Factory Built LS with a 4.6, manual, and big brakes..

Sorry for coming off sounding dickish , Ive just never heard anybody use "factory" as a term for anything/everything built by or for the company, especially in the car capital or around anybody in the industry.


every time I've ever heard it used it been synonymous with OEM/stock
just like when talking to guys at the track or car shows...

person one: oh, man, sweet car, what do you have done to it

person two:nothing really, its all factory




person one: Jesus that was fact, its not all factory is it

person two: no way, its been fully built.



I definitely wouldn't call the facilities at any of the proving grounds where a lot of prototype work and testing is done a factory either.


factory's are only part of Ford, the factory's are where the parts and cars are assembled, there are also many other parts of Ford like offices, design studios, laboratories, testing facilities and so on. the factory didn't ask for those cars to be built, other parts of Ford did...





could you imagine how bad ass it would be to have a termi powered LS!!! expecially after you got rid of its major problem and got a real blower like a Wipple or KenneBell! it would look amazing with a cowl hood to clear the blower or hell TT powered to keep the OEM hood. it sure would be nice if Ford would keep up with Cadillac.

A TON of the ford guys I know absolutely LOVE the LS.. I was one of them.. While dreaming of Terminators in high school, I always thought the LS was a gorgeous car, and I still think it's one of the nicest looking cars ford has made in recent times.. I'm considering looking for an aftermarket warranty and keeping mine for awhile.. If I trusted it more, I'd hold onto it for a long time because I truly do enjoy every second I spend driving it...

Damnit.. Now I wish it was out of storage. I've been working on my Cobra day in and day out for the last 3 months and I'm about sick of it..
 
Hmm factory built? Seems like someone was sneaking into work one night building their own LS. But yea, this is how Ford should've done the Ls; well at least make the lse v8 have this option
 
Hmm factory built? Seems like someone was sneaking into work one night building their own LS. But yea, this is how Ford should've done the Ls; well at least make the lse v8 have this option

Too bad the engineering costs were astronomical! The LS never made much of a profit as it is. That would have put the cost of the car to close to (if not over) $60K; and that would have been 10 years ago!! It's not a question of fit, it was a question of loading the drivetrain from the bottom; a requirement on the assembly line.
 
Too bad the engineering costs were astronomical! The LS never made much of a profit as it is. That would have put the cost of the car to close to (if not over) $60K; and that would have been 10 years ago!! It's not a question of fit, it was a question of loading the drivetrain from the bottom; a requirement on the assembly line.

Yes That makes sense. But it would've been nice to have that option though ,a few limited edition models at least... guess it wouldn't matter for my case, I'm only 20. by the time I would've been old enough to drive I would never find a decent one for the price I got my ls.
 
Yes That makes sense. But it would've been nice to have that option though ,a few limited edition models at least... guess it wouldn't matter for my case, I'm only 20. by the time I would've been old enough to drive I would never find a decent one for the price I got my ls.

Keep in mind that adding that "option" would have a lot of up front costs to it. If they only sold a few, they would have to sell for 100K+ and/or the cost of the rest of the LSes sold would have to go up for it. Besides the engineering and tooling costs, you have to also factor in the crash safety testing, emissions testing, other government approvals, and so on. You making one or two one-off cars is way different than a real car company making and selling street legal production cars.
 
Yes That makes sense. But it would've been nice to have that option though ,a few limited edition models at least... guess it wouldn't matter for my case, I'm only 20. by the time I would've been old enough to drive I would never find a decent one for the price I got my ls.

Remember too that in the early 2000's Ford was pretty cash-strapped after Nasser went on a buying spree. They've been in recovery mode since about 2004. One reason I am loathe to purchase a GM product is they demanded that I, the taxpayer, bail them out of their poor business decisions. Ford didn't take a dime of my money and did what they had to do to stay afloat. But that's another story......
 
Oh ok I see what your saying now joegr. I understand, I just didn't know fords history and events besides the models being released. Guess I should do some research.
 
A TON of the ford guys I know absolutely LOVE the LS.. I was one of them.. While dreaming of Terminators in high school, I always thought the LS was a gorgeous car, and I still think it's one of the nicest looking cars ford has made in recent times.. I'm considering looking for an aftermarket warranty and keeping mine for awhile.. If I trusted it more, I'd hold onto it for a long time because I truly do enjoy every second I spend driving it...

Damnit.. Now I wish it was out of storage. I've been working on my Cobra day in and day out for the last 3 months and I'm about sick of it..

Dude, just shake it all off. It was well over a year ago that I mentioned these cars existed and could be had with the right contacts. My argument was "How do you think the Police get their cars?". I just about got laughed out of the forums. Most still ignore me to this day as evidenced by the many threads terminated by Robot as the last poster.
 
how do the police get their cars? they roll off the production line and the police get them, like a normal car.
why do so many people think police cars are so special? reliability is number one, they can't afford a fleet of custom cars of any kind, and most police forces can barely afford the old CVPIs they already have.
 
Dude, just shake it all off. It was well over a year ago that I mentioned these cars existed and could be had with the right contacts. My argument was "How do you think the Police get their cars?". I just about got laughed out of the forums. Most still ignore me to this day as evidenced by the many threads terminated by Robot as the last poster.

I'm so confused
 
Yeah, police cars really aren't all that exciting. My LS will walk away from every cruiser I've been issued. Anything other than the newest of the new cruisers are really weak. Prior to the very recent examples of acceptable MPG and good power, most cruisers were spec'd for economy.

Crownvic Police interceptor? Woefully slow, stock. Add a trunk full of equipment, 100lbs worth of radios, computers, and radars and it only gets worse. But that reliability is legendary, and the interior space and truck space is epic.

After that I got an 08 Impala. Kill me now. That thing is even slower and FWD. It actually has a higher top end compared to the CV but above 120 it feels like it's going to take flight. It is also extremely small.

The newer batches of cruisers are really nice. The Taurus cruisers can be equipped with the same twin turbo models as the SHO variant, and it is extremely fast and AWD to boot. The chargers are next up and most are equipped with the V6, not the V8. Still, in the Michigan state police vehicle testing, the V8 couldn't get away from the V6 on a simulated city road course, only on some long oval type course is where the V8 begins to walk.

Personally I think the caprice looks the best, but it's the slowest and doesn't offer the greatest economy, and is mid range for space. It's been the least well received by departments but some departments have purchased them based on nostalgia from the fourth generation caprice from the early 90's. Considering that police cruiser in 1991-1996 had a 5.7 V8, it was wildly powerful compared to other cars on the road.
 
I think the new Caprice is special. :/

they make a few mods to cater to the police force, but the engine and trans etc are production pieces. its an imported Holden isn't it? the 6.0l engine just came with the holden.

nothing remotely similar to a one off custom non-production car with a different engine and trans installed and wired.

that car couldn't be "had" with special contacts, and i still can't believe it wasn't crushed.
 
how do the police get their cars? they roll off the production line and the police get them, like a normal car.
why do so many people think police cars are so special? reliability is number one, they can't afford a fleet of custom cars of any kind, and most police forces can barely afford the old CVPIs they already have.

Listen, I don't claim to know everything and I damn sure wouldn't come on here talking a bunch of BS when anyone can just debunk anything just about. Ford is actually one make that I've had family in the upper echelons of production and engineering since before I was born. Maybe I'm privileged. No, I am not! The way they order police cars, taxi cabs, emergency fleet vehicles hasn't changed that much in the last 30years. There is a special way they have to be ordered. They must be ordered through the fleet sales program and you must meet certain qualifications which I do.

Also, guys, Police Package cars are more than more powerful engine and some special alternators and cooling systems. Why do you think you can open the door without the dome light coming on? You guys should know this stuff. Are they not telling you this on the force? Honestly, get to know your cruisers.

http://www.ford.com/fordpoliceinterceptor/

http://www.fleet.ford.com/programs/government/
 
1, several cars have a switch to turn the dome light off at all times. not news. my friends old elantra had this.
2, no, police cars do not make more power. this compromises fuel economy and reliability. police or not, when you're maintaining a fleet of cars, that costs too much money. the new taurus, when equipped with the EcoBoost makes EXACTLY the same amount of hp as the SHO. 365 hp. no difference. none. (this non difference is mentioned by the police officer above.)
3, bigger alternator? different radiator? big deal. so did the cobra mustang over the gt. these are very minor changes that can be easily accomplished on a normal assembly line.
4, yes, fleet sales caters to a different crowd, like limo and taxi drivers, who also loved the crown vic because of the reliability and space. (again mentioned by the police officer above.)

5, yet again, nothing like a custom one off motor and trans.
 
Chris, the Caprice is special to me because I see it being a high functioning version of the SS. Might not be as "cool" or track worthy but I was reading some of the features and was like, hey that would be nice. Not that any of the other cruisers don't fit this description but you don't see many Caprices compared to the other two.
 
Chris, the Caprice is special to me because I see it being a high functioning version of the SS. Might not be as "cool" or track worthy but I was reading some of the features and was like, hey that would be nice. Not that any of the other cruisers don't fit this description but you don't see many Caprices compared to the other two.

not disagreeing. my point was that the customization and feature set isn't comparable the LS that started this thread.
the neat little things they add for a police officer are day to day functional items whereas an engine and trans that was retrofitted after the fact is just going to be a headache for the police mechanics.

your personal opinion of the car is of course all yours to have. :)
 
Understood. Closing statement on the Caprice, I walked into a dealer and asked how can I get one. As expected, I was laughed at.

Back on topic...
 
I was just sitting here thinking about projects I've seen being done at Ford.

A quick search using the name Warren Tope will lead you into a story regarding the death of Warren Tope, who died while road racing. He was the son of one of the upper echelon at the T&C Division at Ford. T&C had division headquarters at Livonia where I worked for five years.

When it was decided that he would become a race driver, he wanted a Boss 302. But they'd all been built and sold by that time of the model year, so his car was built in the garage at the plant. Such things as the 'stylin' rear quarter side scoops were omitted in the Boss 302 cars so they were taken out and the holes patched. A 'printed B302 engine was fitted along with a specially-built Top Loader. The Trans-Am big 4-wheel disc brake kit was installed along with everything else in the 'Off-Road Catalog'. A roll-cage and driver's bucket seat were fitted and the interior largely gutted. When the car was a completely purpose-built race car Warren came and lapped for-a-while on the half-mile oval 'test-track' next to the plant.

He became a professional race driver and did quite well for something more than a year. And then he got killed.

KS
 
Understood. Closing statement on the Caprice, I walked into a dealer and asked how can I get one. As expected, I was laughed at.

Back on topic...

Well, my point is you can get many things if you know how to order it. The topic more than a year ago was specifically about the transmission. Somehow getting a manual with the V8 in the LS. There was a special REQ form that was available to the higher ups in the company. Check a few boxes and you were golden.
 
Well, my point is you can get many things if you know how to order it. The topic more than a year ago was specifically about the transmission. Somehow getting a manual with the V8 in the LS. There was a special REQ form that was available to the higher ups in the company. Check a few boxes and you were golden.

There was never a manual V8 option, no matter how many boxes were checked. Were a manual added to the LS it wouldn't be street legal as it wouldn't be able to be registered. Gummint crash testing, emissions certification and all......
 
The Caprice is special, like I said before, I think it is the most good looking. Tennessee State Police have an excellent livery on their Caprice's. The Taurus is the most function and fastest, but it bores me to death. If I got to pick (makes me chuckle just thinking about it) I'd take the Charger V8.

I would be extremely interested in seeing the prices of the used Caprice's that departments will auction off in coming years. I know of some departments who run cars right up until the warranty expires and then sell them. They never pay for maintenance and still get a decent return at auction, so in reality, it could be sooner than you think.
 
There was never a manual V8 option, no matter how many boxes were checked. Were a manual added to the LS it wouldn't be street legal as it wouldn't be able to be registered. Gummint crash testing, emissions certification and all......

Not to the general public. You are correct. Police packages are not available either to the general public. Jacques Nasser had one that was super charged.
 
Not to the general public. You are correct. Police packages are not available either to the general public. Jacques Nasser had one that was super charged.

It would still have to have all the required government certifications and would have to be street legal to be sold for fleet use by the police or anyone. This never happened with the LS. There was no way to justify the costs of the certs. Yes, there can be one or two off custom builds for research, but none that could be sold to anyone.
 
Cool car. Probably a lot of fun to put through the paces. Which was probably done, like any R&D project. Anybody familiar with R&D would understand the feasibility studies, concept, prototype stuff that would take place before the effort was spent putting this thing together. The whole factory built argument is semantics (as mentioned by someone earlier). It didn't come off the assembly line like this, If Ford didn't do it themselves in their 'skunkworks' it would have most likely been shopped out to a third party contracted by Ford. No way anybody did this on their own in the backyard or garage. Most projects like this would be funded and supported (engineering, troubleshooting, sourcing, etc) by the parent company (Ford). my 2 cents
 

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