Copcarsonline Open House in Largo FL, Sat, Nov 6th

[CNTLOSE]

Originally Posted by calimustang

I was told that they are correct because i wanted to make sure it's period correct era for early FHP days of late 80s just in case my 89 SSP was a FHP but unconfirmed yet. What equipment was it supposed to have? Jetsonic lightbar that i know of.

The FHP SSP was mine and Doug's (FHP0739) before me. It should not have any deck lights as they were not ran on them until around 1990...this car is a 1988. So if your car is a 1989 you more than likely should not have any deck lights. Check for the holes in the rear deck and that should give you your answer...pending it was not used by another agency when retired from the FHP. The one photographed was used by two other agencies after retired by the state.

From two FHP retired Troopers I have spoke with you were allowed to add lights to your car if you wished. So pending the light on the windshield is period correct one might have seen one on a FHP of that era. Each Troop was a little different as one inservice photo shows a red light on the front of a SSP (I believe it is also on a video for True Stories of the Highway Patrol). A retired LT from FHP told me when he was a new Trooper in the mid 80's they were told if they wanted red lights on their car, go join the fire department...so no cars out of their Troop had red lights.

Mark (Current FHP owner.) does have a correct style lightbar for the car as it was included in the deal. I imagine it will eventually be installed to bring it closer to 100%.

[ImEvil1]

Originally Posted by CNTLOSE

The FHP SSP was mine and Doug's (FHP0739) before me. It should not have any deck lights as they were not ran on them until around 1990...this car is a 1988. So if your car is a 1989 you more than likely should not have any deck lights. Check for the holes in the rear deck and that should give you your answer...pending it was not used by another agency when retired from the FHP. The one photographed was used by two other agencies after retired by the state.

From two FHP retired Troopers I have spoke with you were allowed to add lights to your car if you wished. So pending the light on the windshield is period correct one might have seen one on a FHP of that era. Each Troop was a little different as one inservice photo shows a red light on the front of a SSP (I believe it is also on a video for True Stories of the Highway Patrol). A retired LT from FHP told me when he was a new Trooper in the mid 80's they were told if they wanted red lights on their car, go join the fire department...so no cars out of their Troop had red lights.

The cars could have had decklights, depending on when/where/how long they were in-service for. MJ's car was more than likely NOT an FHP car.

The adding of equipment back then was frowned upon, and this information is from Troopers that I personally worked with, as well as department policy of the time. Obviously, there were variations, and supervisors who allowed it or weren't as strict in enforcing the policy. The pic below is from 1996.

[ImEvil1]

Originally Posted by CNTLOSE

Mark (Current FHP owner.) does have a correct style lightbar for the car as it was included in the deal. I imagine it will eventually be installed to bring it closer to 100%.

It looks like, if this is the car he bought "a few months ago", that it's as far as it's going to go.

[MOstang]

Originally Posted by ImEvil1

...that it's as far as it's going to go.

Hopefully they fix the spelling error that I noticed.

[NoDrama43]

"finishing details" ........ ?

here they are listed in order of importance:

1. make up crap to put on the sign.
2. check with Dad to see if the made up crap is ok.
3. put the crap sign on the car.
4. display car as marketing tool to help Dad sell more cars.

[CNTLOSE]

Originally Posted by ImEvil1

It looks like, if this is the car he bought "a few months ago", that it's as far as it's going to go.

I think when these photos were made they only had the car a few weeks...it has been just over a month now that we did the deal...so yes creative writing was done here...lol Also to make one thing perfectly clear 98% of what you see on the car was done by Doug (FHP0739) not me. I never have claimed that and I never will. The car actually went to New England before Doug purchased it. He restored it 8+ years ago and I bought it from him last summer.

I talked to a Joe Snowden who retired a LT a few years ago and a retired Captain at Indy last year...I do not recall his name. Snowden had three FHP SSP's and gave me the info that it was not until around 1990 that the deck lights started appearing.
These are two inservice photos and the one with the airplane is reported to be a 1988. Neither car has the rear deck lights or anniversay decals.



I guess it would be possible for them to be added on later, but I doubt an '88 on it's way out the door would get them...but we all know how the government operates so anything is possible.
It should also have the anniversay decals on it, but I never installed them. (I was also told any car inservice during the anniversay year had the decals put on.) I had also purchased the correct dash masters but after learning my car probably did not have them originally I was just going to save them.

[CNTLOSE]

Sorry...Doug goes by CHP3705 on this site.

[ImEvil1]

Originally Posted by CNTLOSE

I think when these photos were made they only had the car a few weeks...it has been just over a month now that we did the deal...so yes creative writing was done here...lol Also to make one thing perfectly clear 98% of what you see on the car was done by Doug (FHP0739) not me. I never have claimed that and I never will. The car actually went to New England before Doug purchased it. He restored it 8+ years ago and I bought it from him last summer.

I talked to a Joe Snowden who retired a LT a few years ago and a retired Captain at Indy last year...I do not recall his name. Snowden had three FHP SSP's and gave me the info that it was not until around 1990 that the deck lights started appearing.
These are two inservice photos and the one with the airplane is reported to be a 1988. Neither car has the rear deck lights or anniversay decals.


I guess it would be possible for them to be added on later, but I doubt an '88 on it's way out the door would get them...but we all know how the government operates so anything is possible.
It should also have the anniversay decals on it, but I never installed them. (I was also told any car inservice during the anniversay year had the decals put on.) I had also purchased the correct dash masters but after learning my car probably did not have them originally I was just going to save them.

That's the same info posted in the FHP Resto doc here, and the same info I've received from numerous Troopers. I'm not sure when that particular car came out of service, and you didn't post when those pictures were taken, but it's very possible that they were added to the car, depending on how long it was in-service. As an example, Jim Y's unmarked was with FHP for 10 years, and I'm sure saw many changes along the way. They were still selling '88s in 1993, as a guy that I EOD'd with at the city had just purchased one.

I never saw any cars running around with the anniversary decals in '90-'91. I think they were on the cars for the year and removed.

[MOstang]

Cool pics Matt...I enjoyed seeing your old FHP at the Indy PCOOA event by the way...too bad won't be seeing again (at least not any time soon). Love that tan interior!

[CNTLOSE]

Originally Posted by MOstang

Cool pics Matt...I enjoyed seeing your old FHP at the Indy PCOOA event by the way...too bad won't be seeing again (at least not any time soon). Love that tan interior!

Yeah, I miss looking into the garage and staring at her. The tan interior for being almost all original was very nice. It was a toss up on which one to sell but we are very happy with TX DPS...and at least we don't see 4 or more at each show...lol.