be an early model and had a speaker installed at some point. I presume it was an FD/PD bar but domes were replaced. Did the bulb holders stay the same throughout the run or did this ever have the skinnier holders?

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Last edited:
May 21, 2010
2,201
Elmira, ny
Looks in the same condition as mine without the dent, the dones on mine though are beyond saving (extremely fragile even the slightest pressure causes them to break and crack all the way through).

Cant complain though it only cost me $25 and almost a trip in an ambulance to the ER due to having an asthma attack. Only 2 bulbs worked though, i may replace the domes or just keep as it sits (came off a wrecker)
 
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JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
Twinsonics are not extremely interesting to me, but I got a pair in amber and it reminded me that these bars very tough in some spots, but fragile in other areas. One looked rough but cleaned up into a working bar. The other looked fine but had broken plastic gears. I made one good bar out of the pair. For looking like a tank these bars have a few Achilles heels in surprising places like gears.
 
May 21, 2010
1,256
Minnesota
Mine were literally cracking amd breaking while i was moving the bar loose when it was still on the truck, got it off though but debating what to do with
As far as I know, the feet and motor/gearcage have the most value from the bar if you part it out.
The bulb holders work in a couple of different lights but the motor in more. Bummer on your domes being so brittle.
 

JohnMarcson

Administrator
May 7, 2010
10,971
Northwest Ohio
As far as I know, the feet and motor/gearcage have the most value from the bar if you part it out.
The bulb holders work in a couple of different lights but the motor in more. Bummer on your domes being so brittle.
The gears, plates, chains, retainer caps etc all have some value which is super inflated right now on ebay. Parting it out won't be hard.
 
May 21, 2010
2,201
Elmira, ny
As far as I know, the feet and motor/gearcage have the most value from the bar if you part it out.
The bulb holders work in a couple of different lights but the motor in more. Bummer on your domes being so brittle.
I was too to be honest, it makes my second twinsonic, the first one i got and still have is a 12X in remarkable shape has clear domes and red and clear bulbs
 

shues

Lifetime VIP Donor
May 21, 2010
10,276
NW Indiana
Too bad about the speaker grille. That style was only used for a couple of years. Only the very earliest Twinsonics had them.
 

ur20v

Member
Feb 3, 2017
571
Northern Virginia
@Jennifer Rose Towing looks like you have your work cut out for you! If I can find one cheap I'll buy it, but they aren't my favorite bars. Definitely have a place in history, though.

It seems to me these domes (and Code 3 SD domes) would be really easy to have reproduced. Not the most complex shape to have a mold machined for.
 
May 21, 2010
1,256
Minnesota
@shues Thank you. I didn't realize any of the grill was visible in the photos. That made me think you thought it was solid w/o cutouts, nice catch. I was not aware that tge Twinsonic had different grill vents. The tags and motor (now grill too) suggest this is an early model but not sure on the year. I hope to update some more photos tonight.
 
May 21, 2010
1,256
Minnesota
I just refreshed the post. Didnt realize I was limited to 20 photos so I deleted them and started over. Added an updated video too.

The text is all the same, I just need to do a final reassembly. I do not have further cleaning or restoration plans as of now. The motor seems a bit weak but still runs everything ok. I am happy with how it turned out and have somewhere between 7-9 hours into it. Now I just need to find a permanent shelf space for it.
 
May 21, 2010
1,256
Minnesota
I'm assuming you used a DA polisher or a drill with a pad attachment for the final polishing with Plastx?
Not sure what a DA is. For the final step (when using plastx) I start with a buffer pad on a drill for the exterior then follow up once or twice by hand with a cloth. The inside only gets done by hand (I have not wetsanded the inside, just polishing).
 

ur20v

Member
Feb 3, 2017
571
Northern Virginia
DA = "dual action", meaning the pad "orbits" the center axis of the tool as well rotates... think of a simple flower doodle you can draw without lifting your pen from the paper. Alot of automotive polishers and woodworking sanders are "dual action".
 

Wailer

Member
May 24, 2010
2,290
Canada
It looks like an early model, probably late 1960s. The first TwinSonic light bars had the old Federal logo and the horizontal louvres in the speaker grille.
 

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