I've always been an old American car enthusiast. In particular, I have always been very fond of the body on frame cars. As a youth, my family always had the late 70's and early 80's boxy full size cars and that is the generation that I have grown most fond of. My first car was a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis which I totalled after driving 40 mph into a tree. I'd just like to add that I did not feel a thing thanks to the body on frame construction
During my ownership of the Marquis, I was never particularly satisfied. The car was very luxurious, but the performance was not great and it consumed ridiculous amounts of oil (supposedly a common problem with the base Ford 302 even when new) I had always preferred the full size GM cars of the 80's such as the Chevrolet Caprice, Buick Lesabre, Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, Pontiac Bonneville etc. I've also always loved the 70's A bodies as well such as the Buick Century, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Buick Regal etc. I also, always dreamed about the Marquis being a police package Crown Vic..but after reading several documentations indicating that the police package Caprice was the best in performance out of the 80's police cars, I opted to get a Caprice instead. I always preferred the styling and design of the full size GM's over the Fords anyway.
Anyway, after getting rid of the '89 Marquis, I was 19 and naive and purchased a 1988 Chevrolet Caprice and in my mind, I had a cop car. Something about police cars just screamed awesome to me. They were full size cars, but equipped with a more powerful drivetrain designed for performance. In their service and even now, they are basically sleepers because know one can really differentiate between a cop car and a civillian car unless they are enthusiasts like myself. The 1980-1985 Impalas as well as the 1986-1990 Caprices (re-badged Impalas) were the most common and preferred police cars/taxis up through the mid 90's. I did not know much about police cars and was naive and figured that I could convert my '88 Caprice into a police car with simple bolt on mods. Little did I know that the police package included a thicker gauge frame, dual sway bars, bigger control arms, bigger drum brakes, bigger disc brakes, auxillary coolers (power steering, transmission, oil), certified 120 mph speedoometer, heavy duty interior and floor, beefier rear end with 3.42 gears vs. 2.56 gears, and most importantly a 350 v8. The 350 v8 was not optioned in ANY full size car from 1980-1990 UNLESS it was a police car. My 88 was powered by the rather anemic 305 (which also came in the monte carlos of the time but with higher output heads). I drove the '88 for three years until I realized that I had no interest in fixing it and dumping money into it since it would never be what I wanted it to be.
The BOP (buick oldsmobile, pontiac & some cadillacs) only came equipped with either a six cylinder or the Oldsmoblie 307 which only came equipped with 140 HP and 250 ft/pounds of torque. I mentioned how the 350 only came optioned in police packages, but I failed to mention that Oldsmobile marketed a 350 DIESEL v8 but it was notorious for failure and its output was factory rated at only at 110 Horse and 205 ft/poundsTorque) These motors combined with the highway gearing, did not make these cars the best performers and gas mileage wasn't the best either. The most I got out of my 88 305 was 18 mpg (which isn't too bad for a carbureted v8) The 350 was the base package motor in most trucks in the 80's and having that motor in a full size GM car was ideal, but the EPA forbid it due to higher emissions. With some bolt on mods, the 350 is easily capable of consuming even less fuel than the 305, so it is ridiculous to me that 80's full size cars were considerably underpowered by todays standards.
This past November I finally found the epitome of full size cars in the 1980's, a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice 9c1 (police package) equipped with every auxillary cooler, positraction, 3.42 gears, heavy duty everything minus the cooling hoses, and most importantly, the L05 350 which came eqiupped with throttle body fuel injection. Full size cars in the 80's had to adhere to EPA regulations and as a result, were very poor performance wise wheras the police package cars received a more appropriate drivetrain which improved the 0-60 times tremendously in comparison to the civillian full size cars. Sure I am taking a compromise by having the less than fuel efficient 350 combined with 3.42 gears. However, I have well over 200 Horsepower and 300 pounds of torque to propel me during my daily commute. This may not seem alot in 2010, but it is enough to still follow traffic and even pass people with moderate throttle. My 305 from the factory only came with 170 Hp and 250 pounds of torque..and in its last days it probably had much less due to several issues I had with the ignition timing. I had issues keepign with traffic with that car and it became impractical to be giving it wide open throttle all the time...(not gonna lie it sounded awesome though)
Anyway, compared to most people within my age group, my particular full size 80's car obsession may sound strange, mainly because 80's full size cars are undesirable in comparison to the 60's and 70's cars. Howeveer, in terms of styling, they are not significantly different and the only drawback is the less than powerful drivetrain that came in all civillian full size cars. Anyway, after a few years of trial and error and loads of research, I realized the only 80's full size car that would satisfy me with regard to performance, practicality and luxury, would be a police car equipped with every heavy duty option and drivetrain. You would think that the heavy duty interior would be uncomfortable, but check this, it is far more comfortable than the interior in my '88 Civillian Caprice and I am able to sit much higher without even needing recline. My '88 kept me level with the steering wheel wheras now I have full view of the hood and ornament (an awesome feature of all full size cars prior to 1991)
The police package cars were like a throwback to the early 70's where EPA regulations were far less strict and these cars were able to perform similarly to the 70's performance cars. The government gave leeway to the police departments because it was critical for hot pursuit use and you would be surprised how these cars launch off the line. I was able to keep up with a 2004 Subaru WRX so I can't relly complain performance wise. The gas mileage coudl be better but it is simlar to that of a modern truck or SUV.
Anyways, here is my Police Package Optioned Chevrolet Caprice. You would think these cars would be undesirable by most, but with the corvette style rally wheels pictured, I have been getting more attention than I'd like. I plan on restoring the car to its original glory with its orignial steel wheels with dog dish hubcaps and the drivers A pillar mounted spotlight (the car already has the provisions for it, I just need to drill out the hole and install)
Also, for all that think I might be crazy, watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ_39lxl ... re=related
That is a car chase from the movie "To live and die in LA" IT is between a police package 1985 Chevrolet Impala (Same as a Caprice minus a few minor cosmetic differences, same body) and a 1980's Mercury Grand Marquis (luxury version of the LTD Crown Victoria)
As you can tell, the Impala is definitely one stylish and awesome sounding vehicle. During my daily commute, my wide open throttle sounds just as good as the Impalas. I'd also like to mention that this scene is one of the best car chase scenes in cinematic history (not because it is between the car I own and have owned..well maybe a little bit)
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