For $800, I'd like to have it to restore, but I'm not driving from Ohio to CA to get it.

That's a good deal.

I am seriously thinking about buying this car. There are a few things i am curious about.
-how difficult is it to find the correct interior
-how difficult would it be to find a correct engine/trans and correct exhaust system
-is the period correct CHP equipment hard to come by?

The interior trim code is DV, which is cloth & vinyl seating and low-back buckets (D), and the color is French Vanilla (V). It is a one-year-only color.

The H.O. engine longblock is the same through '84 (and '85 CFI), it's just the induction that's different. Trans is the same through '83. Exhaust is the same through '84.

I'm puzzled by the red dash/interior. I can understand that it could have been swapped, but it looks like crap. Why take one crappy interior out to put another one in? Why doesn't it have a passenger side spot, or at least a hole for one? How did it end up leaving the highway patrol and staying in California, but it still has "HIGHWAY PATROL" written across the back of it. What's with the 10-hole wheels on a 82? What's with the black and white Krylon spray paint job??

It could very well be a CHP, but there is something about the car that makes me suspicious like the seller wants you to believe it's a former CHP.

The Eminger invoice is posted in the VIN project. The VIN also confirms it was a CHP car.

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...info213363.htm

Interiors get swapped all the time, and the incorrect deck lettering means that someone added it. The seller also clearly stated that the interior had been previously stripped out of the car in his eBay listing.

Heh! That explains why I had Bill's name associated with the entry in my four-eyed Fox database. He's the one that got a copy of the Eminger invoice.

And that was a random VIN pulled for us by Marti too. Kinda ironic that the car would surface not long afterwards. Here's the thread where we discussed our research on the 1982 SSP Mustangs -

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...ead.php?t=3737

:)

so I guess the one year only interior would be the needle in the hay stack.
the body and paint is no big deal. Late model resto doesn't carry the stock twin tip exhaust, i am thinking that would be a little tough to find as well.
What about the CHP equipment?

IMO, this car is well worth the effort for that price. There were only 400 SSP's that first year, and this car is somewhat documented already with the Eminger Invoice. If the Unit Number isn't found upon examining the car, then the new owner may be able to receive the Registration History from California DMV, which should list the CHP as the first owner, along with the original license plate number (which is the Unit Number). A donor car(s) may be found to assist with the restoration, and CHP equipment can still be sourced without too much difficulty.

This car is a project for sure, and probably should be inspected beforehand if possible. But these cars aren't getting any easier to find.