1969 Plymouth Fury III Police Package K-Code 440 For Sale $1,750 Olympia WA

[hergfest]

1969 Plymouth Fury III K Code 440 Police car. I found this on Marketplace and the ad said “parting out, let me know what you need”. I had to talk the seller out of parting it out and convinced the owner to sell it to me whole. I bought it thinking it was a Washington State Patrol car but now I am thinking it was a piggyback WSP car. It has a cloth bench, where a WSP had a vinyl bench in 69. No plywood shelf in the trunk for the radio (all WSP cars had this) and no property sticker in the drivers door. Car was sold used in Sedro Woolley WA probably after police service then sat in Yakima WA last tabbed in 1976. Yakima is a dry desert climate so the car isn’t rotted out, but it is sunbaked. Has a 318 in it now but it had a factory Lo-Po 440 with the F01 police dual exhaust package. No title, asking $1,750. Not often you find a factory Police Package 440 69 Fury. Located in Olympia WA. Selling because I collect WSP cars and this isn't a WSP car.

 

[SIPLOWGUY]

I still find it so unusual that agencies used Fury IIIs.

 

[hergfest]

I have a newspaper article stating that it cost of the State of Washington an extra $79 per car for a Fury III vs a Fury I. They figured they made that up plus more in resale. Funny story though, Ralph Williams Northwest Chrysler Plymouth had the low bid for the State Patrol contracts in 69 and 70. They had the lowest bid because they never paid the state back the excise taxes on the cars. Ralph Williams ended up getting run out of the State in 1971 and he never came back.

 

[ayilar]

@hergfest -- thx for posting PM41K9D243584 (@69CoronetRT & @cuda hunter will be happy to see the tag).

The original engine is gone & replaced with a 318, what about the transmission?

A puzzle: any idea why anyone would order H51 A/C for a WA police car?

 

[Samplingman]

What is a “piggyback“ WSP car?

 

[cuda hunter]

I'm , assuming, but I would think a piggy back state police car would have been purchased by someone in the agency for personal driving.
If I were chief and my wife wanted one of those cars it would make sense to order one special and then just sell it to her after it arrives with a few extras. Like air conditioning.

Is this presumption wrong? Is there a better understanding of why it's a police car but it's not a police car?

Could this have been a chiefs car or a higher up that didn't do the street beat? Just drove it to work.

 

[300rag]

I'm , assuming, but I would think a piggy back state police car would have been purchased by someone in the agency for personal driving.
If I were chief and my wife wanted one of those cars it would make sense to order one special and then just sell it to her after it arrives with a few extras. Like air conditioning.

Is this presumption wrong? Is there a better understanding of why it's a police car but it's not a police car?

Could this have been a chiefs car or a higher up that didn't do the street beat? Just drove it to work.

It can be a smaller department looking for one or two and add them to the order to one for WSP.

 

[cuda hunter]

So, this car had a light on top of it at one point? There are several holes in the roof, are those from different positions of the light? Or are they light bar holes?

 

[Rustyrodknocker]

@hergfest -- thx for posting PM41K9D243584 (@69CoronetRT & @cuda hunter will be happy to see the tag).

The original engine is gone & replaced with a 318, what about the transmission?

A puzzle: any idea why anyone would order H51 A/C for a WA police car?

It can miserable hot in central and eastern Wa.

 

[hergfest]

A piggyback order would be a smaller agency who didn't have the negotiating power of the State of Washington adding to the state order to get a better bid price. So, for example, the City of Sedro Wooley WA needed a new police car, they would contact the state and add on to their order. With minor changes I pointed out. Still had a power seat though!
WSP started using AC in 1968 for the Eastern WA cars, Western WA still didn't have AC. 1969 was the 1st year for fleetwide AC. In general, most agencies were ordering AC by 1970. It was a comfort issue for troopers/police officers.
Yes the holes in the top were for the lights. Even though the car is coded for a drivers side spotlight, there were several agencies that used a roof mounted spotlight in Washington and it looks like the front hole may be from that.
On the tranny, I'm going to assume the tranny is a 904 since only heavy duty applications used a 727 behind a 318. I assume they just threw a motor in it from something else.

 

[cuda hunter]

Do you only collect Washington State Patrol cars? And not collect standard police cars? Just curious.

 

[hergfest]

I have a 64 Dodge 330 and a 1973 Dodge Polara both ex WSP cars. I'm a Washington State native, and WSP cars were well taken care of in service. They were only driven by one trooper, they ordered the higher trim cars (well, in 69-74), and they sold them with only 60k miles on them. So WSP cars have a high survival rate vs a normal copcar since they were still in good condition when they sold them. If you can find one that was taken care of after service they make a nice survivor/driver car. Which is what I like buying. That's why I like and collect WSP cars. If I found a CHP car, I wouldn't kick it out of my house, but at a certain point how many cars can you have? I think I'm at 8 cars right now and that's after selling the Wagon. And like most Mopar guys I'm weak and keep finding more cars I want to buy haha

 

[Pete Kaczmarski]

I can relate to your comments.....

 

[fury fan]

...but at a certain point how many cars can you have? I think I'm at 8 cars right now and that's after selling the Wagon. And like most Mopar guys I'm weak and keep finding more cars I want to buy haha

I think it boils down to resources. (duh, one might say - but hear me out.)

Obviously it boils to $$ to acquire and repair/restore, then to store and maintain afterward. If a millionaire, one can afford to provide more sanctuary.
You can hire staff to preserve them and drive them on a schedule to keep them limber.
If resources are unlimited.

But IMO here's the next limit (and it applies to all of us at some level).
Even for a Jay Leno-type, I think there would be a limit to what the human heart can manage.
At some point there are too many cars, and one's enjoyment becomes limited to merely walking past the car and enjoying its presence.
You can't drive them all. Even if you resolve to drive 2 of them per day, at some point you might only spend 1 instance/month with any particular car.

And when you get to that point, your heart may say that's not enough - and it eats at you.

 

[1970FuryConv]

I have a 64 Dodge 330 and a 1973 Dodge Polara both ex WSP cars. I'm a Washington State native, and WSP cars were well taken care of in service. They were only driven by one trooper, they ordered the higher trim cars (well, in 69-74), and they sold them with only 60k miles on them. So WSP cars have a high survival rate vs a normal copcar since they were still in good condition when they sold them. If you can find one that was taken care of after service they make a nice survivor/driver car. Which is what I like buying. That's why I like and collect WSP cars. If I found a CHP car, I wouldn't kick it out of my house, but at a certain point how many cars can you have? I think I'm at 8 cars right now and that's after selling the Wagon. And like most Mopar guys I'm weak and keep finding more cars I want to buy haha

Agree. I had to downsize from 4 cars to 2 cars and I still feel like I'm not getting anything done. I can't imagine 8. Well, I can, but I don't want to.

 

[polaratherapy]

Hey Herg,
what drives you to collect cop cars other than they usually have low miles, regular maintenance.....etc?
Do you have a background in policeing, I can see you frequenting car shows but not being a grocery getter.
I recently purchaed a replacement intake manifold and carb for my Polara from a fella in the next town over from where I am and we met at a Canadian Tire store, he showed up in a 73 or 74 Monaco done up like a cop car.
He explained that it's frequently called upon for movie sets, infact he was going to a movie set the next morning.

Have a nice day,

PT

 

[fury fan]

Herg can reply with his own reasoning, of course.
For me, it boils down to drivability and mystique.
I had an '88 Diplomat ex-copcar. The buddy I got it from told me what wonderful-driving cars they are, so we fixed up one he had sitting out back and I bought it.

He was so right.
The seat was really thick foam and one of the most comfortable I've ever sat in (made to be sat in for a full day).
It handled quite nicely, very nimble and capable, and with good braking.

Due to the suspension and other job-specific upgrades it makes a big improvement over the civilian version.

And the shallow head-sized dents over both rear doors made me wish it could've told me stories.

 

[hergfest]

When I started in this hobby, I was a broke 19 year old. Copcars were cheap. But IMHO, they are the best driving Mopars ever made. Heavy duty everything. Even heavy duty seats for long road trips. I have some heavy hitter cars now, a 300G and a 1969 Charger 500. But I will always love my copcars. Need to get the 73 Polara back on the road, has a tranny leak we can't figure out. The 64 Dodge 330 needs a full resto, its next on the list but I need to get everything in order before we start on that one.

 

[hergfest]

Price lowered to $1500