Police Interceptor

[OLDBULL8]

Originally Posted by Ole Don

The Interceptor was usually a Mercuruy powered upgrade. I worked at Ford in '73. We built 500 two doors for Nebraska. They had a special frame, different rear axle with 2.9 ratio, station wagon front end with big brakes, a roof reinforcement for a light bar, and the coolest engine ever to come down the line. It was a 429 with cast headers, finned aluminum rocker covers, some had Quadrajets and some had Holleys, a huge alternator, and a C 6 with a first gear lockout. I asked an engineer about the lock out, he said its to prevent uninteded wheel spin. These cars were built to fly.

I'm a new member here as of 11/30/10. I worked at Ford Lima Engine Plt. from 1957 to 1987, last 20 yrs. as Gen. Foreman of Maint. 460 block,crank,cam and Brg. cap, been a long time ago but I think that 429 you speak of was made there. I vaguely remember making a 500 run of them. We didn't make the cranks, they were steel forged cranks from Fostoria Crankshaft. Rods were forged steel, pistons ? special. 82 now and the memory is fuzzy.

The Lima plant was built to make the Edsel 385 engine.

[darrell]

the police engine for 55 was a 292.if you had he a friendly ford salesman he could order you one.55 fords all had 272 not 292s as you often see advertised.they built 1999 crown vics with the glass roof only one had a 292.it was ordered as a sheriffs car.hard to believe but the only thing they wouldnt do was two tone it.it was all white and he had the dealer paint green on to two tone it.he still ownes it.there was something about it in the fomoco times a few years back.

[graybeard]

Originally Posted by Pat-New York

I had a 1958 Ford Del Rio Wagon, which I believe had the 352 cu in it,I should have taken some pic's of it. It did say Interceptor on the air breather. That wagon would get up and scat ! I shure would like to find another one like it. It also had the cruisematic tranny. Are there any out there ???

Pat I went to look at a four door Ranch Wagon just this morning. It is a 332 two barrel carb. The introduction of the new FE series engine was confusing at best. The whole FE seies in '58 was referred to as Interceptors, 332 two or four barrel as well as the 352. I've never seen any Ford literarture that referred to them as Thunderbird Interceptor or Police Interceptor, just Interceptor. The 352 though did have the little Interceptor Special badge on the glove box lid. As late as a year ago, until I bought a NOS glove box emblem I would have bet money that the emblem said Police Interceptor Special, not so! Pat I found a beautiful Wikipedia page for the '58 Del Rio.

[Gerry]

[QUOTE=graybeard;142155]Pat I went to look at a four door Ranch Wagon

I thought Ranch Wagons were 2 door? Gerry

[graybeard]

[QUOTE=Gerry;142184]

Originally Posted by graybeard

Pat I went to look at a four door Ranch Wagon

I thought Ranch Wagons were 2 door? Gerry

Gerry, The vin plate identifies the wagon we're talking about as a 79A body type. My '49-'59 Parts and Accessories Illustrated Catalog identifies a 79A as a FORDOR RANCH WAGON. It shows 79A as only '58. In the serial number the fourth digit is a X, refered to in the body style codes as a Country Sedan. It must be a Fordor Ranch Wagon Country Sedan. That's not confusing! Now is it?

[Pat-New York]

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Originally Posted by graybeard

Pat I went to look at a four door Ranch Wagon just this morning. It is a 332 two barrel carb. The introduction of the new FE series engine was confusing at best. The whole FE seies in '58 was referred to as Interceptors, 332 two or four barrel as well as the 352. I've never seen any Ford literarture that referred to them as Thunderbird Interceptor or Police Interceptor, just Interceptor. The 352 though did have the little Interceptor Special badge on the glove box lid. As late as a year ago, until I bought a NOS glove box emblem I would have bet money that the emblem said Police Interceptor Special, not so! Pat I found a beautiful Wikipedia page for the '58 Del Rio.

Thanks Greybeard for the info. Do you have a web address for the Del Rio Wagon ? I'm not a young guy and have trouble getting into different sites. Also my old Del Rio did say Interceptor on the breather,don't remember if it had one on the glove box ? Also don't remember if it was 2bbl or 4bbl ? I didn't pay to much attention to those things, also it was nearly 50 years ago. I know time counts for something, but it gets a little fuzzy now and then. Thanks for the update, Pat.

[graybeard]

Originally Posted by Pat-New York

Thanks Greybeard for the info. Do you have a web address for the Del Rio Wagon ? I'm not a young guy and have trouble getting into different sites. Also my old Del Rio did say Interceptor on the breather,don't remember if it had one on the glove box ? Also don't remember if it was 2bbl or 4bbl ? I didn't pay to much attention to those things, also it was nearly 50 years ago. I know time counts for something, but it gets a little fuzzy now and then. Thanks for the update, Pat.

Pat, try this http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1958-ford-del-rio.htm

[T-Time]

"Ford Police Cars, 1932-1997", by Edwin J. Sanow, answers all these questions. The 1955-60 section of the bock is available on line at http://books.google.com/books?id=IpV...20ford&f=false.

For some reason (my search term, I guess), the link takes you to the chapter starting with 1958. Scroll up for the earlier years.

[Newc]

Hi all; Just a late post. The '58's had an 'interceptor' badge around the key button of the glove box door. Just for fun, we would put these badges on our '57's glove box doors. We only found these badges on 332'' equiped '58s. Newc

[Herman Munster]

There was a time when Police Interceptor meant something in Fords. Sadly my '01 Crown Vic Police Interceptor is not really much different from a civilian version under the hood. The only real differences is an aluminum driveshaft, a different TC stall speed and ungoverned top speed.

[parklane]

Originally Posted by Herman Munster

There was a time when Police Interceptor meant something in Fords. Sadly my '01 Crown Vic Police Interceptor is not really much different from a civilian version under the hood. The only real differences is an aluminum driveshaft, a different TC stall speed and ungoverned top speed.

and heavy duty suspension, alternator, rims etc. There is quite a bit different. Built right here in my home town, but sadly, no more after this spring.

[Herman Munster]

Originally Posted by parklane

and heavy duty suspension, alternator, rims etc. There is quite a bit different. Built right here in my home town, but sadly, no more after this spring.

Even with nearly 165K the car still rides and handles solidly.

[gerrald meacham]

built a lot of 428 state patrol engines they were high performance just needed lower geared rears and they were real fast on take of , they had a dui squad back then we done lots to there cars. . they came out of passing gear at 110 or had to go back in the shop ,

[REBEL43]

Great thread, a lot of info here

[Car54]

I was scouring the Web for a 1954 256 Interceptor engine when I stumbled upon this thread. Very interesting. The thing is there were a variety of engines used in Police Interceptors each year. Police Interceptor refers more to the vehicles equipped with a police package. Ford began offering a police package in 1950. The term interceptor first appeared in 1954 with the introduction of the Y-block engines. The inline 6 was the standard engine in the Police Interceptor. The 239 and 256 V-8s were options.

I'm one of the caretakers of the Minnesota State Patrol Troopers Association's vintage vehicles, including a 1954 Interceptor. Actually, it's a replica. But, it is equipped with a 256 Interceptor V-8.

Check my webpage for a history of Interceptors and other vehicles used by the MSP since 1929. www.marooncruisers.com

[graybeard]

The word Interceptor has been thrown on several different motors. In '58 all three versions of the (at the time new) FE got a sticker on the air cleaner proclaiming them Interceptors. It seems the 332 cubic inch two venturi and 4 venturi version, only had the Interceptor decal. The bigger cubic inch 352 had the big Interceptor decal, as well as an additional decal with proclaiming either Special or Thunderbird Special. We have original aircleaners from Fairlane's that had it both ways.

If that wasn't bad enough I've seen Chris Craft use a Interceptor decl on some it's
FE power plants.

[bowsawkid]

Originally Posted by Daves55Sedan

When I was a Junior in High school (1972) I bought my first car a 55 Ford I am still driving today (pictured at left). I had the only 55 Ford in the school parking lot. Another fellow had a 56 fordor sedan he thought was a police interceptor. It had a y-block engine with dual exhausts, 4bbl intake, dual point distributor with dual vacuum diaphragm and had steel valve covers like the ordinary Y-blocks but the had "Thunderbird Special V8" sticker on them. The car did have a spotlight and the running light wiring had been modified with a second flasher for flashing lights. The car had Master guide power steering and swift-sure power brakes. I dont doubt that the engine was a 312, but was it a police interceptor ???

It most likely was a 292 as the 292 and 312 thunderbird engines both looked identical, both had the same valve cover decal but there were only 47 4 doors built with the 312 and thousands with the 292.

[bowsawkid]

Originally Posted by graybeard

The word Interceptor has been thrown on several different motors. In '58 all three versions of the (at the time new) FE got a sticker on the air cleaner proclaiming them Interceptors. It seems the 332 cubic inch two venturi and 4 venturi version, only had the Interceptor decal. The bigger cubic inch 352 had the big Interceptor decal, as well as an additional decal with proclaiming either Special or Thunderbird Special. We have original aircleaners from Fairlane's that had it both ways.

If that wasn't bad enough I've seen Chris Craft use a Interceptor decl on some it's
FE power plants.

some Chris Craft engines were assembled by a company called "Dearborn" and the Ford V-8s were Dearborn Interceptors, they built 312s with an aluminum intake with 2 carter sidedraft 1 barrels in the valley mounted on the bottom of the manifold.

[Ralph sacramento]

I owned a '58 Ranchero that was factory "Police interceptor", lived at Lake Tahoe with it in '66 and at 6200 ft elevation that 2.90 diff sure didn't do it. Had to change the 3rd member to make it a towing truck for my flat bottom ski boat. My kids drove it thru their high school years and really finished it off, last time I saw it, it was on a flat bed truck heading down Hwy 50 squashed with 6 others on way to scrap yard. Some things you just don't get over.

[SquireDon]

The "Interceptor V-8" Decal is the cheapest upgrade you can get. For about $4 dollars anybody can have an interceptor.

The only one better I've seen is the 428 V-8 decal on an air cleaner.