AIR RAID SIREN Walk around tour...(The worlds loudest siren ever made..CHRYSLER-BELL AIR RAID SIREN)

[radarecho57]

I lived on Ruberta street in Glendale circa 1962, I was 5 years old. I remember hearing an air-raid siren tested every Saturday (I think it was). I wonder if this is the one I heard. I also remember, during the missile crisis, seeing army tanks on railroad flatbeds stretching as far as I could see.

What a shame the spark plug holes are open. Thanks Mike!

[justwired]

whats the update man wanna hear that thing rock the valley

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

@justwired , I've been getting a lot of red tape! The city of Glendale tells me to contact the city of La Canada and vise versa. I'm still trying, but in the mean time I got myself another Chrysler-Bell air raid siren without the motor. I will be restoring that one soon.

[manga12]

hey mount that jet engine you have in your car on it, make it really scream with even more power, lol

looks like its a project and a half for you mike.

[wsgchopper]

all together how many horns/sirens do you have?

[JonasClark]

Adding my vote to the hope that you restore this thing. Seattle has two Chryslers left, one restored cosmetically, but the other just rusting away, and there's a possibility that one or two others are still there, too.

[Detroit8V92tta]

What! No mufflers on the engine!! :)

[cockula776]

Hey BIGMIKESOCAL, awesome video! Have you thought to contact Los Angeles County about the siren? I believe they were the actual owners of these, just a thought! Hope you can get your hands on this beast!!

[Czechsix]

My wife remembers that going off around 1963, hopefully that wasn't the last time it went off. Very cool history and video, thanks for posting it!

[massicare1]

this is very cool def if you fix it put up a video!

[420leadville719]

lol wat if theres an air raid?

[hile633]

any word on yes or no?

[justwired]

man going up there tommorrow will find out how well those sensors work then its coming down a piece at time right into my back yard lol

[GM572]

In America even the air raid siren has a V8 engine in it :)) !

[electricrailwaygod]

If you ever can obtain permission for restoration (which it appears seems to be rather doubtful -- perhaps they don't want it to be sounded ever again) I would like to offer my services in hekp with that project (though I am in San Francisco for the moment). (My e address is like the name here but with Yahoo Deutschland as I am not allowed on YouTube to give out actual e-mail addresses -- so I understand).).

[Hanglands]

Was it ever used in anger? Lots of information, great video... and good luch with acquiring it!

[SouljaBoiQueer]

wtf we never get to hear it?

[psycodrew1]

good luck restoring and getting permission, i hope to see videos of it restored or in the process in the future :)

[GeneralBurkhalter1]

Have you gotten permission to Repair it yet, or?

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

@GeneralBurkhalter1 , The siren sits on the boarder of La Canada and Glendale. I have writen a proposal and submitted it to both cities. In the proposal, I offered my services for free including all parts that may be needed. I've been getting the run around buy both cities. I'm still hoping to get a final answer, and I hope it's a yes!

[TowTruckJoe1]

@BIGMIKESOCAL where exactly is this siren?. Next time in the area I want see for myself.

[sergiox03]

@BIGMIKESOCAL I was wondering if by any chance the Big Red was active to this day could we hear it here in Hollywood?

[Kabar8315]

@BIGMIKESOCAL Any word on it yet? It would be cool to see this thing up and running! Your other video on this particular restored siren was AWESOME! Perhaps, if you get a "yes," you could do a restoration video series!

[joek0617]

@BIGMIKESOCAL hell, they'd have to be stupid to refuse, your offering it for free!

[joek0617]

@BIGMIKESOCALyou need to automate it so they can use it!

[GeneralsAlert]

It's Godzilla! Sound the alarm

[eap13]

i hate to be in that watchtower imagine how loud it can be.

[theGUYwho1]

@eap13 its nothing, my headphones are pretty much the exact same! Lmbo

[hootergirlsrhot]

Chrysler should make these sirens again

[MrChicano209]

does it rotate?

[12799MaDeuce]

damn what a shame to see it just rusting away

[Klusingolo]

1:24 thats what she said

[roofy2k]

if it's an air raid, shouldn't this be mounted on a plane?

[triggerdance]

this things on wikipedia of like the biggest siren evar!!!!!!!!!

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

@triggerdance , That's right! Check out the video I have of a fully restored Chrysler-Bell air raid siren running full force on my YT channel

[triggerdance]

@BIGMIKESOCAL il be right there!!!!!!

[mypalrocco]

Well will you be conducting the reach around tour?

[umbrefawx]

American Blower Three stage centrifugal type compressor stiff shaft unit 43 inch OD cast iron housing 22-3/4 inch OD cast aluminum heat treated alloy impellers Rated speed 4,600 RPM Discharge volume 2,610 CFM Discharge pressure 6.95 psig Discharge velocity 35,000 fpm (400 MPH) 171 dBC at Throat 138 dBC at 100 feet Single Tone, 460 Hz Just a few of the Official Specifications for the chopper/blower. Enjoy :x

[hootergirlsrhot]

i know the dB raing from 100ft 138dB, but what is the dB rating at 10ft or closer?

[Dreamer19091991]

turn it on XD

[pr53188]

wow that is really cool. So, How long has it been there?

[jasonj75]

Even silent, such a haunting video of what could have been 60 years ago.

g/l on the restore effort, I'd be happy to contribute if the city will ever let you do it.

[FEDERALSIGNALTECH]

THE BELL DESIGN IS BASEICS OF THE THUNDERBOLT.WITCH IS LOUDER AT 139 DBC THAN 138DBC

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

@FEDERALSIGNALTECH ,The Chrysler-Bell air raid siren is the loudest siren ever made.The Federal Signal Corporation Thunderbolt Model 1000,1000T,1003 put out 125 dB at 100 feet. Falsely advertised as a 131dB siren in the 80's. The Chysler-Bell air raid siren has a proven output of 138 dB at 100 feet. which is much much and way louder that any Thunderbolt siren model ever made.

Thunderbolts have one projector the Chrysler has 6 and a very small chopper compaired to the Chrysler siren.

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

@BIGMIKESOCAL , BTW, the bell/projector is just a measure of distance, the chopper size and speed dictates power/dB. The Chrysler-Bell wins on both. I have a Tunderbolt 1000T that's why I know which one is louder.

[jellybean545]

@BIGMIKESOCAL but rememmber it runs on a hemi 426 hp

[MeLee63]

Air Raid Siren - You mean in case Russia Attacks us (united states ) ??

[mr7confused]

kind of creepy looking in this state of being

[SparkyKyuubiFox]

Exuse me. Have you ever got perrmission to restore that old Siren? If you did did you ever make a video of it running?

[ExpertOfSound]

Only 138 dB!?!?

Am I missing something... 138 dB isn't that loud... how are they measured? 1 meter away..?

The world record for loudest "car stereo" is 181 dB right now... at 75Hz or so.

[djtorule]

@ExpertOfSound he did mention 100ft..(30.48m)

[Billyjoey77]

why wouldnt anyone like this video besides the japanes

[Billyjoey77]

why did they take it apart.... it would probably kinda fun to hear but abiously loud

[FurryKing19]

talk to mythbusters bet they could do it possibly

[bnxboxman360]

Have you gotten permition from the city yet?

[MrCrf450rider]

Nice siren! It's a shame that it was left go.hopefully they will let you get it going,or give it to you

[38Squid]

Thanks for posting. thanks for the info.

[MishuTaste]

Damn, imagine if your house was near this thing when it fired up.

[rhett443]

Are you sure this is the model that ha the hemi? I think thisis just the industrial chrysler.

[DieselDemon18]

did this siren survive the major fires of 2009?

[TotalNekro]

What was the dB SPL?

[KennethBaskin1]

@TotalNekro 138@ 100'

[costi08]

It seems that you are quite affected about the state of the horn ,))

[IZZYCOLA]

I GOT BORD OF WAITING FOR IT TO TURN ON!

[ACTORDAVIDTRAN]

Let me know if you get it working, I want to be there.

[GinoRc]

Well if you hear it working, YOU BETTER RUN DUDE!!

[hootergirlsrhot]

i really want to see the chopper of this

[minkyblack]

I grew up listening to one of these, as it was ran at 11 AM on the last friday of the month..the one I heard was at a fire station on rosemead blvd...such a beautiful, haunting sound..what a shame that most are just sitting and rusting away...

[SuperK3nnyXD]

the siren sounds like a rotating sentry 3v8... there's a website for this siren and there is a soundclip of the siren's FULL wind up/down...(^3

[E57Benedikt]

oh no!

[djelliott916]

here in sacramento ca, they test em every last friday of the month at 11 am sharp

[rip2shred]

They haven't tested these things since the mid to late 80s. And then that was monthly. When I was a kid they were tested every Friday at 10AM sharp. Especially during the Cuban Missile crisis.

[rhett443]

I was up there last month and it was bigger than it looks in the video... this thing was massive.. kinda scary to... the whole time your up there your hoping its not gonna go off

[KSE828]

In regards to your description, "However, many of these are rusted, and in some cases the salvage price is less then the cost to remove them," don't you mean the salvage price is MORE than the cost to remove them? Thereby explaining why so many are taken down as opposed to restored?

[Zombiepwnage117]

its the loudest device that emits sound ever built, with a massive chopper, big engine, 6 horns slots, and a 23-25 mile radius, it kicks the mental ass of other sirens

[kmg501]

I'm not an official fan of big horns but I think you have a neat hobby and appreciate the time and trouble you took to post this video and supporting history.

Cheers

[hr1100]

great stuff, hope it gets restored and fired like it's the end of the world coming.

[sciencerulesknock]

i wonder what it was like to be there

see it operational

back then

[91Racing426]

I hear rc planes in the back

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

Yup, a lot of guys come up here to fly rc planes.

[agentsmith1138]

I would love to own one of these, these are a peice of history. A hemi powered air-raid siren. Kick ass 5/5 stars!

[Braineeyak]

That is one of the most interesting videos I've seen. Can't believe they'd use a gas engine!  Brings back memories of the Cold War.

[BigBoyLies]

subscribed..:) hope u're given permission to restore that beast...n when u do..PLEASE TAKE A VID N UPLOAD IT :)

[viper1995]

the british ones the best

[ILWPOYT]

why the hell did you get so many thumbs down I completly agree with you. anyone who is arguing against this needs to live through a war where these things are going off at 4:00 in the morning, and you have to run across the strett soaked in urine because you pissed yourself. To sit in an air raid bunker for the rest of the night until its safe to come out... or not.

You patriotic bastards

[KingVipez]

thats americans for you lol cheers

[tangosierra7]

Never had that experience, but I remember when air raid drills were converted to "disaster drills" in the late 70's, and noon siren tests.

[bait28]

hmmm. so your stupid hor sirex goes about 3 miles. nice job. mean while We'll fire off our siren that goes fucking 25 miles away and only needs gas to run. YOU STUPID DUMBASS

[promopal]

dam...i wish we could wind this bad boy up and hear what it sounds like... but by the looks of it....id say its got a pretty powerful voice!!

[Jared1452]

Oh it does. A very deep and errie voice.

[rhett443]

There are video's of this KIND of siren on youtube there are kinds that go around at car shows and air sows

[JpRUBB1SH]

i wanted to see/hear it in action..

[Ralastar]

So, any luck on getting permission? If not, get a petition going. It is ludicrous in this country to be so lax on alert systems. I face a similar situation where I'm from.

[tidecross]

looks like something out of Star Wars

[WAYNE1980AA]

i wonder if the siren will be turned on and is it on the rotating base?

[jarredsawyer36]

awesome!! good tour!

[MidnightDorifuta]

Any updates on this beast?

[n8skow]

138db on what mic?

What frequency tone does it play?

[hootergirlsrhot]

can you show us what the chopper looks like if you can go in?

[alixxmcr94]

thats so creepy :(

[fuckcrisscrocker]

plus its locked

lol

[gmangigson]

OMG I WANT 1 SO BAD!!!

[gergely007]

The Ruskies should show up Ur funky yenk asses an SS-18 ballistic rocket, at least we could guffaw a good on U! XD

[ianborn]

What the fuck are you talking about?

[gergely007]

STFU llama!

[NoBuyForYou]

Can u spk english pls? haha

[ARR016a]

Coool

[stuntrider15]

i don't know much about sirens in general but i know my way very well around V8's and if that old hemi that you stated has been sitting for 30 years plus.....it is gonna be one hell of a re-build and will cost around the 6500-7500 bucks range .....good luck

[GMSamuelRhine]

nice siren. did you get permission to restore it yet?

[mark666death]

See, that is what I had thought, but the

354s all seem to have a siamesed center exhaust manifold flange. This obviously has equal spacing all the way down.

[getsomemarines93]

i heard one before i almost went def

[mark666death]

Wow! Awesome! Thanks for the info.

Good luck in your pursuit of the restoration!

Get her wailing!

[mark666death]

What size hemi would that be? It doesn't have the right exhaust runner placement to be a 325. Maybe those were prototype heads. Weird.

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

FirePower Hemi V-8, 331 cubic inch 180 horsepower (130 kW) engine.

[AlteredT]

A mate of mine in Australia here has a hemi V8 that powered a siren.. ( so he sayed) He says its a 354cui.. I thought he was bullshitting about it .. but i stand corrected...

[cheetawolf]

just imagine if it suddenly started up! XD

[bait28]

can't. has to be manually started

[crazyman88ify]

damn....that thing is HUGE!

[TheChasecahill]

god damn scary!!!

[motormaniac890]

Thats terrafying.

[mamaluigi12727]

can someone tell me where to find it on goggle earth?

[kinstar]

now the airaid siren is a mudafucker siren

[naterade21]

HEMI

[blackbeast1987]

i woukd give everything to hear this beast^^

[dillonrockband]

good luck if u ever get to restore it, that thing weighs over 5000 pounds!

[Rageman1112]

the engine looks like a v8 version dodge viper motor

[09darjac]

lmfao advertisement cant even spell hitler

[e57michel]

yeah, man! thats a dream of me to hear that monster live!!!!!!

[LNERMallard]

I need to get one of those so I can drown out all the Whelens and Model 2s in my area!

[dillonrockband]

get one and make it dual-toned! lol

[hellomoto450]

Get it working ill be up there listing to i support u all da way my cuz works @ city hall @ glendale if i ca be any assistance , never realized dat waz a siren up there i thought it waz and antena or sometin

[JonasClark]

Would have been 138 dB @ 100' from the horns.

[BarneySaysHi]

Yessir! Loudest airraid siren in the world.

[blzbug242]

so how many desibles would this be?

[Spahi77]

enough to vibrate the piss outta u....lol

[howiesfx]

good luck

[alarmguytwo]

Nice job. I would really like to hear it, not from where you were standing though... lol

[cheetawolf]

just imagine if it suddenly went off XD

[0verload]

good luck man, great video. hope you can get your hands on it. take care

[crazywarriorman]

Ive tried contacting the city. It doesnt work.

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

Yes, I know the siren is not operational. I live 10 minutes away from this siren. I know someone in the chamber of commerce for the city of Montrose (the next city to La Canada Flintridge). We are trying to get permission to fully restore the siren. I am a Automotive Master technician for Mercedes-Benz buy trade and have worked on different makes and models of engines. So rebuilding or if I have to replacing the engine would not be a problem.

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

I have a turn key 383cid small block sitting in my garage right now that I could throw in place of the Hemi V-8, 331 cid that is in there right now just to test if the choppers still operate. Thats after I have checked the air gaps of the choppers manually of course....

[gajda1984]

383s are big blocks. that would be cool if you could rig it up eventually.

[BIGMIKESOCAL]

gajda1984, I was talking about Chevy small block engines. 265, 283, 302,305, 307, 327, 350, 400,

and then there are many combinations, here are a few, a crank from a 400 and some machine work will turn a 350 into 383 stroker, or a 327 bored 30 thousands over is a 331, and there are more combinations. GM also manufactures a 427 small block, that is the motor in the new ZO6 vette.

[gajda1984]

OHHHHHHHH!! Sorry man, I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to chrysler engines. Yeah I didn't know you meant a stroker. That would be pretty neat to rig it up with.

[ILWPOYT]

That belongs in a '57 not a horn

[crazywarriorman]

Sadly, I have a chrysler loctation to remove from the list. Rockford IL.

[bait28]

SHIT. SHIT SHIT SHIT. i was going to grab that one. i'm only 1 hour away. WHAT THE FUCKING SHIT

[crazywarriorman]

@bait28 Hell it might still be there, last time I heard the Chrysler dealership did work on it. They might have it in their back lot. I highly doubt it, but for a chrysler...id drive up there myself.

[bait28]

seriously. if i can. my cousin has a truck that could remove it to save me the money

[jshaw6000]

Hey man, I live in Culver City. If you get that thing restored by 7/4, I might come out and go see, either that or I'll stay home and comment on your page if I hear it lol. Ive had a recent interest in horns and sirens lately so it should be interesting. Thanks for posting this vid though. I had no idea that LA holds the worlds largest air raid siren...and we dont even need it!! It needs to be respected and sent to the science ctr or another museum. Keep up the good work though. Im listening

[JonasClark]

Jshaw6000: in LA there were this one plus Lomita Park (restoration attempted, failed), Hansen Dam (removed, now in Texas), Sherriff's Stations in Lakewood, Lennox and West Hollywood (all removed after quake), Fire Station 5 in San Gabriel (removed), Fire Staton 73 in Newhall (Santa Clarita), Dominguez in Carson, and at Firestone Rubber, South Gate. There were more Chrysler sirens like this in Oakland, San Fran, and all over the country in small groups. Oh, and these used to rotate while running.

[geoff390]

Hell yeah man it would be awsome to fire it up on the 4th of july even though i live in Australia!

[gajda1984]

I hope you can get it!