Warren MA PD Far From Home...

Warren MA Interceptor Utility about 47 miles from home, in Acton MA in a snow squall...

2017 Snow Tire Swap

Today was the day, SNOW TIRE DAY.  Off came the Goodyear RS-As, on went the speed rated Goodyear Ultra Grips.  That only leaves Todd's Interceptor to do.  Vic has hit the 181,000 mile mark (didn't get a photo this time!).

Well, THAT explains the slow leak......................

10/14/17 - Boxboro MA

PHOTOS From the Rhode Island State Police 2nd Annual Vintage Cruiser Show 9/24/17

Rhode Island State Police 2nd Annual Vintage Cruiser Show

September 24, 2017

Start me up...

On the morning of the 7th, I went to move Vic out of the driveway and park it in front of the house.  It sounded odd when it started up.  So after I shut it off, something told me to try and start it again.

Long and short of it, the starter died after 11+ years.  On the side of the road.

One flatbed ride later, Taxi Guy gave it a new starter and an oil change, which was WAY overdue.

The Ride of Shame...

SHOCKING!

On Sept 2nd, we FINALLY installed two new rear shocks.  Vic 2.0 has been driving like an old Cadillac... a PERFORMANCE one, but still, NOT like a P71.

I was surprised to see there are no longer lots of quality replacement shocks to choose from anymore. I decided to go with MOTORCRAFT #ASH12277 from RockAuto.com.  If you go with these, keep in mind you need to also order MOTORCRAFT #6W7Z18A161AA, the top bushing/nut, unless you are OK with using your old ones.

One of the original shocks was "eh", the other was doing absolutely NOTHING.  That is the one that had a little stain under it in the driveway.  All the oil must have leaked out long ago.  Vic rides a lot better now.  I'd do the fronts as well if I had the extra cash to spend.  But I don't, thanks to the next update...

11+ years old with 179,205 miles on it...

Having the blues...

My first car was a maroon 1986 Pontiac Parisienne, a double (possibly triple) hand-me-down.  And it had the classic 80's cracked GM paint on the hood.  My father had bought some maroon colored wax for it.  It actually helped that hood quite a bit, but you had to keep up with it or the white primer would start showing up between the cracks again.

Now, silver is arguably THE best color for any car if you don't want scratches and other defects to display like a flashing neon sign.  Vic 1.0 was great that way... though other things like road tar would show up here and there.

This stuff never showed up on SILVER paint!

Vic 2.0 is dark blue.  And Todd drove it a LOT on the highway, and even off-road.  So by the time I ended up with it, the front bumper looked like someone had sandblasted it.  The hood also had some of the same wear.  So I decided to get some blue car wax... thing is, it seems no one makes any for the US market anymore!

Yup... BLUE wax!

Ebay to the rescue.  The only affordable blue wax there was a Turtle Wax product, and all the sellers seemed to be from Israel!  So I took a chance, and soon I was the proud owner of a bottle of blue wax.

I haven't done a full scale wash/clay/polish/wax with it yet, but I did do some spot testing, and used it on the front bumper, where most of the pitting is.   As the wax dries to a haze, it is indeed a blue hue.  The finished effect is subtle, but it does indeed seem to knock down the white pin-prick effect on the bumper.

Blue haze...

Before and after... not perfect, but better than with standard white/yellow wax

Hey... nice rack!!

Vic 2.0 was THE most reliable Vic Mystery Mechanic (aka: Todd) ever owned.  While he owned it, he had one air conditioning part replaced, and one windshield wiper motor.  But the wiper motor was his fault (he always says not to leave your wipers on when you park for the night and there's a snow storm!).

So when on 8/28 I started the car to do a little work over at Belmont Seat Cover, and noticed the wiper motor sounded awful and didn't have much "ooomph", I started thinking back to the headache I had with motors in Vic 1.0.  Those past experiences made me start pondering how I was going to pay for A) a new Motorcraft motor B) a crappy rebuilt motor.  Then I started pondering the option of trying a used one.

Long story short, I spent some (messy) time at a local junk yard and removed a motor from a 2011 Massachusetts State PD cruiser.  I decided to leave it attached to the rack, and also thought it may be a good idea to bring the trim, hoses, weather strip, and wiper arms with me up to the check-out guys.  I had received a quote ahead of time for just the motor if I took it out of the car myself.  For the SAME PRICE, I got the whole setup!

This morning I decided to reverse the process and install the new (used) rack into Vic 2.0.  I started at about 11:45AM, and finished at about 3:45PM.  I decided to work slowly and take a lunch break, which slowed things down (along with stopping to feed the local squirrels and chipmunks!).

Other delays came from trying to remove the wiper arms (and HOW am I supposed to fit a screwdriver there??) a few times, and trying to remove a rusted on bolt on the metal bracket that attaches to the bottom rack bucket.  I never did get the nut off, but I did manage to "remove some metal" from it...

And so now Vic 2.0 has a 2011 wiper motor/rack/trim/weather-strip setup!  It also now has that super annoying "extra wipe" function, which I have NEVER understood.  It should make for a lot of yelling during the winter months, as I am super-wicked-picky about having a clear windshield...

One thing I learned this time that I didn't when I changed the motor in Vic 1.0, is that there is a little "flapper" by the motor that seems to allow water, etc OUT of the rack area, but doesn't allow critters IN.  Seeing as the 2011 had a mouse nest inside that area, I'm not so sure it works that well.  BUT, when I looked at the flapper in MY car, the whole area was clogged full of "shmoo".  I am starting to wonder if this has been a factor in the "What is That Musty Smell Coming From?" saga.

OH, that reminds me, I also squished some Permatex under the bottom lip of the windshield in effort to try and stop the Mystery Leak.  Of course, it was purchased around 2004, and I didn't have enough in the tube.  Also, nitrile gloves aren't tough enough to keep that hazmat off your fingers...

So, long story long, I am all set for winter, providing a 6 year old motor lasts longer than Vic 2.0's replacement one did.

... and Crown Vics Were There!

... well, sort of... in spirit, anyway!

177,777 Mile Update

Vic has finally started costing someone money... ME.  I previously posted about the usual intake swap.  But after that costly repair came the odor of gasoline who's source was eluding me.  Long story short, I thought it was one of the recently touched coil packs that hadn't been seated correctly. 

Nope.  Bent/rotted gas tank.  I'm told it looked like something hit it and eventually it rotted in the corner.  So now Vic 2.0 has a new gas tank.  Taxi Guy had a hard time removing the old one because for some reason the hardware that keeps it under the car is different from later years, and it added hours to the job. 

We finally got the snow tires off and now I can actually drive the car without that "winter tire drone".  When the tire swap was going on, we tried to install my new Motorcraft shocks, but found out that they didn't come with the top bushing/bolts!  Seeing as the old ones may need to get cut off, we aborted the mission and I ordered the bushings.

Stay tuned...

Brand New Ford Super Duty Police Truck Spotted in MA

This brand new Ford Super Duty police truck was spotted at a sign shop in Massachusetts

Holden Builds Last Chevy Caprice PPV

By Viknesh Vijayenthiran Published May 25, 2017 

... Holden also confirmed that it has built the final Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle (PPV)...

Since 2014, Holden has exported 12,953 SS sedans to the U.S. The Caprice PPV has been here since 2011 though only 7,305 examples have been brought over. ...

Vic 2.0 Gets Intake Transplant PART 2

Just got Vic 2.0 back.  Taxi Guy changed all the spark plugs and a few coil pack bits as an extra precaution.  To christen the new intake, I had to sit in traffic for over a half hour just to go about 4-5 miles... (sigh)...

Vic 2.0 Gets Intake Transplant

Anyone who has owned Crown Vics for long enough learns about the old silent recall for the intake manifolds.  Vic 1.0 eventually got it done, and now 2.0 is at Taxi Guy's shop getting it done.  When Mystery Mechanic owned the car, he had to replace a coil pack due to what appeared to be the start of coolant leakage.  A few weeks ago after smelling occasional whiffs of coolant, I had another coil pack go on me while on a highway.  Taxi Guy stated that he could try to save me money by adding a bunch of sealant around the top of the coil pack to try and keep liquid out of the cylinder. 

But the smell continued, and I noticed that the overflow tank was empty.  Two full bottles of coolant later, this past Monday, someone noticed a nice green puddle under the car.  I got on the ground to look under and see where the drip was coming from, but without a jack I couldn't see past the air dam.  I started wondering if the water pump was bad.  The next day I started the engine and stared under the hood to see what I could see.  Sure enough, coolant was dripping out of the intake and onto the new coil pack!  From there it dripped down the front of the engine, which is why it looked like the water pump was bad. 

Watching one of the last Ringling Brother's circus trains (4/4/17)

Never seen an intake so bad you could literally see the leak, and hear the steaming and gurgling after shutting the engine off.

Another issue to figure out is the water leaking down onto the carpet by the brake pedal.  I have been smelling a musty odor for a while now, and the carpet under the floor mat has been damp.  Bob at Belmont Seat Cover helped me remove the driver seat and pull back the carpet, which revealed a solid floor, but standing water!  I vacuumed it all up, set a hose on the windshield, and turned the water on.  Sure enough, water started to drip inside the car.

I still have to determine if the issue is the recently replaced windshield, or something in the cowl by the wipers. 

177,000 MILES

Never heard of the P71 hubcap logos falling off until last year... and look what finally happened to Vic 2.0...

Ford Police Responder Hybrid: The Evolution of Police Vehicles | Hybrid ...

Door Switch Panel Repair PART 2

Wellp, it looks like the Gorilla glue might have worked... the bad news is the tabs that I seem to really need are not those that I repaired!  I may have to get a black panel from a junk yard and do a little Dr. Frankenstein work...  The images below tell the whole story.

Tabs seemed pretty secure

Wiring...

... connected...

As you can see, the panel still didn't sit flat...

... in fact, I swear it is worse than before!

176,000 MILES and Door Switch Panel Repair PART 1

Today Vic 2.0 hit 176,000 miles.  It is amazing how few problems this car has had in it's life.  But it is now 11 years old, and is starting to show/feel it.

Many of you who own these cars are aware of a very annoying issue they have with the driver side switch panel mounting tabs breaking off and thus making the panel pop up.  This has annoyed me as well, and I tried adding small pieces of Velcro to the panel and door to keep the thing down.  Didn't work.  The self-adhesive didn't adhesive as well as I had hoped, and the thickness of the hook & loop halves added too much thickness, so even when the panel DID stay down, there was a "padded" effect.  In other words, the panel didn't sit flush like it is supposed to.

So today I was sitting in 2.0 in a parking lot, and used a screwdriver to fully remove the switch panel so I could peel off the Velcro.  And what did I find inside the door?  Two of the broken mounting tabs.   That made me start thinking about repair options.  In the past, I have used a plastic repair product that really worked well on a couple of broken Javelin grills, as well as the power/volume knob on Mystery Mechanic's Uniden scanner, which is still in 2.0.  

I headed on over to a local auto parts store to see what they had in stock for plastic glue/repair products, knowing they stock some hard to find items.  They didn't have anything of the proper quantity and/or price.  On my way out, the boss suggested Gorilla Glue.  I have never used it, and it didn't cost too much, so I said "ok, but if it doesn't work I'll be back to yell at you!".

Below are some photos I snapped during the "repair".  I put that in quotes because I am skeptical, and because the glue takes 24 hours to set up.  So stay tuned to see if the repair did or did not work!

Some of the supplies used

Some of the Velcro that didn't work out.  You can see where the tab has broken off.

One of the broken tabs I found inside the door.

Where the break and glue is.

Where the other break and glue is.

UPDATE: It begins...

Yes, it begins... Vic 2.0 has a nice rust hole on the driver side fender.  You'd think after all these years I'd learn my lesson, that you should NEVER poke your finger on bubbly sheet metal.  But NOOOO... I HAD to do it.  Just ONCE in my life I'd like to own a car that doesn't rot away... but alas, as long as I live in New England, it won't happen...

It begins...

Vic hasn't driven in the snow much this winter, as it has no place to go, really.  But when it was in snow, it was not as good as Vic 1.0 was.  This is most likely due to the wider tires, wider track, and more horsepower. 

I managed to get two Motorcraft rear shocks from Rock Auto .  They are awaiting installation when the spring weather comes.  I also need to look around and figure out why the carpet under the driver side floor mat is damp.  It doesn't smell of coolant, so it isn't the heater core.  But I am worried... I keep forgetting that this car us now over 10 years old!  It still seems like that almost new Ford demo I found for Mystery Mechanic many years ago... 

Kennebunk ME PD's last Crown Vic sent 'out to pasture' | WCSH6.com

Kennebunk PD's last Crown Vic sent 'out to pasture' | WCSH6.com

From the Kennebunk PD's Facebook page:

"The end of an era today as our last Ford Crown Victoria, a 2011, has died. She can be seen here on the back of a D.C. Towing flatbed as she gets ready to go out to pasture. She was lovingly referred to as the "Grey Ghost." We swear we heard a bugler in the distance playing "Taps" as it left the yard. We had to console Officer Tucci as he fought back tears. In lieu of flowers, baked goods may be accepted for Officer Tucci."