S W E E E E T deal Bill !

Since that 1993 SMPV popped up for sale, I figured that I would give y'all an update on my 85 SMPV. The car hasn't made much progress since the Summer, but we now have a plan to move it forward. Two body-guys have looked it over closely and measured it. The car is bent up pretty badly. The passenger shock tower needs to be pulled, and the apron fixed. But the cowl also has an arch to it from being hit, and the front pillar where the door is hinged is also outa whack. So the car will be farmed out to another body shop to straighten the frame. That should happen in January, and then it will go back to shop #1 to have the new apron installed and the engine compartment painted. Then the body (about 90% done) will be blocked, primed, and painted.

I have a line on an 85 GT that I need to have shipped here ;), and it will be used as a donor car for its drivetrain and harnesses. Once I have that installed I will turn my attention to the interior. It will not be ready by the 50th, but it will be looking like a car again by then. :)

Glad to hear your making progress :-)

Progress is GOOD!

That's awesome Bill!! It's great that progress is getting made on it!!

SMPV or not, I sure hope you can find a way to make it down to Charlotte! It'd be nice to have you.

Congrats Bill ! Glad to hear you are working on it !
Can't wait to see pictures.
Happy New Year !
John

Bill,
I found this picture on Ebay and was curious if you had seen it and if this is your ride?

Thanks for posting that! The car in the photo is the only SMPV Mustang that the CHP painted silver & white during that first year of the program - #E408445. The other four Mustangs (with at least one Mustang being an 84) were all painted white with black lower bumpers front and back. I bought that photo for my collection. :)

There's not much to update, but progress, albeit it slow, is still progress. The shock tower and cowl were pulled and put back square. The passenger side apron in front of the shock tower is now cut out, and the replacement panel will go in soon. The 85 GT parts car is safely stowed away for future use. I just put it in my name, so Rich will not be getting any more notices from California DMV. ;)

Good deal progress is progress ;)

Good to hear! Slow progress is still progress. Can't wait to see some pics. :thumbsup:

Hang in there Bill.... restoring car is not an easy task. I'm sure the car will be beautiful when you're finished. I'm very happy this car is in great hands.

X2 :thumbsup:

Thanks guys. With Jack in college now, my "fun money" is limited. But I figure I can slowly advance the progress without letting it languish as an unfinished project that sits untouched and tarped in the corner of the garage. I will get some pictures together and posted...

As an update, the rusted-out apron under the battery has been replaced, and the SMPV should be in epoxy primer shortly. If all goes well it will be coming back to my garage this week. I will be taking plenty of pictures of it, as well as the 85 GT parts car from Rich.

WooHoo! Can't wait to see the progress! :thumbsup:

Good job Bill. Can't wait to see the pictures !

OK guys. Here is a teaser picture, with the car having been shot in epoxy primer. I have more in-progress photos that I need to sort through. I will probably upload them to my Fotki album. I helped Kris block sand it last night, and the car was sprayed again with _____ primer (I forget what he called it). The fenders and bumper will be hung today, and the electrical stuff installed back on the fender apron which was replaced. The car should be back under its own power again, and coming back to my garage (in primer) within the next day or so.

Nice...keep at it and keep 'em coming!

Bill,
She's lookin' good :2thumbs:

More pics though !!!!:D

I spent some time going through my picture folder, and updating my Fotki album, as seen here -

http://public.fotki.com/28HopUp/1985-chp-e408383-smpv/


I added comments as needed under many of the photos. Some of them dart in and out of being chronologically correct, but it shows the general progress of the car so far. I also changed the link in my signature to take you to the Fotki album. I expect to take more picture once the car comes home, and then also of the 1985 GT parts car I bought from Rich/CHP8336. :)

Progress is always good...your SMPV was all white, Bill?

Mike, the CHP took the car out of patrol duty and repainted it white, except for the lower portion of both bumpers which they left black. Here is an in-service picture of my car -

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...234896pic1.jpg

Thanks, that will be a very unique SSP!

It's coming along nicely Bill ! Great pictures.
A lot of work, but it will be well worth it when finished !

I can't wait to see it when it is finished !

It's Finally Back Home!
 

Kris dropped off the SMPV last night. That's the 85 GT parts car next to it. It's nice to have the SMPV back, although I find it ironic that the two worst cars I own are parked INSIDE, while the better iron sits in the driveway exposed to the elements. I won't complain, since many of my neighbors cannot fit a single car in their garages because they are filled with junk.

The weather is turning sour this week, but I will take more pictures over the next few days as time and sunlight allow. :)

Yep, I can relate to that! I found myself in the same position while working on my SSP. Worse yet, a freak hailstorm, the likes never seen along the coast where I was living, hit while my other rides sat unprotected outside! Luckily no damage to anything but what a heart attack to get awaken in the middle of the night with that event.

http://media.fotki.com/1_p,frtsbdwqt...10Mar06-vi.jpg

Woohoo! She's not "out of sight, out of mind" anymore Bill! :D

J/K, glad she's back under your roof now. Keep the pics coming!

It's nice having the car back. I uploaded more photos in Fotki album, which is linked in my signagture. Worth noting is the following picture of the CHP decals I recently purchased from John -

http://images45.fotki.com/v1310/phot...parts01-vi.jpg


These really look great! Thank you, sir! :)

I also wanted to post a photo of the parts car, which I bought from Rich as noted earlier in this thread -

http://images108.fotki.com/v1629/pho...5/IMG25-vi.jpg


The restoration of the SMPV will be much easier with the parts car! ;) And finally, a picture of the two cars after driving them back into the garage -

http://images43.fotki.com/v1439/phot...511_396-vi.jpg

OLD TREAD ALERT!
 

I wanted to provide an update on this unique SSP. A few years ago, I sold it and the 85 GT parts car to Jim/NoDrama. It was again sold to a gentleman in Arkansas, who was not active on the forum or social media. He now is comfortable posting about the car on FB, and intends to restore it to its former glory. I hope he joins here so he can update this thread as the project moves forward.

That’s good to hear, Bill. It’s always nice to know where they all are.

Always fun when cars pop back up after being out of sight for so long.