Nicholas Studer
PCS Elected Director 2022-2025
This ambulance has been full of mysteries to unravel - with this vehicle in service as the village's front-line ambulance for 25 years. When Paul Steinberg purchased the ambulance from the previous owner (apparently the former fire chief's son) - it had a Federal Signal Interceptor Siren controller under the dash as well as a FS SA24 electronic speaker under the hood. He replaced it with a Model 28 siren and that it how it came to me.
I've very much enjoyed talking with Jack Pinner recently, and he tells me the most common siren Fire Dept's wanted at that time was the Q1B - and he seemed to recall that being the siren for this one as well. He stated he knew for sure it was a FS product with a brake at least - and indeed the custom switch panel has a button for a siren brake.
Photos below of the siren compartment. That shelf is definitely original to the car. The SA24 speaker had actually been drilled with extra holes to fit on the original welded shelf in the bottom of the grille area. The welded shelf appears to most directly correlates to a four-hole mounting base with holes in the middle for the cables. That would correspond to a Q1B 4-hole base surely from the photos I've seen. http://www.oldfirestuff.com/FullyRestoredFederalSignalModQ1BCoaster12VoltDCFireEngineSiren.htm
What Paul and I have been most suspicious of is the available space - and while I'd love for it to have been a "Q" - both he and I are concerned about fit. http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11624 shows one installation. The Model 28 (7" diameter siren) currently in there is on a 2-hole pedestal mount, very close to the front of the grille - and there's maybe 2.75" space between it and the radiator. Because of the inward sloping of the grille - there's between 9.5-10" of space between the grille and radiator. FS indicates on their website that the Q2B is a 10" diameter siren. I can't find dimensions on the Q1B but would presume they are close? Anyone have one they can take measurements of?
The C4B is the other option at 9" diameter - it doesn't make me as nervous as to fit overall. However, these usually had the same two-hole pedestal base as the Model 28 - and thus wouldn't fit in the same spot the 28 is. I understand from Joe Dorgan there is a 4-hole base for the C4B but I haven't seen one yet and can't find a photo. The C5 had a four-hole base, but don't know if it's the same.
It's certainly a pricey mistake if I'm wrong either way. Anyone got any thoughts?
I've very much enjoyed talking with Jack Pinner recently, and he tells me the most common siren Fire Dept's wanted at that time was the Q1B - and he seemed to recall that being the siren for this one as well. He stated he knew for sure it was a FS product with a brake at least - and indeed the custom switch panel has a button for a siren brake.
Photos below of the siren compartment. That shelf is definitely original to the car. The SA24 speaker had actually been drilled with extra holes to fit on the original welded shelf in the bottom of the grille area. The welded shelf appears to most directly correlates to a four-hole mounting base with holes in the middle for the cables. That would correspond to a Q1B 4-hole base surely from the photos I've seen. http://www.oldfirestuff.com/FullyRestoredFederalSignalModQ1BCoaster12VoltDCFireEngineSiren.htm
What Paul and I have been most suspicious of is the available space - and while I'd love for it to have been a "Q" - both he and I are concerned about fit. http://www.professionalcarsociety.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11624 shows one installation. The Model 28 (7" diameter siren) currently in there is on a 2-hole pedestal mount, very close to the front of the grille - and there's maybe 2.75" space between it and the radiator. Because of the inward sloping of the grille - there's between 9.5-10" of space between the grille and radiator. FS indicates on their website that the Q2B is a 10" diameter siren. I can't find dimensions on the Q1B but would presume they are close? Anyone have one they can take measurements of?
The C4B is the other option at 9" diameter - it doesn't make me as nervous as to fit overall. However, these usually had the same two-hole pedestal base as the Model 28 - and thus wouldn't fit in the same spot the 28 is. I understand from Joe Dorgan there is a 4-hole base for the C4B but I haven't seen one yet and can't find a photo. The C5 had a four-hole base, but don't know if it's the same.
It's certainly a pricey mistake if I'm wrong either way. Anyone got any thoughts?