Rare?? 1979 Cheetah LB6 light bar

[Reno911]

My dad got two of these from the Gold Beach Police Department on the coast here in oregon. Something fell on one, busting the red lens.


The one with the busted red lens was manufactured 5 of '80, the pristine bar was manufactured 1 of '79.


I've never seen anything like this on the internet, or in photos, so question is, how rare/unusual is this bar?


I have to clean the interior of the good one and buff the lenses(they will be near perfect). It also has a 100W siren in the center too.


5-80 bar-











1-79 bar-



































Any input/information is greatly appreciated

 

[fedsig7]

Those are very rare. Awesome looking bar!

 

[Reno911]

Awesome.


I bet the lenses are going to be impossible to find. :duh:

 

[theroofable]

Make a video of it please!

 

[tsquale]

Wow! That one is SHARP! I have never seen anything like them before. Great score! :hail:

 

[wfdstation42]

A light bar with boobs, SWEET!!

 

[djmcfall]

I installed two of that same bar in 1979. One went on a Idaho Falls, Idaho Police special unit patrol car and the other into a Bonneville County Sheriff Plymouth Volare. The city and county started a new anti DUI program called STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) with a federal grant, and hired me to do the installs, complete with Smith & Wesson siren/light controllers. I added my home made high beam wig wag units as well. I have a newspaper clipping of one covered in snow with the boobs sticking out of the snow drift on top of the parked cruiser. I was full time with IFPD but did installs in my spare time. Thanks for this thread, brought back some old memories.

 

[chief1562]

Nice light.


How about some pics of the domes off the bar?


They look a little like FS domes or C3's.


Take a few measurements if you would.


Please

 

[Reno911]

Make a video of it please!

Ask and you shall receive:yes: One earlier today, and one I just took. Second vid the rotators are a little slower, jump box was getting low.

They are similar to some of the FS domes on bars my dad has, but these are much rounder around the edges. I will be pulling the other one out tomorrow. Might swap motors if the others are better. I'll get some basic dimensions and more pictures.

 

[7d9_z28]

Sweet lights! Cheetah made many different lights, every kind they made seems to be low production numbers and rare.


Based on the first picture, it looks like that garage is probably full of cool stuff.. Maybe you should let me in it for 5 minutes :yes: I will only take what I can fit in my arms!

 

[Reno911]

Sweet lights! Cheetah made many different lights, every kind they made seems to be low production numbers and rare.

Based on the first picture, it looks like that garage is probably full of cool stuff.. Maybe you should let me in it for 5 minutes :yes: I will only take what I can fit in my arms!

Pretty cool that they are rare, but then again I'm not looking for this lightbar Anyone know of any "pancake" Cheetah lightbars around for sale? Need one for an 85 OSP Mustang my dad and I are buying:undecided:


Garage, more like panel van My dad has a ton of cool police stuff. Stuff you see in the boxes is misc. CHP brackets. I still haven't seen all my dad has. Found a chain driven Jetsonic last week lol. I must have caught the light bar disease when I joined this forum:haha:

 

[7d9_z28]

Pretty cool that they are rare, but then again I'm not looking for this lightbar Anyone know of any "pancake" Cheetah lightbars around for sale? Need one for an 85 OSP Mustang my dad and I are buying:undecided:

Garage, more like panel van My dad has a ton of cool police stuff. Stuff you see in the boxes is misc. CHP brackets. I still haven't seen all my dad has. Found a chain driven Jetsonic last week lol. I must have caught the light bar disease when I joined this forum:haha:

There was a thread on here about the Cheetah pancake setup.. http://elightbars.org/forums/f18/pancake-lightbar-33632/


Im sure selling the ones you have would fund the one you want pretty well!


You are gunna have to clean that van out, and start posting pictures! I LOVE old lights. Even just fog/driving lights, work lights, lightbars.. I love em all!


Keep digging, and find me a Mars Aurora Borealis!!!

 

[JohnMarcson]

Very nice. I saw an amber one once and thought it was a home brew until I read the caps. Thanks for the links to the other cheetah thread. I bet you could make a reasonable dome copy from an existing "box-type" bar dome.

 

[plybeep68]

The domes/covers appear to have the same rounded edges like the domes/covers off of a Dietz Omni Chief

 

[Hoser]

First I remember seeing. Very Nice!

 

[ex416]

that's a very unique lightbar. never seen one before. the lens inserts and the lampholder setups are certainly different looking.

 

[fedsig7]

Sounds like you guys have some cool stuff. Post more pics!

 

[kitn1mcc]

thats a cool old bar

 

[Reno911]

Thanks guys! Don't think I'll be selling these Sell some of the newer stuff to get funds.

Sounds like you guys have some cool stuff. Post more pics!

I'm working on cleaning up some bars my dad has, I have to post pics sometime. He's got some other cool stuff Lightbars are mainly just the usual stuff, except these and some CHP lights.

 

[PinballCharlie]

A light bar with boobs, SWEET!!

Now that IS funny!! I thought it had pimples...

 

[patrol530]

Nice, I admire the manufacturing simplicity.

 

[LRGJr72]

AWESOME! I've never heard of a "Cheetah Lightbar"... or any Cheetah lighting products for that matter. It's always exciting to see something that I never knew existed. These must be UBER-rare.


Anyone know the history of this manufacturer?

 

[Reno911]

AWESOME! I've never heard of a "Cheetah Lightbar"... or any Cheetah lighting products for that matter. It's always exciting to see something that I never knew existed. These must be UBER-rare.

Anyone know the history of this manufacturer?

I've never seen anything like these, other than the more common enclosed bars like twinsonics. The only two light bars I've seen from the cheetah company are these and the pancake light bars on the Oregon State Police Mustangs.


I don't think I mentioned this earlier, but (I did search, but probably wrong terms used) what can I use to clean the scum/corrosion on the aluminum inside the domes? Can someone post a link to a thread that shows the proccess if there is one? Thanks.

 

[JennyCop]

Very unique and interesting lightbar! Great find! :thumbsup: thanks for posting the pics and video! I had never seen or heard of one.

 

[Reno911]

Looking through this album on fotki, you can see quite a few cars with Cheetah Bars on them. Most the same style as mine, most without the boobies lol


Photo: OR - Brookings PD | Rich Underdahl album | copcar dot com | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

 

[Shawn L]

and to think about 20 years ago I threw away dozens of cheetah domes with the bubbles, cause I looked hi and low and couldnt fid a lightbar that they would fit on , some were new in the box,


I even remember smashing blue twinsonic domes with the rare cts rear insert. they were surplus and they were to be destroyed , as a 17 year old intern at the radio shop no one even thought twice about trashing them,


the one blue cts dome I have was saved case it had been turned upside down and filled with stuff as a storage container and basically forgotten on the top of a really tall shelf, it sat there for better than 20 years when i found it.

 

[Wigwam700]

A light bar with boobs, SWEET!!

The best of both worlds!! :yes: :yes:

 

[Wigwam700]

and to think about 20 years ago I threw away dozens of cheetah domes with the bubbles, cause I looked hi and low and couldnt fid a lightbar that they would fit on , some were new in the box,

I even remember smashing blue twinsonic domes with the rare cts rear insert. they were surplus and they were to be destroyed , as a 17 year old intern at the radio shop no one even thought twice about trashing them,


the one blue cts dome I have was saved case it had been turned upside down and filled with stuff as a storage container and basically forgotten on the top of a really tall shelf, it sat there for better than 20 years when i found it.

That is a SAD, SAD, SAD, Story!! :sadcry: :ugh: :sadcry: :ugh: :sadcry: :ugh:

 

[djmcfall]

I installed two of that same bar in 1979. One went on a Idaho Falls, Idaho Police special unit patrol car and the other into a Bonneville County Sheriff Plymouth Volare. The city and county started a new anti DUI program called STEP (Selective Traffic Enforcement Program) with a federal grant, and hired me to do the installs, complete with Smith & Wesson siren/light controllers. I added my home made high beam wig wag units as well. I have a newspaper clipping of one covered in snow with the boobs sticking out of the snow drift on top of the parked cruiser. I was full time with IFPD but did installs in my spare time. Thanks for this thread, brought back some old memories.

I finally found the newspaper clipping, it is old so it does not look too good, but it is the above bar.

Lightbar.pdf

 

[Reno911]

I finally found the newspaper clipping, it is old so it does not look too good, but it is the above bar.

Thanks! Had 7-10 inches of snow fall yesterday. I had wanted to put the bar on one of my cars as I had a feeling it was going to snow a lot. Wanted to replicate the photo. Took my two blue lenses out and stuffed them into the snow on top of my 86 Caprice. Put the center speaker grille up there too. Hopefully we get the snow that is said to come in the next day or so.

 

[Reno911]

That is a SAD, SAD, SAD, Story!! :sadcry: :ugh: :sadcry: :ugh: :sadcry: :ugh:

I second this

 

[JohnMarcson]

I finally found the newspaper clipping, it is old so it does not look too good, but it is the above bar.

If pdf isn't an option for you, here is a jpeg of this very cool clipping! Thanks djmcfall

 

[Reno911]

Not nearly as much snow on top, but I tried:haha:


I missed the big snow the day before...

 

[NESQ115]

I've never seen anything like these, other than the more common enclosed bars like twinsonics. The only two light bars I've seen from the cheetah company are these and the pancake light bars on the Oregon State Police Mustangs.


I've had this photo of a long-serving 1979 Impala of the Prairie City, OR, PD for years, but until right now I had no idea who made its light rack. I only recognized it as being similar to OSP Mustangs, and guessed it be must from a company in OR. I too would be interested to know more about about the manufacturer and its products.


By the way, I could be wrong but the diameter of these pancakes looks smaller than the S&W "Volunteer" pancake light.

 

[LRGJr72]

Awesome.

I bet the lenses are going to be impossible to find. :duh:

Based on comments on a more recent "Cheetah" bar post it sounds like these bars may have been outfitted with Dietz Omni-Chief domes. They're marked with a DZ on the top.


http://elightbars.org/forums/f18/yet-another-interesting-new-find-57991/

 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Interesting bar. I can't say I have ever seen one of these.


It does look like a twinsonic bar with "bewbs"


let the naming commence.


I am voting for


"Twintata's"


or


"Bewbsonic"


lol

 

[Wailer]

It also has a 100W siren in the center too.

It's actually a speaker. It looks similar to a Federal TS100 speaker.

 

[Skip Goulet]

This is the first Cheetah bar I've ever seen. To me it looks like it could be a rebadged Sireno Condor bar.

 

[Tristar]

Interesting bar. I can't say I have ever seen one of these.

It does look like a twinsonic bar with "bewbs"


let the naming commence.


I am voting for


"Twintata's"


or


"Bewbsonic"


lol

Whoever is keeping track of all the potential names, please keep us all abreast. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

 

[Tristar]

A light bar with boobs, SWEET!!

Remember the car bra that became a fad of sorts in the 1980s or 90s (I think)? There could have been a market for another version of them for these bars!