Luke...I am your father.. Whelen 5200-PA-GL, 5300T or Darth Vader KYSP Light

[ford-dealer]

I am going to start posting pics of my collection. To start things off, here is my NOS Whelen 5200-PA-GL.


Note that the Takedown Lights have Non-Optic lenses. They are also mounted on springs allowing for adjustment for aiming. Also, the sticker on the back of the reflector says: "KY Takedown Lamp" It looks like a standard 3x4 Halogen, however the 3x4 mounts verticaly, and the bulb pin orientation was also changed to keep the filament in the propper horizontal position. Needless to say, I don't turn them on as I have NO way to relace them should one burn out. :nono: Also, not the speaker bell is specific to this light.


Enjoy!..

 

[PinballCharlie]

Nice light.... I have never seen one of these before.


Thanks for sharing!

 

[ford-dealer]

Nice light.... I have never seen one of these before.

Thanks for sharing!

You are welcome. I forgot to mention that this is the light that was made specically for Kentucky State Police. It is also known as the "Darth Vader" light.

 

[solid_snake]

Nice vintage light!First time I see this light.It's possible to have video?

 

[Crown_Vics]

Very nice! And very rare!

 

[CrownVic97]

Just with those few photos, Ford-Dealer, you have provided the best pictures of the Whelen "Vader" light on the internet to date! Those really show the detail of this sought-after beacon and how it all works. Good thing it's in great shape for being NOS:thumbsup:!

 

[plybeep68]

Beautiful!! I hope you have all these lights insured, i would be afraid to leave my house!!

 

[Hoser]

Seen them in Service in Ky but havent seen one since. Nice!

 

[stansdds]

The often mentioned, but seldom see Whelen "Darth Vader" strobe. Nice! :thumbsup:

 

[JohnMarcson]

First of all............ drooling onto keyboard too much to type......


Here is some more info for those unfamiliar with the beacon. I know the Kentucky version had a different model number but I think it was still 5300. One of the last lights I still need for my collection of odd whelen stuff. Thanks for posting.

 

[JohnMarcson]

Just with those few photos, Ford-Dealer, you have provided the best pictures of the Whelen "Vader" light on the internet to date! :thumbsup: !

I agree completely. Probably one of the best items of the year saved until the 2 last days..... Now I raise the community this: find similar pictures of one of these super rare versions below. Ford dealer? Pimp? Open up those vaults!

 

[rick h.]

great looking light.

 

[ford-dealer]

First of all............ drooling onto keyboard too much to type......








Here is some more info for those unfamiliar with the beacon. I know the Kentucky version had a different model number but I think it was still 5300. One of the last lights I still need for my collection of odd whelen stuff. Thanks for posting.

John,


I just know that the decal on the back clearly states "5200-PA-GL" I would have thought it would have said 5300-PA-T, but.....

 

[JohnMarcson]

John,

I just know that the decal on the back clearly states "5200-PA-GL" I would have thought it would have said 5300-PA-T, but.....

Odd. I have never even heard of such a designation. Me having not heard of it doesn't mean much though because Whelen often added, removed and redid products frequently. It's probably factory but early or late in production.

 

[ford-dealer]

Odd. I have never even heard of such a designation. Me having not heard of it doesn't mean much though because Whelen often added, removed and redid products frequently. It's probably factory but early or late in production.

Here is a pic of the label. I dunno either.... that is what happens when you add the word "Engineering" to your companies name.... :crazy:

 

[ford-dealer]

Here is the installation template that came with it. It says KY-5200 PA (Yet another designation)

 

[ford-dealer]

Here is a "Retrofit Kit" instruction sheet that was alos with this light. It appears that KYSP retrofitted some existing PA5200s to add the KY Base. Neat info!

 

[ford-dealer]

Here is the installation Hardware kit still sealed in bag.

 

[ford-dealer]

Here is a detail photo of one of the Takedown taken out of the base.


Note:


The label is specific to the KY-5200 PA or 5200 PA GL (???????? :blinkhuh:


Also, the two springs mount behind the two top screws to allow takedown "Aiming".


As is with traditional Whelen thinking.... the screws are 10 times longer than needed...... :weird:

 

[JohnMarcson]

Whelen was always "innovating" and trying things for depts and customers, which is one of the reasons I like them so much... and one of the reasons I hated them so much when I was installing. This beacon is a real find, it probably represents an early one.

 

[grfd711]

These have a soft spot in my heart since I saw these growing up in KY. David, the pics of everything is magnificent. I'm not much of a hardcore collector (only dashlights, as they're easy to store and affordable for my budget) and despite living in KY and having connections with several folks in all forms of public safety in KY, I've never been able to dig one of these up. Thanks for sharing the pics.