Progress with my 89 Minnesota SSP
 

Hello,

Thought that I would post an update re: progress with returning my 1989 Minnesota State Patrol (MSP) SSP to period correct in-service specs. With the help of a few Twin Cities based friends in the PCOOA I've been able to learn some great historical content, info about my SSP, and also make a great contact within the Minnesota State Patrol.

When you combine and add up all of those things, I've been able to detail and document the MSP Mustang equipment setup. To help with organizing and retaining that information, I've authored a Minnesota State Patrol SSP Mustang History & Restoration Guidebook. It was pretty easy to do since the hard part (after researching what the MSP used) of typing the format was aleady done with my North Carolina State Highway Patrol SSP History & Restoration Guidebook. Also so far through this process I've identified 7 of the 20 MSP VIN's and 7 newspaper articles from the time.

Have the last few items needed for the SSP on order plus one other item I'm going to pick up from a PCOOA member while at the Indy convention. One of the items that has been on order is the door shield, which will hopefully not take too much longer. To that end if all goes as expected I'll have everything in place and this SSP returned to period correct in-service condition by end of July. Just in time to get some good pics and enjoy it some this summer! As always I'll be sure to post up some relevant pics along the way of the progress.

Mike, :2thumbs:
Congrats on the updates / info. Hope you get her done on time.

Congrats Mike! That's a HUGE accomplishment, especially for a jurisdiction with so little having been documented previously.

Pretty cool! I want to read some of the articles you've found!

Gentleman - Thanks for the feedback...working on returning this one to in-service specs has been alot of fun.

Here's a link to 7 newspaper articles I've found on the Minnesota State Patrol SSP's. Some of them are redundant but I was glad to find them in any event.

http://public.fotki.com/MOstang/must...-articles-etc/

Thanks again!

Open the curtain please...
 

Hello - Here's an update on the 1989 Minnesota State Patrol SSP Mustang. Equipment is installed...see photos.

I've tried to do the best job possible recreating this SSP. Have had a good solid base of info to work with, while at the same time, having some info holes and items that were difficult to obtain and/or duplicate these 20 years later. Biggest gap/challenge being no interior photos of an Minnesota SSP to work with and match up with. To that end have tried to do best job possible to recreate and preserve this important part of the MSP's history.

For the most part the MSP had a rather minimalist and undercover approach to the equipment installed in their 20 SSP's...all 1989 model year purchases. This being said they also had some interesting approaches to the Mustangs including the undercover no-show red flood style light underthe front bumper. At the same time, as with most agencies, they were not consistent in what was installed. For instance having a scanner was the Trooper's choice. I have reason to believe that mine included it so one is in there now. My MSP contact advised that Mustangs were not consistent on whether they had VASCAR, radar (several diff't could have been used), both, or neither. I haven't quite been able to figure that part out for my SSP so at least for time being neither in there now. My MSP contact told me that likely no CB radio used, however, I wanted one as will have a periodic need for one going forward. Given the VHF radio is GE Delta (an actual former MSP one), for consistency sake I used a GE CB radio that is circa 1989.

The equipment is functional in the SSP. Everything looks much better in person than the photos seem to represent. I need to see about getting some better photos over the next few days. As mentioned previously I've documented everything I've learned in an MSP SSP Mustang History & Restoration Guidebook...also created an MSP SSP Mustang Equipment Installation Reference Guidebook. Thanks for looking.