429 Police Interceptor! 1972 Ford Galaxie 500
Update 2/12/24 – After more than three years since we featured it, this Galaxie has resurfaced here on eBay with no reserve!
From 12/13/20 – In Trucker Lingo, a “plain brown wrapper” is an unmarked police car that blends in with traffic. By the time speeders realize the semi-stealthy sedan is driven by John Law, their goose is cooked. This plain and literally brown unmarked police car is a real-deal 1972 Ford Galaxie 500 P-Code police interceptor. The San Antonio, Texas classic packs a 429 cubic inch (7.0L) police-spec V8, air conditioning, original spotlight, and more. The seller uses more words describing their boilerplate than describing the car here on eBay, but it’s said to run and drive “as it should.” At least 10 bidders have cast their name in the hat to win this prize, with more than $13,500 pledged so far.
Hopefully whoever buys this Ford will respect it enough to replace the lawn mower air cleaner with a real one. The aftermarket ignition likely fires better than stock, but I’d source stock-looking parts there as well. The seller reports having a “Mari” report, (probably a Marti Report) that should document the car’s origin as a true P-Code Interceptor and its equipment and options. Why not include the vehicle-specific Marti report in the listing? In 1972, all American cars “lost” horsepower on paper as HP ratings changed from Gross to Net to more accurately reflect parasitic drag and other restrictions of factory installation. Automobile-Catalog reports 208 HP and 322 lb-ft of torque from this 429… not ideal for drag-racing but certainly enough for sustained high-speed operation. Drop some money on this motor and watch those numbers rise dramatically.
Let’s assume this is not original paint, though hopefully the original color. The car’s service history escapes description. In its time, the spot light, whip antennae, and body-color steel wheels with “dog dish” hub caps revealed the car’s role as a law enforcement tool, but with no lights and sirens on the roof, troopers got much closer to speeding prey before disclosing their identity. Full-sized wheel covers rarely appear on a police vehicle for multiple reasons. In addition to being more expensive, the big caps can fly off when rough driving smashes the wheel lip into potholes, or when hard cornering rolls the ’70s tires enough to drive the wheel edge into uneven pavement.
Welcome to the officer’s office! In the days before a technology tower filled the interceptor cockpit, you might find little more than a police radio inside. Comfort is key when you’re logging a full shift behind the wheel. Though lacking side bolsters for cornering, most of this car’s high speed driving likely occurred on the highway. Retired police cars maintain a strong following in the enthusiast arena. I would keep this one stock, but I can’t help but picture a home-built replica with 460 power, overdrive, and FAST EFI making all-day drives simple: top off the fluids, grab a pack of Hydrox, and hit the road. Have you encountered a “plain brown wrapper?”
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Comments
This is pretty cool. Would make a fun cruiser, something not commonly seen. You would get smiles from folks as they remembered how their heart rate jumped when they realized they had just been seen by an unmarked patrol car.
Maybe some of you who are experienced in law enforcement vehicles of the era can chime in…. would this have been used as a stealth vehicle, or maybe the sheriff himself would have driven it as he took care of administrative duties (as opposed to patrol or responding to calls)?
In the (then) little town we grew up, the sheriff ordered one of these with the shotgun mounted on a rack in the trunk, 460, geared low (high numerically) for his use. A few years later it was on the street as a traffic car-the officer driving it spotted a Rollin’ Stolen and gave pursuit through the streets of the town. He spun it several times but managed to catch it anyway. The suspects finally resigned themselves to the fact that though they couldn’t lose him no matter how badly he drove and gave up..In all fairness they were really light in the rear so you had to learn to steer with the accelerator and there was no Emergency Driving Course in the academy then, I’m told.
As an aside, the officer was helped by a couple of the townsfolk while ordering the suspects out of the car and arresting them-one guy covering the officer used a Thompson submachine gun with a drum magazine and dressed as he was looked like a 1920’s gangster right out of Hollywood!
A different time…
I had one of these in green years ago. That 429 was a beast. Especially on gas. Mine was a former FBI car. One of the one’s I wish I’d kept
Burt approves and says, “hold my White Lightning” and watch this!
Kirk, I’ve seen your green car. It was from California originally.
I had a green 1970 back in 96/97, from the middle of N. Dakota, 429 4bb with studded snow tires no less! Bought it in the winter, put nice wheels on in the spring and drive it everywhere, sucked gas but cruised 80 effortlessly!!!
Nice comment and Nice Waco!
Hi Bob, I saw’r a lot of cop cars, and I’d say, this was more of a detectives car, not necessarily a pursuit vehicle. It truly qualifies as a “plain brown wrapper”, but these guys had bigger fish to fry than a mere speeder.
Uhhhhh…no. This is a 429 P.I., lol, not a 302 for god’s sake. This car was, originally, a Nebraska State Patrol car.
Nice find and write-up, Todd! That would be a worthy White Lightning tribute car if it wasn’t already configured for law enforcement. Very cool.
The movie car was a 71 Custom 500 and although the movie shows it being both an automatic and a 4 speed depending on the scene if one were going to make it into a tribute car the appeal is it being a 4 speed.
Movie car was an automatic. Close up shots of the four speed shifts were taken in a Mustang.
This car was listed for sale out of Omaha back in May. The seller then stated that the original 429 had been replaced, something this seller neglects to mention. Also appears the hood may have been replaced as both the rear edge molding and the FORD letters over the grille are missing, along with the rain gutter moldings. And the bidder who placed the $14K bid apparently came to his senses and retracted it, so high bid is now back down to $7100 and reserve unmet.
This car was ordered with “Trim Variation” noted on the build info. I’ve seen the Marti Report. It doesn’t have a lot of the trim that you would typically see on a Galaxie 500. It does have the nicer interior though, which is likely what the NSP wanted when they ordered this car.
That may also be the reason for the missing hood letters. It may never have had them (like many Furys and Monacos that had no emblems).
No, this is a ’72, not a ’71.
Those individual FORD letters were the first emblems the manufacturer glued in place [no pins into holes in the body panels], and when new, it was very easy to remove them. I know, because as a Ford dealer employee at that time, many of those full size Fords on the lot suddenly were seen with the letters DORF!
I wonder who would do that?!
“Streets of San Francisco”,,,a Quinn Martin production,,,
Flashback to Karl Malden and Michael Douglas getting out and walking down a sloped sidewalk..
Good memory, Howard!
Let’s go, buddy boy.
Yes I am with you and Howard! Thought of Michael Douglas at first glance!
Car chases on streets with built in ramps. Fun to watch as a kid.
Thanks, Scotty! White Lightning, a formative movie of my youth featuring a similar car of course. I caught it as as a matinee by myself, for about 45 cents. Walking out of the theater I thought that nothing would be cooler than getting arrested and going to prison just so I could get out early, make a deal with the Feds, and get that awesome car, get beat up, drugged, and take revenge on bad guys while driving like a total Boss, with sideburns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqaFGM-AyNA
Burt Reynolds as Gator McClusky in souped up Ford.
(Burt Reynolds) “Only two things in the world I’m scared of”
(Ned Beatty) “Only scared of two things, what’s that?”
(Burt Reynolds) “Women and the police.”
plus Jerry Reid as Bama McCall..,
Also known for Amos Moses song 😉👍
https://youtu.be/n7GyLr7Cz2g
Named him after a man of the cloth…
Called him Amos Moses!
Jerry Reed was not in White Lightning. That was Bo Hopkins, lol.
I have a complete running engine from one. Complete air cleaner to oil pan with ex manifolds.
We had a fire department here that had a station wagon for the Chief with a 429 Interceptor. Super clean low mile car that some moron roached out then scrapped in the early nineties.
Must be good bc my bro completely rebuilt a 429 out of a Country Squire,put it in his 73 Mach1 and used to run it at SIR strip in Tucson.At work I detailed an ugly green LTD brougham 4dr.Interior came out really nice.Looked exactly like this “COP”PER one.
Awesome car. Ford used the same horsepower and torque figures for both the N code 429 and the P code 429 Interceptor in 1972. In reality the interceptor has over 100 horsepower more than the N code 429. The short block is a carryover 429 CJ from 1971, with Police Interceptor heads that have a slightly larger combustion chamber than the previous DOOE-R heads. This lowered compression from 1971’s 11.3:1 to 9.8:1 for 1972. Great running cars, and great build quality. They really stand the test of time. Buyer will be getting a great car with this one.
P Coded 429 P.I. Cars were not rated, nor did they have 100 more horsepower than a comparable Civilian / Retail N-Coded 429 motor. That’s simply not true.
I believe that is true, as I have always heard that, aside from having a slightly lower compression ratio that the 1971 (which was, in all honesty, too high for anything less than 100-octane fuel) the 1972 actually has a better top end than the 1971 did. The heads were the main reason. With a 3.00 rear gear, these cars made brute-force, usable power, through the entire powerband. They were faster than any other cars of the day and much better engineered than the Mopar or GM offerings of the era. Too bad the seller doesn’t appear to still have the original, numbers-matching engine with it. Looks like the previous owner may have kept it. I wonder if this seller knows how much less it’s worth without that?
When I was doing LEO work in the late ’70’s, a car like this would typically be assigned to a patrol supervisor. Cars assigned to the detectives and admin typically did not have spotlights, although some departments ordered all cars exactly the same.
Ohio’s Highway Patrol had tons of Plymouth cars, marked and unmarked. Big old Furies until they got 454 Chevies in 1974.
OSP also had 454 Biscaynes in 1971.
Don’t forget the movie Sugarland Express. It was filmed in Texas, with scenes shot in San Antonio, according to Wikipedia. There are many shots of police cars nearly identical to this one.
Steve R
Ah, the good ol’ days when the police actually needed fast pursuit vehicles. Now the Ford Police Interceptor is an Explorer Hybrid and the chases are handled with helicopters. Nobody outruns those. My grandfather drove one of these in the 70s and I’m pretty sure it was brown. No chance it had the “cop motor” though. Great find!
Many law enforcement agencies like the Nevada Highway Patrol do still use cars (mostly Chargers) alongside the Explorer, though with an increasing lean towards bigger SUV’s like the Chevy Tahoe’s etc. “Can’t outrun the Motorola” still seems to be the standby, however.
Todays interceptors are faster than this car ever was. These were dogs. https://www.businessinsider.com/fastest-cop-police-cars-ford-dodge-chevy-2017-4#6-ford-police-interceptor-sedan-37l-awd-5
Most of those 0-60 times are not all THAT impressive compared to many civilian hi po cars.
& what about the special Polara chasing the Charger in DMCL? “What’s he got under the hood?” “Sink him!”
“Regular” 1969-71 Police Polara 440s were rated at 375hp and a 147mph top speed with 3.23 gears. Impressive for a non locking or overdrive 3 speed torqeflite car.
Unfortunately, in the movie, the special motor Polara was stopped – by a telephone pole …
http://pics.imcdb.org/6416/vlcsnap-2018-12-24-10h07m54s738.jpg
&
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/7FoAAOSwC71co~BX/s-l1600.jpg
So your list has three Police vehicles with top speed of 150-155 mph. This ford will top out at around 145. Would hardly call that a dog. The 130 mph cruisers listed are the slow ones.
Ditto. I own both a ‘71 Ford P.I. and a ‘72 Ford P.I car. Almost ALL municipal cars were not P.I cars which were equipped with either 400M 2V which were almost as fast as the 429 high output, supposedly, P.I. Packaged cars, and a 351 Windsor 2V was also very popular amongst mulicipal, Sheriff depts., and other non-State Police / Highway Patrol agencies throughout the country.
Two totally different motors with the ‘71 Ford P.I having a 429 Cobra Jet equipped with a GM Quadra Jet 780 CFM 4V Carburetor which was rated by FoMoCo at 375 HP, and actually dynoed between 450 HP, and 500 HP, bone stock, from the factory. Top speed with 3.00 gears was upwards of 160 MPH. Ford referred to the ‘71 Ford 429 CJ P.I. as “The Boss of the Highway in their ‘71 Dealer Police Brochure.
The ‘72 Ford P.I car not so much! Their ‘72 Ford P.I. Car equipped with a 429 H.O. Motor, which took regular 91 octane fuel back then was rated at only 208 net HP at the real wheels. With 3.00 gears it’s top speed was between 140 MPH and 145 MPH tops, and it took quite a while to attain those speeds. So, Joe was right. By comparison to the ‘71 Ford 429 CJ P. I. Car, the ‘72 Ford 429 HO P.I. Car “was a dog! Nothing that a $10K engine rebuild can’t solve, however. I hope this helped some of you who don’t really understand the vast differences between the ‘71 Ford 429 CJ P.I. car and its’ severely under powered ‘72 Ford 429 P. I. Car iteration.
True! The NEW P.I.s will do 150 MPH, certified. The 1972 P.I.s would get up to about 140 MPH,…. Eventually! The 1971 P.I.s FORD termed “the Boss of the Highway” in its’ dealer brochure. And, it was while going through Radar at upwards of 160 MPH. Those are the facts,…, and they are irrefutable!
72 javelin Nevada highway patrol w/401 4bbl auto trans 2.76 gears 170mph.
State boys here have Coyote Mustangs for pursuit. Also Coyote F-150’s marked as State Road trucks, which surprise people, to say the least.
Argy, I beg to differ, My wife listens to a police scanner app at nights and people are “outrunning” the helicopters almost every night here in S.L.C.
I had a ’72 that I bought at a state auction for $275 in ’75. I put a re-built distributer and a pair of Thrush mufflers on it and went hunting in Northern Maine. Put 2,000 miles on it in a week and came back with an 8-point buck strapped to the trunk. Mine was blue (just like the one pictured) and had vinyl mats and a bench seat. It looked bare bones inside and had very little in the way of creature comforts. PS, PDB, heavy-duty suspension with sway bars front and back along with a heavy-duty alternator. From 50mph and up it had good power and for a big, heavy car, it handled really well. At speeds of well over 100mph, I always felt confident behind the wheel though it felt really light, almost like it was floating a bit. I also had a ’69 Ford Custom with a 428PI. That one had more brute power than the ’72 but both were the best cars I ever had for going above triple digits. I really miss those cars and I’d love to have this one.
I also bought a 1972 ford pi back in fall of 1975 traded a 1967 ford ltd paid 500 over the 1000 i paid for ltd total of 1500 thru my second finance loan the pi was scary fast bury my calibrated speedometer probably close to 150 mph
My brother and I got our hands on a retired RCMP highway pursuit car back in the late 70’s. A 71 Chevy Biscayne 4 dr sedan, 454, turbo 400 and a bulletproof rear end with gears so low you couldn’t break the tires loose from a standstill. But put the pedal to the floor at 60 mph and that thing put you back in the seat all the way up to the top end of the 140mph speedometer. Apparently, the only items removed from the interceptor were the frame weights that were added for high speed stability, as well as the lights, siren etc.
I pumped gas part time back then and remember a blue 72 Ford just like this one stopping in for gas regularly. He got me to add a pint of transmission fluid to his fuel tank with every fill.
That must have been a nice place to work from, the inside of this Ford. A narc car, here comes the fuzz ride. I could picture Dirty Harry cruising in this, shifty eyes thru Ray Ban sunglasses and all, edging to beat some troublemaker senseless with that model 29,,,,
It’s a cop car, they’re cool now and maybe even back then with all the heavy duty parts you got. Anymore police units really aren’t that interesting at all.
The ’74 pontiac 400 with only 8 to 1 compression is factory rated at 225 hp & 330 ft lbs of torque. This 429 with higher compression & cubes should be making more than what’s mentioned above – maybe factory lowered to decrease insurance rates?
I see 2 fuel lines to the carb – is that stock for ’72?
They said a stock 429 had 208 horse.. not sure why they posted that.. this is an Interceptor and has alot more than 208 horse!
That is not a mis-print. No it does not have more than 208 net HP to the rear wheels. Rebuild it internally to the ‘71 specs like I did and then, and only then will it rock your world. Otherwise the ‘72 Ford 429 P.I. car was a dog!
@Bill P.,
The ’72 Interceptor has a lot more than 208 horsepower. The short block is the exact same short block as the 1971 429 Interceptor, so there is no “rebuilding it to ’71 specs. The only difference between the two engines are the cylinder heads and carburetors. The ’71 uses a 735 cfm Rochester Quadrajet, and the ’72 uses a 715 cfm Motorcraft carburetor. Both are spreadbore 4 barrel. The ’72 heads have a 2.19 inch intake valve instead of 1971s 2.25 inch intake valve. The ’72 actually has better flow characteristics in the lower rpm range, helping it off the line. You won’t get a 250+ horsepower increase in ANY engine just by swapping cylinder heads alone. The ’72 Interceptor has over 300 horsepower, guaranteed.
The fact that this one is equipped with A/C substantially raises it’s level of desirability.
In 1974 I as working at my hometown Chevrolet dealer, I was the parts manager/lot boy/grounds keeper/etc. We had a 1970 Plymouth Fury I on the used car lot. It was maroon with a white painted roof. Despite the LH pillar mounted spotlight and several plastic plugs in the roof that concealed the antenna mounts and light bar holes, the dealership owner denied that it was an ex Minnesota Highway Patrol cruiser. Most people knew what it really was and avoided it like the plague on the used car lot. Not me… every chance I had, I would back that big Fury off the lot and use it for “errands”. The big 440 rumbled through the stock mufflers, the Torqueflite transmission shifted hard between shifts, I was a Mopar guy ( I was only19) and I loved that car.
Bought a 73 Fury Nebraska game and parks car for 500 bucks in 79. On sunday they stopped selling beer in our town at 600 so we went to a neighboring town to get some more, 16 miles away. 140 mph speedo was buried when we passed 2 HIPO s pulled off to the side of the road on this remote NE highway. They didn’t do anything as they knew the car and their current rides were no match.
440 hp with “fake” pollution stuff bolted to it….. my buddy had a 73 Fury X trooper car from Minnesota, he bought it at a scrapyard that got it out an auction, so it couldn’t be driven on the road but, he stripped it out, drag raced it at the strip. He had really good luck drag racing in at Brainerd. The transmission had a pin, so I could not go in the first gear manually, he said that was the most consistent car he ever drag race that he had raced for about 15 years.
The guy selling it is a flipper. This is not the original engine, or rear gears (it now has a 3.70 in it). When it was for sale the first time, it included the original engine, air cleaner, etc. Also, the guy selling it just drilled a hole in the A-pillar and added the spotlight. It’s from a ’90’s Crown Vic, per the up close shot of the tag on the light. Here is the original description from a few months ago…
1972 FORD GALAXIE 500 P Code 429 Police Interceptor. A TRUE 429 PI car. I have owned this car since the mid 1980’s. >>> I believe the car was used by the Nebraska State Patrol. Before I had the car repainted, the shadow of the Nebraska State Capital was located in the center of a ring on both front doors. I do not see any evidence of an outside spot light or light bar placement. It has a rubber plug on the left rear area where the old radio antenna whip was once located. I do not see any evidence of a shotgun mount. >>> I have the ORIGINAL 429 PI engine that the car came with stored, and it IS included in this auction. This engine was running when it was removed it to put in the current engine, The original 4300D Autolite carburetor (D2AF-LA) is included – see photo of trunk, it’s disassembled in a box, and I have included a new rebuilt kit for the carb,.The original block has a 2C13 date, the original single point distributor is D2AF-12127-MB dated 2B24. The 3.00 Traction-Lok differential (pumpkin) is included. >>> The car currently has a working 1972 429 PI engine that I added a 460 crank to when it was rebuilt about 3000 milesago. This engine has TRW forged .060 pistons (472 cubes), Crower level 2 cam, adjustable Crane roller rockers, Edelbrock Performer intake and Edelbrock 600 cfm carb. It has ported 429 PI D2OE-AB heads and port matched 429 PI cast iron exhausts. It retains the factory finned aluminum valve covers. It has an MSD distributor, MSD coil, and adjustable rev limiter. This motor runs well. >>> The transmission is the original C-6 Special automatic. It has a shift kit so the tranny will essentially shift immediately if you are shifting it. The rev limiter was added to reduce the chance of blowing the engine if it was accidently downshifted – the gear selected is the gear the tranny will go into regardless of RPM. The torque convertor is not stock. The tailshaft is cast iron, I believe the 17-1/2 inch one. I believe it has the H servo. The rear gear is currently a 3.70 Traction-Lok. I see evidence of a small leak under the 9 inch housing. >>> Years ago the car/wheels received a new coat of brown paint, new original cloth seat covers and padding (the person who did the upholstery found the original material – paisley is what I call it, the Marti report says it is “Ginger Cloth/Vinyl Bench Seat.” The carpet was replaced with original style material as well. The interior looks good. The head liner has a couple of small holes. The bumpers were rechromed when the car was being refurbished. >>> The car has a new gas tank from Tasman, when I drained the fuel it has a dark brown color – so I replaced the tank this month. The fuel lines have been replaced. It has a new mechanical fuel pump and filter this month. The gas sending unit works. The car came with an electric fuel pump, it is in the tank but it is not working. >>> The floor pans and trunk floors look solid, but if they were blasted I’m sure some issue might be found (it is 48 years old). The car has the original jack, lug wrench and hold down in the trunk. The frame has evidence of mild rust but is solid. The exhausts sound free of leaks, the cam produces a lope. The power steering works well. The brakes feel solid, I inspected the power front disc pads, they look good. >>> The doors align well and shut solidly. The rocker trim is original and looks OK at 20 feet, but could use restoration. The wheel well trim is not complete – I have the right side pair and an NOS right rear – I do now the left side pair. I added an NOS Galaxie and 500 trunk emblems after the photos were taken. >>> The Certified Calibration Speedometer (140 MPH) works but is not geared for the 3.70 gear (it is geared for the 3.00). The plastic cover over the speedometer need to be taken off, the inside looks to have a slightly cloud likely form dust, The dash pad is not cracked. The steering column has a green trim collar piece as it gets close to the dash – it was like this when I bought it. The AM radio works. The seat belt buzzer and light on the dash works. The clock does not work. The arm rest on the drivers side has wear marks. >>> The A/C turns on at the compressor, but it needs attention and R12. The radiator is not leaking. The 7 blade flex fan (I think it is the same as the 429 scj blade) and shroud are believed to be correct. It has a power steering cooler. It does not have an engine oil cooler. >>> The car is not perfect. I would encourage any potential bidder to see this car in person, or hire a person to look it over for you.Again – a really rare police car. I have encountered one other 1972 P code, but it was an N code 429 Custom 500. The Marti report shows this was one of 211 out of 1,384 police packages. >>> You get 2 engines, both complete with finned valve cover, PI heads/exhausts/ internals/6 quart oil pans. I have the Carter X fuel pump included that came with the original motor. I’m sure most know people know this but the 1972 429 PI was essentially a 429 CJ with a smaller intake ports, valves (2.19 vs 2.25), and compression. And in 1972 Ford hardened the exhaust seats for unleaded fuel. The car has 169,489 miles as of today, and I bought the car with about 153,000 if I recall correctly. I will install a new battery also. >>> Sold as is. $500 deposit – PayPal. I will not release the title until I have the cash in the bank. You will need to have someone pick up the car, the original engine – (shown in last 2 photos with original air cleaner), and 3.00 pumpkin. I have an engine hoist available to move the original engine. >>> Please free to contact me.I am describing the vehicle as honestly as I can. If you have any concerns please send me you contact info. A question was asked about the other engine that was original to the car when I bought it. This motor was running without any issues, it did not blow oil, and ran great. I had a 429 CJ intake and –86 Rochester on it. This motor was running when it was removed. I had the motor that is currently in the car built for nitrous oxide and I had 2 extra D1 short blocks built to replace it in case I ruined the motor. I did not install NO2 with the current engine, or any other engines. I believe the current engine is producing at least 400 horse power, You need to have someone look it over.
On May-25-20 at 18:16:37 PDT, seller added the following information:
a1phillipsbrian bid twice and indicted theydidn’t mean to bid. The bidder hoped it wouldn’t cause any problems with the listing…… ?
All 1972 Ford Police Packages, including the ‘72 Ford 429 P.I. car were designed to run on a regular, 91/92 octane gasoline. Look at you stock ‘72 429 P.I. air cleaner. It says exactly that.
All Ford Police Package vehicles started using regular unleaded gasoline in 1973.
That is not a mis-print. No it does not have more than 208 net HP to the rear wheels. Rebuild it internally to the ‘71 specs like I did and then, and only then will it rock your world. Otherwise the ‘72 Ford 429 P.I. car was a dog!
Net horsepower is not, as it is commonly referred to, “rear-wheel horsepower”. Net horsepower is calculated with all accessories in place and operating.
Baloney, 208 horsepower, even in terms of net horsepower, is (obviously) a typo.
The spotlight is a vintage Ford (made by you-know who) from the 1960s or 1970s,…. not from the 1990s as stated. By the 1990s the lights did not say FORD on them and most that I ever saw had /have black abs plastic light housings. Many agencies never ordered them as they were halogen lights that created a tremendous amount of heat. Turned in towards the windshield and left on by some cops they would crack the windshields. Ford had to replace too many Police car windshields before they finally put a stop to Replacing them. The LED spotlights of modern day do not have that same problem.
Nope, you are wrong. They used that EXACT spotlight until 1997. The giveaway is the “Ford” tag on it. Totally different that the more “ornate” tag that came on them in 1972. As I stated before, I know this car and it DID NOT have a spotlight on it prior to the current owner purchasing it. I have pictures of it when the previous owner had it and, a copy of the Marti Report. It did not have a spotlight previously. He drilled it and installed a later-model spotlight from a Crown Victoria on it. Hopefully, he at least used the right bracket.
No manufacturer I’m aware of ever made their own spotlights and the agencies I worked for from 1978 on used Ford, Chevy, and at one time a Dodge. If the cars had a spot mounted in the pillar (sometimes we just got a little cheap chrome one that plugged into the cigarette lighter) it was made by Unity though I guess they’d put a car manufacturers name on it though I never saw one. They were made the same from the 40’s to the late 70’s. The bigger lamps were 6″ and originally carried a sealed beam bulb. When the cars got smaller in 79 there was a slightly smaller light that some guys would stick a 12v small aircraft landing light in as the agencies used tractor lights because they were cheap and the aircraft light would reach the next state by comparison. The unmarked I’m in now has an extremely cheap plastic copy.
Book ’em, Danno….
dirty harry , make my day
RJ , Jack Lord drove full size mercs, a distant cousin.
At the garage worked on these for the Town Of Poughkeepsie, NY police. Solid lifter 429 man would these haull @$$. We also installed dual exhaust on them, Road testing them was the best part, used to go full bore on route 44 with all the lights on, occasional siren. Who would stop me??? Young and foolish and I wouldnt trade it for anything! Stay safe and good luck
Cheers
GPC
This date and model was my first patrol car. Solid blue, unmarked and wicked fast. I put 4 concrete blocks in the trunk so I could drive it in the rain. We were a 4 man department and bought the car at the state trooper sale. Wasn’t very strong off the start but once you got to about 30 mph and licked in the ‘passing’ gear the transmission (c-6) would kick into ‘passing gear’ and red line each gear before shifting. The state blocked the steering column so you couldn’t manually shift it because they were blowing the motors faster than they could fix them. Loved that car. Wish I was in a position to buy it. Love that 429. In 75 they changed to 460ci.
I asked the owner on saturday based on the Marti report and
The dso of omaha if he knew what agency used the car, or was civilian purchased. He has not responded. Probably doesn’t know. I’ll stick with my 72 bo7 equipped biscayne. A reason for everything for retracting a large bet. Cool car thou.
Glenn, it was a NSP car.
Ford bored and stroked the 429 block to a 460 in 1973. I drove them in 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. The 429 P.I. motor was offered in the 1970 Torino P.I. Car, the ‘71 Ford P.I cars, and the ‘72 Ford P.I. Cars only.
@ Bill P.
Same bore, different stroke.
You’re wrong, the 460 385 series existed back in 1968 Lincolns, it replaced the 462 MEL engine, Ford just started using it later.
https://youtu.be/meZXqa_CE_o
Whatever. My point is that internally they were two different motors. Ford did this in hopes of increasing torque and overall performance while attempting to eek out better gas mileage. Remember the Gas Crisas and shortages of 1973? I did. Ford’s strategy wasn’t a smashing success. 1979 was the last year for the 460 big block in Ford Police Package cars. 1979 Ford started manufacturing the downsized Panther platform that was available with 351 Windsor and 302 station wagon motors and they were sorely underpowered dogs for 12 years until for built the 4.6 modular V8 for their Police Package cars for the subsequent 19 years, sadly ending in Ford’s 2011 Ford Police Interceptor Package cars many of which are still in police service today with well over 200K miles on them.
Actually, 1978 was the last year for the 460.
’78 was the last year of 460s in cars, they still sold them in trucks till ’97. Unlike Mopar who killed B and TB in ’78 across the board for no apparent logical reason other than apparently wanting to lose even more truck sales. When the competition offers a 400, a 454 and a 460 in 3/4t, 1t +larger trucks and all you have is a 360 you’re gonna lose some business.
B and RB
I had this this same basic car in the 70’s 350, 3 on the tree, bench seat no power steering. I used to chase down corvettes and tail them a few minutes . Loved that old Galaxy.
Must have been some really slow Corvettes. Ford offered a 351 Windsor 2V station wagon motor that made about 150 HP in this car. It was even a bigger dog than the stock ‘72 429 P. I. car was.
The ’72 429 P.I. was far from a “dog”. It was, actually, better in many regards than the ’71.
Is it just me or wouldn’t a state police car have rubber mats instead of carpeting and vinyl seats ? Considering the drunks, injured and filthy people who sat in the back, and the water, dirt and mud a cop may end up getting on his uniform , vinyl was the way to go as it cleaned up better. Also, wouldn’t there be plugs where the rear window cranks and handles and armrests would be so the bad guys dont get out ?
Galaxie 500 trim level comes standard with carpet, as well as the fabric seat inserts seen on this car. The Police package is usually ordered on the Custom and Custom 500 trim levels, both of which have rubber mat flooring, and more durable seating materials.
My Dad used one in the early seventies 390 it was a sleek fast ford nobody knew he was a law enforcement officer
The 390 and 428 FE block motors in all Ford cars, including its’ Police Package cars were last used in 1970. The then newly designed 429 motors were used in the 1970 Ford Torino P. I. Cars, as well as the Torino’s and full sized Ford P. I. Cars in 1971 and 1972.
I’m fairly certain the the 429 P.I. was not available in the 1970 Torino. The N-code, standard 429 was. The same is also true for the Mercury Montego police package in 1970.
So similar to the one Burt Reynolds drove in “White Lightning”.
I was in the Military Police in the early 1970s, and we had full sized Ford sedans. Sadly for us, they were anemic 6-cylinder engines.
No State Police /Highway Patrol agencies would have ordered a GALAXIE 500. That trim level car would have cost a lot of money. Heads of agencies would drive the same cars as their cops would. My educated guess tells me that this car NEVER served any kind of police duty that I was ever privy to. No where and tear in the seats, an AM radio where the radio delete plate would have been. Cops were too busy to listen to an AM radio. This very well could have been a car that was never sold to the police, was a 1972 spare car ordered for them, found itself as a leftover, and It subsequently fell into private hands. A lot of money was spent on restoring the exterior, interior and the motor on this car.
Bill P,
MANY small town police departments, sheriff’s departments and even some county police organizations allowed the police to order cars based on a price, and as long as the car came in under the price level allowed, they could order whatever options were desired. Many of these small town cars were used by senior officers as their everyday car, as it was felt the more the car was observed around town, the better.
I know of a loaded 1979 Chevy full-size sedan that was ordered with the police package. The police chief who ordered it wanted various creature comforts for him and his family, as it was their everyday car, so it was loaded with options. It came out of a very small town in rural Virginia, but was ordered thru the local state & county vehicle ordering program with GM. The car was part of his salary package. I know this because I bought it from him about 1990.
MANY but not most. There’s always exceptions to the rules. I saw a few Ford LTD Police Package cars ordered by Chiefs of police. And, perhaps it was part of their salary packages or contracts. However, their cops drove very austere Ford Custom or Ford Custom 500 Police Package cars equipped with vinyl seats and headliners, rubber floors, no A/C, no AM radios, et cetera. I was one of those MPs and one of those civilian cops who did so for many years. In my experiences over many years 99% of the federal, state, county, and local LE agencies that I was familiar with ordered the lowest cost cars that the could order, mostly by low bids, largely due to severe budget constraints.
It is a Nebraska State Police car. They ordered Galaxie 500s that year.
The reference to Auto-Catalog is incorrect as 208 was the horsepower for the 429 4V that was available on most mid size and full size models. I wouldn’t know what the PI would be rated at.
The 1972 Ford 429 P.I, was rated at 208 net HP at the rear wheels per FORD’s 1972 Police Vehicles Dealer brochure. They were both dogs with fleas!
According to AMA Specifications, you are incorrect:
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015071664026&view=1up&seq=10
Notice that there’s no hp given for the PI engines.
As it was somewhat like a quasi-low compression CJ, I’d expect the actual horsepower to be somewhat closer to a 351 HO.
Well I’m not going to get into the discussion about how, which agency used it etc,. But when I was a little kid my folks bought new a 72 galaxie 500, gold with white vinyl top. Still remember where it was sitting on the lot even tho I was only 3.
Ours had this same brown upholstery and dash as this car. Sure brings back memories. No 429 in ours, just the 400 2V. Still had decent performance. We could even get 20 to 21 mpg with it, which at that time was considered pretty good. It was handed down to me when I got my driver’s license at the tender age of 14. At that time you could get your full driver’s license at 14!
Well I’m not going to get into the discussion about how, which agency used it etc,. But when I was a little kid my folks bought new a 72 galaxie 500, gold with white vinyl top. Still remember where it was sitting on the lot even tho I was only 3.
Ours had this same brown upholstery and dash as this car. Sure brings back memories. No 429 in ours, just the 400 2V. Still had decent performance. We could even get 20 to 21 mpg with it, which at that time was considered pretty good. It was handed down to me when I got my driver’s license at the tender age of 14. At that time you could get your full driver’s license at 14 in north Dakota
Restore and Love retired Police Cars save for the men in Blue who used them and they make awesome cars to drive.
The State of Nebraska must have had a boon in their budget in 1972. Why didn’t the jusT order LTDs with the P.I. Package. Far the exception in the early 1970s. Our 1972 full sized l Fords came with one option: a $30.00 electrical interface for wiring all of the police equipment. We were not alone, far from it. No lapse of luxury for most cops throughout the country back then… only very austere, basic Ford Custom and maybe Ford Custom 500 trim levels ordered by most LE agencies. Ford Police Package cars were the order of thr day in all of the other 49 States, Federal Government, with very few exceptions.
Actually, most departments at that time went with Plymouth or Dodge as they almost always had the low bid and were great cars, as well.
“300 HP Guaranteed.” The only thing that’s “guaranteed” is that Ford rated the 1972 429 P.I car at 208 HP in their Ford Police Vehicles dealer brochure. I’ve driven them, restored them and their 429 P.I. Motors to ‘71 specs for in access of $10K, and I currently still own them. After being rebuilt to ‘71 specs, then, they will make somewhere north of 400 HP which requires the use of premium fuel, 4 to 5 points of octane boost, and lead additive. Another “guarantee” is that in 1972 Ford never made a car, a police package car, or otherwise that produced “300 HP Guaranteed.” 1972 was a transitional year for Ford. They were no longer in the high performance business. Ford detuned and decompressed every motor on their menu in 1972. Including ALL police package cars from 6 cylinders all the way up to their 429 motors.
Otherwise, believe what you want to believe absent any of the irrefutable facts that I have pointed out, above.
As pointed out in another post, the standard 429 was rated at 208. The PI was more.
There are only two parts that are different between the ’71 and ’72 429 PI engines. the cylinder heads and the carburetor. There is no “rebuilding” to ’71 specs. If you paid 10k for a rebuild, you should take the shop to court for ripping you off.
Incorrect, lol.
The other thing about police cars is that they buy the cheapest gas they can. Most high-performance engines will grenade themselves on it.
Read my comment above, which includes the full, original description of the car from the original seller, several months ago.
I have a copy of the Marti report for this car and clearly it’s a P-code 1972 Galaxie 500 4dr (Z-code C6, 3.00 traction lok rear). The 1972 Ford Police Brochure rated the N-code 429-4V at 208hp while no HP was provided for the P-code. Ford used the same 4-bolt main block for the P-code as found in the 1970-71 CJ/SCJ motors. Heads (D2OZ-6049-A) were revised for `72 and different from N-code heads which had smaller ports. Both N/P-code heads had 2.08 In / 1.66 Ex valves.
Ford NEVER NEVER published a Net horsepower rating for the 72 429 PI.. Period.. They only published the N code 208 rating.. Its prolly similar to the C code 460 PI from 1973..same heads and cam used.. 73 460 rated at 269 net HP..
Ford EVER EVER had a police and special service vehicles sections of their Dealer Manuel. Remember, Ford DID NOT sell police package cars to the general public. Ergo, the general public would not have had access to a Ford Dealer’s police section of their Dealer Manuel. I saw such a Dealer Manuel at Seaport Ford. I do not remember if there was any noted difference between the P and N coded motors. Remember, 1972 was a pivotal and precedential year for all cars. The published HP Was rated as NET HP, at the rear wheels, not gross HP at the engine’s crankshaft.which had been the case prior to 1972. The 1972 Ford engines were de-tuned so much by Ford and from 1972 forward that their police cars had a hard time getting out of their own way,
Most new police cars are rated at 130 mph. That is the rating of the tire . If it is rared over 130 a different tire is required . Costing more. Rated at 208 hp . Means nothing .
My dad drove a ‘73 Mercury Montego company car for a year, “429-4V” on the air cleaner under that long metallic green hood. Less power than a ‘72 interceptor of course but I remember his nonstop grin smokin those tires. Good thing I was too young to drive it.
Another reason for using dog dishes was for better brake cooling.
Anyone know what happened to Gas Pump Chas?
My dad had a 72 Galaxie 500 two-door company car in this color combination for a while. It had the 351 2-barrel, brown all-vinyl interior and flat dog dish hub caps. He let me drive it a few times and it was a boat!
If I were to ever hit the lottery, my must haves would be the Ford Custom from White lightning, and the black Ford pickup from Urban Cowboy. And if the wife let me; maybe throw in a Starsky & Hutch Torino, and the TA from Smokey and the Bandit. But that’s just me.
A seven bay garage series for each car, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday etc etc
Plus one human dog house lol
A few real performance upgrades are needed here.Higher compression heads,cam,long tube headers to bring some real power and torque to this boat.
Lipstick on a pig DRIVE IT!!
Pictured Burt Reynolds and Nedd Beaty in this and then my buddy said more like Dirty Harry”. Just amazing how clean it is and the cloth seats are flawless. Keeping tires on it would be pricey.
Ahhhhhhh memories….when my issued Dodge Polara 440 interceptor was out of service i drove this old lady. Unlike the Dodge that was light in the ass, the 429 took to curves like poop through a goose…not much got by them back in the day….
This one may have been issued to the Nebraska State Patrol, but it whispers “Detective Special”. The police radio is long gone, but they left the whip antenna, mounting a CB radio and/or scanner in this beast would be child’s play.
Although they drove a Chevy Impala in the film, I am reminded of the admonition given to Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines as partner police detectives in “Running Scared” (1986), by their boss, Captain Logan, played by Character actor Dan Hedaya: “You are Detectives. Go forth and Detect!”
My goodness. 100+ comments. Sitting in the back seat of this car having a smoke was like being in anyone’s living room back in the 70’s
The 429 and 460 share the same bore, just a longer stroke for the 460. Swap in a stroker crank with the right connecting rods, and you’re good to go! The 460 probably won’t rev as high, but probably has more bottom-end torque, great for pulling trailers. Add either TBI or port-type EFI to improve the horrible drivability of these engines with their primitive anti-smog controls, rework the cylinder heads for better breathing, and you’re getting the motor’s mojo back!