Time for a new engine!

[interceptor1985]

lol....I always thought that the computers were the same

[rf overlord]

I was messing around because someone with a small handfull of posts was trying to set everyone straight by stating the obvious...

The original poster said he wanted to put an "Interceptor engine" in his Town Car. It was not at all obvious whether he knew there was no difference. If he was being sarcastic, then I guess my sarcasm meter must be broken too...

[Mercracer]

Do you have pics including the powerplant of your Marauders?

[Chuck Norris]

The original poster said he wanted to put an "Interceptor engine" in his Town Car. It was not at all obvious whether he knew there was no difference. If he was being sarcastic, then I guess my sarcasm meter must be broken too...

Well it is the same block, but different heads and intake, etc. What is the HP difference between a PI and a regular 4.6? I think it's only about 15 or 20 horses, but the control module has the shifts set up differently. I'd imagine the PI cars have a different read end too, but that's guessing.

Yeah, my sarcasm meter is a bit broken. But there's ALOT of misinformation about what is under the hood of a police car that makes it different. I had people ask if my car was supercharged, turbo'd, chipped, all kinds of goofey stuff when I owned a PI. And the guy who sold it to me said it had a totally different engine than a standard CV and it was built in Germany and stuff. So I don't really know the whole story. But it's deffinetly not the exact same engine top to bottom, that I do know for sure.

[Mercracer]

Well it is the same block, but different heads and intake, etc. What is the HP difference between a PI and a regular 4.6? I think it's only about 15 or 20 horses, but the control module has the shifts set up differently. I'd imagine the PI cars have a different read end too, but that's guessing.

Yeah, my sarcasm meter is a bit broken. But there's ALOT of misinformation about what is under the hood of a police car that makes it different. I had people ask if my car was supercharged, turbo'd, chipped, all kinds of goofey stuff when I owned a PI. And the guy who sold it to me said it had a totally different engine than a standard CV and it was built in Germany and stuff. So I don't really know the whole story. But it's deffinetly not the exact same engine top to bottom, that I do know for sure.

Maybe I assumed wrong mang.... it looks like you really may be confused. A 4.6 PI engine means Performance Improved, not Police Interceptor. Throughout the history of Ford Cop cars, there really were Police Interceptor motors, but there is NO SUCH THING as a 4.6 Police Interceptor. The long blocks are identical. Only the ancillary equipment including the computer calibration is different.
ALL 1999+ Mustang motors are PI (Performance Improved). ALL 2001+ CV/GM motors are PI (Performance Improved). PI heads are different from non PI heads, but there is no Police Interceptor specific head or intake. NO US production Ford PI engine was built in Germany and stuff.
ALL 8.8 rear ends are functionally the same whether they are a truck, Mustang, CV/GM or Cop Car... Ratio and with/without trac lock is the only difference.

[88Vic]

Alright, I still have a few questions(and i'm sorry if this isn't the thread for it but I figure there's no reason a whole new thread is needed for my ignorant questions).

Anywho, are the 96-98 Stang GT motors the same as 96-00 CV/GM motors except for TB, ECU, shift points and all that? And what is different about 92-95 CV motors? Where there 92-95 performance improved heads and intake used on those years cop cars?

[Chuck Norris]

Maybe I assumed wrong mang.... it looks like you really may be confused. A 4.6 PI engine means Performance Improved, not Police Interceptor. Throughout the history of Ford Cop cars, there really were Police Interceptor motors, but there is NO SUCH THING as a 4.6 Police Interceptor. The long blocks are identical. Only the ancillary equipment including the computer calibration is different.

Well, I knew that PI stood for Peformance Improved, although I have only known that for about the last year. I guess I meant to say "when I owned a p71" instead of a PI. So when you say that Ford made a Police Interceptor engine, would you be referring to the 351 available in the police-issue Crown Vic boxes, and other similar engines used only in the police-car version of an otherwise publicly available vehicle?

Also... my car is a 1993. It has the 4.6. There is no difference between the 4.6 engine in my car and the 4.6 engine in a 1993 Crown Victoria police car EXCEPT the computer calibration and the ancillary equipment? Am I understanding this correct? If so, in theory, I would be able to just swap in the computer and whatever "ancillary equipment" is (I suppose you mean the extra oil coolers and whatnot, not sure) and my engine would perform slightly better like the police cars of 1993 did?

I'm sorry if I am running you in circles, causing you to explain the same thing to me 100 differnt ways. I am the deffinition of a permanoob. This I say with shame, but it is true. I just want to do whatever I can to improve the "fun value" of my TC as cheaply as possible. I am not trying to turn it into a hotrod, just a better perfroming vehicle, a little better than stock.

[Mercracer]

So when you say that Ford made a Police Interceptor engine, would you be referring to the 351 available in the police-issue Crown Vic boxes, and other similar engines used only in the police-car version of an otherwise publicly available vehicle?

Ford Police Interceptor motors were higher performance versions of the same motors aavilable in civilian cars. The 1979-1991 351s weren't Police Interceptor motors. There was nothing different about it. The same 351 was used in Canadian model civvy cars. It is kind of the car version of the 351HO. The truck actually said HO on the air cleaner...
Police Interceptor motors were engines like the 390/428/429/460 PI (Police Interceptor) motors. Anyone could order a Galaxie with a 390 Police Interceptor motor....

[Mercracer]

Also... my car is a 1993. It has the 4.6. There is no difference between the 4.6 engine in my car and the 4.6 engine in a 1993 Crown Victoria police car EXCEPT the computer calibration and the ancillary equipment? Am I understanding this correct? If so, in theory, I would be able to just swap in the computer and whatever "ancillary equipment" is (I suppose you mean the extra oil coolers and whatnot, not sure) and my engine would perform slightly better like the police cars of 1993 did?

Correct. There is no difference......

[Chuck Norris]

Ford Police Interceptor motors were higher performance versions of the same motors aavilable in civilian cars. The 1979-1991 351s weren't Police Interceptor motors. There was nothing different about it. The same 351 was used in Canadian model civvy cars. It is kind of the car version of the 351HO. The truck actually said HO on the air cleaner...
Police Interceptor motors were engines like the 390/428/429/460 PI (Police Interceptor) motors. Anyone could order a Galaxie with a 390 Police Interceptor motor....

Very interesting. I guess I should have started reading up on all this stuff years ago, when I first figured out that the "german-built Ford engine" comment was a load of crap. I guess I just never knew where to start, and in fact, did beleive that cop cars had drasticly differnt business going on under the hood. I wish my pitiful excuse for a father had imparted some of his car knowledge to me, I'd been a little better equiped to understand all this and other "car-speak" which goes on here. I need to take a mechanics class and start reading about car history.

[Chuck Norris]

So what do I have to change to get the better performance, just the ECU? I'm not worried abou the oil coolers and whatnot, because I'm not going to be sustaining high speeds or driving over 70 really, I just want my TC to move in a straight line like my P71 did. I want the same engine performance and acceleration. So what do I pick up at the junkyard?

[Mercracer]

What about your gears and exhaust? These 2 things can make an incredible impact on acceleration without changing anything else....

[Chuck Norris]

What about your gears and exhaust? These 2 things can make an incredible impact on acceleration without changing anything else....

Exhaust would be the first mod, because I've read in a few places on this board that updrading from single to dual ehxaust will open up the vehicle's performance some. As for gears, I don't know what I have in the car, but I intend to find out and then dig deeper into that issue.

[p71towny]

Ahh, the new p71towncar begins. Thats what I wanted to put in my towncar until I realized I could make it better than a p71. I don't know how it would work with your digital dash tho. But you need a 93 computer, if it will work, to work. Exhaust and underdrives would be my first move.

[Chuck Norris]

As I look at your list of mods Towny, I feel a little overwhelmed. Has the money you've sunk into your TC turned it into a rocket on wheels, or just a slightly better TownCar?

I am starting to wonder if this project is going to be a bit much for me. I gotta do something, because I want a Panther that has some punch. But I'm starting to think maybe I should just BUY a P71 if what I want is, in fact, a car that performs like a P71. Ugh!!! Decisions, decisions. But I do want to keep gathering the info, because even if I wimp out, someone will be asking these exact same questions 6 months from now.