FedSig Twinsonic 12X clean up/restore

Sparky_911

Supporting Donor
May 15, 2013
2,648
Central Illinois
Finally finding time to work on the stack of projects in the garage. Been on a Fedsig kick lately (Aerodynic done, this, and now working on a mini Vector) before moving on to other things.

This is only the 2nd 'Sonic I've ever had hands on. This had been sitting on a shelf (along with my recent Aerodynic) for some time so the domes were dirty but no cracks or crazing with only a couple of scratches, cleaned/polished the domes (very minor yellowing) and good to go. I was fortunate enough to find this in decent mechanical shape. No tangled chains, or broken anything, only problem was a shifted motor, which didn't allow the worm gear to engage the tooth gear completely. It would do about a 3/4 turn then would slip. Remounted the motor and problem solved. A little lithium grease and it settled in just fine. While cleaning the interior up I was surprised to find it has 4 60w PAR36 bulbs not 35's., the white stands out well, and the blue almost looks like its cloudy/frosted. Wired up 3ft of 10ga to the + and - terminals and ran them out to the battery and works great.....pics and video......

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Jun 18, 2013
3,709
PA
Very nice, looks like a mix-master of twinsonic parts. Full Cast holders, Plastic speaker tray, and a type 3 motor. I'm curious to see what the tags read on the end caps.
 

coop359

Member
Apr 16, 2012
495
USA Tennessee
What’s not to like. I remember the PD in the town I grew up in had Model 12s with red domes. The bought a new 12X with clear domes and red/white bulbs. It even had the par36 alternating Adam 12 lights cut into the grill.
 
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Sparky_911

Supporting Donor
May 15, 2013
2,648
Central Illinois
Squale....that's how it came to me. I was gonna swap it reds on driver, b/w pass but I'm leaving it.

Valkyrie.....the tags are marked 12A1 with SAE-W3-71. So its definitely a bit of a frankenbar. Parts appear to be all sonic but from different years ranging from '71-'83? Total guess.

Coop.....all I did was wipe it out with a damp cloth. The domes took some prying to get off so I'd guess it hadn't been opened it years. The rubber seals aren't even crumbling.
 
Jun 18, 2013
3,709
PA
Your 2 best friends in cleaning up lightbars are Simple Green and WD-40. Pair those with a toothbrush, rags, and set of brushes (nylon and wire) and you can clean up most bars.

@Sparky_911 your guess is probably spot on, as far as I can tell it went through a rebuild at some point. It doesn't detract from the bar in the slightest and the only people who catch these things are the nuts found on elb.. lol
 
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Sparky_911

Supporting Donor
May 15, 2013
2,648
Central Illinois
I have everything you listed except for WD and simple Green. In place of those I have a degreaser called Purple Power and for fixing squeaks I have the old trusty 3n1 oil, silicone spray and lithium grease.

I've been pretty fortunate in my finds over the years. Maybe 1 or 2 bars that were a complete mess. It's that Midwestern farmers logic....Preventative Maintenance and cleaning keeps things running forever. Most of the stuff I find comes from rural departments run by the local farmers, or auctions also run by local farmers.
 
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