Crown Vic?

[Velvet]

I've been thinking about a Crown Vic drifting car too lately. I live in NYC and theres alot of Crown Vic taxis. Maybe in a few years after I get an FC and learn how to drive better, you'll see me on the streets of Manhattan going sideways in a taxi!

[soultron]

Originally posted by nissanguy_24
Im not sure how stock police packages are. Remember police rarely carve corners, but they often need to go off road or onto rough surfaces. Police suspension is probably set up to have alot of travel and not nessisarly be super stiff. Now honestly i cant say but that would be my guess.

Well Caprice police cars from the 80's had MUCH thicker sways from and rear. Like as big or bigger than caddys of the same year.
They also had heavier shocks. This was so they could handle and "take alot of abuse". I would guess ford would do the same, or they wouldn't sell any units. But you'd still need more work to drift it. And a bubble shifter.

[180fan]

dude crown victorias are an awesome choice. I saw a few drift when a bank robber was on the run from FBI and police down 19th ave. in San Francisco. lol it was awesome

[snowblind]

Good luck with the crown vic. As far as it drifting, at the first official american drift event there was a 5speed converted maurader, it did pretty well untill one of the shocks blew. I drove a 91 caprice (non interceptor) for about 4 years and I live where it snows alot....Its not the most well behaved car in the world, very fun though. The first things I would do If I were you(since you said budget is tight) would be rip out the back seats, the seating in those are for comfort, not holding. get some better seats and a harness(sp?) bar and a harness. My car had a floor E-brake, I dont know what your would have but probably the same, so I dont know what you want to do with that.

But it can be done, I want you to do it, become a great drifter then battle nomura in his er34 skyline. That would be super hot.

[mercutio]

Check out www.adtr.net for good Crown Vic stuff. Addco makes sway bars and I believe both Bilstein and Edelbrock make excellent shocks. If you're going to buy one with an eye for modifications, consider getting at least a 96. That was the first year with OBDII electronics and the NPI heads and intake, which at least have some potential (the 92-95 engines are entirely worthless). In a 96-98, PI cams will gain you about 12 RWHP, and swapping to the PI intake can gain you up to 40 more (these pieces come standard on 01 and newer cars). AED makes a supercharger kit (www.allenengine.com), and most of the bolt-on engine accessories for the Mustang (pulleys, throttle bodies, etc.) will bolt up to the Vic because it's pretty much the same motor. In 98 Ford redesigned the car cosmetically and updated the rear suspension to a Watts link setup, which is a huge advance over the earlier cars. Also in 98 the cars got dual-piston front calipers, which are a direct bolt-on to the 92-97. The latest big change came in 03 with the use of hydroformed frame rails which stiffen the car significantly but also add about 150 pounds of weight. Also, if you can, find one of the cars with a floor shifter, not a column shifter. The 4R70W automatic transmission wouldn't be ideal for drifting, but with the good torque curve you could just lock the trans in second for most low and moderate speed corners and still get good results. Shift kits are available which let the trans perform faster, firmer shifts, too, so you can easily be chirping second gear even with a 4,300 pound automatic barge. The code for the police package is P71, so don't be fooled by P72 package cars, which are build-to-order fleet vehicles that may or may not have the equipment you want on them. P71s have stronger suspensions and more fluid coolers and such. If you have any other questions, let me know. I don't actually own a Crown Vic, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[nissanguy_24]

this guy knows everything about everything i think.

[bmw325e30]

Wow, thanks for all the info mercutio!

This is starting to look more and more realistic...

[LucidStrife]

I like it!

That sounds like a really cool idea. I used to have a 77 Caprice classic and I loved swinging that car around town. I just might start a new project this has inspired me to branch out in a new direction. Thanks

Lucidstrife

[mercutio]

Thanks for the compliment, Nissanguy, but I think maybe you give me too much credit. I try to only post on the things I know about, so if I started posting more you'd probably get a better idea of what I know and what I don't. I bow down to just about everyone here when it comes to actual knowledge about drifting and cars like the 240, 86, and so on. But my job does give me the opportunity to check out all different kinds of cars (I also write for Street Rod Builder, Chevy Rumble and so on). I just happen to have a liking for the Crown Vic. If you want to check out a really killer one, there's a guy in SoCal on the crownvic.net message boards by the name of Rocket Couch. He has a 92 Vic with 455 RWHP and 472 RWTQ if memory serves.

[Pennyman]

Police-spec Crown Vic. pulling a 4 wheel smoky drift with flashing police lights . What a treat that would be. Quite ironic, too.

[Appleseed]

I've been reading a while and never thought I'd see a post about cars like mine. I own a 95 9c1 (chevy cop car). With the positive responces to these cars, and domestics in general on this forum, hell maybe I could drift my sled too! Not to shoot down your crown vic idea, but you might like an old caprice better. They use the same basic cassis from 77 to 96, so if you find an old boxy, ALL the cool cop and Impala SS stuff can bolt on. And because the SS is really a cop car with leather, anything an SS guy can use, you can too. The reason I suggest this is that boneyards are littered with these things. In my neck of the boonies, I've seen about 15 carpices but no Crown Vics. They have butloads of springs, swaybars, control arm, ect... If I conviced you in any way, check out impalaclub.com for their exelent tech forum. This thread pushed me over the edge. I registered instantly. Woo Hoo!

[bmw325e30]

Yeah, I definitely considered a Caprice. I've always liked the shape of 'em, and I believe they have a 5.7 liter v8, correct? And also, soultron mentioned the heavier-duty suspension, which would be an advantage in drifting. Man, it would be so cool if this actually happened! American VIP style is on the way!