So how do ou make an SSP car legal and other questions

mystic96 · #1 01-11-2009, 05:26 PM

I'll ask the experts...I live in PA and I wonder how to make a car legal. I know the lights and sirens have to be diconnected, but lets say I buy a car with the lights on the roof, do they need to be covered? I'm guessing what you guys refer to as a "slick top" is one the lights are mounted on the package tray?I remmeber seeing a car last year at All Ford Carlisle that had a sign in the window that read "not in service" or "out of service". I just don't want to make a big investment and I can't drive it.

stubes · #2 01-11-2009, 06:37 PM

i drive mine with the lightbar domes blacked out saying not in service.

i also have white colored magnet strips to cover all the emblems.
so from a distance it looks like a plain all white car.
I was using blue painters tape but it got kind of old constantly taping everything and taking it on/off

my car goes to shows and cruises thats about it. IMO its not something i can just jump in and drive to take a ride in because i feel like a flake with the lightbar on it.

As far as PA you can drive with blues exposed on a lightbar like a FHP car as all blue is what our volunteer fireman use.
Thats one thing i look forward to with my fhp as it will be one less thing to be hassled with when driving it in state .....but again, i'll feel dumb having a lightbar on my car.

Hoosier_Trooper_SSP · #3 01-11-2009, 07:29 PM

If you can, make it removable with a quick connect plug would be easy. Chris S. does that with his. Cover the markings well or make them removable. Cover any deck or dash lights well also. Antennas can be left on, but if you can remove them, why not? Draw as little attention to yourself as possible. Just my $.02

Mustang Crazy · #4 01-11-2009, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mystic96

I'll ask the experts...I live in PA and I wonder how to make a car legal. I know the lights and sirens have to be diconnected, but lets say I buy a car with the lights on the roof, do they need to be covered? I'm guessing what you guys refer to as a "slick top" is one the lights are mounted on the package tray?I remmeber seeing a car last year at All Ford Carlisle that had a sign in the window that read "not in service" or "out of service". I just don't want to make a big investment and I can't drive it.

It happened to be me you saw at Carlisle last year. We had our '91 Georgia State Patrol and our '89 Florida Highway Patrol stangs there. I put a sign in my back window that says "Not In Service". I cover my lightbar with a lightbar cover. I used Georgia State Patrol baseball hats to cover my deck lights. I also use blue painters tape and cover all my decals. I have a in-line fuse that I pull out so that all my equipment doesn't work while I'm driving. If your going to Carlisle this year I'll be there with my GSP and FHP again.

MOstang · #5 01-12-2009, 01:31 AM

I agree with everything that's been said. Keep in mind the laws in ever state are different so familiarize yourself with them - don't expect or assume others will know them as well as you.

While I haven't done this since moving to Michigan (no reason just haven't yet), one thing you may want to consider is being up front (you don't have anything to hide) and having a conversation with your local PD. I did this when living in Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Minneapolis). Not sure if others on the Forum have done that and what their experience was. I would describe my experience as mixed. On the one hand it worked out well as I was being up front - again nothing to hide. On the other hand, they really didn't know how to react. The point of my discussion was letting them know that I now had this show car and that's what it would be used for; they would see it on the road occassionally; and did they have any requests of me up front.

Assume going in you are going to get pulled over and be prepared to answer some questions. When I lived in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota State Patrol was the first ones to pull me over. I was then pulled over the Eden Prairie PD and after that they left me alone. Since being in Metro Detroit have been pulled over going to a car show by Redford Township and also on the way to a show by the Michigan State Patrol. All in all have owend by FHP just over 2 years with 4 stops.

It always goes the same and I'm asked "what I use the car for". Just explain to them it's a former FHP Mustang that is now a show car. All but once I was going to a car show and had signs and other things for the show with me. They are always interested and curious in the car (in a positive way), check my license and insurance and then let me on my way. I do not have any tickets on my license which helps.

I have covers for the light bar; covers for rear deck lights; emblems - except for the unit numbers on roof - are magnetic and removed when driving; keep spotlight turned in. Additionally I have disconnect switches installed for electronics - always keep those in the off position. It hasn't happened to me yet, but if they ask me to start punching buttons nothing will happen as long as those are in the off position.

WSP-SSP · #6 01-12-2009, 10:47 PM

i concur with the above, every state has different laws and restrictions. Your state highway patrol should have a website that you can contact the equipment division, they can help you with that. Good luck, when in doubt , cover it up..

5pt0Joe · #7 01-21-2009, 12:27 AM

I've been living in a small town in NH where everyone knows everyone for over four years now and although the local PD always knew exactly who I was the whole time, the surrounding local towns and several state patrol officers didn't. My TX SSP was my daily driver last summer by choice, since it was new to me and I simply enjoyed the conversation piece that it was. Although the only lights I had were spotlights (non-functional), it was obviously a ex-police car that attracted a lot of attention, especially at work in the corner of the parking lot taking up four spaces! I've never been stopped by a cop yet, but I get followed all the time, sometimes a lot more than I'd like. What I didn't know until about four or five months ago is that while they follow me, they talked about me on the radio. Being in retail sales, many officers came into my work and purchased products from me because I owned the "Mustang police car" in the lot and I'd tell them about future plans with lights and markings. They too would end up chiming in on the radio when a different officer spotted me. Before I knew it, I'd have officers waiving to me all the time.

In a nutshell, talking to officers are one of the best things I've ever done regarding my SSP. I'm extremely open with them and have assured them that I mean no harm in driving an ex-police car. Once I have everything on the car, the lights will be covered and the "Not In Service" badge will go on the back. They all confirmed that that was the smartest thing to do. They told me not to worry too much about covering interior equipment as long as the car was properly identified as a former police car that is not currently in service. Not sure how rural your area is, but I guess a small town is a big advantage when you have a unique car that stands out of the crowd! As stated previously, just be open with the PD ahead of time and check your local laws.