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So, what's Operation 1420?
My goal is to run mid 14's and get 20+mpg on the highway with the 4000lbs of love that is my 2002 P71 CV.
A little personal background:
On May 21 I bought a 2002 Crown Vic Police Interceptor for $1600. I've been looking for a project car since I was about 12 (lol) but finally at 23, I'm in a stable enough position to officially own my first car. I've "had" other projects and daily drivers before through working with my dad including a 1972 Mach 1 and a 1971 Monte Carlo but I left that all behind. To say the least, my father was not the nicest person to me or my family so he's no longer a part of my life.
I've had a lot of ups and downs over the last few years and I've been dreaming of my first car since I was a little kid. I earned my education as a mechanical engineering technologist in college and that qualification is supporting me while I earn my university engineering degree. I've sacrificed a lot and through working part-time over the last 4 years I've finally gotten to this point and I'm proud to say that I've earned it all on my own.
Like many of you BS'ers I'm working with a tight budget and I had high hopes for my first car. I finally distilled my options down to a Ranger pickup. I really wanted to get a C4 'Vette or a P71 Crown Vic but those cars are usually fetching $3500+ around Montreal. After dealing with a bunch of deadbeat Ranger sellers this 2002 P71 popped up for $1700.
I saw the car on Thursday May 20, and by Friday afternoon I was the new owner, insured and cruising. I bought it for $1600 given that it had a few minor fixes to be done but it had all of the great P71 stuff.
The nitty-gritty:
Specs: 2002 P71
-4.6L SOHC(235hp/280lb-ft in stock trim)
-168 000 kms (100 000 mi) when purchased
-Power Improved (PI) heads and intake
-Dual exhaust
-4R70W trans with cooler
-oil cooler
-4 wheel disc brakes
-3.27 Traction-Lok diff
Repairs done in my first two weeks of ownership:
-new plugs ("check engine" light went off after)
-new air filter
-new driveshaft u-joints
-new driver's side tie-rod end
-alignment
-put on two used tires on the rear to replace the bald Winters that were on there :P
-all the fluids are clean, so I've just topped them up
-installed a cheap stereo head unit
Work to be done:
-weld up exhaust leak
-redo the brakes (probably at the end of summer)
-"air bag" idiot light is on
-paint job; the paint is peeling off but thankfully there is ZERO rust anywhere due to the body being GALVANIZED lmao (take that Montreal winters!!!!! ;D)
I also bought another set of 16" steelies (got two good used tires), a set of dog dish caps and the Police Interceptor trunk badge.
FYI, dumpster diving pays off: I found a decent set of 17" Pirelli tires abandoned in an alley and I traded them for a good set of 16" winter tires ;D
The car runs like a champ and I've put nearly 900 kms on it in two weeks, lol. I work at different sites, some with a decent drive - I haven't found the CV to be terrible on gas, I've been averaging 17mpg (14L/100km) with a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving. I expect my mileage to improve because I have had a little trouble in keeping the right pedal off of the floor, lmao.
I'll post up some more pics in a few days - work is keeping me quite busy at the moment.
Here you can see my luxurious work area, also known as the street ;D
Getting ready to change my plugs
Lots of dirt in the threads, I threaded the old plugs in and out a few times until the dirt was gone before I installed the new ones.
Gapping in the street! I don't own a feeler gauge so used my caliper.
For those of you who also grew up with Sesame Street: "Biiiiiiiiiiig... smaaaaaaaaaaaaall" or "One of these things is not like the other".... Victoria feels a little out of place in her parking spot :D
My goal is to run mid 14's and get 20+mpg on the highway with the 4000lbs of love that is my 2002 P71 CV.
A little personal background:
On May 21 I bought a 2002 Crown Vic Police Interceptor for $1600. I've been looking for a project car since I was about 12 (lol) but finally at 23, I'm in a stable enough position to officially own my first car. I've "had" other projects and daily drivers before through working with my dad including a 1972 Mach 1 and a 1971 Monte Carlo but I left that all behind. To say the least, my father was not the nicest person to me or my family so he's no longer a part of my life.
I've had a lot of ups and downs over the last few years and I've been dreaming of my first car since I was a little kid. I earned my education as a mechanical engineering technologist in college and that qualification is supporting me while I earn my university engineering degree. I've sacrificed a lot and through working part-time over the last 4 years I've finally gotten to this point and I'm proud to say that I've earned it all on my own.
Like many of you BS'ers I'm working with a tight budget and I had high hopes for my first car. I finally distilled my options down to a Ranger pickup. I really wanted to get a C4 'Vette or a P71 Crown Vic but those cars are usually fetching $3500+ around Montreal. After dealing with a bunch of deadbeat Ranger sellers this 2002 P71 popped up for $1700.
I saw the car on Thursday May 20, and by Friday afternoon I was the new owner, insured and cruising. I bought it for $1600 given that it had a few minor fixes to be done but it had all of the great P71 stuff.
The nitty-gritty:
Specs: 2002 P71
-4.6L SOHC(235hp/280lb-ft in stock trim)
-168 000 kms (100 000 mi) when purchased
-Power Improved (PI) heads and intake
-Dual exhaust
-4R70W trans with cooler
-oil cooler
-4 wheel disc brakes
-3.27 Traction-Lok diff
Repairs done in my first two weeks of ownership:
-new plugs ("check engine" light went off after)
-new air filter
-new driveshaft u-joints
-new driver's side tie-rod end
-alignment
-put on two used tires on the rear to replace the bald Winters that were on there :P
-all the fluids are clean, so I've just topped them up
-installed a cheap stereo head unit
Work to be done:
-weld up exhaust leak
-redo the brakes (probably at the end of summer)
-"air bag" idiot light is on
-paint job; the paint is peeling off but thankfully there is ZERO rust anywhere due to the body being GALVANIZED lmao (take that Montreal winters!!!!! ;D)
I also bought another set of 16" steelies (got two good used tires), a set of dog dish caps and the Police Interceptor trunk badge.
FYI, dumpster diving pays off: I found a decent set of 17" Pirelli tires abandoned in an alley and I traded them for a good set of 16" winter tires ;D
The car runs like a champ and I've put nearly 900 kms on it in two weeks, lol. I work at different sites, some with a decent drive - I haven't found the CV to be terrible on gas, I've been averaging 17mpg (14L/100km) with a 50/50 mix of highway and city driving. I expect my mileage to improve because I have had a little trouble in keeping the right pedal off of the floor, lmao.
I'll post up some more pics in a few days - work is keeping me quite busy at the moment.
Here you can see my luxurious work area, also known as the street ;D
Getting ready to change my plugs
Lots of dirt in the threads, I threaded the old plugs in and out a few times until the dirt was gone before I installed the new ones.
Gapping in the street! I don't own a feeler gauge so used my caliper.
For those of you who also grew up with Sesame Street: "Biiiiiiiiiiig... smaaaaaaaaaaaaall" or "One of these things is not like the other".... Victoria feels a little out of place in her parking spot :D
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