Just got my new sterling model 20 siren thanks to a member on here. It works great both light and siren and it sure does scream. Its a 6 volt.
My new sterling model 20 siren.
- Thread starter 1954chevy
- Start date
Thanks here is a video wfdstation42 made of it working brfore he sold it to me.
elightbars :: SANY0023-1.mp4 video by wfdstation42 - Photobucket
elightbars :: SANY0023-1.mp4 video by wfdstation42 - Photobucket
opcorn:
Very nice Model 20 Sirenlite. Don't see them in that good of shape nowadays. I have a decent old 20 which started out as a Sirenlite. I bought it for $45 from a guy I know. I knew that the front-end was missing but I wasn't concerned about that, but when it got here the rear housing was beat all to hell. I took it to my retired fire chief friend who loves to tinker with old sirens. The siren wasn't coasting properly, but he couldn't fix that because the screw that holds the rotor in place was "frozen" in place and he was afraid of causing further damage if he tried to remove it. But the big surprise was when it came back it came with the grille and rear housing off a 20S, the short model. Nice! Very nice! Hope your '54 enjoys her new toy!
dmathieu said:
Awwww, you beat me to it, Dan! When I was in high school I saw a guy try that with an old B&M. He had one wire coming from the power peg on the siren and then a ground and just barely touched them into the wall socket. The siren rolled over quickly but the sudden jolt caused the guy to drop it. I guess that was good as he didn't have a chance to put too much "juice" to it to hurt the siren. But did that thing ever rolllllll!
yea your right that would look good and guys lol im not as stupid as ive made myself look lol stupid, stupid mistake :Banghead:
But on the serious note does this not look like a wall plugin??
But on the serious note does this not look like a wall plugin??
Wailer said:
That would be an excellent placement. The Beacon Ray 17 came out in 1948, but in some areas they were still totally unheard of or sparsley used. Ellis Funeral Home's '54 Ford was the first vehicle here with a beacon. MFD didn't get their first until '56 with the panel truck and MPD's first beacons were on '56 Pontiac sedans with 17s on the roofs and a variety of sirens underhood. This would also mark the first time for police cars not have outside sirens. As I mentioned earlier, the Sterling 20 is very nice. But Sterlings were primarily fire truck sirens and not seen all that often on police cars or ambulances. Since this is more for show and display it's fine. Most likely that '54 would've had a Federal WL on the fender with Adam-12 type lights, or maybe even a beacon!
1954chevy said:
I would have to agree, but the plug itself has an unusual shape. What I suspect is someone at some point used that plug and an identical receptacle to wire up a speaker for a particular purpose known only to them. I just can't see that setup on a speaker. Just be careful next time!
HaHaHa i decided this afternoon i would use my model 20 siren today so i went down and plugged it into the 6 volt battery and let her wail a couple of times also There was some bad storms heading our way and While me and dad were sitting there he got a text from our neighbor and the text read BETTER HUNKER DOWN SOUNDS LIKE A TORNADO IS HEADED OUR WAY. lol he thought since we live a few miles from a collage with tornado sirens the tornado sirens were going off. And also at that moment my dads friend pulled in and said he could hear it at the top of our road which is about a mile away.
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I can't wait for the story you'll post after the first time you try that on the street and the siren in attached to a car.
You know i think your just trying to be a total jerk to me and to be honest im kinda sick of it. ever since ive got on here you have been no help whatsoever and tryed your best to bring me down, ive tried to be as nice as i can to you sir but you cant be back your all ways trying to find something to degrade me on, and i havent said much back because i hate drama and fighting, and just because youve done many accurate restorations doesnt mean your the best and everyone has to be like you. I think you look for ways to bring people down, and for your information the siren was not plugged up to the car it was plugged into a golf cart battery sitting in my driveway im not stupid enough to plug it up and try it in the street.
Think whatever you'd like of me. I call it like I see it and I think you have a lot of growing up to do. It is very apparent that you only want to make an old police car because you think it will be cool to drive around and play with the lights and siren. The police car restoration hobby already has its share of guys who are only infatuated with the emergency equipment aspect of the hobby and most of them are strange birds. That's why it's no big surprise when they get themselves into trouble and they all eventually do.
But, go ahead and do what you want. Hopefully a little maturity will come with age as you get older and someday you'll prove me wrong by becoming a respected hobbyist. If that is the case we all win and I will be the first to admit I am wrong. Until then, lighten up, listen to advice and quit crying about everything you don't agree with.
But, go ahead and do what you want. Hopefully a little maturity will come with age as you get older and someday you'll prove me wrong by becoming a respected hobbyist. If that is the case we all win and I will be the first to admit I am wrong. Until then, lighten up, listen to advice and quit crying about everything you don't agree with.
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Oh well trust me thats not why i want to make a police car i see, what your probably thinking is this is some 16 year old kid that thinks having a police car would be fun to go out and raise heck in and blast the siren on the street etc and i can understand why you may think that because a lot of kids my age would. But No thats not what i want at all im not your average 16 year old 2012 punk and one to go around messing with real emergency equipment. What i do want is an accurate representation of a 1954 police car that i can take to car shows, parades etc. The reason behind the police car is not because its a cop car and it would look cool etc. its because i want to show people what the old cars looked back then and the way they worked, they are now pieces of history, people today are so used to just seeing run of the mill crown vics, but thats not what those cars were they had charachter and people dont get to see what they were back then today, and the reason i plugged the siren is was i had not heard it before in person and wanted to try it out, i live out in the hills of tennessee on a little road surround by hay fields, the road sees a car pass about every 20-30 minutes and did not think it would be a problem to try it out as long as i was in my driveway and it was not connected to a vehicle. I know you cannot have the siren on the vehicle while you are driving. And just one last thing theres not many kids out there my age interested in our history, and the past, or especially this hobby so instead of trying to look for something thats wrong with someones car, post etc. Just steer them in the right direction , because if not who will take over this Hobby after the old timers are gone. Im not on here to stir trouble just to learn all i can about the hobby. Thank you
That's great and like I said, I hope you prove me wrong. We need more responsible people with good intentions in the restoration hobby. I am all for that.
But also, as it has been said before in replies to the various threads you've started here already, have a plan before you start a project car. Figure out what it is specifically that you want to restore before you just start asking if this light or that siren is right for a police car from 1954. Just because the equipment is period correct, it doesn't necessarily mean it was used. Good intentions or not, if you just start putting vintage gear on an old car, it's still going to end up looking like a clown.
You've got all the time in the world at this point. Do some research and decide what police department you want to restore a replica car from. Once you've done that, figure out what types of vehicles they used. That also broadens your options for restorations. If the department you decided on used only Fords in the 1950s, then you're doing a lot of work to a 54 Chevy for nothing. At that point you might as well paint your car orange and make a General Lee out of it instead of a copcar. The result is the same. It will never be correct. However, that does open your search to ANY Ford from the 50s to use as the basis of an accurate restoration. Understand what I mean?
Chevrolets were not popluar as police cars prior to 1955 because Chevy did not offer a 'police package' until 1955 and it took them years to catch up to Ford who introduced their police-built car in 1950. So any Chevy that was a police car you may see prior to '55 is a regular showroom floor civilian car- nothing special about them at all. Not only that, 6 volt systems can be tricky to work with and difficult to find parts for.
I am just trying to offer some friendly advice that you seem to not really want most of the time and then get all upset about.
But also, as it has been said before in replies to the various threads you've started here already, have a plan before you start a project car. Figure out what it is specifically that you want to restore before you just start asking if this light or that siren is right for a police car from 1954. Just because the equipment is period correct, it doesn't necessarily mean it was used. Good intentions or not, if you just start putting vintage gear on an old car, it's still going to end up looking like a clown.
You've got all the time in the world at this point. Do some research and decide what police department you want to restore a replica car from. Once you've done that, figure out what types of vehicles they used. That also broadens your options for restorations. If the department you decided on used only Fords in the 1950s, then you're doing a lot of work to a 54 Chevy for nothing. At that point you might as well paint your car orange and make a General Lee out of it instead of a copcar. The result is the same. It will never be correct. However, that does open your search to ANY Ford from the 50s to use as the basis of an accurate restoration. Understand what I mean?
Chevrolets were not popluar as police cars prior to 1955 because Chevy did not offer a 'police package' until 1955 and it took them years to catch up to Ford who introduced their police-built car in 1950. So any Chevy that was a police car you may see prior to '55 is a regular showroom floor civilian car- nothing special about them at all. Not only that, 6 volt systems can be tricky to work with and difficult to find parts for.
I am just trying to offer some friendly advice that you seem to not really want most of the time and then get all upset about.
I may be in a different part of the state then you but i dont remember seeing any "tornado producing storms" ANYWHERE in the state yesterday. or for the past week for that matter...
just FYI.
just FYI.
Okay thank you im thinking about doing west long branch police and yes your right i have found out that chevorlet did not have a interceptor model, and it seems most departments who used them were very local departments for some reason. maybe they couldnt afford the fords so used chevorlets were cheaper? i dont know.
And there were no tornado produceing stoms yesterday in my part just some really bad thunder storms and i guess he was thinking the college was doing their tornado sirens as they do when a tornado warning is first issued.
And there were no tornado produceing stoms yesterday in my part just some really bad thunder storms and i guess he was thinking the college was doing their tornado sirens as they do when a tornado warning is first issued.
Wow! That should give you a good idea. The top left is the WL siren I mention in my previous post. The one on the right appears to be a Sterling. The Long Branch unit is most unusual. That appears to be a C6 siren with the moving PropelloRay light. Most unusual on police vehicles, but nice and loud, and the light could be seen.
Can anyone run these serial numbers off my sterling model 20 siren and tell me when it was made they are 67581. Thanks
1954chevy said:
The car in the last photo has a Federal C5L siren. The C series have a mellower and more resonant sound than the 66 or Q series. Very good sounding sirens.
During my early childhood my dad drove a 1954 Pontiac that looked just like the Chevies in those photos. It was light blue with a white roof.
Wailer said:
I agree! I have a C5GB that will eventually go on my '68 Olds ambulance. It came from Canada! There's an old beat-up C5GS on ebay now for $150. There's a YouTube link to it. I've never heard a C series with a super slow motor like that. I suspect bad brushes or something. I've used C5Gs for many years and have alway gotten through traffic well. Ditto with my B&Ms and Qs. You go much smaller than these, you're asking for trouble. Would you believe that many years ago a guy I knew removed a nice old 78 lighted doubletone siren from his ambulance (he claimed it ran his battery down) and replaced it with a VL...the smallest thing Federal made! He just couldn't understand why people wouldn't move over for him or ran out in front of him....not to mention those who hit him!