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Post by wvengineer on Oct 27, 2014 23:55:07 GMT
Surprised no one posted this. Seams the prefect way to introduce the myth of the Cop car with a cop engine, cop tires, and cop suspension. Sorry, the cigarette lighter is broken.
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Post by the light works on Oct 28, 2014 1:19:34 GMT
This also explains why high performance sports type cars and more specialized vehicles are uncommon, they cost more to run even if you only look at fuel costs alone. comfort is also a factor - as the policeman spends the majority of his career behind the wheel - my city bought a Taurus interceptor, first - which is a Taurus body on an Explorer chassis - and found that none of their officers wanted to drive it; and as one officer said, he wouldn't even put a suspect he hated into the back seat. Where are you getting the Taurus body on an Explorer? I can't find that anywhere on Ford's site. Both are unibodys in the latest generation, so you can't put the body of one on the frame of another. I could understanding fitting a Taurus body with the engine and drive train of a explorer, but that is a different beast. You couldn't use the suspension of the Explorer doe to very different body setups. In my area they have been retiring the old Crown Vic's. For a while they were buying Dodge Chargers, but they have since switched over to Ford Taurus Intereceptors. The Ford Explorer Interceptor is also reasonably common. I did see a neighboring city with a Chevy Camero cop car, but that is the only one I have seen anywhere. They don't seam to be popular at all. Part of the reason for cop cars using standard line engines and such is parts. If a police station has a breakdown, they can just call up the local Chevy/Dodge/Ford/whatever dealer and they will most likely have the part on the shelf because multiple lines use the same part. Whereas if they are custom parts, they would have to be special ordered. Back for my old job, one of my projects was to build a Hazmat transport truck. I read up a lot on truck bodies and at one point I looked at a Ambulance Package Chasis Cab from Ford. What I remember the diferance there was dual heavy duty alternators for the large power draw, an AC generator (not a DC invereter), extra switches in the cab for misc. devices and a setup for easily installing radios. The engine was the same Power Stroke diesel as they offered in the normal chasis cab trucks, same tranies (RWD or 4wd) too. I'm old - I still think in terms of body and chassis, even though I know that unibody doesn't work that way. the weakness of the Camaro is that it is a two-door - so it can be used as a pursuit vehicle, but requires a backup unit if there is a need to transport. as for the ambulance package - that is precisely it - our big automakers provide an option package for emergency vehicles - which still uses essentially off-the-shelf hardware in a configurtion that is easy to insert into an assembly line. they will typically be made to order, inasmuch as the vehicle rolls off the same line, but has some added intermediate steps - and is not started until the order for it comes in.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 6, 2014 9:02:01 GMT
All ambulances in UK are made by the same people. This is a "Standardization" thing, so that one crew can easily find what it needs in another ambulance?... At the moment its on a Mercedes frame, but from the basic engine, frame and seats backwards, its all specialised built with specialised bodywork... I do believe they use the same fly-by-wire disease-oil burner as a 7.5 ton because of the extra weight involved with all the emergency equipment, as each one now comes with the same basics as an A&E department, but the things are HUGE, use specialised self levelling suspension kits with drive systems many car owners would be impressed by. Except the weight.....
Yes the things can fly, but the handling, even though they have all that suspension upgrade, is still cow on rollerskates.
Even worse since they put a full tail lift on the back because lifting patients was getting too hard work.... Especially the larger ones.
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Post by the light works on Nov 6, 2014 12:39:21 GMT
All ambulances in UK are made by the same people. This is a "Standardization" thing, so that one crew can easily find what it needs in another ambulance?... At the moment its on a Mercedes frame, but from the basic engine, frame and seats backwards, its all specialised built with specialised bodywork... I do believe they use the same fly-by-wire disease-oil burner as a 7.5 ton because of the extra weight involved with all the emergency equipment, as each one now comes with the same basics as an A&E department, but the things are HUGE, use specialised self levelling suspension kits with drive systems many car owners would be impressed by. Except the weight..... Yes the things can fly, but the handling, even though they have all that suspension upgrade, is still cow on rollerskates. Even worse since they put a full tail lift on the back because lifting patients was getting too hard work.... Especially the larger ones. are you saying that they scrap an entire fleet of ambulances when they make a model change, to keep them all uniform? and actually, that still ain't huge - if the pictures a quick search on the internet pulls up are a fair representation. this is our licensed ambulance - though it is only used for transport when the regular ambulance service requests it. I can appreciate the idea of a patient lift - our regular ambulance service now has power gurneys and we still have to give them a little help, now and then - or benefit from having three of us on the end of the thing to roll it into the ambulance.
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Post by Cybermortis on Nov 6, 2014 13:07:12 GMT
Even worse since they put a full tail lift on the back because lifting patients was getting too hard work.... Especially the larger ones. I think the lift is there to help more with transporting patients who are in wheelchairs, especially motorized chairs which seem to be far more common than they were even ten years ago, than for full on emergency transportation on a gurney. That and I seem to recall that a lot of paramedics were getting back problems from lifting patients into the ambulance and having to take time off. The lift is therefore a practical and cost effective addition. In none-critical cases with wheel chairs (say an older patient who is having breathing difficulties) it is probably faster and safer to use the ramp than to get the patient out of the chair and into the ambulance and then have to man-handle the chair in after them where leaving it isn't an option. For full on emergencies they can dispense with the lift, although I would imagine that in some cases avoiding jostling a patient that way might be worth the additional time needed to deploy the ramp.
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Post by the light works on Nov 6, 2014 13:23:02 GMT
Even worse since they put a full tail lift on the back because lifting patients was getting too hard work.... Especially the larger ones. I think the lift is there to help more with transporting patients who are in wheelchairs, especially motorized chairs which seem to be far more common than they were even ten years ago, than for full on emergency transportation on a gurney. That and I seem to recall that a lot of paramedics were getting back problems from lifting patients into the ambulance and having to take time off. The lift is therefore a practical and cost effective addition. In none-critical cases with wheel chairs (say an older patient who is having breathing difficulties) it is probably faster and safer to use the ramp than to get the patient out of the chair and into the ambulance and then have to man-handle the chair in after them where leaving it isn't an option. For full on emergencies they can dispense with the lift, although I would imagine that in some cases avoiding jostling a patient that way might be worth the additional time needed to deploy the ramp. our ambulances cannot accommodate a patient in a wheelchair - there are no appropriate passenger restraints. we will occasionally load a patient directly into the ambulance if they are ambulatory - but more commonly they are loaded on the gurney.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 7, 2014 9:02:54 GMT
The new ones will be fitted out the same as the old, any major changes will require a roll out of Retro-Fit to other units as well. Older ambulances are stripped of the medical stuff and then converted to Bus multi-seat as mass patient transport vehicles. Patients in wheelchairs, unless its a standard wheelchair, are asked to change chairs before transport, unless there can be shown medical need, powered chairs are not welcome on emergency ambulances....
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Post by the light works on Nov 7, 2014 15:01:23 GMT
The new ones will be fitted out the same as the old, any major changes will require a roll out of Retro-Fit to other units as well. Older ambulances are stripped of the medical stuff and then converted to Bus multi-seat as mass patient transport vehicles. Patients in wheelchairs, unless its a standard wheelchair, are asked to change chairs before transport, unless there can be shown medical need, powered chairs are not welcome on emergency ambulances.... our "Wheely Wagon" can accommodate the patient's wheelchair - but it is, as I said, essentially a taxi. the ambulances do not have room or passenger restraints for an occupied wheelchair. in some cases, they have carried the patient's folding chair so they would have it available at discharge time.
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Post by Cybermortis on Nov 7, 2014 15:33:20 GMT
A lot of ambulances in the UK effectively end up being used more as taxi's than as full on emergency vehicles. Off the top of my head I think that, at least in my area, there are only two main types of Ambulance. The traditional converted truck/van and what Americans would call a Station Waggon. The latter is intended purely for emergency care on site, and has no capability to transport patients; I've seen this turn up at the local GP's office around once a week. Regular ambulances have also turned up at the GP's offices, usually once a month or so and often after the station waggon version has been called. In this situation they are being used to transport patients to the hospital for more detailed checkups, and at least twice I've seen them loading chairs into the ambulance - one case was an older patient who's chair had oxygen bottles strapped to the back and seemed to be having trouble breathing.
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Post by the light works on Nov 7, 2014 15:53:45 GMT
A lot of ambulances in the UK effectively end up being used more as taxi's than as full on emergency vehicles. Off the top of my head I think that, at least in my area, there are only two main types of Ambulance. The traditional converted truck/van and what Americans would call a Station Waggon. The latter is intended purely for emergency care on site, and has no capability to transport patients; I've seen this turn up at the local GP's office around once a week. Regular ambulances have also turned up at the GP's offices, usually once a month or so and often after the station waggon version has been called. In this situation they are being used to transport patients to the hospital for more detailed checkups, and at least twice I've seen them loading chairs into the ambulance - one case was an older patient who's chair had oxygen bottles strapped to the back and seemed to be having trouble breathing. other than our one rescue/ambulance, all of our medical response rigs are built on pickup chassis. our beach rescue HMMWV is modified to carry a Stokes (litter) but is only used to deliver the patient to hard surface where they are transferred to an ambulance. when we beat the ambulance service to the scene, we primarily check stability and collect information. (depending on the medical rating of the responder) the ambulance service always takes over unless it is a "no patient" situation. (I.E. patient is just fine or patient is the opposite of just fine) we do have a couple of paramedics in the department, and they can make assessments that are a little less black and white than the rest of us are authorized to do.
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Post by alabastersandman on Dec 2, 2014 7:04:14 GMT
Why have I never posted this one before?... It was a myth when I was a kid... and dont start with the did they drive Model T's in those days jokes... no they didnt...... But anyway, its always been believed that Cops have extra power under the hood, the chip and boost to hell and back and will engine swap for a better one..... Nope. As far as I know, they run standard off the forecourt cars with nothing special. If they need more power on the traffic cars, they go but more powerful cars to start with... In the case of Manchester, they do run a Subaru WRX, but it hasnt been super-chipped or anything, its standard. Cop cars are well maintained, they do get the best care they can find, they are always at the peak of condition underneath, but they dont void the warranty by changing the engines. As I say, as far as I know. So... go get a Ex-Cop car, and find a same car that wasnt a cop from elsewhere, hold a drag race see who is faster, then run engine diagnostics to see who has lost more horses by bad maintenance.....?.... Not that you would need to "super=chip" a WRX anyway, they are pretty fast right out of the can. But anyway, yeah the only people who went out of their way to up the HP on police cars was the manufacturers who wanted to keep building NASCAR engines after an agreement not to was made. They kept building "NASCAR" engines but called them "police packages" Given that the police would order their cars with the largest engine available made it more or less true.
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Post by oscardeuce on Dec 3, 2014 3:39:39 GMT
I have a 1988 Plymouth Gran Fury Ohio State Highway Patrol car. It has the 360 Police Interceptor engine. No other major mods to the engine that I can see
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Post by Cybermortis on Dec 3, 2014 3:49:53 GMT
I'm not really one for cars in general...But I think I may be in love....
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 15, 2014 9:04:22 GMT
Oscar, are you a Cop?... The law in UK is that you would have to remove the roof rack and cover the signs before you would get permission for road use if you are not Law enforcement. Otherwise, whats all that junk inside?... ... Do they not strip out the police equipment before they get sold on?...
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Post by Cybermortis on Dec 15, 2014 12:44:07 GMT
An educated guess would be that most of the equipment is outdated (I *think* that is an old style computer in there, which I'd be surprised if it could connect with the police networks today), doesn't work or isn't actually illegal - I somehow doubt that a speed gun is considered illegal.
I'd also guess that there may be ways to legally own a fully kitted out police car without having to be in law enforcement. This is possible in the UK, as such vehicles are used in film and TV productions.
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Dec 15, 2014 15:02:56 GMT
Local cops around here seem to have a perference for the Dodge Charger and some Ford Explorers; while the state police are using a mix of Chargers, Explorers, and Tauruses. I've read that Chevy is supposed to be offering a the SS as an Interceptor package, but haven't seen it in use yet. Local ambulance companies seem to be shifting to the Mercedes/Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter. My first car was a retired detective vehicle. It was a 1990 Chevy Caprice with a small block 305 and beefed up alternator & performance (not an Interceptor). I got it in 1998 when there were alot of 4th gen Mustangs ("Girly Stangs") on the road. I cannot tell you how many of those I took off the line when the light changed from red to green... vs.
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Post by the light works on Dec 15, 2014 15:51:06 GMT
my Jeep originally had the same engine block those mustangs had - which let me take pleasure in telling kids bragging about their "big 5.0 mustang" that I had thrown that engine away as not worth tooling on.
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 17, 2014 6:16:42 GMT
The red one above with a white top... Hairdressers car?....
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Post by The Urban Mythbuster on Dec 17, 2014 12:01:39 GMT
The red one above with a white top... Hairdressers car?.... "girly 'stang"...popular with jocks & muscleheads in the late 90's cuz the chicks digged it...
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Post by silverdragon on Dec 19, 2014 12:49:28 GMT
It looks like the equivalent of UK Ford Escort Mk3, XR3i. The paint job is horrible, no one "diggs" that failed red, the matching bumpers fade slower than the rest of the paintwork, so it looks terrible 10 yrs later. And its a classic Fix-Or-Repair-Daily with plenty of wiring faults that mean if you lock the boot the windscreen wipers do an intermittent wipe.
If that realy is a 'Stang, it should have a decent engine... I suspect it came with a lack-lustre 2ltr detuned clunker. Like the English one did.(Basic model was 1600...)
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