What do SSP's come with?

LilBerx

Active Member
Jan 11, 2012
340
26
29
Logan, UT
What extra features do cop cars come with? I think I read somewhere that they come with forged pistons, roller cam, and hydraulic roller lifters. But I want to find out if that is true.
 
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The cop cars are the same mechanically as the regular 5.0 LX or GT. The major differences were with the auto trans cars that had a revised valve body for improved shifts. Also the alternator was of higher capacity and the speedometer was calibrated. If there was any mph limit in the stock (non cop) vehicles ECU then that was eliminated as well. The drivers floor pan area was re-enforced. The ECU may have had different engine management parameters as well. Otherwise, outside of bolt on items like siren, spot lights ect. they were very much the same as a regular 5.0 Mustang of the era.
 
Performance wise, there was no difference. Here's a list of the special features:

  • Engine oil cooler
  • Silicone radiator hoses and aircraft-style clamps
  • Auto transmission fluid cooler
  • 130 and 135 amp internally and externally regulated heavy duty alternators
  • Two-piece VASCAR speedometer cable
  • Certified calibrated speedometer 0-140 mph (1982-early 1989) and 0-160 mph (late 1989-1993)
  • Non-operational courtesy lights (safety feature)
  • Relocated rear deck release
  • Single key locking doors/trunk
  • Reinforced floor pans
  • Full size spare tire
 
It all comes down to what each agency ordered individually, and it even varies from car to car. My car for example didn't come with a roll bar, but the car built next in line for the same agency in the same year did. A lot of them get spotlights, mine didn't. If you didn't know what to look for, you'd never know mine was a cop car. It does have reinforced floor pans but that's basically just an extra strip of steel crossing under where the seats bolt in. Also in my car they didn't start using silicone hoses until '87 so i didn't get any of that, and if it had an oil cooler it was long gone before i got the car. It does have an 8.8 in it though, which to my understanding didn't come standard until '86..but again it could have been swapped in by a previous owner before i got it. I did get the 140 speedo, but my dome light does work (they just take the fuse or bulb out). I didn't get a trunk release button, it came with 3 keys (door, trunk, ignition), and it did have a full size spare. As mentioned already, everything else like the engine/trans/etc was exactly the same as any other 5.0.