Beacon Finds

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Not much popping up near me as of late. No surprise with all the shenanigans going on, but this did pop up near me, a little bit of a drive but worth it IMO.



So at first glance, I could see someone mistaking the amber beacon for a Model 14. Upon further inspection it turned out to be an Arrow Model 530.. very used, and very dirty.

The other beacon is a Unity RV-26 with the Split or Spitfire (whatever) dome.
This light currently does not work, looks to be someone was tinkering with the wiring, so its very possible something is loose. The dome itself is in OK shape, some damage, can be saved and used as a display piece.
At first glance it is missing one of the bulb retaining clips, so need to find one of those at some point.



I did not get a chance to really tear into this.. I just know that it does not do anything at this point. But fear not it WILL live again!

As for the other light..

really dirty, the one bulb literally split in half..




and for the video fanatics..

 

[dmathieu]

RV-46 ?

 

[Skulldigger]

Very nice. I picked up an Arrow 530 a couple of years ago and it is identical to yours. My motor is stamped Mar 23 1983. Same SAE of 73. They do look at lot like the 14. Mine has a really big round magnet on the bottom, I suspect yours does as well the way it's sitting, so it was either a throw light or a temp. Mine has a stratolite 77 dome on it which is what it had when I found it. I think that is the standard dome for it, but after seeing yours I might switch that for a Federal.

 

[tsquale]

I've always thought the spitfire domes were cool. Good grabs!

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Excellent snag on the Spitfire! FYI: Unity catalogue with Unibeacon Numbering System bottom of page 2

 

[cmb56]

@Stampeed Valkyrie
The original lens on the Arrow 530 is the Stratolite 77 as on @Skulldigger ’s light.

To my knowledge Arrow was the original manufacturer of this light but it was rebranded for other companies, like Southern VP.

The two sealed beam version was the 530 and the four sealed beam version the 531.

Somewhere during the 2000s they changed from the heavy duty American Bosch motor to a lighter duty motor and the lights become the 550 and 551.

Michael

 

[Nolines]

Because Bosch stands for Built on Some Crappy Hardware!??

 

[stansdds]

Because Bosch stands for Built on Some Crappy Hardware!??

Bosch is expensive, the smaller motors used in later production beacons was cheap. Those old Bosch motors were very durable.

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Excellent snag on the Spitfire! FYI: Unity catalogue with Unibeacon Numbering System bottom of page 2

View attachment 225553 View attachment 225554

So the base does read RV 26. Which according to the documentation should read a 2 lamp beacon, however this is a 4 lamp beacon. And the bulbs are Par 36.


I have now fully torn this beacon apart.
It appears to be just about all there, minus the missing bulb clip, which I will post a want ad for later.

I am going to take the bulb cage and gear box to get sand blasted to remove some surface rust.

I am already attacking the chrome base with 0000 steel wool and some pb blaster. It's coming along nicely. Won't be perfect, but a good display piece anyway.

I took note that this uses a Federal Type 2 motor.. which was seized but I coaxed back to life.

stupid wiring question time, the 12V+ wire coming into the bulb cage.. did that have 4 seperate connections 1 to each bulb, or did it go into something else and then split to the 4 bulbs?

I typically have more pictures at this point, been focusing more on not forgetting how to put it back together.. then pictures.. lol

 

[dmathieu]

RV45

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Obviously someone took the guts of a RV45 and put it in the base of a RV26. Here’s a pic of mine: 4 separate leads to each bulb from the center post.

If you’re handy with a pair of pliers, you could probably fashion a bulb clip from a fine wire rod. Or you could try emailing or calling Unity to see if they have a couple lying around...you never know.

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Part of my problem was someone ran a wire to another nut that connected all 4 wires and wrapped that in electrical tape so it wouldn't short.. FAIL.

The whole beacon is apart at this point, getting the drive axle back together is probably going to be the PITA.

 

[Nolines]

Gyro!

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Is the diagram below correct for the reassembly of the gearbox for this beacon?

basically from top to bottom..
C-Clip
washer
springy washer
brass gear
C-Clip

I have a feeling this beacon was tampered with. Am I missing anything or is this out of order?

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

So Unity still makes the bulb retention clips.
I just got one, and paid more for that then I did the whole beacon.. lol

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Your diagram looks right. Here are the pics of mine...Unity obviously believed in copious lubrication! Hope it helps.

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

So I am assuming the motor should NOT be a Federal Type 2 motor.. correct?

 

[Maxim2Eng]

No. It does resemble a 14 motor but is larger.

 

[stansdds]

Part of my problem was someone ran a wire to another nut that connected all 4 wires and wrapped that in electrical tape so it wouldn't short.. FAIL.

Bubba done been fixin' da spin lights ag'in.

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

No. It does resemble a 14 motor but is larger.
View attachment 225595 View attachment 225596 View attachment 225597

So I took a look at the motor, and it is the same motor, with the same date and product stamps on it as well.

I have another RV-25 somewhere, I think it also had a Federal motor.

 

[Maxim2Eng]

Just speculating, but it may be possible that as Unity was winding down production of the RVs they depleted their supply of motors and used federal motors instead....

The two RV46s I have use the same motor. The size is larger than the 14 and slightly smaller than the 17x motor.

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Thanks to @fyrboy I was able to locate the correct dome for this beacon. Needed some TLC and far from perfect, but good enough considering the overall beacon condition.



and quick video..