Fury Pursuit
Senior Member
Nice score congratulations.
1977 Gran Fury - Texas Highway Patrol
- Thread starter ZedR
- Start date
ZedR
Member
Took car to the wash this morning to get all the leaves and funk out of it, then put it away inside until I get to it.
Solid car!
Solid car!
ZedR
Member
Was that a DPS installed coolant recovery? I’d never seen anything like it
69CoronetRT
Senior Member
Thanks for the pics of the tag.
Is it just my eyes or does the interior code read 97B3?
Is it just my eyes or does the interior code read 97B3?
ZedR
Member
A couple of interesting things: PH instead of PK (Brougham trim for vinyl, but a slick top) I wonder why they optioned up? What did the Brougham get them?
Also the vented dog dishes...especially in the in service pics. They came out in 78, same year as the cop wheel. Yet they are in each pic. Likely from mechanics putting on what was lying about the shop.
* Correction...I looked up the vented dog dish in my 75 Parts catalog and they were in there...so they would have been available at least in 75 and up.
Also the vented dog dishes...especially in the in service pics. They came out in 78, same year as the cop wheel. Yet they are in each pic. Likely from mechanics putting on what was lying about the shop.
* Correction...I looked up the vented dog dish in my 75 Parts catalog and they were in there...so they would have been available at least in 75 and up.
Last edited:
What is that white cylinder strapped to the left inner fender???
ZedR
Member
They bought actual police trim level cars until 1968. Starting in 1969 they went with Fury III, then eventually Polara Custom, etc...
It was simply for higher resale value at auction. All auctions were sealed bid type until 1970, then they started having live public auctions for the cars. They would order multiple interior colors for any given model year, and then paint the vehicle exterior to match the interior when it came auction time.
ZedR
Member
In talking with several troopers, it seems this was a home brew coolant recovery tank that DPS fleet in Austin put on vehicles that didn't come with one from the factory. All of them referred to it as a "Supercooler". I know my '72 Polara has the plastic factory recovery tank - I don't know if it was offered on the '77. Not familiar enough with formal cars yet, and still waiting on my parts catalog and police brochure.
All Formals (AFAIK) came with a plastic recovery tank mounted on the right side of the radiator at the core support.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
That's my assumption, also. ALL Formals.
max1196
Member
The 1977 that I had, back then, had a "T" handle bottom of dash right hand side of steering column that you pulled out and turned to lock for a faster idle speed.
live4theking
Old Man with a Hat
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Our 1980 from the PA State police had the fast idle lock also.
ZedR
Member
Was told there was some compression issues when I picked the '77 Gran Fury up - so I got curious. Here's the left side (excuse all the crap on the valley pan, didn't have my vac handy), might tear into the right side in a day or two. Wish my parts catalog and service manuals would hurry up and show up so I can start the search for everything this car needs.
69CoronetRT
Senior Member
Ewwwwww...
I'm amazed at what cars will take and still run.
I'm amazed at what cars will take and still run.
Factory coolant recovery systems started about '73 or so. Don't recall if our '72 Newport had one or not, but all of the '74 model year cars should have had it. That "Supercooler" should have a radiator cap with a "glass" section, so the coolant could be seen, so you didn't have to remove the normal radiator cap to check the coolant level. I know the TX DPS used that in the later 1960s, like '68 or so. Looked strange. Of course, it was an extra quart or two of capacity, too.
When they used to sell the cars at auction, the cars were all parked in a lot. Bids happened. IF the car started, it was yours. What happened later was yours also. That's what I was told, back then.
The cloth interior colors usually were green, tan, or blue. I remember seeing many unmarked cars parked at the Lubbock DPS office in those metallic colors, unmarked, but obviously pursuit cars with police radials, wider wheels, rear sway bars, and factory dual exhausts. BFG Police Radials were usually what they had on them.
Until the factory manuals and such arrive, check out MyMopar.com and the Hammtramk Registry for those things.
There was one year, like 1972, that Fort Worth decided to break from the black/white mold and got their Furys in the gold metallic paint.
CBODY67
When they used to sell the cars at auction, the cars were all parked in a lot. Bids happened. IF the car started, it was yours. What happened later was yours also. That's what I was told, back then.
The cloth interior colors usually were green, tan, or blue. I remember seeing many unmarked cars parked at the Lubbock DPS office in those metallic colors, unmarked, but obviously pursuit cars with police radials, wider wheels, rear sway bars, and factory dual exhausts. BFG Police Radials were usually what they had on them.
Until the factory manuals and such arrive, check out MyMopar.com and the Hammtramk Registry for those things.
There was one year, like 1972, that Fort Worth decided to break from the black/white mold and got their Furys in the gold metallic paint.
CBODY67
Binx
Active Member
That's a real nice ride!! This was mine back in 1980
(in looking back at prior posts), I believe the vented hub caps were about 1975. They were the same stamping as the prior and normal hub caps, but with holes where the painted indentions used to be. Might have been more for a very slight weight decrease than any real benefit of cooling the wheels/bearing hubs, I suspect.
Also, they couldn't be used to feed the "station animals" any more, either!
CBODY67
Also, they couldn't be used to feed the "station animals" any more, either!
CBODY67
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
You're retired Mass Statie?
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