i got one!!
 

hey fellas, my name is Teddy and I have been lurking around in the forums for a few months. I've learned a lot from reading your posts but I have never been able to fully relate. well, I finally purchased my first ssp. it is an 88 tx dps car. the dso indicates houston and it is phisically still in houston. I bought it pretty much sight unseen with the exception of a few pics. I will be making the trip to pick it up on sat. Its just a roller but by god it has bucktags. it is tx unit M8-545 . I have looked it up online but there doesn't seem to be any record of it. so the research begins! ;) anyone that might be able to lead me in the right direction to finding more info on this car would be great! I must find some in-service pics! thanks in advance for all the help I will need and I appologize if I become cumbersome to yall. Teddy

I have a quick question. I have seen in-service pics(tx) where the unit number doesn't match the lic. plate. is the unit number marked on the outside of the car somewhere?

Congrats on finding an 88 TxDPS SSP. The unit Number I have never seen as the tag/plate.

Here is some restoration info.
http://www.specialservicemustang.net/DPS.htm

Here are some pictures.
http://www.specialservicemustang.net/Gallery/TX.htm

You have already found the unit number so you are far ahaed the rest... Was this car an automatic? Seems to me that the Houst DSO is where the Automatic DPS cars came from. I have seen another one that was still in service with another agency in Texas and the DSO was Houston. Very likely this car was one that was bought by another agency when it came out of duty with DPS.

Good luck on finding all the info you need... Tom Mallette, Tony Sharp, and Roman Collins (there are a few others but these are in and around Houston) are the true Texas DPS restoration guys as they currenlty own restored Texas cars. Mine is still a roller as well as missing the front sheet metal.

Congrats on your find! You will find quite a few Texas guys in your area, like Matt said, that will be more than happy to help.

thanks guys! I'm so stoked about it. its been like a bad day of fishing, trying to find one close that I could afford that's straight with no rust. it is originally an automatic car which I don't care for and also, the spots have been filled. is it hard to reinstall those?

Congrats!

The spots are an easy fix, depending on how well they were filled in.

That car is one of 100 automatics ever bought in the late 80's. Tom or Tony also figured out there was a special 1 off wire harness in those 88 automatic Tx DPS SSP's...

Where are you located?

Matt

hey Matt, thanks for that great info. ! 1 of 100 huh? that makes it a little more rare i guess. as for the harness< that sounds like bad news as i dont have it. maybe at least the back half will be there. my experience is noone really pulls the rear harnesses. its probably impossible to duplicate. i live in argyle, tx. its south of denton a lil. how bout you?

now that i think of it, i read somewhere that the 88 ssp's were maf cars as the civilian 88' cars are speed density. that would explain the uniqu:D e wiring harness. thats even better if that is true. that justifies having mass air on an 88'

Get us the last 6 0n the VIN as this is a car we have not documented yet. Most of the info Tony and I have is from the AUCTION brochures I have and this was not one sold at my auctions. A soon as you get Title run a VIN owner check through the state. Some of the Records are getting pured> iwas able to mine all the way back to when I bought it from the state. What part of Houston is the car in? The DSO is Houston but the cars were sold through Gallespe Ford in San Antonio.


Tom