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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> Old Police cars
        
(Message started by: Rubbersmoke on Feb 26^th, 2005, 6:16pm)

Title: Old Police cars
Post by Rubbersmoke on Feb 26^th, 2005, 6:16pm

Hello!
Can any1 tell me, I am owner of an old Police car a Scorpio 2.9 -24w. A guy told me maybe my cars motor is tuned is that true? Did the Police tuned the motors in they cars ???
Best regards
Kjell.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by phuturephantasy on Feb 26^th, 2005, 6:28pm

I would say almost certainly NOT -

I have 2 brothers who are both Police Officers and contrary to popular belief they don't ordinarily tune their cars, I am aware of some of their Volvos being chipped however.

Don't think their even is any way of tuning a Scorp to produce any more useable power without going to extremes like Nos or Turbos at HUGE expense.

If anyone knows any different and knows any way of upping the power considerably please let me know, and don't bother mentioning Superchips or Induction kits, I mean real power gains not 5hp.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Rubbersmoke on Feb 26^th, 2005, 6:49pm

He says they change the cams and pistons
Maybe only a rumor!
Kjell

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by colinw on Feb 26^th, 2005, 6:50pm

i once owned a Cortina 2000xl mk3 (auto) that used to go like hell ,certainly quicker mid range ,than a similar GT ,or 2000e , perhaps i should say significantly faster ,a friend who looked after it for me ,who was a ford mechanic ,allways used to comment on its mid range punch ,anyway i bumped into its second owner after owning it for about 12 months and got talking to him and it turned out it was ex metropolitan police car ,but it was unmarked one ,dont know in what dept or anything but the previous owner was adamant he hadnt done anything to it ,so maybe it was just luck or perhaps it had been breathed on i will never know especially as it met it ens in a serious head on with a drunk driver not sure if any of above helps at all

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Rubbersmoke on Feb 26^th, 2005, 7:01pm

My car has been used of the danish police and the car was unmarked too!

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Grant on Feb 26^th, 2005, 7:07pm

They have different shocks and a different prop in my experience. The engines, in my opinion, just feel better because they were driven hard all the time and were very well serviced.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by colinw on Feb 26^th, 2005, 7:51pm

grant i can understand the different shocks ,but why would they change the propshaft ?? i have never heard off that effecting performance or handling ,but yes maybe you are right about the driven hard bit ,in my experience of old fords escorts cortinas`even old grannies are allways better when they have been hammered ,sorry just real;ised what ive said that shoud read granadas ,apologies to grannies everywhere

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Grant on Feb 26^th, 2005, 8:08pm

Like I say, only in my experience. My firm bought loads of ex old bill stuff and all the scorps had had their props changed. No idea why, just what I noticed. Just thought of another thing, mine has no speed limiter and will, given time, go an indicated 150+. Again, don't know if thats a police thing. I can however say with with more certainty that the Avon & Somerset Mondeos and Omegas WERE tweaked. Next to a standard one they were MUCH faster even with all their additional crap.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by mr._floppy on Feb 26^th, 2005, 10:57pm

I'm surprised that any UK Police Force used Scorpios at all after the mauling they got from the motoring press.

Volvos and BMWs were the requisite Speed Cops transport in my area back then.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Highlander on Feb 26^th, 2005, 11:37pm

Never mind the engine tuning Its the lights that do it!

I installed flashing blue roof lights and a siren and its amazing the difference in performance when you turn them on, you will pass everything on the road!! ;)

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Badboytunes on Feb 27^th, 2005, 12:12am

Hi , my dad was head of trafic for avon and somerset before he retired ( at 50 lucky b****r). According to him , the sherpa's were fitted with modified ecu's on the v8's and all traffic cars( T5's, Cossies, senators ect) were derestricted to allow for higher top speed. Traffic sections that had bmw's as traffic cars were fitted alpina running gear.

HTH

Cheers Nick

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Vulcan on Feb 27^th, 2005, 12:22pm

I seem to remember someone on here once had a ex-police cossie for sale which had Kevlar door cards.

Bullet proof ;D ;D ;D

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Paul B on Feb 27^th, 2005, 12:33pm

I parked near a Scorpio in a car park in Ashford yesterday (had no cards to put on its window though). Anyway, it was a State Blue plain one (Ghia maybe?) with cloth trim and wheel trims from a Sierra covering its steels. But it had no sunroof ???
I seem to remember someone saying that it was cars like police cars that had this. Or was it a simple option? I don't know. I'm off to check....

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Vulcan on Feb 27^th, 2005, 12:46pm

Mines a Ghia and it ain't done got no sunroof either ;D

Mind you in all the cars I've had with sunroofs I rarely opened them, in fact in my old Grannie Ghia the sunroof seized shut, I tried to open it one day winding the handle, something went snap and the handle went all free.. :D
Never bothered to fix it... traded it in to a garage and forgot to mention it... oops :o

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Paul B on Feb 27^th, 2005, 12:50pm

If you're going to put a decent air-con / climate control system in a car, its a bit daft giving it a sunroof really isn't it?

I rarely use mine either.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Highlander on Feb 27^th, 2005, 12:51pm

Oh you can just see the story develping when the new owner goes to try his sunroof... lol

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Vulcan on Feb 27^th, 2005, 1:03pm

It was a while ago now, the H reg Grannie was traded for a J reg Carlton CDX.
Never had any comeback about the S/R but the guy did phone me to ask if the ABS was fully working when I traded it to him.... course it was, to the best of my knowledge anyway.. ;)

I had actually had no end of probs with the ABS and right up till the day before she went I was still in conversation with the garage I bought it from in order that they should put it right. Had the car 18 months and had had enough, I was idly browsing a car showroom when the salesman pounced. I really was just browsing but he was very pushy, told me he'd give me £1500 for the Grannie and I was sold. ;D ;D
I really did have every intention of telling him the faults but the opportunity never really arose.

Sorry to whoever the guy was who bought a pristine Black Granada Ghia H reg from the garage on Two Ball Lonnen, Newcastle ;) ;)

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by craig on Feb 27^th, 2005, 2:05pm

paul...
if only they did put a decent air-con/climate in the scorpio,was never happy with mine from day 1,personally think the granada air-con system was actually a lot colder.. ???
HOWEVER.. ;)
that air con booster really does make a difference ;D ;D

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Paul B on Feb 27^th, 2005, 3:08pm

And I still haven't fitted it Craig! :-[
I promise you I will do before it gets hot again.

I have to say though, I'm pretty happy with mine. But it seems to do cold better than it does hot I think :-/

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Vulcan on Feb 27^th, 2005, 3:38pm

The cold on my air con is definitely cold enough, last summer it was superbly cool inside the car on the very hot days.
My hot is pretty darn good too now I got the airlock out the matrix. :D

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Rubbersmoke on Feb 27^th, 2005, 4:28pm

Lucky me i haven't any air- con and not a sunroof but still a old blue police car ;)

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Paul_Boulden on Feb 27^th, 2005, 7:13pm

Many years ago a friend of mine used to work for Ford as an engineer on "special projects", this mainly involved preparing show cars and police vehicles, he told me that even then there rumours / urban myths that the engines were tuned but this was not the case. They had larger alternators & batteries, heavy duty suspension and often parts from larger vehicles ( Granadas & Transits ) were fitted to smaller vehicles ( Escorts ). Head to head testing ( unofficially conducted during shakedown ) always proved the standard cars to be faster than the police cars which were considerably heavier.

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by invernessguy on Mar 4^th, 2005, 7:47pm

my bro bought an ex police cossie from newcastle a few years ago, that had been DETUNED to around 200 bhp, to make it easier to handle, and also uprated (raised) suspension to climb kerbs, etc, also a larger alternator. oh, and it had no sunroof, which wasnt available to normal customers.....

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Vulcan on Mar 4^th, 2005, 7:53pm

Mines got no sunroof an it was never a Police car? ???

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by nick on Mar 5^th, 2005, 12:16am

Sunroof was an extra on everything but the ultima, seems odd when the ultima gets c-c but there you go.
My ghia aint got a sunroof but my exec did???

I had a MK1 Grannie 3.0s ex police, and me mate had the next number registered also ex police, only difference we had were zips in the headcloth, a calibrated spedo,3 spoke steering wheel and very understanding traffic cops when you got stopped for driving like a prat on a saturday night, they all loved the mk1 s

Nic

Title: Re: Old Police cars
Post by Captain / Vice Admiral on Mar 5^th, 2005, 12:31am

I spotted a Scorpio on a shop forefront in WESTON - Enquired if it was for sale - Owner of shop told me its an unmarked POLICE CAR

Its a Cossie - They go out and catch the boy racers - had new valves and block skimmed - Still in use today

N REG - BLUE - Very Fast Motor

Captain