1972 Dodge Polara U-Code 440 HP, ex-Washington State Patrol Car Tour
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2023
- Tour of our personal 1972 Dodge Polara ex-Washington State Patrol car. A U Code 440 HP engine with cop brakes, cop suspension, cop engine, etc. Power seats with double springs make for a comfy ride. 140 MPH certified speedo that was police car only.
- Auta a dopravní prostředky
Looks like the one in the first Walking Tall Movie that Buford got when he first became sheriff. 👍
Looks like the 1 that caught me
1972 Polara, one of my favorites! The grill and headlight position is just perfect. I had one when it was 6 years old. Someone replaced the timing chain. They had the timing wrong and broke a piston with a valve. I got it for $200, very cheap even then. I fixed it and drove it for a while. I wish I hadn't sold it but I made good money with it. I was young and I needed the money. Thanks for sharing!
That's one very nice looking car mate
I read your comment and thought you wrote that you had one when you were 6 years old and was like ya right LOL I had to read it over this time a little slower LOL!
@@79tazman Funny. I should write more carefully. When I just read it, I thought that's what I wrote too. It was 1978 then. I was 24. I was working on cars all day, every day back then. I miss being 24.
Dude that thing is sweet! Being 6'4", I certainly appreciate C bodies and the room they provide. Plus, I love Mopar cop cars!! This checks a lot of boxes for me. Nice car!!
Beautiful car, sir. Not many Washington State Patrol cars survived 51 years from their in-service date! Your car would have endured hard, heavy use in all the weather conditions we experience in Washington, and would have been quite “used” by the time it got to public auction. Most of the cars that your Polara pulled over during its service life have long since been sent to the crusher. Thanks for preserving this example of WSP history!
My brother and brother-in law worked at the Belvedere plant in the late 60’s early 70’s. When they couldn’t keep up with the line if there were parts left over they would throw them in the trunk and let the dealer install them. My brothers first job was driving them off the line to the staging lot for transport. He said so many would smoke or rattle. They’d park it and let the dealer worry about it lol.
I ALWAYS loved the earlier models of the police cars. I HAD A 85 CROWN VICTORIA AND A 93 CROWN VICTORIA POLICE CAR LOVED THE WAY THEY HANDLED WHEN MOVING FAST.
The 1969 Dodge Polara had a sleek new streamlined body style called the “Fuselage Design”, which would continue until its end of production in 1973. The new streamlined body style, 3.23 gears, and the 375 horsepower 440 Magnum made this one fast cruiser.
0-60 MPH = 6.3 Seconds
0-100 MPH = 18.1 Seconds
1/4-Mile = 14.3 Seconds
Top Speed Recorded = 149.6 MPH (Chrysler test track in Chelsea, Michigan)
The California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) were prized enough customers that Chrysler made specific parts for each department. The California Highway Patrol even had its own cam grind.
This car was so fast that it’s 149.6 MPH top speed record wouldn’t be broken until the 2006 5.7L Dodge Charger recorded a 150 MPH top speed during the Michigan State Police vehicle evaluations. Super cool cars!👍
Thanks for the well paced, sensible video. When I was a kid, the C body was the preferred taxi in my town. Of course, I remember them as police cars and to an extent, family vehicles. When I got my license I eventually drove a downsized 75 Fury sedan. I even owned a Diplomat for a few years so Chrysler fleet cars are nothing new to me.
One of my brothers friend,s had one thes. I love the sound the engine made when the 4 barrel secondaries kicked in😊
Had a friend who was with the Nj state police ,he had a car just like this.Can remember him coming by the shop and you could tell ,even if you didn’t know that there was something nasty under the hood by the rumble and bark from the big exhaust. He did confirm something about the 140 mph being quite necessary.Thanks for the walk down memory lane
My father was WSP, retired in 73. I remember going for a ride with him. His Polara held passing gear to 120. Had a 1000 cfm thermoquad for no gas mileage. My first car was a surplus WSP 64 Galaxy 500 with a 427 interceptor. It was a sergeants car so only had a spotlight. Blew all my friends hot chevys and mopars off the road. Dad had the first V8 WSP car. A two door coupe specially built in the state garage to catch hot rodders with v8s. WSP drove sedan deliverys with flathead 6s then.
Great car. Super powerful. Only one flaw ... when the throttle spring snaps ...the car launches like the space shuttle! Happened to me on a curvy dirt road ..25mph speed limit..lol. the corn field I nearly destroyed slowed me down a little ... but the tree ended it!
Wow, sounds like a wild ride!
Love seeing these old “cop” cars still around! Memories of TV, movies and my streets growing up 👍🏻
All-time favorite! Had one decades ago from the FHP. Had a 2.93, or 2.94 Dana rear end and stupid teenaged me would take it out about once a week, or so, and drive it as fast as it would go. 136 MPH as I recall. Solid car at high speeds.
I got stopped by FHP when these were the cars FHP used.😮
DId you get pulled over for a violation? Or for having retired equipment, lights, etc? Or for just looking a bit TOO much like them?
Why are we still alive? Luckily I usually had a smog 350 back in the day, so could only hit 110 or so in most average V8s, but one buddy got ahold of a Buck GS 455 Convertible, and Ah....top end ridiculous with a 2.93 standard gear, it was a 1970 and had a large Holly on it, we are pretty certain this car was capable of 140(Speedo wound over an inch past 120 pointing straight down...LOL), and could do that with 4 guys in the car....that Car would kick down and catch rubber at highway speed on demand.
@@gt-37guy6 No, lucked out. Never pulled over, never wrecked. Car had the requisite one-solid -color repaint, a very dark midnight blue. Hawkish, sinister looking car with that dark color.
I had a 1972 Polara back in 1986...it got towed away after it broke down...i had no cash to tow it. I miss that car more than any other car i've had...even more than the 1967 Mustang i had back in the 1990's
I had a summer job with the Washington State Patrol in 1975 and 1976 when I was in college. I was assigned to the WSP communications center in Bellevue, installing and de-installing police radios and communication equipment in both new and surplus vehicles. Our team drove the surplus cars an hour south to Olympia where they were auctioned off. I still remember driving an unmarked car (a tan one) and flooring it on the ramp from southbound 167 to westbound 18. I'm pretty sure it was a '71 which was more powerful than this '72. Wow! The 440 Super Commando accelerated that heavy car like it was nothing. Of all the patrol cars I drove that's the one I remember liking the best. I sure wish I owned it today.
That’s awesome!
Way back in the late 70's when I was just a kid graduating high school, I had a friend that bought a used 1966 Dodge Polaris cop car that had a 383 Super Commando engine in it.
Love it. Please do a start-up and idle video. I always thought the bends at the end of the tail pipes where they kicked up was cool. Thanks!
I used to own a 1973 Plymouth Fury two door hard top with a360 V8 .I still miss that car.
Gorgeous classic machine there!
I had a 1983 Dodge Diplomat, former Illinois state Trooper car, also a "plain wrapper."
It had a 383 C.I.D. Commando V8, & was 1 hell performer on high speed turns. Too bad I blew roughly 36.4% of the engine's internals through the hood, & passenger side fender.
I'm just glad I didn't have anything punch through my skull unit. I also loved that car...
Had a 440 Chrysler in my 1969 Century Coronado speedboat. Great mill!
Great tour of your police car - big plymouth police car fan as well, I lucked into a 65 Plymouth fury 2 door unmarked car - Mopar went out of their way for the PD’s back then
I’m not really a Mopar fan, but I appreciate these old cop cars of any flavor. My personal favorite from the Mopar camp was the 70s B-bodies. My home town sheriffs department where I was a member of the explorer post they sponsored still had some B-bodies with 400 four barrels. Although they’d been passed down the reserves and unusually only operated on weekends and special events, some genius had decided that plugging the secondaries during one of the oil crises. One enterprising reserve took one home, cleaned up it up, and rebuilt the carb. I rode with him a few times on weekends and that car, despite still being a smog motor with high miles would still hit 110 with a less-than-aero double bubble gum/placard light bar.
Beautiful fuselage body. Love how the round front and rear ends match. I think this is what they call a slicktop.
In more ways than one, back in the day if an ex-cop car with holes for roof equipment was bought by a dealer they'd slap on a vinyl top since that was cheaper than filling the holes smooth and matching the paint.
Very nice car. I love the Mopar C Bodies and have a soft spot for the four-doors and wagons.
Really appreciate this video and you going into detail about the car's patrol history.The gadgets like horn/siren,fast idle etc was very intereting.Thank you.
The '72 Polara was the best one of the lot, hands down.
Buford Pusser car. Love it!
That's a nice comment I was wondering if anybody recognized it
I got to ride in one when I interviewed an Illinois State Trooper for a sixth grade assignment. So memorable!
Hey i saw that dash edge , look up vinal repair kits , they were out out since the 70s used them for dashes vinal seats and top repairs , if memory serves it may have evolded some over time but it was but on with a brush from a jar and sort of dried with a hair dryer . But I have seen it used and it looked good , but you may have to build up layers. you may even be able to get custom colors now . Nice restore !! Hope to see others soon .
Best looking cop car ever! This is just like the one driven by Buford Pusser in the first Walking Tall.
Glad to see you taking care of the car , and not altering it! Nice surviving car!
Very nice! In the early 1980’s I ended up with another 1972 Plymouth Fury that was a former Ohio State Highway Patrol Car. I had 5 of them total, but not st the same time. Most were white with blue interiors, but the one was green like the Polara with a Dark Green vinyl top & green interior. It was set up exactly like the regular Patrol Cars, 440, Torque Flite & 600 CFM Holley with dual exhaust. Certified 140 Speedometer, ect. We surmised it must’ve been an Investigators Unit, hence the odd color. The vin started out as PK41U2F....& in 1973 is when the Dual Snorkel Air Cleaner first appeared on the C-Bodied 440’s & 400’s. Chrysler referred to this as a “ Noise Reduction Package “, but I strongly remember some of the Troopers back in the day that drove these would just flip the lid over on the air cleaner & the noise during heavy acceleration was incredible!
The 72 Polara was in a couple of my favorite movies, "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" and "Sugarland Express"
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry - yes ‘72 Polara’s. Sugarland Express (directed by Steven Spielberg) used a ‘73 Polara as the star car.
Northshore School District had a bunch of these ex cop cars. They used them for drivers training. They were all this gold color. I learned to drive in this exact car, year and color at Bothell High School in 1977. We used to bump them into each other in the parking lot training course, there would be several cars on the course at once. Great memories
This was my first ride! Awesome set of wheels. Mine was from Iowa, copper colored.
I remember when you could buy these cars for $500. I bought 71 Ford LTD in high school for $520. It had a limited slip differential and was fantastic on dirt roads and snow.
A friend of mine has a 1970 R T that was purchased by a sheriff's department along with 2 1970 chargers. A green one and a purple one.
Very nice 👍 . Love it. Good job restoring it.
I'm 6'5 too. Driving my '67 Fury III was like sitting on the couch in my living room.
Great review you are spot on with your info .I owned a 71 exISP Mercury Monterey 429PI my vav car of all time crazy fast I really loved it
Love old police cars!
4 Doors but still cool! The fact it was a cop car adds to the history
Glad you got it back. I remember first time I saw it and you was at the frontier park mopar show. Before you restored it and was pulling a trailer full of parts behind it.
Had. '74 Monaco police car many years ago.
A former Michigan State P.D. medium metalic blue with a 400ci (equipped with a thermoquad carb)
Must've also been a captians car because it had full wheel covers, AM-FM radio, tan interior with cloth seats and carpeting.
Had alot of balls for a full size boat.
I wish I held onto her...
I had a 72 Polara with a 360. Having a 440 would have been awesome!!
A true survivor. Great looking car!
Love that car
This car was a mainstay of police agencies in the United States 🇺🇸 and Canada 🇨🇦.
California Highway Patrol was a user of those cars until 1973 when the Polara name was "retired." The car you have here is a "plain wrapper" aka unmarked police car. This car was used by a senior member of the Washington State Patrol IE a lieutenant, captain, or a chief. A friend I know owns a 1971 and 1972 Dodge Polara which were used by the San Diego police department as a detective car aka plain clothes police officer who wears civilian clothes.
" It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant. Its got cop tires, cop suspension, cop shocks. Its a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas" Elwood Blues.
You have a beautiful car. I am the 2nd owner of a 1972 Dodge Monaco with a 400. It is the same gold color as yours. It has the hidden headlights. It has been garage kept since new. 76,000 miles.
Your video has inspired me to do a video on my Monaco. I’ll let you know if I do a video of it.
after watching DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY, i loved these cars
"Clown to Franklin, Clown to Franklin" "Go ahead clown"
I had a 72 Polara. 2 door hard top. Honeydew color with white vinyl top. 360. Loved it!
Love 70's cars. We had a 1970 Ford Custom cop car. Heavy duty suspension. Only option was power steering. No radio, vinyl seats, black on white. Super hot seats in the summertime. Burn our legs. It always started in any weather. 20 below zero it started right up. Brand new cars that winter wouldn't start in that extreme temperature. Cool feature was the driver side front door. If you pushed the lock button down and just closed it, it would automatically pop back up and unlock so you wouldn't lock your keys in it. To lock the door you had to push the button down, then press the outside door button in and grab the handle and close it. Otherwise it wouldn't lock. Lock out protection!
"What's my top speed on this?" UNLIMITED !
Hank to Franklin, Hank to Franklin - I love it !!
"Go pick up that new interceptor, and don't you wreck it!" "I didn't think that unit was ready." "Its ready enough for the way you drive......"
Great movie!
Super cool car! And easy way to mask that crack in the dash could be to use a little bit of fiberglass with a small chunk of matting against the styrofoam, you may be able to blend the fiberglass from a kit to closely match the color of the dash. I think the crack gives it character I'm just mentioning it in case a person wanted to fix it. It's an awesome piece of History. Probably extremely rare I don't know how many of those cop cars would even exist.
I bought one for the trans and engine. Scrapped it. It was in great shape. The up trim cars were used by police as detectives
I did have one of those police cars, great ride, fast,great family cars! This was in the late 80s
Sweet! Body reinforcement in roof & more! Riveted tag. Wow
Lots of unique mods to the cop cars.
My dad had a 70 and 71 Plymouth Fury 3’s. They were both detective cruisers
such a great car man you must be proud. I love the gold color as opposed to black & white.
I am envious! What a great car!
sweet Mopar, I to like old cop cars, I once had a 1985 Diplomat x LAPD that had a 340 4 barrel, and very good ac, was all black with the dog dish hub caps, it was a fun ride, thanks for the show, cheers.
Thats a sweet Dodge! I too have always appreciated cop cruisers. I bought a ex c.vic for $600 in the early 90s. The Mopars are my favorites. The cars seemed more menacing and in your face.
Beautiful car! I love them!
Awesome car, you don't see that many of them around anymore
My parents bought a 72 Fury around the time I was born. I screwed around with all the controls any time I was left in the car by myself (it was the 70's after all). I discovered that if I turned on the hazard lights and turn signal at the same time with the key off, all the accessories would turn on and off with the flashing lights. Tried this again in my friend's Tradesman van many years later and it did the same thing!
4 door muscle. Awesome, beautiful
Do you remember the movie "SUGARLAND EXPRESS" The two troopers went to the motor pool and grabbed two interceptor Dodge Polara's and hit the highway from Arkansas to Texas! Running 120 MPH! GOOD TIMES! GOOD TIMES!
Great movie, early Spielberg, one of these is in Walking Tall too.
I so wish I would have kept my 74 Polaris and a 70 Road Runner. Nice!!!
Looking good! Two things I'd do is add period correct Electronic Ignition AND the factory police exhaust tail pipes! They come out almost straight and are tapered down ever so slightly with the proper angle cuts, Those are killer! I'd add a picture but we can't
Well done my friend, well done.
thats a great mopar to have !! beautiful!!
I always thought these Dodge Polara police cars looked so cool. With the wider wheels and tires with the lowered front end which gave these cars a really nice rake to them, these cars had a very strong and intimidating road going appearance. The stance meant they were serious. And up until around 1973, especially with the 1970 and 1971 cars, these things were really fast. Around that time, I had a 70 road runner, and that car was no slouch! I was running close to 130 one night and a Washington state patrol Plymouth fury ran me down in literally nothing flat! He was really moving a whole lot faster than I was. He was not after me, he was after the guy in the 69 429 cid 4v Ford Galaxy in front of me. I was faster than the Galaxy, but that fury was even faster than me. I read a road test some where that a magazine instrument tested one of those pursuit cars and it reached 157 mph in police trim. For the early 1970s, that was really really fast for a street driven car.
Still a dessert-for-breakfast car. Too big, too fast. If they wanted something truly "serious" from Dodge in '72 they'd be looking at a Mitsubishi-built Colt or at most a Dart with slant 6.
My first car, purchased when I was in Grade XII, was an ex-cop car as well. Mine was a !969 Dodge Polara sedan, but it was more spartan than yours. It had a 383 4 bbl, power disk brakes, manual steering, rubber flooring (easy to clean!). No a/c, no power trunk release, vinyl seats. Very plain. The dealership had repainted it - turquoise lower with white painted roof. By today's standards, I would say it was an eight-seater! It was huge. I liked it ...for a while, but because it wasn't cool for an 18 year old, I bought a new Nova a few months later. By the way, I happen to like the front end of the '72 Polara 👍
There was a bunch of these in the movie crazy Larry dirty Mary. The guy asked the mechanic about the top speed. The mechanic slams the hood and says: “unlimited”
I don’t care what it’s got on it, I care what it’s got in it.
Killer.Great info on the plastic lower valance,would have never known.Mopar ahead of the times once again lol.
Enjoyed this one. Dad had 72 Fury, so lot of thongs look familiar. Wasn't a police car though, and had the 360 under hood. Also really like that you speak in a normal voice and don't sound like a game show host!
Good looking car !
That was very cool. But you need the gun sling/rack with the shotgun in there. But probably low profile/incognito was the name of the game on this car. I wonder about the history of this particular car, the arrests, the high speed chases, the bad guys cuffed on the back. The adventures in this thing. Very very cool.
My Uncle is retired WSP. He went in in the mid 70's. He drove some of the last 440 pursuit Mopars for years.
That’s awesome! Any chance you have any pictures from back then? Love seeing vintage wsp photos.
Looks like the one they used in the Walking Tall movie (From 1972 of course).
WOW!
You own several classic police cars?
I am subscribing to your channel with hopes to see more of your collection!
I know that car! Still awesome- Id love to find a certified speedo for the '76 Valiant sedan, but probably going to have take an earlier 120-mph and "Re-create" one. I am running the 11.75" rotors, an oil cooler & fuel pump from an Aspen A38, trans cooler from a '76 Dart (City Light car w/ all kinds of odd options), PS cooler from "I don't remember," and a 8.25" SG with 2.76 gear. Has the 340/HD suspension & cooling (big rad, clutch fan, shroud)...
Its just a fun, malaise sedan- certainly not all stock or a "Real," cool cop car like yours
I actually have an A-Body certified speedo. Came out of a Seattle PD car that ended up as a prison car near Aberdeen. Found it in a wrecking yard out there and I was looking inside to see the speedo, leaned on the side mirror and it fell all the way through the door to the ground. Never seen a rustier car in Washington.
@@rocketresto I'll give you a call shortly
One of my favorites also! I'm looking for one.
Those cop cars are super cool!😎👍
Nice car I like the old original car s and trucks
Great car mate
440 Polaras had a reputation for being bulletproof.. drivetrain, chassis, suspension etc.
I had a Dodge Coronet ex-cop car that my dad bought for me at police auction. It had a cheap paint job and you could still see the blue and white local police colors around certain areas of the car. I later got a better, more thorough paint job on it. When I traded it in, I got more for it in trade than my dad paid at auction.
The "fast idle" was also used after a high-speed run to assure the engine did not overheat. Higher idle revs dissipated mor heat.
Heck I'm a Ford guy and I love your vids!
That is the best compliment we have had in a while, thanks!
I've had a bunch of those old grounded police cars and if you can get one get it. I never had that exact car there but my friend had one and he absolutely loved that car and it was fly❤❤❤❤ while she bought it for around twenty-five hundred bucks❤
I like the Police vehicles too. I've never wanted the job, just liked the cars because of that extra heavy duty stiff. Especially the MOPAR stuff.
That wood shelf in the back was for mounted special radio equipment
OUTSTANDING, Was this the same car that was driven from Washington state all the way to Chryslers at Carlisle in Pennsylvania several years ago? If so I'm proud to say I saw it in person. There was a special indoor display for mopar police cars that summer. We had just completed the restoration of a 72 Pa State Police Plymouth Fury Ii. It was a marked gold (same color as your car) and B7 blue unit with the hp 440. It's on perminent display at the academy museum in Hershey Pa. Love your Dodge.
Yep same car! Was like 2004 I think? Time flys.
Mopar really did some weird builds with those cars. Many auto graveyards throughout Pa. we're visited in search of a suitable original ex Pa State car. One yard in particular Donaldson's near Altoona, Pa had several ex Pa State cars in it. 65, 69.70.71, 73 and up. I first came across a 70 Fury II, when I lifted the hood I was kinda disappointed to see only a 383 with a black single snorkle air cleaner and a factory 2 barrel carb. Strangely it had the hp exhaust manifolds...the C body specific driver side manifold (with the 70,71 heat stove intact) thought maybe when the hp 383 wore out someone stuck a 2 barrel 383 in there between the hp m.folds. Nope, E61 on the tag and L in the vin. Never saw a 383 2v with hp manifolds and duals. The engine even sported its factory hoses and pcv valve with traces of factory Corp blue engine paint on it. Subsequently located both a 68 and a 69, both had 383 2 barrels with the C body HP exhaust manifolds and what remained of dual exhausts. The driver side HP manifolds on those two were correct as they were devoid of the air cleaner heat stoves and no provisions for a stove. The next car I looked over was a 71 Fury Ii. This was the first year PSP ordered a 440. It was the E85 standard cam T code engine, painted blue with log manifolds, dual exhaust, and an AVS Carter (like on the 370 hp 440) not the expected Holley. In the trunk I scored the 71 specific dual snorkle air cleaner with a really nice 440 Super Commando pie plate. (I bought that for 20 bucks) I think Pa. required that the fleet had to run on regular gas as they still do. No premium fuel. 71 was the first year that a 440 could run regular. The hp 440 still needed premium in 71 but the 383 4v and Std perf 440 could run low octane gas. Not to geek out on this stuff just illustrates how mopar and all the domestic auto makers could skirt the norm and tailor components for specialized applications. Lastly regarding that 71 440 T code engine in the PSP cars. I've seen two of them and each one was equipped with the red painted valve springs found in the U code 440 hp engines. The 71 in Donaldson's and there was one that had been wrecked when it was fairly new and left in a tow yard. It was on Marketplace or Ebay not that long ago.
@@craigpolinski8955 I remember when I first saw the “ Wanted” ad in Mopar Collectors Guide for a PSP ‘72 Fury. I actually spoke with Dave Points on the phone ref the ad, & mentioned I had 5 different ‘72 Fury’s in the past that were former Ohio State Highway Patrol Units. The PSP ‘72’s were actually Fury II’s from what I remember, they had the full wheel covers & body molding along the side. Dave was cool to talk with, I believe he was a Captain at the Highspire Post, not sure of the correct spelling. Never seen the Fury in person yet, but since it’s now on display in Hershey it will be on my things to do list eventually.
11:20 Funny you should mention that. I worked for the Oregon State Police around '89-'90 as a member of the crew that installed all of the OSP-specific equipment in/on the Caprice cruisers and Commander and Narc cars. When I started there they were still installing the electric transfer pump system on the fuel line. While I was there the TBI Caprices came in and we had to quit due to the increased fuel pressure they used.
Absolutely beautiful 😁🤘🏻
"It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?" ~Elwood
WE need a startup and Test drive video! I love Police vehicles, my favorite was the Mid 90s Crown Vic, they were actually light and tight cars. So if that Polara is running correctly, she should be good for around 140 MPH top end! Fastest police car until the Caprice LT-1 just about tied it, then the Hemi Charger Squads were a bit higher top end, but the Polara did not have an overdrive gear! I will claim 135 MPH on my Vic Squad going through California Desert at 4:30 AM.
Very nice! Would really have liked to hear that 440 exhaust rumble though.
Yea I live in NC my brother in law had one back in the day very nice handling car