1991 FHP Unit #1072 restoration progress
 

Hello all! When I purchased my 1991 FHP SSP on June 4th, my intent was to restore it and bring it back to its in service state, and I am that much closer to this goal. I stripped the car of its interior, emblems, headlights, taillights and outer dew wipes yesterday in preparation for its trip to the body shop which took place this morning (actually July 11th). I was truly amazed at the condition of this car and how easy it was to take it apart. Being from the Northeast, I am used to stuff being all rusty. This was spotless clean, the seat bolts came out effortlessly. Man, I tell you, I will never buy another car unless it is from the south! When you look at the pics, this is how the interior looked BEFORE I cleaned it, amazing. It wont be back from the body shop until the late summer/early fall and I will miss driving this car! All of the interior components will be replaced, as I have a new headliner, carpet etc ready to go in. The only things that wont be replaced are the console, dash and door panels as they are in very nice original condition. I will have the seats reupholstered. I brought it to a body shop where the owner is a Mustang fanatic, he has had many over the years and his shop is full of trophies from various shows that he has won. I will be able to check in as often as I want to see the cars progress and take as many pictures as I want. I have magnetic door/fender seals that are nearly completed. Other interesting news regarding my car....I was able to positively identify the barracks it was assigned to as Lantana, Florida. I was also able to get a copy of the original purchase order when the car was bought new. This form listed all of the options and prices, my car cost the state a whopping $12,821.00 brand new! It was one of 8 units purchased on November 2, 1990 through Don Reid Ford of Maitland. BTW, if you own a 1991 FHP and dont know the unit number, this form has three other cars listed by DHSMV numbers 96238, 96239 and 96241 (my car is 96240). I can let you know the unit number of these three cars. In the photos, you can see the cream in a lot of spots like at the top of the "a" pillar under where the headliner was and of course under the spotlight mounting bracket. I will keep the forum updated as progress continues, thank for your interest and help!

Nice car, Patrick. How were you able to get the paperwork you posted in your last pic? It looks like something done via the local dealership, especially since it mentions rear lights and decals. Pretty neat.

BTW, they call them Troops in FL, not barracks. :)

Troop L in Palm beach.

Patrick, thanks for posting up pictures. The car is going to look great when you're done.

Hi Mike, thanks! I was quite lucky to get that paperwork! I think I got the right person on the right day, as I understand that it can be difficult to get information from the FHP. I just started calling every number I could find on the Internet until I found someone that was willing to help me, I guess persistence pays off. She actually wouldn't give me her name as she thought she would get into trouble for giving me this info! I knew that it was very special. There were actually 8 units ordered that day, and only 4 had been delivered at the time this document was modified. She explained what all of the hand written notes and numbers meant, too. Pretty cool stuff! Thanks for the clarification on the troops, I must have had Mass on my mind!

Thanks Bernie!

Hi Bill! Glad I did, thanks for suggesting it. I am having a blast fixing this historical vehicle, can't wait to get her done!

Thanks for the info. Many others here are seeking info for their FHP cars, if you have a way to contact her again.

There were a ton ordered, but I'm reasonably sure that most went through Duval Ford in Jax.

You got it, Mike! I had read that many were ordered from Don Reid and hadn't heard about Duval, interesting, thanks!

Here are some pics from my visit to the body shop today. I was thrilled to see that the car was in the paint booth and ready to be "squirted" (not my term, this is what the owner said lol!). All of the trim will be removed and painted separately (shown with it still on here). I was told it should be ready by the end of next week, originally they said it wouldnt be ready until the fall so I am very happy. Now I just hope the seats and wheels are near completion. I spent the weekend in the garage working on the interior trim, cleaning and refinishing it. I put the door panels together with new lock grommets, new window/lock switches and bezels. I also configured the light bar and figured out "which wire did what". She is getting there quickly, maybe I will get a cruise in before the end of the season afterall! Thanks for looking, I will try to post more after my next visit to the body shop on Wednesday.