Been having some fun with the Interceptor

Well, with no garage (yet) and the weather either too hot and muggy or too wet to do any major work to my Mavs or other projects, I've tried to keep myself busy doing minor mods to the Daily driver, just for fun, and to satisfy my got-to-tinker-on-something habit.

Besides, even daily drivers deserve a little attitude and personalization, right?

Here's what the "new" 2000 Interceptor looked like when we picked it up.

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(This pic isn't actually my car, just to show what the rear of mine looked like, I forgot to take rear-view pics before I modded it)

I love the way the Vic PI's look in black, unfortunately, like my white 98 CVPI, this one came with the SAP (Street Appearance Package) which retains the chrome trim and parts normally blacked out on the P-71 Interceptors, like the grill, window and trunk/facia trim, door handles and bumper strips.​

First thing I did was ditch the full hubcaps, sprayed the wheels with a new coat of semi-gloss Rustoleum, and bought a set of shouldered lugs and cop caps off ebay. The black honeycomb front grill with the cool "Interceptor" emblem instead of the usual Ford blue oval was also an ebay score.​

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Replacing the rear chrome trim that runs along the bottom of the rear facia and tail lights wasn't so easy....the trim isn't made to come off, and breaks easily if you try, so back to ebay to buy a pair of repro tail lights with the black trim piece, and a used P-71 Interceptor rear facia with the black trim.​

Then, to set it apart, and because I'm not a big fan of Vic's Gigantor over-the-top-of-the-quarter panel tail lights, I picked up some gloss black Krylon Fusion paint for plastic, masked off a paint scheme on the tail lights and back-up lights, gave them each about four coats, then swapped everything out.​

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I've been debating on whether to go full-stealth and intimidation black out, or leave some of the remaining brightwork, like the bumper strips, window trim and door handles for some chrome "accent".​

Still to be done, installing the set of "black" headlights (also off ebay) that aren't actually black, the reflective surfaces inside the lights are black-chrome tinted....kind if cuts the contrast shock of the black car/white lights you get with the front view. Next month, I'm going to try and get the side and back windows tinted as dark as the white 98's.​

The big plans for next year is a set of black 17x8 Shelby Bullitt style wheels and 245/50/17 tires, a 2.5" exhaust with Magnaflow cats, crossover pipe, a pair of Flowmaster 40's and rear cat/resonator delete, and a K&N Fresh-air induction set up.​

Other cosmetic mods I'd like to make (but probably won't be able to afford) is a factory style Vic/Marauder trunk spoiler and a cowl induction hood some company just came out with.​

But whatever....no worries....it's not going to become another "got to" stress and bankruptsy project.....just going to keep tinkering as time and money allows, relax, and enjoy the ride as it goes. ​

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very nice. I love the "blacked out" look a lot. specially on the black cop cars.

 

looks good!

 

I love the Crown Vics. I sold mine about a year ago, but would love to have another.

My opinion: I like the full stealth look and I think it'd look great with the bumper strips blacked out. I'm also interested in seeing the "black" headlights. I haven't seen these before.

Looks great!!!

 

That is kind of cool.

I was thinking MIB, as I was reading your upgrades.

 

what ever you do.. DONT PUSH THE RED BUTTON!!!

 

You bet, I'll post pics after they're installed, but in the meantime, this gives you a good idea of what they're like...

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As you can see, I've already got a problem with condensation in my stock lights....hopefully the new ones will rectify that too.


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Cool! got any good stories to tell about driving it lol!

 

Cool!!! Go the Men In Black look (I know, wrong car for MIB, but still cool looking all blacked out!)

 

It's more my white '98 Interceptor that gets all the "cop" reactions.

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The Cop Vics here are white too, so driving mine around always elicits alot of panic braking from oncoming speeders. Always a hoot watching someone doing a freak-out hardcore slowdown and trying to look "casual" doing it.....I even sometimes tap my brake lights after they've passed, just to give them that extra tinge of fear while they're looking in their rear view mirror to see if the "cop" is going to turn around and come after them.

The downside is, people in front of you almost always get nervous and drive 5 or 10 mph slower than the speed limit.

but there's even a plus to that,.... alot of people who drive slow anyway will actually pull over when I come up behind them fast.

One time, we had a problem with two particular kids that made a habit of speeding up and down our little county road.....it's a dead-end road, so when I saw them both blast by the house, I knew they had to come back, so I parked the white Vic at the bottom of our driveway, where they wouldn't see it 'til they crested the hill and was on top of it. I propped the spotlight up (didn't turn it on) then sat and waited.

Fist kid came hurling down the road, topped the hill, spotted the Vic and hit the brakes, swerving back and forth all over the road trying desperately to slow the truck down as fast as he could without skidding.....then he creeped on up the road at about 5 mph, no doubt waiting for me to give chase, but the other kid was on his way, so I waited as I heard him fast approaching, he topped the hill, spotted me, and slammed on his brakes, skidding about 70 feet and stopping just past where I was parked....he pulled over, got out of his car, tossed his wallet on the trunk faced his car and put his hands on top of his head! LOL

I got out and asked WTF he was doing, he looked at me and said "What the hell, you couldn't miss that, no point in going on down the road, I'm busted" I told him I wasn't a cop, I just drive an old cop car, and i was just waiting for them to gp by before I pulled out, but that if I ever caught him speeding past my house like that again, he'd wish I was a cop, "a cop will just give you a ticket, I'll pull you out your window and beat the living snot out of you"

He apologized, and all his friends in the car were howling with laughter at him, making comments about him needing to change his underwear and "why didn't you just wave a white flag, bow down and kiss his feet?"

As for real cops, I've been harrassed about the car by some, and I've had cops compliment me on it, even had the County Sheriff come by my house and ask how he could get the dog dish caps to work on his wheels, and what size tire I was running, because they were wider and looked cooler than his factory cop tires.

the black car doesn't inspire as much fear and "cop" reaction. Even though it is a P-71 Interceptor, it was a Detective or administrator's car and doesn't have a spotlight.

The black car does get alot of attention, but mostly for the way it looks, not usually anything about a cop car unless they see the "Interceptor" emblem on the grill or the "Police Interceptor" emblem on the back, though I still cause some people to hit the brakes from time-to-time......oh, and I do get alot of tailgaters that'll come right up on my bumper, close enough to spot the "Police Interceptor" emblem, then suddenly back off and make alot of room between us.

Last week, I got pulled over by a small town cop who saw me drive by, he just wanted to talk about the Vic, how he missed the one he used to drive, always wished he could get a black one, and how much he loved the new Charger he was driving now.....Pretty soon, we were both standing on the side of the highway as he popped his hood to show off his Hemi engine. LOL

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so... does it still have the power of a real cop car.. cough cough

 

That looks so good you've got me searching the Govt auction sites looking for a black one!

 

When I read that you were having fun with the Interceptor, one of these came to mind at first:

(1985 Honda VF500F Interceptor)
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Today was such a sweet day for going riding it killed me to leave my Bikes in the garage while I kept hearing the other people on bikes going up and down the road.

(2003 Honda Shadow Spirit 750)
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Then I started reading about the 'Vic and like what you're doing with it!

I own a '96 PI 'Vic that I took all the stickers and emblems off because punk kids were scratching my paint trying to take 'em for their ricers.

Mine was a detective's car also, but I don't mind not having the spot light.

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Mine isn't!

Under where I blacked out the plate in Paint Shop Pro, it used to say M.I.B. actually. When the plates came up for renewal, their computer said that MY PLATE was no longer available!!!

Needless to say, M.I.B. is no longer on the car because it was easier to get a new plate than to argue with the morons at the D.M.V.

-Scott H.
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Those cars will last FOREVER if you take care of them. 400-600,000 miles is more the norm then the exception for the CVPI's in junkyards around here, and I've seen a couple that I suspect had rolled over 1,000,000. I happened to have a camera on me one day when I came across an ex Georgia State Patrol car turned Taxi Cab with 502,000:





I ran the VIN through carfax and it had been in like 14 wrecks, including two that blew the air bags and resulted in the title being branded salvage. Someone was just absolutely determined to keep that car on the road. It was scrapped after it failed emissions inspection 6 times in two months.

 

Yes, it does :evilsmile