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Police Ridgeline

104K views 197 replies 95 participants last post by  McChizzle  
#1 · (Edited)
After months of work putting this vehicle together and several visits to the ROC for information, I finally decided to join, even though I'm not the "owner".

About a year ago, I set out to replace our '03 Ford Expedition used by our patrol division as a spare car and in inclement weather, and several of our officers felt they’d rather have a truck than an SUV. The downside was no secure storage for those things we must bring along with us while working. One of our detectives has a 2006 RTL and after looking at the trunk and making sure there was enough room, it seemed a logical and superior replacement for an SUV. And back last summer when planning this, I wasn't even sure we could get approval for a full-size SUV because of the gas prices. So we "downsized" and ended up with a very capable vehicle that has more utility value than our old Expo, and will likely give years of dependable service. This vehicle has everything our other patrol cars have with the exception of a partition between the front and rear seat, which we've never put in our 4x4 spare car.

This has been in service since August, and I finally finished it with a brush guard from Burtman Industries to complete the "as close to our Crown Vics look" as possible. I went with an RTS to get a power seat, and then swapped back to black RT steel rims for durability. Silver is pretty easy to match, and the Billet Silver metallic is close enough to our Ford color. I'd like a full vinyl floor covering, but WeatherTech floor liners are the next best thing to keep the carpets clean.

*There are a lot of pictures of the install as well as additional completed pictures starting at post #78 of this thread.
 

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#4 ·
Welcome to the ROC family.Now thats one cool looking ridgeline.:)
 
#5 ·
Welcome...

You said you changed to the RT rims for durability; can you elaborate on your reasoning? Do you mean as far as the finish is concerned or do you mean in strength for taking a beating?

One thing you may not know about the RL rims is that they are designed for strength and is an integral part of the crash safety features. The alloys will be able to handle whatever you plan on throwing at them.


 
#6 ·
Sweeet! I think everyone on this forum will be excited to see this awesome police mod'd Ridgeline.
 
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#8 · (Edited)
xridgelinex:

In 18+ years in police work, I've seen lots of smashed alloy rims, with the cars attached to them going no where. Every now and then, our guys will destroy a steel rim but usually will not deflate the tire unless they take out the sidewall too. Recently, one guy ruined two rims (RH side) during an emergency on the granite curb in a roundabout, but his tires held, and he stayed in the game. Which is what its all about. It just seemed safer to stick with steel.

By the way, the only problem with this truck is the alternator. I run an Optima deep-cycle auxialiiary battery to power everything that didn't come from the factory, on a Cole Hersee isolator. But with everything on including headlights and AC, I'm using more power than the 130 amp alternator is making (about 78 amps at idle). Somewhere I stumbled on on a 180 after-market alternator and wondered if anyone had any suggestions on that. Our Fords come with 200 amps.
 
#14 · (Edited)
In 18+ years in police work, I've seen lots of smashed alloy rims, with the cars attached to them going no where. Every now and then, our guys will destroy a steel rim but usually will not deflate the tire unless they take out the sidewall too. Recently, one guy ruined two rims (RH side) during an emergency on the granite curb in a roundabout, but his tires held, and he stayed in the game. Which is what its all about.
I now understand your reasoning... Thanks... I hope it never happens...
 
#9 ·
SheepDog, you did a great job on the exterior decals and the mounting of equipment in the interior. Makes me even prouder to be a RidgeLine owner. Thanks! Have a safe Holiday and hope you get some quality time with your family.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Thanks RockyRoad, I have it off and will enjoy it. I did very little of the work, our regular, local suppliers and installers did the hard part. And they all did a FANTASTIC job. Here they are:

2009 Honda Ridgeline RTS, Tim Stone, sales, Honda of Keene, NH

Black RT steel rims and black grill, Honda of Keene

Graphics, Steve Arkwright, Hartford Sign Company, West Hartford, VT

Fabrication/modification of custom brackets for Havis Shields console and computer screen brackets, Todd Bragg, Town of Hanover NH Public Works-Fleet Division

Alpine CDA-9886 sound system, John Putnam, Electronic Superstore, W Lebanon, NH

Installation of police equipment, Ossipee Mountain Electronics, Moultonborough, NH, (Installers - Allen, Rick, Dale and Aaron; Sales - Craig and Lou) including:
Motorola MW800 computer
Motorola Astro W-9 radio
Whelen Liberty LED lightbar
Whelen M700 LEDS on mirrors
Whelen Vertex LEDS in DRLs
Whelen Vertex LEDs, rear & taillights
Whelen MPC01 Controller/Siren
Digital Safety Technologies DP2 cruiser video
Unity Spotlight
Soundoff wig-wag headlamp flasher
Soundoff white/red dome interior dome light
Decatur G2 Select radar w/ custom brackets
Cole Hersee battery isolator
Optima D34/78 auxiliary battery

Burtman Industries Brush Guard, Jason Burtman, Burtman Industries, Harrisburg, PA, installed by Don Foster, Town of Hanover NH Public Works-Fleet Division

I hope I didn't forget anyone.
 
#114 ·
#26 ·
same here

In 29 years of law enforcement, I have never seen a police cruiser so baaad azzz! I'm jealous we don't have them but then again, I drive one! ;)
but wouldnt you want an under cover one so when the f150 with truck nuts acts all big and bad ass passes you just hit the siren and give his ass a big fine :cool:

hey watch out for this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6--kTcODn8 (i bet someone will try this :p)
 
#13 ·
That truck almost makes me want to drive across country so I can be pulled over for speeding by you!.....almost. Great looking truck. As for the battery drain, you might try adding another batter in the trunk to help power all the extras....that's the way I'm set up. As soon as my batteries die, I'm going with Optima Yellow top deep cell batteries.
 
#18 · (Edited)
As for the battery drain, you might try adding another batter in the trunk to help power all the extras....that's the way I'm set up. As soon as my batteries die, I'm going with Optima Yellow top deep cell batteries.
Rusty, I'm running an Optima Yellow Top under the back seat for all my electronics with a Cole Hersee isolator that charges the front first, then the aux battery. But I'm still at a net loss of about 10 amps when sitting still with everything on including heat or AC. With the two batteries, I have a long reserve time, but eventually run down. Plus I have to run the batteries together in parallel, defeating the isolator. With the isolator defeated, if someone leaves stuff on, both batteries will eventually go flat.

Thanks everyone for responses. We drove this to Police Fleet Expo in Milwaukee before it even went on the road here, and we got a lot of comments, funny looks, and some thumbs-ups from other RL drivers.
 
#24 ·
wow, awesome cruiser sheepdog!
my wife works in hanover and drives a ridgeline, she was so excited to tell me there was a police ridgeline when she first saw it, but i still havent seen for myself so thx for posting (and welcome to the ROC)
 
#25 ·
In 29 years of law enforcement, I have never seen a police cruiser so baaad azzz! I'm jealous we don't have them but then again, I drive one! ;)
 
#29 ·
Wow what an awesome looking ride. Too bad we didn't know about the meet in Milwaukee, would have been worth the trip to drive out there and check it out in person. I have to second one of the previous posters, makes you almost want to drive out there and get pulled over, but not quite. Thanks for the Pics, keep'em comin'
 
#30 ·
Glad you joined the ROC and thanks for sharing your pics and mod details.
Awesome job! :cool:
 
#96 ·
Oh yes, this would be the guest truck of honor by far. And it would keep the park police at bay. :D:eek:

There are some who would, but because it's on a 6 year replacement schedule, I don't want to pile up mileage. I ended up stretching our 03 Expedition thru a 7th year to save up money for the RL, and it only had 65,000 miles on it. I predict this will have higher mileage, mostly by me. 2,000 for Milwaukee and back, and someone mentioned Jersey in August for a meet, hmmm. "Dear Chief..."
We would be honored to have yourself and this impressive and awesome truck at our North Jersey August Meet. It would be the highlight of the meet by far.

As a fellow emergency services provider who uses LEDs as well, this truck would be a real treat and I can truly appreciate all the time it must of taken to do the full install on the truck.

I've never been to a meet, and not knowing what goes on at one I haven't considered attending any, but...

...if that cruiser was going to make an appearance here in Jersey, I think I would make a point of being there to see it - if nothing else. It's that cool.

- Chip
You should check the stickied thread in the Northeast section on the Swartswood Meet. Next August will be the fourth meet there.