VF SS Police Pack

[Brettly-2008]

There was a couple of variations and there were also VK Group A/Group 3's and a performance pack. Some had a Wade 242 cam, a Crane 276 and the big horsepower option had the Crane 286. The roller rockers varied between Crane and Yella Terra and the modified engines came crashing down in VL with unleaded fuel and cat introduction. Joe who had the Brock Shop in QLD worked for HDT in that era building engines and he told me about their engine programs when we raced cars with him in the mid 2000's. They had a play with offset grind (331ci) strokers too apparently. Larry Perkins was responsible for the engine development and modification programs at the time.

Hmmm, interesting. I find it hard to believe Holden/HDT would back/warranty anything for street use with a Crane 286, let alone the police force. But I'm no expert in this era.

 

[Forg]

Hmmm, interesting. I find it hard to believe Holden/HDT would back/warranty anything for street use with a Crane 286, let alone the police force.

Whyfor?
They could get away with a lot back then from an emissions POV, and if everything else is updated to keep up there shouldn't be a problem (eg. they're feeding it enough fuel & not breaking mechanicals)?

 

[vc commodore]

I was told about an XF Falcon that the coppers used back in the late 80's in Adelaide to bait people into traffic light to traffic light runs...It happened to have a 351 fitted.....

 

[Brettly-2008]

Whyfor?
They could get away with a lot back then from an emissions POV, and if everything else is updated to keep up there shouldn't be a problem (eg. they're feeding it enough fuel & not breaking mechanicals)?

Sure, I guess so. Like I said, I just find it interesting. Manufacturers - especially where warranties and streatability are concerned - are notoriously conservative, as are government departments like the Po Po. The 286 is not exactly well-mannered, even if it has all the correct supporting mods like high comp, rollers etc. But apparently there were all these next level ones built with LP involved so who knows? I do know HSV looked at a series of bigger cam options with its 350 strokers but settled on something around 284 mark because the other options were "typical hot rod stuff, totally uncommercial" (actual quote). And that's with 350 cubes to help things along.

 

[Forg]

I was told about an XF Falcon that the coppers used back in the late 80's in Adelaide to bait people into traffic light to traffic light runs...It happened to have a 351 fitted.....

I was going to say that it was probably an XD with all the panels & interior & dash changed over, then went looking for some articles on the car I knew where the guy had done that, it was in the likes of Street Machine more than once. This was a neighbour of one of my school mates, we thought the thing was awesomesauce (although he'd spent more on it than his wife's couple-year-old Ferrari 328 ).

Now I look though, plenty of people have shoved a 351C into an XF!

So the fact it wasn't worth doing back then must've been because the XF's were still new, and now they're worth less than a 351C XD or XE ...

The police could very well have had something like that, they've done PR stuff like that a fair bit over the years. Wasn't there a police VL-T on the Nullarbor which just about nothing on the road had a chance of running from? That they entered in drag races etc as a PR thing? They at least had V8 car magazine articles written about it.

 

[Brettly-2008]

That they entered in drag races etc as a PR thing? They at least had V8 car magazine articles written about it.

I watched Tango1 race a few times over here in WA. Actual cops running a worked VQ Statesman cop car. They moved onto a VT cop car eventually. Anyone could race against them from memory.

 

[RevNev]

Hmmm, interesting. I find it hard to believe Holden/HDT would back/warranty anything for street use with a Crane 286, let alone the police force. But I'm no expert in this era.

They used several different cams and I think there was a high lift cam used in the 304 (A9L) engine for Group A racing homologation. Some VK Group A's had a stock cam as I believe there were different engine option choices. Crane and Wade supplied camshafts. The Crane 276 was a commonly used cam but they also used the 286. 282 solid cams were pretty wild, but if memory serves me correctly as we're going back a few years, I didn't think the 286 hydraulic was overly wild and the 276 sounded pretty stock.

 

[vc commodore]

They used several different cams and I think there was a high lift cam used in the 304 (A9L) engine for Group A racing homologation. Some VK Group A's had a stock cam as I believe there were different engine option choices. Crane and Wade supplied camshafts. The Crane 276 was a commonly used cam but they also used the 286. 282 solid cams were pretty wild, but if memory serves me correctly as we're going back a few years, I didn't think the 286 hydraulic was overly wild and the 276 sounded pretty stock.

Listen to this motor in a VK...It's a stock 304, with a carb manifold (can't remember the name of the manifold) and a 286 hydraulic cam...

 

[RevNev]

Listen to this motor in a VK...It's a stock 304, with a carb manifold (can't remember the name of the manifold) and a 286 hydraulic cam...

Here's a VK with a 286 and that's about what the cop car sounded like with a bit higher idle rpm

 

[lmfvf2ssredlineute]

I was told about an XF Falcon that the coppers used back in the late 80's in Adelaide to bait people into traffic light to traffic light runs...It happened to have a 351 fitted.....

did the police make the xf look authentic as an under cover street racer, with the arss lower than the front, loaded with 6 Italians, letter box bonnet scoop, gutter sweepers and phase three boot spoiler, fox tail tied to the the aerial and fuzzy dices hanging from the rear vision mirror
those were the days