Vintage CHP Lights Help

AM1

AM1

Member
Oct 20, 2014
21
18
Louisiana
I was looking for some help regarding 1968-1972 California Highway Patrol emergency lights. I understand well the CA law and tradition of the solid front facing red and flashing amber to the rear. Does anyone happen to know what style lights CHP used in the back window? I was looking to remake a clone car for car shows and parades out of a Polara and want to be accurate. I originally thought that it could possibly be a pair of par36 halogen bulbs just mounted in housings but those look smaller than pictures and videos I’ve seen.

I appreciate any amount of help. Sorry if this has already been discussed or if in the wrong thread.
-AM
 
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First, the Law in CA does not require a flashing amber, it is a "may" have statute as in this situation. CHP generally used Grote Par 46 housings, and the lamps were 4001R and 4434A. CHP did not use Par 36 lamps, (note the blue lamp in this photo was not part of the rear deck ligfhting package during 68-72.
 

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Thank you, would you happen to know also if there was a specific control head for the lights or was it just on a toggle switch fabricated by the shop mechanics?
 
southpaw said:
First, the Law in CA does not require a flashing amber, it is a "may" have statute as in this situation. CHP generally used Grote Par 46 housings, and the lamps were 4001R and 4434A. CHP did not use Par 36 lamps, (note the blue lamp in this photo was not part of the rear deck ligfhting package during 68-72.
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Thank you for the info!
 
Mars Light said:
They used also Dietz 510 housings.

Control unit: Federal CC1 (very rare)

View attachment 228233
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Thank you for the info! I figured many things would be rare, expensive, or hard to find. I may be able to fabricate something simple to replicate that control head, a few pieces of sheet metal, toggle switches, and a steady hand with a paint brush might save some money ha!
 
The CHP rear light setup for many years was was two PAR46 lamps on a shop-made (some refer to it as “prison labor”) bracket. Switching was set for either flashing amber (caution) or flashing red (stop), not both. An alternating blue lamp was added to some vehicles beginning in the 80s.

There’s lots of CHP info on either copcars.com and/or sspmustang.net.
 
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@AM1
I would say that during the time period you ask about, CHP used Dietz 510 (renumbered in 1970 to 9-51).

The Grote 6401 was probably bought in the early 80’s around when the blue light started to be used in 1983.

CHP stated to me in 1979 that they used Dietz 9-51 and they did not mentioned Grote at all.
Grote was not even approved at that time by CHP to what I have seen.

Michael
 
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Don't know how helpful this is, but here's a resto.
 

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The CC1's were newer than 72, but I don't know exactly when they were introduced. They were still in the cars in 1986 when I moved to CA, and were replaced by the GE MASTR radio/control unit sometime in the early 90's when they went to the FS Vision and Signalmaster systems.
 
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