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New owner of a Charger (Police edition)

7K views 16 replies 14 participants last post by  CE9311 
#1 · (Edited)
New owner of a Charger Pursuit

Hey all. As my name implies, I am completely new to the car game. Recently I ended up purchasing a 2009 Charger Pursuit. It's definitely not in 'pristine condition,' but it's the first car I've ever owned and I think it's going to be a fun project to restore! Here's my current to-do list:


  • Detail/sanitize the interior. Especially the rear seats/floor.
  • Detail the exterior.
  • Clean the engine compartment.
  • Replace brake pad(s).
  • Rims are rusting a little bit. Should I refinish/repaint them?
  • Sew the rip in the driver's seat.
  • Add a center console (these are the only two I've found so far: Option 1 and Option 2). Are there any other options or is it pretty limited?
  • Paint the top "brilliant black" to match the rest of the car. I haven't decided whether or not to pay someone else to do it, or to do it myself. There are also scratches and a few dings in the body I'd like to have fixed, I think it's going to be more extensive than using a touch-up pen. The other thing I'm thinking about is whether to just paint the roof (which is white) or to repaint the entire car.
  • Figure out how to reinstall working locks in the rear. Does anyone sell a rear lock kit for an '09? Rear window controls need to be reactivated too.
  • The trunk is very 'industrial' inside, so I was thinking about carpeting it.
  • As far as performance upgrades, I'm not very familiar with them and I don't know where to start. Is there anything cost effective that's relatively simple to enhance?
  • I've heard the police department typically runs 87 octane on these guys, I don't know if that's true or not. Should I be running 87, 91, or does it matter for a stock charger?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.:grin2:
 

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#2 ·
Hey all. As my name implies, I am completely new to the car game. Recently I ended up purchasing a 2009 Police Charger. It's definitely not in 'pristine condition', but it's the first car I've ever owned and I think it's going to be a fun project to restore! Here's my current to-do list:


  • Detail/sanitize the interior. Especially the rear seats/floor.
  • Detail the exterior.
  • Clean the engine compartment.
  • Replace brake pad(s).
  • Rims are rusting a little bit. Should I refinish/repaint them?
  • Sew the rip in the driver's seat.
  • Add a center console (these are the only two I've found so far: Option 1 and Option 2). Are there any other options or is it pretty limited?
  • Paint the top "brilliant black" to match the rest of the car. I haven't decided whether or not to pay someone else to do it, or to do it myself. There are also scratches and a few dings in the body I'd like to have fixed, I think it's going to be more extensive than using a touch-up pen. The other thing I'm thinking about is whether to just paint the roof (which is white) or to repaint the entire car.
  • Figure out how to reinstall working locks in the rear. Does anyone sell a rear lock kit for an '09? Rear window controls need to be reactivated too.
  • The trunk is very 'industrial' inside, so I was thinking about carpeting it.
  • As far as performance upgrades, I'm not very familiar with them and I don't know where to start. Is there anything cost effective that's relatively simple to enhance?
  • I've heard the police department typically runs 87 octane on these guys, I don't know if that's true or not. Should I be running 87, 91, or does it matter for a stock charger?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.:grin2:
Welcome to the forum! I've always been a fan of Charger Pursuits, almost looked into a leftover 2014 one at one point. As far as fuel, I don't know if the Pursuits had a specific tune to run 87 regularly, but if it is the V8 version and they do not then you should be running midgrade 89 for full performance, but it can run on 87 without issues.
 
#6 · (Edited)
+1 on the 89 octane. And +2 on a 93 octane tune and 93 octane fuel.

Also, PLEASE paint that car something besides black, white or silver. Or at least put a big red stripe on it or something else so folks will not throw on their brake every time they meet you.

About a month back, my wife and I were coming back from Texas on a curvy back road. We came upon a Charger doing 55 mph. After some serious looking, we decided it wasn't a cop car, so we powered on past it. But while passing it, we notice a bunch of cop stuff on it even though the guy behind the wheel was in jeans and a t-shirt. Over a 60 mile stretch, we saw folks braking, bobbing and weaving all over the place when meeting this guy. And I still don't know if he was a cop or not. Some of the small town and local county boys don't always wear uniforms. Many have older rough-looking service Chargers too. So who knows?

The point is, a Charger that looks like a cop car is going to cause lots of grief to lots of folks. A big red strip down the hood would help prevent that. :patriot:
 
#9 ·
Thanks guys! I think I'll stick with 87 for now.
+1 on the 89 octane. And +2 on a 93 octane tune and 93 octane fuel.
Also, PLEASE paint that car something besides black, white or silver. Or at least put a big red stripe on it or something else so folks will not throw on their brake every time they meet you.
About a month back, my wife and I were coming back from Texas on a curvy back road. We came upon a Charger doing 55 mph. After some serious looking, we decided it wasn't a cop car, so we powered on past it. But while passing it, we notice a bunch of cop stuff on it even though the guy behind the wheel was in jeans and a t-shirt. Over a 60 mile stretch, we saw folks braking, bobbing and weaving all over the place when meeting this guy. And I still don't know if he was a cop or not. Some of the small town and local county boys don't always wear uniforms. Many have older rough-looking service Chargers too. So who knows?
The point is, a Charger that looks like a cop car is going to cause lots of grief to lots of folks. A big red strip down the hood would help prevent that. :patriot:
That's good advice, thank you.

Congrats on the Pursuit Charger. I would leave it the way it is except for the roof. Have you taken a close look to see if it is a wrap and not painted white? If it is painted white, you could put on a matte or gloss black wrap a lot cheaper than painting it.
I'm not quite familiar with "wraps," I just looked at the roof and it seems to be painted white over the black finish. I can see some of the white chipping off. Can I apply this wrap myself or does it need special tools/skills? I was just quoted $300 for painting the roof to match the body.
 
#7 ·
Congrats on the Pursuit Charger. I would leave it the way it is except for the roof. Have you taken a close look to see if it is a wrap and not painted white? If it is painted white, you could put on a matte or gloss black wrap a lot cheaper than painting it.
 
#11 ·
Welcome.

The first thing you have on your list, should be the first thing that gets done. These cars a nasty. I'm VERY picky about my car, and clear it nearly every day. I can't stand driving around in filth. That said, the people we put into the back of them are not generally the most upstanding citizens around. I've had just about every bodily fluid make it's way to my car at some point. I can think of 2 that haven't. One would require the person to be.... um.... "enjoying", the ride a bit too much. Fortunately none of that in my car. The other fluid that hasn't made it in yet is feces. While there is potential for that, I carry garbage bags and any time someone craps themselves they get to wear a garbage bag diaper to jail. Everything else though has hit the seat/floor/windows. Snot, sweat, blood, urine, spit, all of it. So anyway the point is, the very first thing you want to do is take that thing apart and CLEAN it. I'm talking take the rear seat out (they just pop out) clean under it, take small swabs and clean vents and crevasses (especially in the back), scrub the crap out of the floor, etc. Basically, take a lot of time and clean every possible surface, as well as you can. Most LEO's aren't like me with their cars, and a lot of departments don't have a car assigned to a particular officer, so even if they were they may not be able to clean it as much as I do.

Regarding fuel. We use 89, because that's what is recommended for the 5.7L. It will run on 87 without issue, but it runs a little better on 89.
Regarding the rims. They're super easy to repaint if you chose to keep them. It's just a steel rim. Clean off all the rust and spray some new paint. Or you can buy a new set fairly cheap if you want to go that route too.
Regarding the console. Either should work, but I'd likely go with option 2, just because it looks a little more like it belongs in the car. Option 1 looks more like a universal part rather than something made for the Charger. Nothing wrong with it, just me being a weird car guy.
Regarding the trunk. Carpet is a great idea. You should be able to find something decent and cut/form it to fit. Should help a lot.
Regarding the windows. This should be as easy as taking the door panel (interior) off and plugging the switch back into the harness. This is also a good time to clean that area too (spit, vomit or other fluids may have found it's way down the window into the inside of the door).

Good luck with, and enjoy. Sounds like you've got a nice project to keep you busy for a while, and looking at the posted pictures, it doesn't look like it's in too bad of shape for it's age.
 
#14 ·
I noticed a guy in my Co-op development just bought a police Charger. still has the heavy duty push bar attached. Can't give you any info., but what I see it looks like in pretty good condition..

Big John

 

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#16 ·
Update would be nice. I hope you left the roof alone. I think it looks fine, and will be cooler in Summer. First thing I do after disinfecting is to remove wheels, clean thoroughly, sand, wash, tape off tires, and paint. Makes a HUGE difference in appearance with the gloss black wheels. I'm not a fan of adding a push bumper. FLUSH the cooling system! We replaced bad water pump in my friends '09 that had neglected weak coolant. There was a hole in timing cover that almost had gone all the way through! Electrolysis I believe would be that reaction that caused the hole in the aluminum. Had it gone through, and coolant entered the timing chain area, he'd be looking at big expense.

Having much experience with Police Chargers, I can tell you that for whatever reason, have had the best success with '09/'10 Charger 5.7's!!!! Quietest lifters with the fewest issues by far.
 
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