My Dominion Automotive Montreal PD crossbar, updated Dec 13th, 2013

[toon80]

Hello fellow friends,


This is a project I have been working on for a long time. This is the crossbar that was used on many of the Montreal cruisers back in the 80's up to the early 90's. I bought the beacons New In Box 4 years ago in amber. The red and blue used domes are NOS from a local sale I could find.. The CP-25 speaker was from Doug here on the board (many thanks, Doug, and Richard P, for the specs informations of the crossbar ). The crossbar is from my last road trip near Ontario. It is a more correct 50" long crossbar, rather than the 64" one I had before.


The takedowns are not DA, yet still looking for some. They are JF Searcher driving lights. As far as I can tell, they match the exact specs of the DA branded ones. I am still missing the alley lights, so the Quest continues for more DA lights.


Wailer informed me that the most likely siren to go with this bar must've been the earlier PA15A, or PA20A series A-B-C-D. If you have one for sale, let me know.


This bar is very similar to other ones used across Canada, as did the RCMP and the O.P.P, among others.


This is a Montreal cruiser:





and that's my project pictured below.


Let me know what you think


-Toon

 

[dmathieu]

Fantastic!!!


Dan

 

[nonreverb]

Excellent work!

 

[stansdds]

Turned out great!

 

[TritonBoulder47]

Looks sweet... But you're missing the take down spot light... LOL

 

[toon80]

Looks sweet... But you're missing the take down spot light... LOL

Yeah, I know. I got to find 4....Front/rear TD, + 2 alleys.... wish me luck!

 

[dmathieu]

You could probably have someone make a snow/bug cover for the speaker.


Dan

 

[toon80]

You could probably have someone make a snow/bug cover for the speaker.

Dan

Oh? Yeah, sounds like a good plan! Would you know what kind of fabric they would use for that? It would be what: zipped? Held by an elastic band?


Although some Montreal PD cars had it, and some didn't.

 

[dmathieu]

Oh? Yeah, sounds like a good plan! Would you know what kind of fabric they would use for that? It would be what: zipped? Held by an elastic band?
Although some Montreal PD cars had it, and some didn't.

Just guessing, but I would think out of a plastic or nylon weave, tight enought to keep stuff out, but porous enough to let the sound out unencumbered.


Probably held on by some type of draw string rather than elastic. I don't think elastic would hold up in the elements.

 

[plybeep68]

Look's great !!! :thumbsup:

 

[CrownVic97]

Nice! 5 stars

 

[solid_snake]

excellent!!!

 

[towmedic]

I have a couple of those crossbars...1 is an original RCMP setup from here with a pair of R/B Deitz 711's (not sure about the TD/alley lights), and the other one is bare right now but came with Bosch lights. I'll try and get a couple of pics of the mounting system for you in the next couple days when I get a chance. BTW Looks Great!


Brent

 

[toon80]

Thanks everyone for the compliments so far


When I get it up and running, I'll make a video an update the thread.


Towmedic, if you find a used set of legs, let me know!

 

[motorolamaniac]

That is an amazing recreation, great job. The mounts look like they could be twinsonic gutter mounts. If not they look like they would work well enough perhaps.


Can't wait to see additional progress.

 

[flahotrod]

Great job. Looks better than the originals! :thumbsup:

 

[CrownVic97]

Found this video tonight whilst on a YouTube tanget. Look what the cruisers have for main lightbar of choice :thumbsup: :

 

[toon80]

Nice! :thumbsup:


I especially like the rear amber flashers, as the police around here never uses rear amber flashers. (I know, I know, they are effective )


Thanks for linking this video, CrownVic

 

[CrownVic97]

Yeah, you bet, Toon80 !

 

[Wailer]

Found this video tonight whilst on a YouTube tanget. Look what the cruisers have for main lightbar of choice :thumbsup: :

I think those are Vancouver PD cars. The Vancouver PD had the two DA flat tops and blinkers on their cars in the mid to late 1980s.

 

[nerdly_dood]

Found this video tonight whilst on a YouTube tanget. Look what the cruisers have for main lightbar of choice :thumbsup: :

I couldn't help but gasp at how those guys treat their guns... Pretty cool otherwise.

 

[toon80]

Video added

 

[CrownVic97]

[Broken External Image]:http://www.maxrev.de/files/2011/12/borat.jpg

 

[kadetklapp]

It occurs to me now that in the Halloween episode of Trailer Park Boys, where Lahey gets caught being DUI in his squad car, that the lightbars were Dominions. I wondered who made them.

 

[plybeep68]

Nice Video, I love the twin beacon syle lightbars!! :thumbsup:

 

[towmedic]

Looks great, Toon. BTW I did some digging and found a set of the mounts you were looking for. If you still need them, pm me.


Brent

 

[Richard P]

It occurs to me now that in the Halloween episode of Trailer Park Boys, where Lahey gets caught being DUI in his squad car, that the lightbars were Dominions. I wondered who made them.

"Halloween 77" I remember that. it had 4 bulb beacons.

 

[kadetklapp]

"Halloween 77" I remember that. it had 4 bulb beacons.

Yes! I was very interested to see those lights because they didn't look familiar but they were big, heavy-duty looking rotators. I wonder if I can get a screenshot for ID purposes....hmmm...

 

[toon80]

Yes! I was very interested to see those lights because they didn't look familiar but they were big, heavy-duty looking rotators. I wonder if I can get a screenshot for ID purposes....hmmm...

If you need any close use pics, let me know

 

[kadetklapp]

Here's the one I remember-


[Broken External Image]:http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh192/kadetklapp/trailerparkboys-1.jpg

 

[toon80]

Yup, they sure looks like Dominion Auto 357F flat tops 4 beamers.


I have them here in my collection, the 2 first red and blue ones:

 

[Marty1]

Love it, Ill transfer you a picture of a private collection someday.!

 

[toon80]

Hello folks,


I have found a true Dominion Automotive crossbar to transfer my blinkies on. It is a 64" bar, so even though the squad cars had 54" ones, the police vans had 64", so it will still be correct.


Here are the pictures of the bar pars that will eventually all come together to upgrade the bar.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

Very impressive and what a beefy crossbar--looks like it could hold a couple of kayaks between the beacons and speaker!

 

[Richard P]

where did you find that? id love to get one!

 

[Wailer]

Where I live, the city PD had the same Dominion Auto roof racks on their cars from 1974 up until the early 1990s. The racks had two four beam flat top Dominion Auto beacons and a Dominion Auto streamlined chrome CP25 style speaker in between. The warning equipment was all Dominion Auto except for the siren.


Most of the cars had Federal PA15A series 1E electronic sirens during that period. A few cars may have had PA150s or PA200s, and I know there were a few with PA300s toward the end. The sirens were all Federal.


Both beacons were red up until 1987. From 1987 up until the end the beacon on the passenger's side was blue.

 

[toon80]

where did you find that? id love to get one!

I was lucky and found that one locally in the classifieds. It's been 3 years of searching. Still, I'd love to get a 54" one. That one is 64".


Thanks for the comment, Richard!

Where I live, the city PD had the same Dominion Auto roof racks on their cars from 1974 up until the early 1990s. The racks had two four beam flat top Dominion Auto beacons and a Dominion Auto streamlined chrome CP25 style speaker in between. The warning equipment was all Dominion Auto except for the siren.

Most of the cars had Federal PA15A series 1E electronic sirens during that period. A few cars may have had PA150s or PA200s, and I know there were a few with PA300s toward the end. The sirens were all Federal.


Both beacons were red up until 1987. From 1987 up until the end the beacon on the passenger's side was blue.

Thanks for the input, Leslie. Yes, it was almost the same here in Montreal.


Early patrol cars had the DA 4 way flasher in red, then two 4-beamers flat top in red, then the same with siren speaker, then they switched the passenger side to blue and mostly put 2 beamers instead of 4.


I'd like to know what siren they used back then in the 80's. I have a PA15A-1E. I fairly think that's what they used. But when I see old footage on tv and hear real sirens -not overdubbed ones- they sometime sounds more low-pitched. I'm guessing maybe older PA20's?

 

[jdh]

I remember Toronto had the DA round top in the late 70's then went to the cross bar with 6 flashing stationary lamps(2 front, 2 rear, 1 on each side) until a few years later when the added the 4 beam to the center. 2 red 2 clear.


They went to LP6000's in 85-86???

 

[toon80]

Very impressive and what a beefy crossbar--looks like it could hold a couple of kayaks between the beacons and speaker!

It is as beefy as the beacons it's holding, hehe.

 

[Wailer]

I'd like to know what siren they used back then in the 80's. I have a PA15A-1E. I fairly think that's what they used. But when I see old footage on tv and hear real sirens -not overdubbed ones- they sometime sounds more low-pitched. I'm guessing maybe older PA20's?

Now that you mention it, back in the 1980s I saw a news video clip of a Montreal PD car running code 3 and it had an early PA15A or PA20A (B, C, or D series) with the low-pitched wail and yelp tones. That deep slow rising wail tone was unmistakable. The car was in the blue paint scheme and had a Dominion auto roof rack with two red dual sealed beam flat top beacons and a CP25 style speaker in between. Many PDs transfer older sirens and radios to newer vehicles, and some of the 1960s vintage Federal electronic sirens survived well into the 1980s.


I also remember seeing a news video clip of Montreal PD plain clothes cops in an unmarked car that had an electronic siren with a wail tone that sounded somewhat like a mechanical siren. I have no idea what make or model it was.