Who made the best cop car during the 1970's?

[@autochatter]

"Itss got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks." LOL. Great vid Hawk!

[@FREDOGISFUUN]

My dream ride! "And it`s dark and we`re wearing sunglasses"

[@bobbyjohnson4002]

Doesn't it have a Cadillac converter run good on regular gas

[@RockandrollNegro]

@@bobbyjohnson4002 First, it's a catalytic converter, and no, it doesn't have one because it's a '74 and was meant to run on leaded gas.

[@charlesharmon4926]

Fix the cigarette lighter!

[@williamhelms9942]

Dodge Polara with 440 Wedge.

[@jwpeters2092]

I own my assigned 1973 Police dodge coronet with 440, and 727 trans. I wa s assigned this unit when I was Police Chief in Cave Junction Oregon in the 70's. I went on to a larger department when C J went bankrupt in the late 70's ( Spotted Owl B S shut down logging and all our mills closed ) In the 90's after I had retired a friend who was a deputy in Josephine County saw the car in a wrecking yard and brought it to me. After having to buy a parts car and a lot of expense and labor it is again looking good! Get to relive memories of when I was the youngest Police Chief in Oregon, am now 80 years young. Great video! Thanks. JP3

[@jamesrecknor6752]

That's fantastic

[@waylonmccrae3546]

Heck Yea !! Thank You for your Service as a P.O. !! 😎👍🏻

[@captkirk6145]

Man that's awesome! Thank you for your service! Have never been past Michigan but I would think it was still quite expensive to restore!

[@SCfanIam100]

Thank you for your service!

[@charlesdada6434]

Hi there, Mr. JW Peters. I started in LE in 1991, and retired in 2019. I was wondering what sort of forgotten LE techniques were used by your generation, but which are nearly forgotten today. Like lead saps, which reportedly were a great "off" switch for AH's, but fell victim to lawyers by the time I came into the profession. Did you use saps?

[@ricksradioiowa5689]

So, back in 1981, as a teen, I bought at police auction one of their used Interceptors for $500. It was a 75 Torino with 460 Interceptor engine. 4 Door, but was highly factory modified with what they called SVO and DSO options. None of the suspension or over sized brakes and bearings were same as regular Torino. 9 Inch rear, beefy tranny, 140mph speedometer, extra cooling systems such as engine oil cooler, hydraulic, trans, 4 row radiator the whole works. Package was called Desert Rat cooling from Ford. Ride height was very high. Used to dirve down dirt back roads and mountain forest roads in Arizona at speeds well over 90mph, jumping cattle guards, railroad tracks , ditches and much of the dukes of hazards in this thing. Could pull itself up the grades north of Phoenix at 130mph without over heating. Learned to drive in this car. Got pulled over a couple times by Az Highway Patrol, not for speeding, but because they loved the car and was curious who wound up with it. AZ apparently only bought about 4 of them for the whole state just for hunting down high speed chases on interstates. So, if I was to vote, the best was the 75 Torino Interceptor.

[@ricochetey]

That is awesome I hope the car was saved but sounds like you drove the wheels of it so that's pretty cool too

[@hendo337]

I would have said that I would prefer a 351C in a Torino from this era but, I think production was over in '75, certainly '74 was the last year the 351 was any good, before cats and 2bbl 351m, 351w and 400s. The 460 was a slug stock by then too in stock form, if it at least had D3VE heads on it, it was workable, take off the cats, either advance the cam timing 4 degrees or do a cam swap, swap the intake, de-cat true duals, possibly headers, possibly pull the heads give them some porting, mill them down, re-install with shimm gaskets to get the compression up from like 8.0:1 to 9-10.5:1, you could still get leaded gas until 1985-1986 I believe. Could probably get 400-500hp at the crank out of a 460 with all the tricks back then. Of course a 351c with all the tricks would make 500-600hp.

[@ricochetey]

@hendo337 What about the interceptor 460 or was there not much difference between the two

[@craigpolinski8955]

Ford offered TWO 460 Cid engines in their police package cars from 1973 to 1978. The mid size Torino from 73 to 76 was available with either one. So many including avid Ford guys don't realize this. The first 460, the common garden variety (station wagon, Lincoln, Marquise, TBird, LTD), malaise tune engine was identified by an A code in the vehicle identification number

[@craigpolinski8955]

The A code 460 is the one that is advertised around 200-224 ish NET horsepower with the retarded cam timing Yada, Yada Yada. Incidentally it often came with dual exhaust on torino, Montegos and big Fords, trailer tow packages and also police package cars. The presence of dual exhaust doesn't ID it as the REAL Police Interceptor 460 like many like to claim. The real PI or Police Interceptor 460 engine is identified by the letter C in the cars VIN number. I've never seen an official Ford Motor Company published horsepower/torque figures for these engines. Even in Ford Police Car specific brochures, shop manuals etc. Although some Chiltons books list estimated figures to be 275 Net hp which is comparable to same year high performance Mopar 440 engines of the era. Along with 2.5 dia dual pipes w/ h pipe and a specific dual inlet ( or "triple" inlet") air cleaner not much else external to ID it as a C code PI 460. This engine depending on the year had several internal upgrades over the A code 460 similar to the earlier CJ, SCJ engines of the previous years and the retarded cam timing didn't apply to any of the PI specific 460 engines up through 1978.

[@jdw174]

As a former state trooper, I served through the 70's, 80's, and early 90's, and IMO, the Fury III's of 71/72/73 couldn't be matched. They were heavy beast, but with the 440 engine, a good one would lay rubber in the first two gears. I had one past 145mph and it was still going. In all my time on the job, anything that came after those was a disappointment. In 74/75, the 440 was bogged down with smog equipment, and we began seeing cruisers with the 400 engine which was a dog in comparison. To give an idea of what that smog equipment did to performance, the troop mechanic took a 400 equipped cruiser, removed a bunch of hoses and plugged the holes they were connected to. That car ran like a scalded cat afterwards. My department stayed with Chrysler products for a few years, and I drove Diplomats (318ci/4bbl) which wouldn't get out of it's own way, followed by the Magnum (360ci/4bbl). That was a step up from the Diplomat, but it was no 440. Over the years I operated Chevy Malibus (305ci/4bbl) that was as bad as the Diplomat and maybe worse. The absolute WORST cruiser I ever drove came from the "Blue Oval"....FORD. We were equipped for a short time with the 77-78 LTD II's (351ci/4bbl/single exhaust. Top speed was about 90mph....if you could ever get it there...and acceleration like a mud-logged tortoise. If you ever got involved in a chase and had to brake hard, you had better hope you didn't have to do it twice, because the second time....there weren't any left to speak of. Handling was as pathetic as everything else.

[@lilibethdoherty295]

I had the 440 in my Winnebago and it drove like the Fury III that I drove in my Drivers Ed Class !

[@unklebobosaurus]

I live in Canada, my town had an RCMP ghost car that had quite the reputation... Fury.

[@captkirk6145]

Thank you for your service! Where did you serve? In your time how many high speed chases were you involved in? I have friend that used to he was never in one.

[@jdw174]

Pa State Police from 1972-1993. I had a few chases involving cars and motorcycles@@captkirk6145

[@timsharpe3498]

The 1985 LTD with a 140 horsepower 302 TBI was good for a top speed of 85 MPH if it had a good tailwind.. They also had the hideousy clunky AOD transmission that failed at 30,000 miles or less and tilt steering columns that broke often.

[@bjazzgguy7849]

1973 movie " White Lightning " with Burt Reynolds driving a 1971 429 police package Ford Galaxie is a great movie , lots of car chasing.

[@deborahchesser7375]

Hell yeh brown with a 4 speed, plain hubcaps and white letter tires that’s a great one.

[@johnjackson8401]

​@deborahchesser7375 The four speed manual you see in the movie was actually a brown Mustang that was used for interior footage. There is a shot of Burt putting the Galaxie 4 door into park on the column in one scene. This was the give away that the Galaxie actually had a 3 speed automatic.

[@deborahchesser7375]

@@johnjackson8401 ah man , I thought it was a rare Galaxie with a 4 speed. Lol thanks

[@dukecraig2402]

​@@johnjackson8401 The magic of Hollywood, last year I had to explain to a guy who was claiming that since you can't hear the rocket engine on the LEM during the audio transmissions of Apollo 11's decent to the moon that it's proof it was faked that just because the sound editor of Star Wars was trying to win an Academy Award doesn't mean that rocket engine's actually make noise in the vacuum of space.

[@johnjackson8401]

@dukecraig2402 Yes, I was 11 when Apollo 11 astronauts walked on the moon in 1969. I can't believe that there are conspiracy nuts who think it was staged.

[@donaldperrotta8514]

Good friend of mine is a retired police officer … said that the Plymouth Fury cruisers with the police 440’s were absolutely animals on a high end chase …

[@paulrose6359]

Back in the early 70's I shared a house with a mechanic for the LAPD. He said the Matadors were pretty good all around patrol cars. He also said that the late 60's Plymouth (68/69), "B" bodies were basic Roadrunner's with four doors.

[@glenbard657]

My favorite TV show of the 1970's is The Rockford Files and they always had a lot of AMC Matador police cars, so they would be my favorite.

[@mallardfilmore4194]

@glenbard657: Adam 12 was also an amazingly accurate representation of the Police in its very long run. So was Dragnet. As were most all of the shows produced by R A Cinader and Jack Web.

[@Buddycoop1]

Tough call. I'd take the 440. I had a customer, former Chicago cop, had a Coronet 440. He said he couldn't believe he got paid to drive that car.

[@MrKoaz72]

My father bought a 72 Plymouth satellite cop car i learned how to drive in it and I loved that car

[@tremayne3]

My favorite cop car!

[@jamiedunlap7718]

I personably like anything made by Chrysler . They looked so different from anything else and handled better than most.

[@marinegunny826]

Picked up a 78 Plymouth Fury a few years back. It was a North Carolina state interceptor. Powder blue with all the equipment still on board. 440 engine with 750 cfm thermoquad carb, factory headers, dual exhaust mated to a 727 trans. A very fun and comfortable car to drive. Still have it. Needs a complete restoration but would be a great car to restore.

[@smoketr41]

1996 Caprice LT1 to date my all time favorite to work in. Would still drive it today.

[@nucleargrizzly1776]

The AMC's were so durable some stayed in service well into the '80s. I bought one in the late 80's (for the block) that still ran.

[@johnchildress6717]

They were better than most people thought.

[@rt_goblin_hours]

Arizona's Lacj of rust keeps the crown Vic here eternal

[@TheBulap]

They’re sadly all gone up here by now - all we use for patrol vehicles now are Explorers, Tahoes, and fullsize pickups. My assigned unit is a ‘19 Tahoe.

[@rt_goblin_hours]

@@TheBulap we got those here too. I wonder how different the life cycle cost is if you're not dealing with salt

[@TheBulap]

@@rt_goblin_hours I'm not sure how much of a difference it makes for our agency specifically, because they have a target to mile out vehicles once they reach 160K km or about 7 years of age. Haven't seen any around long enough to really start rusting. It sure is a pain for our personal vehicles though.

[@landonbenford8369]

@@rt_goblin_hours As a Chicago SouthSider I can tell you it's about 100 years!!😆Seriously, I'm sure there's a youtube vid. about how to properly rustproof your undercarriage from brand new. But Scotty Kilmer says once rust has taken hold, you can slow it down but that's it!!😢😢

[@BruceLeigh-eu3wm]

For me, it's the Plymouth's without hesitation, best looking, best sounding. Regardless of siren, when the cop floored it, an unmistakeable sound was heard.

[@nota-fj8qo]

Offering this almost completely unrelated comment: In the Australian Capital Territory circa 1975, I recall being chased by the Feds whilst hooning around Canberra in my ‘64 Studebaker Cruiser, which had the Stude 289 V8 (and btw retrofitted with a 4-speed ‘Moss’ gearbox - ex Jaguar). The particular marked Police car that was chasing me, yes with lights and siren, was a Volkswagen Kombi van with the air-cooled 4-banger and automatic transmission. Good times!

[@nlpnt]

No doubt they were resigned to keeping an eye on you while radioing for backup in a V8 Holden or Falcon.

[@kellyb.mcdonald1863]

Thank You!!! Sir!!! You Have a Beautiful, Terrific, and Magical Day!!! Sincerely, Kelly

[@davidphillips5395]

I've actually owned two of these. 1971 Ford Custom ex Maryland State Police. 429 4V. It came off Kennedy Expressway duty and had a really high rear axle ratio. A total dog to about 35 MPH and then it came alive all the way to the top of the 140 MPH speedometer! Interestingly, it had a factory Rochester Quadrajet carburetor. The Ford 4300 piece of crap carb wasn't able to provide enough CFM to feed the beast. The other was an ex Alaska State Trooper - 1972 AMC Matador 401. Originally equipped (converted) to run on propane. I converted it back to gasoline. Great car. Handling was excellent!

[@BloodRaven1969]

I had a 1971 LTD with the Interceptor 429 4v, same as yours with the highway gears when I got it and same dead to 35 or so. The township swapped to a Holly manual secondaries for duty use and I'm told that really woke it up. A swap to 3.23 gears evened things out. I wound up selling it to the sheriff that had drove it and bought their 1977 LTD full size. That 400 2v in that tank was a SLUG.

[@davidphillips5395]

That 3.23 swap had to have made a big difference. I think mine had 2.73's@@BloodRaven1969

[@BloodRaven1969]

@@davidphillips5395 When I got mine had 2.73's, the 3.23 swap really got it going better from a dead standstill but it did cut top speed a bit, not that the 140 speedo showed any difference. It peg the speedo either way.

[@mallardfilmore4194]

Having had two of the LIMA Series Ford Engines myself(a 429 and 460. Replacing a 390 In a 71 F250 and a 400 in a 79 F350 That Started Life As Two Wheeler And I Converted It To A 4x4 Deleting The Front Leaf Springs And Using After Market Radius Rods And Custom Made Coil Springs. It Definitely Made It Ride Better And Was Much More Capable In The Rocks. I’ve also done tuning on a few other Q-Jets for friends back in the day: I found using a Q-Jet vastly improved the performance and it helped a bit in fuel economy too. IF You Could Keep Your Foot Out Of It. But then I happen to like those Carburetors A Lot. I Personally would Only have a Holly if it’s been converted to Weber Metering Blocks. A different story for a different time. The Rochesters Are Very Versatile And Perform Wonderfully But You Have To Be Patient And Understand Them. They work great On And Off Road. Of course the newer ones that were being used in the later versions that were changed to meet ever more stringent emission standards finally got to the point where they were almost impossible to do anything to them performance wise. But you must take into consideration if FOMOCO Used them in certain applications over a multiple year period it means something. Not throwing rocks or insults at anyone: I’m simply saying in certain applications the Q-Jet does an excellent job where other carbs couldn’t. Even Chrysler used them on many applications in the late 80s to mid to late 90’s especially in their trucks…

[@hendo337]

I have owned 4 Crown Vics and 2 Grand Marquis 92-05 years. Only one was a P71, it was a 1996 that I paid $600 for in Elkton, KY, I had just gotten out of the Army in 2006, I put $300 worth of maintenance and tune up into it. Had the 3.08 open diff and the balanced aluminum driveshaft the later cars lost, it would do every bit of 136mph coming down I24 from Clarksville, TN to Nashville, I knew every speed trapping spot the entire way both directions, I knew exactly where to slow down, then as long as it was an open road, I could run until I hit traffic again. I had a 2005 Crown Vic LX that was significantly more powerful but it was limited to 108mph. After that I had an '05, '10 and '11 Mustang GT, then I got my second police car, a 2013 Caprice PPV 6L it was my all time favorite car, only had 800miles whenI bought it, Alto Grey, looked like a civilian car, was limited and would hit between 158-160mph, after that I had a 2016 Chevrolet SS 6.2L it was much more luxurious, I didn't notice that it was much quicker, limited to the same top speed, all I have left now is a cam, headers 2004 GTO 6 speed it's limited to 163mph.

[@mikeks8181]

Thank You for the Memories! Keep it going and go on from the mid Seventies to the 2000's.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

I appreciate that man! Certainly:)

[@michaelwhite2823]

Great research. You made this a lot more interesting than one would think. You know in 72 they switched to net horsepower so that explains the huge drop. I was a kid in the 70s and mostly remember Dodge and Plymouth police cars. Most of my family and friends had GM and Ford cars. So as a little kid I assumed all dodges were made to be police only. I inherited a 1978 LTD Landau with a 460. Even with detuning that boat was a rocket.

[@landonbenford8369]

I bet it was a gas guzzler, though. 😎

[@patrickmcgoldrick8234]

​@@landonbenford8369eEeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[@patrickmcgoldrick8234]

​@@landonbenford8369Unfortunately almost all the Fullsize cars of the early to mid seventies were very hard on fuel.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

I appreciate that, thank you for watching!

[@nilla003]

The brother of the ex bought a Mercury, Ga. State Trooper car at auction. I don't know what year it was, but it had the 429 interceptor, Goodyear Eagles and a calibrated speedo. He told me to get in, he wanted to show me something. He took the ramp for Ga. highway 5 to I-20 eastbound and said, 'look at the speedometer and watch this!' That car changed gears from second to third showing ninety mph and barked tires!!! That was one bad 429.

[@andrewkotcher5704]

had a classmate in 1982 who picked up a fury 3 with a 440 and dual quad carbs, it was modded by the police as a pursuit car- most likely to chase moonshiners as this was in north carolina.

[@olikat8]

AMX, the '76 Dart & Valiant A38 (with the 360 option), the Nova, Matador (with the 401) and the Pontiac Enforcer were fairly rare and underrated. My favorite? The Chrysler A-body; the newspaper article in the video? Appears the tire shredded apart & he lost control...the tires were not what came from AMC, which is also noted

[@brentoswald8093]

I had a 1976 Dart police package. It had been an unmarked cruiser for the Edmonton Police Service, 318, 727, 3.21 axle. A powder blue grandma car, it surprised many a BMW on the onramp.... It was pretty quick for the era, tough and durable. I drove the shit out of it and never had any problems. Wish I had known how rare it was, or I would never have let it go.

[@88SC]

In Olympia, WA when I was in high school, OPD had the Dart A38 and the LeMans. I’ve always been keenly interested in the Dart and the Nova 9C1, I’d love to have one of each.

[@JTA1961]

Driver (wished for a second) he would have retired early

[@olikat8]

@JTA1961 true...I'll bet there were a lot of "Sudden tire changes" following this incident

[@cwf081166]

I put in a bid at county auction on 1973 Chevrolet Suburban emergency vehicle that had a small block 400, four speed manual transmission. Also if you notice no car shown had any push bars for a pit maneuver, and only select police, state trooper, state police taught and used the pit maneuver until the Nineteen Eighties.

[@The1cdccop]

The AMC 401 was no slouch. I vote for the underdog.

[@landonbenford8369]

I'll always remember the AMC Matador as the car in "Police Academy (1984)", filmed in Toronto. I heard AMC was Very popular up there!!

[@The1cdccop]

@@landonbenford8369 Convoy, the movie.

[@landonbenford8369]

@@The1cdccop Kris Kristofferson was The Man!!!!!😎😎

[@RT22-pb2pp]

Alabama troopers had javelins over 100 front lifts death traps. Did away with them fast after many crashed at high speeds.even on straights on interstates. Front design grabbed air at 100mph plus death car

[@The1cdccop]

@@RT22-pb2pp I know a guy that restored one of those. They were fast, but I never knew their quirks. My uncle John was with the California Highway Patrol from 1960-1989 and his favorite was the 69 Dodge. He said that the hood would lift at speeds over 90 MPH and it was a beast to stop when the brakes overheated.

[@danielkeene1623]

While hitch hiking through Arizona in 1971, I saw one of these AMX cop cars near Flagstaff. A couple years later I had the chance to spend quite a bit of time behind the wheel of a 72, 401 4 spd AMX. Damn that car was FAST!

[@danielkeene1623]

Well, I saw a gold Arizona AMX/Javelin. Sitting on an on ramp heading south just outside flagstaff. I know my cars and I know what I saw. @@guyintenn

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

When I was in college back then, Campus Police used Matadors 3 out of 4 years. The odd year they used the briefly available Pontiac LeMans Police package.

[@49commander]

I have read that the AMC cop cars were way better than anyone gives them credit for, they had extra strong Unit Bodies, great handling but most local enforcement organizations chose their cars based on local dealers and AMC dealers weren't aggressive at getting the sales.

[@gerryfinch2014]

I bought a ‘77 Dodge Monaco Police at auction from the California Highway Patrol. One hell of a car!

[@ericg4042]

1971 and earlier, HP ratings were "gross" ratings - the engine was run on a dyno with no air cleaner, no alternator, no exhaust, and often no water pump (coolant was supplied by an external pump). This did not reflect on the real world. Starting 1972, hp ratings were changed to "net" - as installed in a car - all accessories present. A 1969 Corvette 427 had 435 gross HP - which would be about 345 net. My vote for best were the early 70's MOPAR's. I was riding along with a NY State Trooper helping him find some cottages when he got a call he had to take and I had to ride along. Lord have mercy, he said buckle up. When he floored that 440, I was pushed back hard into the seat - that 440 roaring, carb screaming for air, went from 30 to over 100 in what must have been 4 seconds.

[@ronniewatkins]

In the late 70s in Catoosa County, Ga, they used a fleet of detuned Trans Ams for patrol cars. Locals knew to keep their speeds down on I-75 in those days for sure! It was the firat speed trap coming south from Tennessee into Georgia 😅

[@eddiestanley135]

All late 70's Trans Ams were sadly detuned!😢

[@thud9797]

Detuned? How? They were just normal 4-speed base Trans Ams with vinyl seats and no air conditioning. That county always had cool cars, in 69 they used GTO's. Today the have some Chargers which is the only American police car left and now as of the end of 2023, it's out of production.

[@timsharpe3498]

When I was a cop car mechanic the Chevrolet Caprice was the best car available from 1988 to 1996. After 1996 many agencies would rather refurbish their Caprices than buy a new Ford.

[@FrankF-vp4pt]

My neighbor had a retired Illinois State Trooper 70-71 Fury 440. He gave me a ride and we were running 140 mph quicker than I could believe. Car was very solid.

[@jons.6216]

The change from police cars having the domed lights on top shifted by the mid 70s on TV! Adam 12 pretty much stayed the same but The Rookies updated to the roof bars. Then there was Starsky and Hutch & Barretta where they would pull out a portable red light and stick it on top of the car!

[@garymeegan-b9x]

The AMC had 4 piston front disk brakes as compared to the drum brakes found on most other cars. The Ford Custom with the 429 was a monster and that would be my vote.

[@joelpierce3940]

Most Police I have spoken to said they like the AMC Matador, because they had decent brakes, and the 401 cid that ran well.

[@malcolmhamilton5200]

One correction. The 440 didn't have 375/380, it had 480 ft/lbs of torque and all that torque was available much earlier in the rev range than it's competitors. Over the years I have read many reports that the 69-71' Polaras reached well in excess of 150 mph on the Chrysler Chelsea proving grounds. On Canada's highway 401 there was no getting away from one of these, between the high speed acceleration, top end and it's Motorola radio. Pretty good article.

[@leegunter5223]

I was 12 in 71 and a Chevy guy . But our police dept. had 71 and 72 Ford Custom's with the 429 and they were bad ass! I remember seeing one that sounded like it had a racing cam in it. The cop couldn't get it to idle. He raced that engine that dual exhaust screamed crackled when he lt off the gas . It was awesome!

[@ella71971]

love learning about these forgotten cars, great video!

[@GreenHawkDrive]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@dustin_4501]

Personal favorites would be the Dodge Monaco and the Plymouth Fury but they would came into the picture in the late 1970's.

[@kevineich5029]

Keep in mind that 1972 was the model year the auto manufacturers began reporting horsepower in net vs. the gross HP rating of 1971 and earlier. The gross HP was without belt driven accessories, exhaust, etc. so the HP numbers were higher.

[@413x398]

The first time LAPD chased me (1972) they had a '71 401 Matador. I was 16 piloting a '67 289 Cougar. I lost him by turning into a twisty neighborhood that I evidently knew better than he. The second pursuit saw me in a '68 442 Olds (street racer) with a built '70 455 in it. Night pursuit; all I saw was the red lights, so I don't know what car they had. I had the taillights and brake lights on cut-off switches, so I lost him in the darkness. In between, I had picked up a black-and-white '68 440 CHP Polara. What a tank! So many stories with that car. My vote for best squad, although not in the time frame of this vid. Side note: there were, in fact, civvy versions of the Matador. There was a local light yellow 4-door Matty with 401 badges on the fenders, owned by some lady. Tried to buy it, but no go.

[@74SD455TA]

Love it

[@scav3155]

You're full of shit

[@stevemiller1517]

My dad had 1968polara, 440 mag. Speedometer 160mph

[@michaelatoz580]

You made this up. I saw this episode of Adam 12. lol

[@413x398]

Nope. I became a died-in-the-wool street racer in the Van Nuys Blvd scene. So many stories there is no need to make shit up. Today, I have 61 cars, 56 of which are era muscle cars. @@michaelatoz580

[@jimmyaber5920]

I vote the 71-72 Ford Custom 500. Among the top performers of the time, but it wins for being the best looking ever with the hood raised....finned aluminum valve covers and a chrome air cleaner top that no others ever matched.

[@Slugg-O]

I worked at a gas station way back in 1975, and we had a deputy sheriff who was well into his 70's bring in his Plymouth Fury with a 440 Magnum in for oil changes. The dual exhaust were huge, probably 3 inches, and I know this because I would stand behind the car and listen to the sound when he drove off. It was like rolling thunder. I know that engine had to be a monster looking for a meal, but he drove slower than my grandmother in her Rambler American so I never heard it much above idle. As an employee of the station I was allowed to drive it from the parking lot to the service bay and that was it. I really wanted to drive it around the block and feel those the secindaries open just once. Nope. Not allowed.

[@Thomas-ul3uy]

Any old Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth police package with a big block were the boss.

[@brucecochran8297]

69 Polara 440 hands down, the best of the 440's , no smog and sheer HP, had one to 147 actual and ran out of road . Steady as a rock at those speeds, rand Corvettes with ease!

[@shiloeldridge3177]

All I can say is that matador 401 is a beast. Love them

[@tomjoseph1444]

In the late 60's early 70's, The FHP had Plymouth Furys with 440 ci engines. AMC won a contract to provide Matadors with 401s in them. The FHP changed the requirement after the winner was named and specified radial tires. AMC refused because the radials of the time would not recover from a high speed turn quick enough. AMC gave the FHP one anyway and told them to blow them up and tell them how they did it. They used to park it out back with a full tank of gas and let it idle with the AC on full. No effect. The Furies would top out at about 142. In a test run, my dad wound his up to 145 and turned his lights on as a signal to the following Matador. The Matador passed the Fury with not problem at all. I had a 727 trans out of an Alabama Highway Patrol Javelin which I put in my 74 AMX. It had better clutch packs and I had to remove the first gear lock out that it had.

[@Stinger430]

This was such an ambitious video! Great Job Hawk, as always.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

Thank you, Stinger!

[@MelaniaSideWigga]

My Dad bought a 1971 AMC Ambassador at a Fed Auction - We loved that car...later, the transmission went out, so it sat. Meanwhile, he bought a $400 1974 Ford Custom 500 from a Georgia State Police Auction. This car had a 460 & my favorite, a 140mph Speedometer....I dunno what my Dad was thinking, but he gave that to me as my first car 🤓🤓🤓. I did 'test' the accuracy of the 140mph Speedo, regularly. UNfortunately, one night, while working a double-shift at 6-Flags, I drove home at 4am, fell asleep & put the Ford into a ditch, totalling the suspension, but not really hurting me (& my girlfriend....honest, we were coming home from work). Anyway, I went to the local auto auction (hmmm...a family tradition, I 'spose) & came home with the worst condition 1973 AMC Javelin - I & my high school class loved that car...but it was a basket case - the wiring was a mess...(hey, don't we still have a an AMC Ambassador at home? Imagine the day that my Dad went to start the Ambassador & found that there was no wiring...& the 304v8 was being unbolted....)

[@farmalmta]

You missed the Mercury cop cars. In 1975 my uncle purchased at an Iowa State Auction an Iowa State Highway Patrol car that had just had a new 460 engine put in it. It was a '73 Mercury Monterey 4dr sedan, white body with a black vinyl roof and the certified 140MPH speedometer in 2mph increments (as I recall it). When the secondaries of the carburetor opened up you could see trees leaning toward the car as wind sucked past them into the engine! HA! He took it up to the 140 and it was still going faster, but he was scared of the tires and brakes so he shut it down. It would run rough on regular gasoline, better on ethyl, but really well on super premium. No idea what the compression ratio was, but it had to be above 10:1. Good times!

[@zelphx]

The Matador was the biggest star on Adam-12. When I saw one in LAPD livery in 1971, I screamed like a little girl (not much difference at my age). Disneyland and Universal Studios were #2 and #3 on my biggest SoCal thrills!

[@jamesstark8316]

I agree the early 70's Furies were the beast. Quite a few NYS troopers chased me down in them while I was speeding in my GTX.

[@petestaint8312]

Another killer video! I remember these beasts.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

Thank you man!

[@tedneb3459]

Early '70s Matadors were relatively popular around the country, not just with LAPD. With the 401, they were beasts, and their weak spot was the Mopar-supplied 727 auto transmission. The pre-'74 Matadors looked beautiful too, but the 5 mph bumper safety standard ensured that the '74 and later Matadors had butt-ugly front ends. Mid-70s Novas with 350s were great vehicles--tight and nimble, really fast and so much fun to drive. Also loved the 77 and later Le Mans (Buford T. Justice liked them too!). Not particularly fast--the emissions Nazis had caught up by then--but loud, good-handling and very reliable.

[@JohnSwenson-l9e]

I worked at a gas station when was ateenager and serviced the local HPs dodge 440 “interceptor “ that was modified and had been clocked on radar at 160 mph

[@ReasonablySane]

I turned 16 in 1970 and got my license on my birthday. I got to drive the family car sometimes. It was a 1967 full sized Ford, ex Washington patrol cop car with a 427 V8 - we got it at the state auto auction. It was awesome. The handling was amazing. But a huge difference between those older cars and modern cop cars (SUV's not included) is that most of them were "body on frame" construction rather than unibody. It's why they were so tough. If you've ever played Grand Theft Auto and stolen a cop car for a nice joyride, it's amazing how much damage the software allows crown vics to take before they can't go on, compared to the Tauruses.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

I was born in 1973. So some cars I remember from the 70s. Strangely enough I don't recall seeing that many police cars other than the *"Dukes of Hazzard"* or other action movies of the decade.

[@AledPritchard]

Another great video. Thanks for this. The amount of American films that I’ve watched and loved from this period, and the cars within them too. But being from this side of the pond 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 I didn’t really know much about them.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

Thank you for returning and commenting!

[@sunking2001]

I remember Santa Clara CA. had big Mercs with 429 cu. in back in early 70's.

[@Pedroisanickname]

There was an AMC dealership in my hometown. Consequently, we had all AMC Matador or Ambassador Cruisers. It was the early seventies. Eventually, the Ford LTD replaced them.

[@RoadRunnergarage8570]

I built the AMT 1/25 scale 70 Ford Galaxie Squad Car Model Kit about a few months ago.. It came out quite nicely I think..

[@joelh1950]

As a chevy guy that use to be a cop , I would say Ford ! My last issued vehicle was a 1970 Ford with a 429 Police Interceptor engine . It was awesome ! But, yes the brakes were a long way from perfect !

[@BobSebring]

Growing up in Los Angeles during the 60s/70s, I'm a big fan of the Adam-12 cars, the Plymouths and the AMC. My favorite though is the 1969 Plymouth Belvedere.

[@roberthughes2805]

Regarding the full size fords: 1971 police 429 was identical to the cobra jet. 1972 was the first year of the official 429 police interceptor. Slightly lower compression, but better flowing heads. In 72, due to emissions, horse power became a “dirty word” and compression began to drop across all manufacturers. By 74 ford’s police interceptor received the new 460 PI and still used the heads from 72. Ford refused to publish the hp/tq ratings for 72-74 police interceptors. while the civilian big blocks were rated around 200 hp, the PI engines still made numbers closer to the 71 CJ. Even until 1978, the 460 PI was still using parts from 429 cobra jet. 460 PI engines had an in-tank electric fuel pump because the block mounted fuel pump would starve for fuel when vehicle speeds exceeded 120mph. Ford wins best police car of the 70s.

[@413x398]

Yes. The 1972 Police cylinder heads carried a D2OE-R casting number, which had a bit more of a refined flow than the 1970-71 D0OE-R CobraJet heads that had oversized ports that did not work well until you were at 500 inches.

[@jamesleone5468]

Net HP 74/77 460 PI 260hp 275 net 380 lbs ft toque that’s from a true 460 PI /different cam 429 pi heads big valves smaller ports the later regular 460pi were regular except fro engine oil cooler and electric fuel pump

[@billyjoejimbob56]

You are correct that all the OEMs had to detune the engines after 1970... lower compression ratios in particular. But... the entire industry changed the horsepower ratings from SAE gross (engine run on a dyno with no "restrictions") to SAE net (engine on a dyno as it was installed in the car with belt driven accessories, air filter, full exhaust system). Ratings from 1970 and 1972 were not comparable. Many 1971 cars only had both gross and net ratings published, showing how much the two rating standards differed.

[@louyork8379]

Idk how, but I missed this one. Unexpected Green Hawk?! That like finding a big roach in the ashtray when you’re out. Like the best thing ever 😂

[@jamesmccullough1395]

I am a 57 year old Canadian and I can tell you how many different police cars over the years of which we had. Most were decent and actually quite good. The only exception was in the mid 80s where detectives were driving K cars...lol. Good stuff.

[@OLDS98]

You had a difficult time, but you did a great job! You put effort into the video. You pulled up some good footage too. I recall all those cars being used on films and on television during that time through the 70's. I recall the many shows and films like the Chevrolets used in the James Bond film. I recall sheriff JW Pepper. I recall all the Dodges/Plymouths used in The Blues Brothers as well. I recall the Matador being used on Adam 12. I would take the Chevrolet Impala/Bel Air. You did mention the later Caprices too. The name of the Chevrolet wagon at the time was Kingswood before it became Estate wagon. I know Pontiac had a few and Oldsmobile had some police cars as well. They had Eighty Eights. You keep learning and growing as you do the work to run your channel. I did not see any poll. I keep missing it as I never can locate the poll. You have a great weekend.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

Thank you for coming back every week and adding to the information. The poll is in the community tab at the top. There's home, videos, playlists, and community. Click that and you should see the poll. If you have trouble feel free to send me a message back. Again, thank you for your support!

[@plunkett68]

I didn't see a poll neither. I think he did show a Pontiac Lemans. I remember on TV but don't remember any of the local cop shops with any. In Louisiana they mostly stayed with Ford and Chevy. Great remark above enjoyed the read. Thanks

[@OLDS98]

@@GreenHawkDrive Thank you. I will look for that. You are most welcome about your video efforts. I appreciate the fact you are willing to learn and have an open mind and not focused on one market or segment or certain year. You are sharing what you are learning.

[@OLDS98]

@@plunkett68 Thank you and you are welcome.

[@soyounoat]

I have an older brother who became a police officer in the early '70s. Years ago I asked him which cars he liked best. The 440 Chrysler/ Plymouth/ Dodge from '71/'72/ '73 were his choice. He particularly recalled going airborne over certain railroad crossings...

[@okexotics]

Definitely would like to see this continuing! 1930s-40s-50s-60s-80s-90s-00s-10s

[@GreenHawkDrive]

I don’t go past the ‘70s unfortunately, but definitely ‘80s-‘10s

[@okexotics]

@@GreenHawkDrive yes I love this hopefully I will see my patrol car

[@GreenHawkDrive]

@@okexotics What do/did you have?

[@okexotics]

@@GreenHawkDrive 2013 Twinturbo V6 Ford police interceptor sedan (Taurus)

[@GreenHawkDrive]

@@okexotics Those are incredible man!!!

[@danheiser6458]

Cleveland used the 1973 AMC Ambassador painted lime green for high visibility.

[@tonycolca2241]

I read an article in a car magazine don't remember which one. It stated they loved and ran AMC matador until they just couldn't get parts anymore. I worked with a guy that believed in helping the underdog. He bought a matador had nothing but problems. I still hated to see AMC go out of business. Heartbreaking to see an American car Co go out of business. Great video thanks !

[@tonycolca2241]

Senior moment the police dept quoted in above story was Los Angeles pd

[@billbernhard3582]

The 429 Ford V8 was an especially fine engine, mated to the Ford C6 AT. In Mustang form, this could out-perform most of the competition from other makes. Chrysler 727 AT was a beast - capable of tolerating enormous torment. The 440 engine did have lower-end success @ high rpm, due to the short stroke. Chevy's 454 and Th400 AT was a fine combo too. I had never heard about handling problems with short wheelbases however. Sounds like a problem with the drivers, primarily. Good video !

[@nrakma]

The 429 motor was fine, although low end torque was mia. And the C6 does a poor job of imitating a 727. But the 1970 CHP Mercury with that motor & trans had so many other flaws, no one wanted to drive them as they were just not a good car.

[@johnelliott7375]

I will say that the way you showed them at the end is spot on. Great afternoon to you.

[@GreenHawkDrive]

I appreciate that man, thank you!

[@johnelliott7375]

@@GreenHawkDrive Good morning and your more than welcome 😁!

[@DavidFischer-mj2sv]

My neighbor is retired from the Chicago Police and said no officer who ever patrolled with the 1976 Monaco CPD cars was sorry when so many were demolished in filming The Blues Brothers. He said their length and width made them difficult to maneuver in narrow streets and alleys in “old neighborhoods.” He said also the big V8 engines and lack of air conditioning made them miserable in warm weather. He noted that what was actually a good police car for patrol in narrow streets and alleys were the small batch of 1978/79 Ford Fairmont LE version, but cramped inside. As to the Dodges wrecked in making The Blues Brothers-my neighbor said they were actually sold as scrap steel tonnage before the filming began, and the collisions facilitated their dismantling for scrapping.

[@landonbenford8369]

I'm too young to remember the Fairmonts but I Specifically remember the late 70's Caprices or Impalas; whichever Chicago was using; did NOT have air conditioning!!

[@michaelmcdonald395]

my dad had a 1970 Ford custom 500 with the 429 police interceptor

[@robrudolph6260]

Probably because it was AMC's home state, the Wisconsin State Patrol used a lot of 401 Ambassadors in the 1970 mixed in with a few Plymouths. The Ambassador was basically the same car as the Matador with a longer wheelbase. Our neighbor was a state trooper. He always had one of the Ambassadors parked at his house when not on duty. No idea of how the car performed, but I remember him telling my dad that the Ambassador seats were the most comfortable of any patrol car. Considering the patrol car was his office, I suspect many troopers valued seat comfort over all out performance.

[@Eagledriver442]

The 1970 Ford Custom 500’s that Fairfax County Virginia used were strong cars. I bought one from a group of cars at a junkyard in 1976 and it had a factory 428 with a solid lifter cam. Also the front upper control arms had bearings with grease fittings. Brakes and suspension were very good. With headers this car ran 13.78 at 75/80 dragway. Unfortunately the 428 was not as strong on the bottom end and eventually gave way. I replaced it with a 460.

[@rjcolombe]

The Michigan State Police do field testing of police cars and rank them according to police feedback as well as their own instrumentated tests. That info would go a long way in helping your list in the future, should you ever need it.

[@davidforsythe3037]

I’m from Canada, and the story is from a coworker back in the day. We live in Ontario. He and his buddy went to work out west in the mid Seventies. He had a pretty hot small block Chevelle. On the way out, they were stopped for fuel, and they saw this RCMP patrol car come in. They got talking to the officer about cars, and he opened the hood on his chev, I assume impala, and it had a 427. And a four speed. The officer said that it was for running down the big boys. A lot of flat straight road out west. They also had a run with a charger. My buddies chevelle had 3.73 gears. Great for playing around here. They were in the prairies, and this charger came up beside. Johnny figured he’d run him. He ran out of gear, and that charger shifted up as he passed him. Good times. My best to all.

[@PatchesOHoulihan-hi2tb]

Johnny would have got him if he had an overdrive transmission. Those highway patrol cars are geared for top end speed.

[@hawkmoon419]

The only Pontiac police car I ever saw was a 90s Trans Am with the Connecticut SP. In the 70s they ran Ford LTDs. Later had Mustangs, Buick Regal T-Types and even Mazda MX-6s!

[@mybachhertzbaud3074]

I had a 440 in my 76' Dodge shortbed Powerwagon .When I put a four barrel carb. on it and dual exhaust, that coke can really flew.😜

[@jameswalsh6131]

Excellent video Green Hawk! These do bring back memories. I had no idea that some Javelins were used for LE service. Please keep the great videos coming!

[@GreenHawkDrive]

I appreciate that man, thank you!

[@vicv.2720]

Growing up in Maryland in the early 70's, we didn't see as many Mopar cop cars. It was pretty much all Fords for the local and state police, until Chevy Caprices started popping up in the 80's and well into the 90's.

[@danielkatzel895]

i also lived in maryland in the 60's & 70's - strange, but i recall the same lack of mopar cars - one of my dad's friends got ahold of a 429 police ltd around '74 or so - good memories...

[@gregorygolden1296]

Hey Brother, I drive a '05 Crown Vic Interceptor. One heck of a great car. Put aftermarket sway bar bushings to take the "boat" out of it, now it turns flat and handles better. Good set of Goodyear's helps also. I will never own any other type car. It's been good and dependable. It's not a hot rod but it will run a hundred all day. 3:27 rear gear. Trick is Maintenance. Cannot express how important that is. Thanks for the video.

[@TimothyForbesXXI]

I remember Massachusetts liking the Fords, while New York swore by Chryslers.

[@RockandrollNegro]

It's funny that you could tell what aspects of a car each region preferred by what they purchased. NYC liked heavy duty suspensions and fuel economy, so they typically went with the Gran Fury or Coronet/Monaco equipped with the Slant 6 or 318. Chrysler seemed to be the only one who could build suspensions that could stand up to NYC and Chicago streets.

[@curtbilyeu8701]

i had a 96 p71. that car would get up to 140 fast. had lots of peddle left except the suspension was a little worn out, so you wanted to go in a straight line. i know it wasnt a classic oldy, but it got me into looking at the older police cars.

[@raymondleggs5508]

I saw a few 1980's "in the heat of the night" cop cars in tell city indiana parked in front of the police station back in 2006 or so.

[@davidwilliams3749]

Nice job on the comparison! The best car I drove hands down was the Chev. Impala that came out in 1977 with the detuned Corvette 350. We also had 1975 Plymouth Fury's with the 440. They were heavy cars, it took a while to get past 100, and you couldn't make a three point turn to chase someone going the opposite direction. We had Ford Crown Vics starting in 1982 which ran good, but couldn't touch the Chev. 350 for top end or braking. The Chev. Impala's prior to 1977 were slow and drove like a boat when taking corners. Nothing compared to the downsized Chev. Impala that came out in 77 and had the same body style until 1988.

[@xaenon]

Significant fact: The way horsepower output was determined and advertised changed for 1972, by government mandate. Prior to 1972, engine output was spec'd as GROSS horsepower, 1972-newer are NET ratings. The actual power output did not change significantly from 1971 to 1972, as there were few actual changes at the time. Power DID drop significantly when the manufacturers were forced to comply with ever-tightning emission and fuel economy requirements, effectively taking place mostly around 1974-1975.. The chief offender was the mandate for catalytic converters, but there were other factors as well: reduced compression ratios. more conservative (and often simply 'retarded') cam and ignition timing, the implementation of carburetor modifications to enhance fuel economy and reduce emissions, and more conservative axle ratios that seriously curtailed acceleration. It didn't help that the mindset of the 1960s (lower, longer, heavier) was still very prevalent, and that the manufacturers were all reluctant to actually develop the technologies needed to address the tightenng standards and cope with the OPEC embargo. They all believed that these mandates were 'termporary', and they didn't really get the message until the late 1970s and early 1980s. There's probably a whole book I could write about the lethargy and malaise of the US automakers in the 1970s, and why it lead to so many truly awful cars. Also: The 429s used in passenger and police cars did not have the 'semi-hemi' heads. That particular feature was only found in the Boss 429, which, although based mostly on the regular 429/460 mills, was effectively a whole new animal. It was built specifically for NASCAR, but Joe Average could walk into his friendly Ford dealer and order one up (in deturned form) in a shiny new 1969-1970 Mustang. Police packages involve a bit more than heavy-duty suspensions and big engines. One of the most prominent upgrades included cooling systems that could have saved Chernobyl. Not just coolant, but for power steering, transmission, and engine oil. Heavy duty batteries, high-output alternators, and 'fleet-minded' air filters were also the norm in police cars. In many Fords, cars ordered for police service actually rode on a modified station wagon frame, which was substantially beefer than the regular frame found under sedans. Ford did not typically equip Galaxies or LTDs with police packages in the early 1970s - the Custom and Custom 500 models were more adapted to fleet service and were not as pricey as their luxury-minded LTD 'big brother'. But in 1974 or so, Ford discontinued the Custom and Custom 500 models, and the Galaxie name was also retired, leaving only LTD. Pollice packages then were stripped down LTDs fitted with all the police toys. Many of them were fitted with a hard plastic rear seat, which was mostly to make cleaning easier after transporting a prisoner who was... um, 'messy'.

[@truckertae9725]

The dodge polar 440 pursuit is my favorite especially by the CHP The amc matador is a adam 12 bring back I love

[@ljprep6250]

My vote goes to the Dodge Polara Pursuit. I have the most experience with the 1970 Dodge Polara. My 70 y/o GRANDMOTHER bought one with the 440 Magnum and I got to drive it. They were screaming boats which could pull 6 skiers, and they were a helluva lot of fun to drive. I had a '70 AMC Javelin later on, and rebuilt the 390 into a 400+hp/425lb-ft BEAST and outran a CHP Interceptor in the twisties. That car once spun a manhole cover off and half a block down the alley when my throttle stuck WFO. I thought I had broken a leaf spring when the car dropped 6 inches, but then it was back up and I was in 3rd gear before I could hit the ignition switch. Fond fun memories.

[@SoloPilot6]

Of the 1970s cars, the Matador was my favorite, with the Plymouth Satellite coming in second. These weren't just LAPD, other agencies in SoCal tended to pay attention to what LA bought, and often followed suit. Never liked the GMs or the later Chryslers, but fortunately got onto a Kawasaki about the time the Matadors were going away. In later years, I liked the Lead Sled (Crown Vic), and the FPIU is also highly capable.

[@williamjameson478]

at 74, i know alot about the cars of the 60's and 70's. Chrysler products were by and far the most popular police cars!

[@patrickcrockett3982]

Where I grew up in Lansing, MI. ( The hometown of Oldsmobile ) The cops drove Delta 88's. They were huge and it was said they could hold 6 dead bodies in the trunk.

[@MarvinHartmann452]

I had a 1994 caprice police car as a winter car. It had the 350 and a 4 speed. It was really fast for its size.

[@miloswanson9646]

I grew up in the western suburbs of Cleveland OH back then. Different cities' departments used different cars. The one to the north had Plymouth Furys, one to the south had Ford LTDs, one to the east used Buick LeSabres, Another used Chevy Biscaynes, while where I grew up used Olds 88s. During the mid-'70s gas crisis years, one department even used Dodge Darts, but equipped with 383s! Another department even experimented with the downsized (yet still considered 'full-size') '79 LTD-S with 255 V-8s - talk about a gutless wonder! Those were promptly replaced with new LTDs with either 302s or 351s under the hood after just one year.

[@irongoatrocky2343]

Pit Maneuvers did not come along until the late 80's early 90's!