1985 CHP on CL (#E408306)
 

A little far from home...http://neworleans.craigslist.org/cto/2516567089.html

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1985 ford mustang ssp 5.0 CHP - $8500 (Jefferson)

Date: 2011-07-27, 3:52PM CDT
Reply to: sale-hzx6b-2516567089@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Very clean 1985 ford mustang ssp coupe 5.0 v-8,5 speed manual trans.,runs great,very fast,no rust , original California car . Real x California highway patrol car! Call Tony(504)442-8066

• Location: Jefferson
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

http://images.craigslist.org/3k73m53...850c2f15d7.jpg http://images.craigslist.org/3n23m33...969fdc1d0c.jpg http://images.craigslist.org/3n83kf3...0018091540.jpg

looks like a pretty nice car. thats a serious price though.... For that much money the car better be really nice. :)

Hmmmm.... Looking at those bumpers, isn't that how the CHP painted their 1985 Specially Marked Patrol Vehicles (SMPV's). This car seriously needs to be investigated, boys & girls!!!

wow..good eye Bill.

if so that would be a super rare one eh? Steve I think you should go get the assignment card for this one also !! :)

IIRC, the CHP converted an estimated 20 or so of their 1985 SSP Mustangs into SMPV's. E435300_SMPV (Ken) has an 1989 SMPV, which is the only surviving SMPV at this point. None of the 1985's have been found as of yet, making them both rare and desirable (in my opinion). First step would be to get the Unit Number from the seller, then ask Robert or Steve to find its Assignment Card, which would list it as a SMPV or not.

EDIT: The initial SMPV program had one 1984 and four 1985 Mustangs - 15 cars total (various makes).

I will be talking with the seller again today. He did not know the CHP Unit Number of the car, but I told him where to look. He said that the car does come with some CHP documentation, but he couldn't remember what it was exactly. He asked that I call him back today after he's had a chance to look at the car. He did say that the black front bumper has a retangular hole under the driver's side headlights, so the bumper is most likely the original one.

IF this car is a SMPV (notice the big "IF"?), then this is what it would have looked like -

Will be real intereting to hear what further you learn about it.

I know! I told MikeM that I would seriously consider selling my 85 to get/restore a real 1985 SMPV.

Imagine if it turns out to be the one in the picture???

I'd be blowing coffee out of my mouth all over this monitor if that turns out to be the case. :)

And, may I point out - how interesting that yet another 85 has surfaced. :D

the assignment card for the one for sale will tell us everything we ned to know. :)

Ryan, I find it amazing that so many 85 CHP Mustangs have survived. With only 155 being purchased that year, there are quite a few that are still around:

1. #8302 - jarhed123
2. #8315 - My66Ppony on ORG
3. #8336 - CHP8336
4. #8337 - Mustang Kid's Dad
5. #8395 - 28HopUp
6. #8397 - Andy
7. #8419 - RocketScience
8. #8428 - Rhino
9. #8??? - wsharp277
10. #8??? - Mustang Kid's Dad
11. #8??? - VIN 234870 (listed in ORG registry)
12. #8??? - VIN 234896 (was for sale on CL in Anaheim, CA)

And then we have in-service pictures for the following cars, but the whereabouts of these cars are not known:

• #8321
• #8354
• #8383 (SMPV)
• #8427
• #8445 (SMPV)

So I spoke with the seller again. He did not find the unit number on the door where I told him to look. The documentation he has sounds like it is from Ford, not the CHP. However, he read off several numbers that were hand written on the documents, and one of them was a 4-digit number that falls within the known range of CHP unit numbers for 1985. I put a call into Robert Read to see if he can find the Assignment Card for that number. If it matches up to this car's VIN, and it identifies the car as having been a SMPV, then I will attempt to bring this car home. If the card cannot be found, then I will probably pass on the car. That's alot of $$$ for a car without documentation as a SMPV.

I will be talking again with the seller tomorrow, who is having another gentleman over to talk with me by phone. Supposedly, this guy is more knowledgeable and may be able to shed some light on the car. He would also be the guy to email me more pictures of the car. So we shall see...

You forgot my dads cars- 8337 and ????

Dang it! I should have remembered that. Sorry for the omission. I went back and edited my post to include your Dad's two 85 CHP Mustangs. :)

No prob. Thanks:thumbsup:

Also Bill, you might want to ask Ryan what unit number John Bajusas restored 1985 CHP car is ?? :)

I think JohnB's car is the one listed in the ORG registry. Regardless, he didn't know his Unit Number.

He listed his plate # as 409683, but when I checked his VIN against mine his was 18 off from mine. My plate # is 408428. So my guess (if numerical) would put his unit # at/around: 408410. I didn't think to check the door jamb when his car was out my way in May.

Do the 85's follow sequentially on both the plate and VIN numbers? That doesn't seem to be true of my 82. Steve's ex0255 is 111 away from me in plate number, but only 29 in the VIN.

No. We have the later year CHP paperwork which shows they weren't in order then, either.

In that case, looks like John's CHP may actually be: 409683

Ryan, I think E409683 is a made up number on his car. I distinctly remember reading that he did not know his unit number when the car was restored. Also, the CHP ordered only 155 SSP's in 1985, and as far as I can tell the SSP Mustangs were assigned a sequential block of unit numbers. Now they pulled cars randomly when assigning the numbers, so the VIN's are randomly sorted compared to the Unit Numbers.

Unit #9683 is roughly 1300 away from the known SSP Unit Numbers in 1985, so I don't think that is the right number for his car. I tried to contact him once to suggest that he request the DMV registration records for his car, which should list the original license plate number (and Unit Number), but he never responded back to me.

I created a Fotki album for this SSP -

http://public.fotki.com/28HopUp/85-chp-in-new-orleans/


In one picture, it shows the Unit Number as #E408327, but if you look at the VIN on the same page you will see it is paperwork for a different SSP Mustang. But at least if that car ever turns up we will know the car's Unit Number.

The seller says that you can see the patched hole on the driver's side quarter panel from inside the trunk. Apparently there is also a hole in the trunklid for an antenna (a SMPV feature). The interior A-pillar trim are drilled for spotlights. In one picture the owner's warranty card shows "Calif Highway Patrol" as the owner. Carfax is consistent with it being owned by the CHP, so this car was surely a 1985 CHP Mustang.

In one picture you can see 8306 written on the paperwork, so I am operating on the basis that the car's number was #E408306. Once the Assignment Card is found, then we will know for sure if 8306 matches the VIN for this car, and whether or not it was a SMPV. I hope to track down the Assignment Card this week, and will let everyone know what it says.

OK! I heard from Robert Read this morning. He went through the boxes and found the assignment card for #E408306. He and I confirmed by phone that the VIN listed on the card matches the car in New Orleans. YEA! I had already sent him a prepaid pre-addressed Priority Mail envelope for him to use for another card that he ended up sending directly to Greg, so Robert will use that envelope to mail me the card for #8306.

The next part of the puzzle won't be confiirmed until I see the card. According to Robert, the card says that the vehicle was repainted white by the CHP, but it does not specifically state that the car was used for "Commercial Enf Truck Speed", as was listed on the card for #E408445 (a known SMPV through in-service pictures). Once I have the card for #8306 in-hand, I'll see the wording for the front of the card. I will also be able to determine if the date for the CHP white repaint matches the timeframe for the other '85 SMPV. It could be that the car was repainted white just prior to auction, making it a regular B&W SSP while it was in-service. If the latter situation is what happened, then I am not interested in the car.

So the pieces are coming together - stay tuned...

:)

Can't wait to hear how this one all comes together! Nail biting has already started...

FYI, it was also field practice to mount CB antennas back there on any unit so equipped. Most were magnetic mounts but some were permanent mounts as well. My car had a mag mount CB in the manner shown below:

http://images22.fotki.com/v813/photo...60/chp2-vi.gif

sooooo....this "could" be a black anf white that was taken out of standard patrol duty, painted white for SMPV duty, then sold. I agree the date of the paint job in conjuction of when it came out of service is very interesting. Bill it sounds like you are on the right track to confirm some information.

Yeah, it would sure be nice to find another SMPV unit. Fingers crossed.

8/17/2011 Update
 

I spoke with Robert Read this morning about the Assignment Card for #8306 and he said that he mailed it to me last night, so that should arrive in a few days. Robert couldn't remember the details listed on the card about the white paint. Once I have the card, I will know if it was repainted while in-service (indicating that it was a SMPV), or painted just prior to auction (making it a regular B&W). I will scan the card on both sides and post it up here. If it was just a regular B&W, I will send the card to the seller to include with the paperwork when he sells the car. He has been very pleasant to deal with on the phone, btw.

hmm....are you biting your fingernails waiting...... :)

Kinda! :) It would be nice to finally find an 85 SMPV. I think it would be a great restoration of a hard-to-find SSP. Without waxing too-poetically, like in Moby Dick, an 85 SMPV is my ever elusive whale. I'm not telling y'all anything you don't already know, but these SSP's are really a unique piece in automotive history. First there's the search for the vehicle itself, then comes the pursuit of documentation, then tracking down specific parts, then the restoration, and finally enjoying the results.

:D

That would be something else if it turned out to be an SMPV.

Heck, I'd probably faint if the assignment card for mine showed SMPV!!

Ryan, IF (big 'if') the CHP repainted as many as 25 of the 155 SSP's they bought in 1985 as SMPV's, then there's a 16% chance that your car was a SMPV. Not great odds, but it sure would be cool for one (or more) to surface! I know you'll post up once your card arrives (soon!) in the mail.

:)

The verdict is in!
 

The Assignment Card for #E408306 arrived in yesterday's mail, and the car was clearly a regular B&W while in-service. The white repaint occurred just prior to auction.

I'm a bit disappointed, yet somewhat relieved. I really can't take on another project right now. When I get to work tomorrow, I will scan in both sides of the card and post them up, before sending the card to the seller.

:cool:

As promised, here is the Assignment Card for #E408306 -

http://images52.fotki.com/v641/photo...7/8306A-vi.jpg

http://images15.fotki.com/v587/photo...7/8306B-vi.jpg


Using this CHP Office Finder, the car was initially assigned to CHP Office #126 in Garberville, CA, but was immediately exchanged to CHP Office #150 in Ukiah, CA (Northwest of Sacramento). It replaced a 1982 (#E870580), and was replaced with a 1987 (#E422957). The scan doesn't show it well, but you can see on the card where the writer started to describe #8306 as a Dodge Diplomat. Since this car has one of the lowest known Unit Numbers for 1985, I could see where he/she would have written that out of habit (much like dating a personal check in January with the prior year).

So I will send the card to the seller so he can include it with the car when he sells it.

Good detective work though.