New Member w/ a SMPV
 

Hi Everyone,
I am new here. A friend of mine Rich(CHP8336) informed me about Special Service Mustang. I am a retired LEO and have had my 89 CHP mustang for about 8 yrs. Once i drove one, i was hooked. I hope to learn more about these unique patrol cars and some day begin to restore mine. Thank you, Ken

A very big welcome Ken!

Your car is sort of a CHP Mustang celebrity:

http://images38.fotki.com/v1220/phot...1010448-vi.jpg

Mike M. should verify this but from the info I have your car went into service on 8/7/90 and was stationed at Banning.

It may also be one of the cars in the top photo of this cover:

http://images110.fotki.com/v560/phot...agJul90-vi.jpg

Does anyone here have this issue? If so, can they check to see if it mentions where the cover photo cars were from? I thought I heard somewhere that they were from the Banning area.

I'm curious about what condition your car is currently in and if you have any photos you can share? I've always hoped that this particular car would surface someday and be in good hands. Sounds like it is and if you're into SSP preservation Ken, you'll find plenty of help here!

welcome to our site. awesome and rare car you have. Hope to see it restored someday !! Be sure to check out the CHP resto section and ask all the questions you want. We are all here to help. :2thumbs:

Welcome to the forum! Numerous folks here knowledgable and helpful on the CHP SSP's. Yours will be a fun one to see put back together. We would enjoy seeing photos no matter the current condition.

This is a picture from when i first got the it. Approx. 8yrs ago.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...oin5150/88.jpg

Welcome!:welcome:

I have the magazine, and I'll take a look to see what info is there about where it served.

Nice car.

Ok....checked the magazine. It doesn't say anything about where the car served. The guy in in the picture is named and was a CHP EVOC instructor, and the photo and info on the SMPVs in the short write-up was arranged by a CHP Sgt. (per the mag).

Very nice, welcome to the forum.

Thank you for the Welcomes,
Big thanks to CHP8336. I knew I had a CHP mustang but never knew the history of the car. After doing some brief research, CHP8336 found it to be a SMPV. Finding out this is a rare car bring a lot of questions about this car. I am glad to be apart of this forum. There is a lot of info here and great to see everyone's experiences.
Please, if anyone has more info on this car, pictures.... ect, it would be exciting to hear from you. It looks like i have a lot of researching ahead of me to begin someday restoring this car.
Thanks Again!!!

Glad Rich was able to help you out. If you post up pics of the door and/or buck tags, we can start there.

I'm curious to see if your car was a special paint black and white car that was repainted or if was ordered in white.

Sounds good, I have to dig in to get the buck tags.

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...DSC01921-1.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e.../DSC01936x.jpg

Good pic of the bucktags....thanks for that. Definitely a special paint car. Do you think they painted it white when they sold it?

I dont think CHP did it, the black paint is there, then the blue. the white paint looks like some teenage kid did it. Over spray and tape marks all over the trim and the entire white paint job is peeling/flaking something terrible.

Ok. Did you guys figure out the unit number from the door jamb or were you able to get the CHP assignment card?

AFAIK, Your car is the first CHP SMPV to surface. There was another one that was a possible SMPV, but could never be verified. Definitely a rare, unique car you have there.

Welcome to the site Ken. There are a few LEOs active and retired here. I find it very interesring about your SSP. I don't own one but the members here do and are very knowlegable when it comes to restoring SSPs. George

Welcome aboard Ken!!! I am glad I have helped you with the history of your car. As you have found out already there is tons of history that come with a ssp car. It is really a fun hobby. As you know 8336 has been my car for 23 years and until I joined this site and had not known 1/4 of what I know now from learning info from the members from this site. I am happy you joined this site. The members here are a great bunch of guys. (Oops... and gals too). Your car, being a SMPV will most likely keep you buzy researching its CHP life for YEARS to come. Ken, have fun and post away!!!

Rich

Welcome to the site Ken. :)

I was not able to get any accurate numbers from the door. i found out during this researching the vin #. the numbers on the door are not right and differ from the dash tag. these number below i got from another website.

1989 CHP 5300 E435300 211314 (From the Dash and Reg)

1989 CHP 5234 E435234 211353 (From the Door tag)

The Door tag vin#'s are also from a SSP. this adds another question to the Puzzle.

I didn't even think to look at the warranty listing we have. :doh:

211314 (E435300) shows an in-service date of 08/07/90 with 100 miles on it on the sheet (Central Division).

211353 shows an in-service date of 12/27/89 with 44 miles (Oroville).

I'm guessing that they replaced the door. Have you done a Carfax on your car? I think it'd be interesting to run one on the other one as well to see.

Welcome to the site Ken! Feel free to post questions, even if you think they're too dumb to ask (that never stopped me!). Your SSP is very interesting. Good luck on the CHP research - that's as much fun as restoring the mechanical stuff IMO.

Welcome aboard! Yours and the copper colored SMPV are two of my favorites. What on the buck tags/car tell that it was an SMPV and how was the history tracked?

W E L C O M E aboard. awesome car and can't wait to see it blue and white again. Great find for sure.

Welcome and would love to seeore pics...:welcome:

Question????? my car has auto window and locks. I heard that all chp cars came with roll up window cranks and mechanical door locks. Is that true???

Here are some great pics of the blue paint shining through the junk white paint.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...DSC01922-1.jpg
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...0/DSC01938.jpg

No Blue on the Doors.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...0/DSC01938.jpg
Antenna hole and wire marks.
http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/e...0/DSC01944.jpg

Nice Pics CHP 5300
 

Ken, Your car has many things that are different than a std CHP car. Now that we know the car was shipped to the CHP as a std black and white I am assuming it was then the CHP painted it blue right away when it was new. The car has no antenna hole in the quarter panel, and has a antenna hole in the center of the trunk. The pic of your car shows no spotlights and you have spot holes in both pillars??? Maybe the CHP used the small SMPV 5'' spotlights at first then removed the spots at a later date??? Does anyone have any information on the equipment or pics of the CHP SMPV cars???

Hard to say without some hard documentation but it's my guess that the CHP eventually added the spots and trunk antenna as both became standard equipment with the later, somewhat less stealthy, Mustang SMPVs. Perhaps they felt the need to replace the Sti-Co undercover antenna and mag mount spotlight that were originally used with something that would work better. Having no quarter panel or roof antenna holes tells me the car was never a standard equipped unit and was sent down the Motor Transport line to be done as a SMPV right off the bat after being received in factory B&W and having been repainted.

For equipment reference, here's some shots of an '89 Caprice SMPV built in the same spartan configuration as the same year Mustangs (less the pushbar of course):

http://images38.fotki.com/v1214/phot...73077b8-vi.jpg

http://images23.fotki.com/v857/photo...3e6feb6-vi.jpg

Notice the modified shotgun/radio rack that has the mag mount spotlight attached and the modified mounting of the shotgun. The whole idea was to keep all the "goodies" low and out of view to maintain stealth. I've been told the Mustang interiors were generally set up the same as this Caprice. Also, the round PAR46 decklights were replaced with smaller rectangular lights set low on the package shelf.

Ken, what types and locations of equipment mounting holes are still present in your interior?

Pretty much. Someone probably added them.

Again, how was this car found to be a real deal SMPV? The door was replaced so where are these records coming from. I am not questioning the authenticity of it, just curious how it it was done.

VIN on the dash matches the VIN on the warranty paperwork for that unit number, in-service pic of that unit number shows blue SMPV.

It's nice to see it backed up with documentation. :thumbsup:

+1

Thank you!

I know there is the Assignment card and possible owner history but actually is there anymore documentation that would support the verification of this car? or, is it needed?

CHP SMPV #5300
 

This car has another mystery that has surfaced. Not only both doors have power door locks and windows but BOTH doors have the same vin sticker off of another 1989 CHP car. Both doors are white inside and out and have no blue on them. From what I have read CHP cars are all manual windows and manual door locks...................Any Ideas??? The carfax shows the car the doors are from is still out there on the road???

Could have just been a power window swap. It's easy to do.