Picked up this little BIG honey recently, I thought about parting it out originally. But as it sat there it kind of grew on me and I decided that I could use a display bar in the garage. Needs eight bulbs which I have on order and a good wet sanding and general cleaning. From what I can tell this bar was built in the early 90s, it came off a Fire Engine. Believe it or not, the FD didn't want to spend the time tracking down the bulbs. LOL This will be my first Sealed Beam Bar.
Code 3 9400A Four Alarm Project
- Thread starter Master X
- Start date
Nice! That thing would make Clark Griswold blush.
That's for sure, someone had a few 100 watt bulbs in it as well. I'm going to swap them out with the right bulbs. I have a 200 amp battery charger to run it.
This is for @JohnMarcson I don't know if there is a record of the end label for code 3 XL "Sealed Beam" but here it is.
Attachments
Thanks...This is what I have, I wonder if some domes got swapped at any point. The small XL doesn't 100% make sense for a sealed beam bar based on my catalog files, but there are lots of factors like replacement domes and reused catalog pics. Maybe it was made during a crossover period or a replacement dome, or maybe I have the order wrong.
This (graphic below) is my understanding of the time periods for domes. I am in no way 100% sure, again, I know domes get swapped a lot so I tried to base this off catalogs. The catalogs sometimes used older pictures, so that could be wrong too. I know the "red bars on top" is an older design and "red bar on the bottom" is newer. The patents listed make a good case for the order at least for the first one. Where the sealed beam transition occurred dome wise is certainly up for debate.
Also of note is the 3rd one listed the international info for the bars/Code 3, so that may be of importance. I'm pretty sure of the the order of the first two, the last two I am less confident. And again, I am even less confident as to how this related to different rotator types. I look at this as a ballpark at best.
Last edited:
To further complicate things here are some catalog pics. I have a feeling the domes didn't really "end" at any given time, the labels were phased in which caused overlap.
1980 Catalog, looks like the "big CODE 3 XL" version. This catalog shows the "gen 2 sealed beams", so it's not necessarily the earliest version.
An early 90s catalog with the reflector style rotators showing "FORCE 4 XL"
A catalog from a similar time showing "Small XL"
A later model with the "no model" tag
I might have The "large writing" earlier versions reversed... One thing is for sure, there was a lot of crossover in what "guts" were under what dome, at least label wise.
1980 Catalog, looks like the "big CODE 3 XL" version. This catalog shows the "gen 2 sealed beams", so it's not necessarily the earliest version.
An early 90s catalog with the reflector style rotators showing "FORCE 4 XL"
A catalog from a similar time showing "Small XL"
A later model with the "no model" tag
I might have The "large writing" earlier versions reversed... One thing is for sure, there was a lot of crossover in what "guts" were under what dome, at least label wise.
Let's look at the patents, I think I may have taken the total number listed as a factor in the order in an incorrect way.
1975
This patent refers to the belt drive
1976
This patent refers to select alert and rotator function
1979
This patent is simply the XL dome shape
So the patents listed on the "Code 3 XL" dome were worried about the guts of the bar. After that they only listed the dome patents on the dome. So the "Code 3 XL" being the earliest and listing the gen 1 rotator patents makes sense. After that they simply kept it to the dome related patents.
I think I may need to revise my order, this may be more likely. The blue arrows I am pretty sure, the red are possible.
1975
US4004274A - Signal light assembly - Google Patents
A signal light assembly for vehicles requiring positive visual identification for either emergency service or traffic control usage, in which an identification beacon is provided with rotating lamp carrying pod means having the lamps positioned to produce an effective pattern of light flashes...
patents.google.com
1976
US4058794A - Vehicle beacon control system - Google Patents
A vehicle light control system for emergency and patrol vehicles equipped with emergency recognition rotating beacons in which the beacons are provided with side-facing flood lights for illuminating areas at one or both sides of a vehicle to provide means to observe conditions in the side areas...
patents.google.com
1979
This patent is simply the XL dome shape
So the patents listed on the "Code 3 XL" dome were worried about the guts of the bar. After that they only listed the dome patents on the dome. So the "Code 3 XL" being the earliest and listing the gen 1 rotator patents makes sense. After that they simply kept it to the dome related patents.
I think I may need to revise my order, this may be more likely. The blue arrows I am pretty sure, the red are possible.
Last edited:
The XL Bar never had the early (gen1) SD-Bar lamp mounts.I think I may need to revise my order, this may be more likely. The blue arrows I am pretty sure, the red are possible.
The XL was released with the quick-change bulb mounts, and at the same time the SD also got these new bulb mounts.
Good point, I have never seen an XL with the GEN 1 SD style holders. Was catalog digging and saw the gen1 bulb holders in an SD next to an XL and for some reason I just decided they were the same, which is not correct. The XL isn't clear enough to see very well, but there isn't any evidence of the XL9000 actually ever having the original SD style holders. I shouldn't have assumed they were identical just because they were pictured together.
Maybe this end cap breakdown is a little closer? Again, I'm getting conflicting pics even in catalogs. I know the top two are older and the bottom two newer, that's about all I am sure of.
Last edited:
