Mayberry Squad Car Replica Information
The following information is presented as a service and no representation is made as to the service you may or may not receive. This information has been submitted by owners of Mayberry Squad Car Replicas which have been kind enough to share their information and we hope it will be useful to others. If you have information that you would like to share with us, please send an email to: floyd@iMayberry.com

Door Shield

If you are looking for the design for the shield that goes on the door of the Mayberry patrol car, look no further. doorshield.gif  OR if you have AUTOCAD or a program able to use DXF files here is one in that format doordec.dxf These designed were created and submitted by Jack Fellenzer.

All you have to do is put the graphic on a diskette and take it to any modern up-to-date sign shop that does vehicle lettering (you might want to call and ask what graphic format they can use), and they'll be able to make decals or magnets for you (I recommend magnets, unless your car is a '64 in which case magnets won't work due to the shape of the door).

Paint Color

For those who need to get their cars repainted, the correct Ford colors are Raven Black and Corinthian White. Black paint is black paint, but there must be a million different shades of white. Some folks use plain old white on antique police cars, but it's much too bright. If you look closely at the squad cars on the show, you can plainly see that the white in the door shield is much "whiter" that the white paint on the door itself.

Parts

Obsolete Ford Parts, Inc.
8701 S. I-35
Oklahoma City, OK 73149
(405) 631-3933
(405) 634-6815 FAX

An excellent source for lights, sirens, etc. is John Dorgan. He can be e-mailed at john@sirenman.com or visit his web site at http://sirenman.com/

Type of Radio

The radio in the squad car is most likely a Motorola Mo-Trac.

The antenna shown on the car is a VHF "Lo-Band" aerial. The frequency range of those antennas was 30 to 50 Mhz. Most "Lo-Band" Police radio traffic was found between 39 and 45 Mhz. VHF "Hi-Band" range is 150-170 Mhz, and the antenna used for those frequencies does NOT resemble the one shown on the squad car so the band of the radio would be VHF "Lo-Band."

Comment from Dale Parfitt:

I believe there were at least 2 different "radio sets" used on the show in the courthouse. . Early ones may have been Motorola- there were 2 and I seem to recall they had a chrome V or inverted V on the front panel.

But of more interest are the 2 radios used in later episodes. Both were made by the Eico company. The longish bottom radio with the meter is an amateur radio model and is not capable of voice- only morse code. It appears the microphone is plugged into the jack where the code key actually went. This is an Eico model 720. The smaller radio on top was an Eico Citizens Band transceiver. Neither radio was capable of VHF LO- which was what the Antenna on the squad car is cut for (30-50 MHz).

Comment from A. Whobrey

The mobile radio used in a "technically correct" squad car would most likely be a Motorola "Twin V", which used vacuum tubes and was replaced by the Motrac around 1966. The Motrac is correct for later police shows such as Adam-12 etc.with cars of late 68-69 model. The Motorola console shown in the office in some episodes is comtempoaray with the Twin V mobile unit. It was ...and still is... a common practice to use the existing radio when replacing a police car, especially in a small town with limited means. Andy's 1966 Ford might well have used the old radio from former squad cars circa 1961-2.

The antenna recommended from Radio Shack should be cut off to about 6 ft. to be technically correct for 39-45 mhz. Yes, before you ask, I am a police radio technician.

Antennae

The whip antennae, mounting kit and gutter clip to hold the antennae down can be purchased at your local Radio Shack.

Light

RB-363 "The Mayberry Light"

We figure the top light on the squad car is a MARS light. Not sure of the model number. DIETZ makes a similar light though. Below is information from other folks that have been looking into this.

(Note from Replica Owner)
"I have spoken with John Dorgan (expert on old sirens and beacons), and learned that the correct light for the replica cars is a Mars brand SW-2 "skybolt". These lights are still available today. Anyone interested should contact John at "sirenmana1@gci-net.com". He can also be found at sites like "copcars.com". Just thought it might make the next replica builder a little easier. Keep up the good work. Rick."

(Note from Replia Owner)
I emailed you with info on the correct light for the squad cars. It is the Mars RB-363 and not an SW-2 look up the sites and you can see for yourself (on John Dorgans website) that an SW-2 is not the right one. Then look up http://members.aol.com/richpl/equip/lightsms.htm where you can see both lights together and plainly see the RB-363 is the correct one for "Mayberry. So far I can't find a mars RB-363 ( they are as scarce as hens teeth). Phil Fox

(Note from John Dorgan)
I don't know how many queries you get about the beacons on the various squad cars used on the series, but I get quite a few. As you are probably aware, there were several different ones used, from the early Federal model 17s through the Sireno Beacons to the Dietz four bulb unit. At present, I have a good supply of the earliest ones used (Federal moidel 17s as seen on your your squad car replicas page) on the early sixties vehicles These are all restored and come with NEW lenses and rechromed bases. This can be seen on my web site at http://sirenman.com/   If any of your members are interested, the price is $145. with NEW dome plus $8. for a base gasket. Shipping and insurance are additional. John Dorgan

Clubs

POLICE CAR OWNERS OF AMERICA (P.C.O.O.A.)
They have many chapters across America, as well as chapters in Canada and Europe. They publish a quarterly newsletter, have a national convention each summer, and participate in many police related events around the country each year. Annual dues are $25.00 in the U.S. They can be contacted at:

The Police Car Owners of America
c/o Jim Post
15677 Highway 62 West
Eureka Springs, AR. 72632
501-253-4948

Visit them on the web at: www.policeguide.com/policecarclub.htm

The Ford Galaxie Club of America
A large group of folks that own galaxies and have many resources for parts, trim, engines, transmissions and whole cars....you can find them at http://www.galaxieclub.com and they also publish a magazine for members that lists various folks around the country that have cars for sale. If you own a galaxie or are looking for one, check it out.

The Emergency Vehicle Owners & Operators Association
Visit their web site at: http://www.evooa.org/

Notes From Replica Owners

"I would encourage anyone to add a PA system so they can play the theme song in the parades. A 60 second loop tape works great. 'Course after 1,283 times, you get kinda sick of listening to it..... "

"Badges and hat badges can be purchased from V.H. Blackington, P/O/ Box 1300, Attleboro Falls, MA 02763. The hat badge is a A6231. The uniform badge is a B29. Kinda pricey, they sell for around $65 each."

You'll need to call them most likely.

The "sheriff" badge is on page 39 of their site. The badge center you'll want is just a silver star and I couldn't find the correct style on their site. The star should just be a 5 point star by itself.

Hat badge is on page 17 and is number #A6231. The 'panel' for the hat badge is B1576 or B1575...I'm not quite sure which and the 'seal' is on page 54 #A3451 or #A6225 (it depends on which "panel" you choose).

V.H. Blackinton & Co., Inc.
221 John L. Dietsch Blvd.
Attleboro Falls, MA 02763
Phone: (508) 699 4436
Fax: (508) 695 5349
badges@blackinton.com