I have been debating making this thread for quite some time now, and I have finally decided to go ahead and do it.
All of us have done or engulfed ourselves in some sort of project with the Panthers that we love and adore. Some of these projects are simple, such as wheel upgrades, interior changes, etc. Some projects are moderately expansive, and can take some effort and time to get done. Things such as brake swaps, engine rebuilds, and suspension updates would be included within this. Then there are projects that are so expansive that we doubt the fact that we may ever finish them. Things involving massive customization or the complete restoration of a car, including removing the frame.
The project that I'm going to present here falls between expansive, and quite expansive. This project took us (My dad, brothers and I) 5+ years to complete. It was an off and on effort, with work varying depending on motivation. The car sat for a two year stretch waiting to be welded up.
The car itself is a 1999 CVPI P71, that we built for my father. It started out as two cars actually, a 1998 P71 from a local PD, and a 1999 P71 CT State Trooper car. The local car was a Natural gas car that had caught fire, and incurred severe damage. The damage was compunded by the time that it sat outisde under a tree weathering. The car had only had 14,000 miles on it though
My father acquired the '98 car in late 2000 from a friend of his at the town where the car had been in service. He didn't have a use for it when he accepted it, but he was contemplating building a late model CVPI. Once we got it, we realized that it was pretty rough, and that we'd need a complete donor car. After he picked the car up, and a few days later the opportunity presented itself for him to acquire a 1999 P71, that had been badly wrecked in a rearend collision. The car was available through the estate of his late best friend. With only 42,000 miles on it, the car was pretty new. He was able to purchase the silver 1999 P71 for $2000.
The reason for building the car was that my dad didn't have any money at the time, and he was thinking that he would need to replace the family car within the next few years (ironically, that family car is still in service today, and still serves us well). Being of the resourceful, practical mind that he is, he decided building a full size Ford would be a good idea.
With an initial investment of 2000, we were off to a good start. We dug into the '98 car for diassembly in Feb. 2002. The pictures document the dissassembly fairly well, although some steps are missing. Originally, the plan was to take the front sheet metal and interior, etc from the silver car, and transplant it onto the 1998 car. The engine and all would be installed on the 1998 frame and body.
However, inspection iof the cowl on the '98 revealed that it was pretty rusty, and swapping sheet metal would not be a wise choice. My dad almost gave up then, but he decided instead to "clip" the car, and finish it. Clipping involves cutting the car along the factory seams, and then rewelding when the new sheetmetal is installed. After going through 10 spot wled cutters, the rear of the '98 was free. The '98 rear would be welded to the '99 front, and the dropped on the '98 frame.
Once the '98 car was parted, the frame of the '98 needed to be "restored." the frame was totally sand blasted, primered with epoxy primer, and then coated in PPG single stage black. The frame was assembled using new parts where necessary, or using good parts taken from both cars.
After the frame was done, we took delivery of the '99 car. The roof was removed, the welds were cut, and the front and rear sections were seperated. The scrap sections were tossed, and the '98 rear was mated to the '99 front (not on the frame). Measurements were taken, and the doors were installed to esnure a good fit. The body was set up, and clamped together. Then we waited to weld it for 2 years, while my dad lost total interest in the project.
The car was welded in the original spot welds with plug welds, and stitched acropss the floor. The floor was also seam sealed. The rockers were welded, and then plated (on the inside; you can't see it looking under the car) to increase strength.
After it was welded, the body was lowered onto the frame, and secured. The engine from the '99 remained suspended on an engine lift the whole time (right in the engine bay), so it just needed to be dropped into the frame. The final assembly went fast.
The roof panel was installed by a freind of my Dad's, who also did the body work and paint. The car is now painted in PPG single stage black, and it looks awesome. The modlings and such still need to go on the doors, and the car still needs a radio. But aside from that, this project is done.
I'll attach a bunch of pics of this extensive project.
The opics were all taken with a toss away camera, so the quality may not be the best. But, you get the point.
First pics are of the blue '98 Local car. Natural Gas.
Enjoy.
All of us have done or engulfed ourselves in some sort of project with the Panthers that we love and adore. Some of these projects are simple, such as wheel upgrades, interior changes, etc. Some projects are moderately expansive, and can take some effort and time to get done. Things such as brake swaps, engine rebuilds, and suspension updates would be included within this. Then there are projects that are so expansive that we doubt the fact that we may ever finish them. Things involving massive customization or the complete restoration of a car, including removing the frame.
The project that I'm going to present here falls between expansive, and quite expansive. This project took us (My dad, brothers and I) 5+ years to complete. It was an off and on effort, with work varying depending on motivation. The car sat for a two year stretch waiting to be welded up.
The car itself is a 1999 CVPI P71, that we built for my father. It started out as two cars actually, a 1998 P71 from a local PD, and a 1999 P71 CT State Trooper car. The local car was a Natural gas car that had caught fire, and incurred severe damage. The damage was compunded by the time that it sat outisde under a tree weathering. The car had only had 14,000 miles on it though
My father acquired the '98 car in late 2000 from a friend of his at the town where the car had been in service. He didn't have a use for it when he accepted it, but he was contemplating building a late model CVPI. Once we got it, we realized that it was pretty rough, and that we'd need a complete donor car. After he picked the car up, and a few days later the opportunity presented itself for him to acquire a 1999 P71, that had been badly wrecked in a rearend collision. The car was available through the estate of his late best friend. With only 42,000 miles on it, the car was pretty new. He was able to purchase the silver 1999 P71 for $2000.
The reason for building the car was that my dad didn't have any money at the time, and he was thinking that he would need to replace the family car within the next few years (ironically, that family car is still in service today, and still serves us well). Being of the resourceful, practical mind that he is, he decided building a full size Ford would be a good idea.
With an initial investment of 2000, we were off to a good start. We dug into the '98 car for diassembly in Feb. 2002. The pictures document the dissassembly fairly well, although some steps are missing. Originally, the plan was to take the front sheet metal and interior, etc from the silver car, and transplant it onto the 1998 car. The engine and all would be installed on the 1998 frame and body.
However, inspection iof the cowl on the '98 revealed that it was pretty rusty, and swapping sheet metal would not be a wise choice. My dad almost gave up then, but he decided instead to "clip" the car, and finish it. Clipping involves cutting the car along the factory seams, and then rewelding when the new sheetmetal is installed. After going through 10 spot wled cutters, the rear of the '98 was free. The '98 rear would be welded to the '99 front, and the dropped on the '98 frame.
Once the '98 car was parted, the frame of the '98 needed to be "restored." the frame was totally sand blasted, primered with epoxy primer, and then coated in PPG single stage black. The frame was assembled using new parts where necessary, or using good parts taken from both cars.
After the frame was done, we took delivery of the '99 car. The roof was removed, the welds were cut, and the front and rear sections were seperated. The scrap sections were tossed, and the '98 rear was mated to the '99 front (not on the frame). Measurements were taken, and the doors were installed to esnure a good fit. The body was set up, and clamped together. Then we waited to weld it for 2 years, while my dad lost total interest in the project.
The car was welded in the original spot welds with plug welds, and stitched acropss the floor. The floor was also seam sealed. The rockers were welded, and then plated (on the inside; you can't see it looking under the car) to increase strength.
After it was welded, the body was lowered onto the frame, and secured. The engine from the '99 remained suspended on an engine lift the whole time (right in the engine bay), so it just needed to be dropped into the frame. The final assembly went fast.
The roof panel was installed by a freind of my Dad's, who also did the body work and paint. The car is now painted in PPG single stage black, and it looks awesome. The modlings and such still need to go on the doors, and the car still needs a radio. But aside from that, this project is done.
I'll attach a bunch of pics of this extensive project.
The opics were all taken with a toss away camera, so the quality may not be the best. But, you get the point.
First pics are of the blue '98 Local car. Natural Gas.
Enjoy.
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