Project Buford T Justice: Our Cop Car Cruises Home and Then We Beat on It!

[admin]

(Photos by Dave Nutting, Gene Stauffer, and Brian Lohnes) -#Project Buford T Justice, BangShift’s 1987 9C1 Caprice cop car is back home in Massachusetts safe and sound and we have begun to put the old girl through her paces in anticipation of future upgrades to crank up the fun factor of the car by several [...]

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[Dan Barlow]

I' be had more box caprices than I can remember. Always wanted a cop car as they got all the F-41 springs and bars with the non -open channel stringers on the frame sides. And the 350. So i always put these under my captives along with some good h-d shocks. When you do go for a repaint, go back to the dark blue metal flake. Had that on on of mine. Great color. The cop cars have f41 bars but the rear is attached differently than the civilian one.

[Beagle]

double posting, cuz that's the kind of guy I am.

Must be a LT's car, regular cruiser would have the door handle delete, which was something like 10 option, and the rear window crank delete, another 10.00 option. I didn't see the door lock knobs on it though, are they there? They sold about half a dozen 9C1 cars retail (I know, they weren't supposed to) at a local dealer here, I laughed my ass off when I found out they charged money to *remove* options.
When you get all the crap off of that 350, you'll wonder why they didn't go 454. You can actually sit on the fenders to work on it!

The frame mounts should be drilled for anything and will probably even fit a 360 AMC , which I Triple Black Ninja Dog Dare you to put in there.

[andy30thz]

Did the cop cars get the good steering box? How many turns is it lock to lock?
I believe you can buy a 2.5 turn box right from Advance/Rock Auto. Its for the earlier cars but I believe its the same except it will have the old flare fittings instead of the new metric ones.... (Lares 1105)

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_Power-Steering-Gear-Box-Lares_20340003-P_255_R%7CGRPSTERAMS___#fragment-2

Awesome project!! Anyone who gives you crap about it isn't a real Bangshifter!! I'm tired of seeing people talk about stuff and not doing. (I'm guilty myself, but I have plans to fix that this summer)

If you can scare up the time.... A quickie budget body/interior makeover would be cool! I think the interior will clean up and I bet the exterior could be a really nice at 10/10! (10 feet/10mph) Show us newbies how be an aerosol touch up artist and work a buffer without burning through the paint!

Although they're probably too heavy for what you want to do....a set of factory 15x8 steelie truck wheels are DIRT cheap when you can find them. They would fill out those huge wheel wells and totally fit the 9C1 vibe with cop center cap.

I think its pretty cool that it already has duals and a posi!
Can't wait to see it chug its way down the 1320!

[Brian Lohnes]

Andy, all good ideas!

This car has the 2.5 turn box in it. Later today a quickie story will run about adjusting it. It is a five minute job and really helps get rid of any numbness in the steering.

Yeah, the drag strip will be interesting in a couple of weeks!

[andy30thz]

Are these too far away from you? 15x8 GM truck wheels.....he says cash talks.....

http://worcester.craigslist.org/pts/2882967784.html

Didn't some cops use that center cap? Black them out and you're good to go!

I'm thinking you've got a solid 17 flat@80mph performer!

[Brian Lohnes]

I am with you on the ET!

I am going to put 17" Cragar Soft 8 wheels on it a little down the road. I like the truck wheels but my plan is for larger rubber.

[Blazerteam]

Those truck wheels would rock with 255x60!!!

[andy30thz]

I am going to put 17" Cragar Soft 8 wheels on it a little down the road. I like the truck wheels but my plan is for larger rubber.

Yep, bigger diameter is the right way to go for what you want to do!

For about the same money as the soft 8's, another possibility is a set of used Impala SS wheels.....that would help shed some weight. But that's also been done to death....

Can you use a 9C1 center on the soft 8's That would be too cool!

[Brian Lohnes]

Andy, I am about 95% sure I can use a 9C1 center cap on the Soft 8s. You are reading my mind!

[andy30thz]

I did find this pic of soft 8's with a 9C1 center cap. Although I thought that center went on the bubble's and the boxes had snap over center hub caps?
Even if it isn't "correct" it still has the right 9C1 feel!



Oh, and just for giggles... A box 9C1 on late model Impala SS wheels....

[Beagle]

17's ... on a BTJ? No curb hopping for you. Maybe with a bigass sidewall? 275 60's might fit the back okay. 235 60 15's rubbed lightly on the front of mine during offroad maneuvers. You gonna city boy this car?

[Brian Lohnes]

Here's what we're going for...

[Beagle]

I can see that, but I'm a little worried that BTJ's curb hopping days are done. Can combine these threads? Andy and I said almost the same thing at almost the same time about the truck wheels yesterday morning. lol.

[andy30thz]

Nice!! Looks like a great plan with function!
Can't wait to see you thrash it! Low power should actually work OK for autocross.
Clean it up and use it!!