I am having a difficult time obtaining some light bars. I have searched all over my local area to no avail. I have, however, found some Code 3 MX700’s on ebay that appear to be a pretty good deal. They have clear domes, but I could replace them with blue lenses or just tint them blue. My question is, how close are these to the Force 4 XL? Here’s a link to the auction:
Have you tried www.lightbars.net ? He has some XL’s (listed under XL9000, but they are XL5000’s).
Rick is right, Lightbars.net has them with red lenses.
You could also inquire about the XL 5000’s or XL 5000 parts at http://www.elightbars.org/ . I got some replacement speaker covers from there dirt cheap.
I checked with Wiseguys. They do still have the Force bars, but only with red lenses. This ebay deal may be too good to pass up. With the already glaring inaccuracy of having the wrong base car, the lightbars don’t seem like a big deal. Now if I could find the right bars with the right lenses for $89.99, or even for Wiseguys price of $150.00, that’d be a different story.
Have to be honest, I’d stick with Wiseguys despite the red lenses. Unless of course you can find blue XL lightbars for cheap.
Lenses for XL bars are available, and the lenses you want will fit all sizes of XL5000 bars so there might be opportunities to find them 2nd hand.
For my car, having the correct lightbars and lenses was an important feature. It’s one of those things that makes-or-breaks a replica Ecto, so I decided not to cheap out on lightbars or settle for a different brand/model.
Slight update. I am trying to get some LP6000 bars. I’m finding that they are slightly easier to find parts for and are much more similar to the XL’s than the MX’s. Also, do you guys think I will be able to tint clear domes blue? Has anyone ever tried this?
For what it’s worth, I’ve got MX7000 lightbars for my car and I love them. I think Jon Hunn has them on his Ecto, too. They’re a nice alternative to the XL’s, especially if your car isn’t a '59 Caddy.
I appreciate the advice, but I’ve already bought one of the LP6000’s. I like the MX’s, but I know that I would never use the strobes on the bottom. The LP, if you haven’t seen it, is rotators only. I’m more concerned with taking the clear domes that I have and somehow making them blue because I can’t find blue domes for it online. I should be able to apply deep blue tint and make it work, in theory anyway.
Ah .. the bars I have are all rotators, no strobes. Ah well! Have fun with the LP’s!
I know that the top of the MX has rotators, but doesn’t the bottom have strobes?
It depends on how they’re configured. I don’t know about other models, but the MX7000 is highly configurable. The bottom row of both of my bar has flashers and oscillating intersection lights on the front and an Arrowstik on the back.
Some MX7000’s are made with 100% strobes, though - it’s all user choice.
Your project, as you already stated, isn’t to make a perfect repro anyways so no need to worry about accurate lightbars. Your selection is a good one and will look great.
Truth be told, sometimes I’m a bit peeved when I see someone made a really unique non-59 Caddy Ecto but then tracked down the correct lightbar. This is just making it harder and harder for those of us working on a more accurate reproduction. Kris’ Ecto will be awesome when done and while there’s no discernible difference between the 48" and the 54" lightbars, I still keep an eye open for some '48’s for him. Everytime I see the 48’s on some non-59 Caddy it just makes me think “what a waste when any lightbar would have suited their purpose.”
That’s a good point. On a side note, Fifthrider, do you have any tips on how to make a clear dome a blue dome?
Why yes I do.
I’m not a fan of paint because it clouds the clarity of the lightbar’s flash so first and foremost, let me mention that whatever your solution is don’t give in and use this method. It sucks.
I got blue plexiglass and cut out inserts for inside the lightbar.
-
Polish up the clear lenses as best as possible.
-
Use thin cardboard to make/cut interior templates with.
-
Get blue plexiglass. Thickness isn’t that much of an issue since it will be protected by the clear weather-resistant domes. As long as it’s blue and dark enough that white light comes through as blue, you’re okay. ( If it’s too thin then it will look great dark but light up as white once a light is turned on. )
-
Clear silicone RTV gel will hold it in place.
The only hard part is the template for the interior of the endcap. Once you get the cardboard template to basically fit you need to finish the process by carving out screw holes along the edge that correspond with where the screw stems are. Making rectangular pieces for the interior should be vastly easier. Here’s pics of the ones I first worked with. ( My solid domes went to Sean’s and Kris and I both run these ones with the filter inserts. )
I really think this is a great ( and affordable ) idea until ( or unless ) you can afford to buy news ones. The new domes were once quoted to me as $750 each but now I hear it’s more like $250 each. Maybe so many people have contacted Code 3 about this style of lightbar dome in blue as of lately ( like all of us here ) that they’ve started to make extras and come down on price?
But trust me, paint isn’t the solution.
Oh, I forgot to mention…
If you’re one of the people who bought a lightbar through the place that Kris mentioned, you probably got them with blue domes like the ones pictured above. These ones all had a clear cutout for the “takedown” light ( white light facing front for officers performing a traffic stop. )
You might have noticed in my pics that both of the clear cutouts are facing the back instead of flip-flopped, one facing each direction? If you have these, just unscrew the entire done and swap the endcap to the other side. When you replace it just position these cutouts to the side of the lightbar that faces the rack and no one will ever notice. Leaving it uncovered would be a blatant flash of white and a dead giveaway.
I should’ve said lenses, not domes. The entire lens is clear. Your method should still work, however. Also, paint was never an option for me. By “tinting” the windows, I meant with automotive window tint, not paint. Thanks for the advice!
Zach Helm does the same thing with his Aerodynic lenses and his rear rotators. It works, but will fade like crazy due to sunlight and the high-heat of the halogens (if that’s what you’re rockin’). This just means you’ll need to cover them, or re-apply the coating more often, at least until you have the right domes.
speaking of light bars and wiseguys…
Do any of their bars have clear domes?
GA = can’t have blue or red.
I only saw blue and red.
If you looked and didn’t see any clear domes, then they might not have any in stock. It wouldn’t hurt to ask, though. The guy who runs that site (in my experience) is pretty friendly and good with communication. Just let him know which model you’re looking for.
what would you expect to pay for shipping on a 48" light bar?