1972 Dodge Polara (Walking Tall) Patrol Car

bobbyrum

Member
Member
May 26, 2010
75
1
Dyersburg, TN
This is my project car, it is a replica of one of Buford Pussers patrol cars used in McNairy County, TN. Everything is 1970's correct. This car has been basically garage kept for almost 40 years, all paint and body is in its orignial condition and has not been worked on. It has the Visibar lightbar, PA20A siren, crystall type scanner, long whip antenna and a whip type scanner antenna, pro-gard mesh cage and wig-wags. Mileage is original at 53400 miles, has a 360 motor and runs great. Decals will be available on my website for sale here soon if anyone needs this type of decal 831 Jones Rd If you have any questions about the car please send me a message or email bobbyrum@cableone.net This car will also be on display at the Buford Pusser Museum periodically. Thanks for looking, Bobby Byrum

dodge in parade.jpg

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bobbyrum said:
This is my project car, it is a replica of one of Buford Pussers patrol cars used in McNairy County, TN. Everything is 1970's correct. This car has been basically garage kept for almost 40 years, all paint and body is in its orignial condition and has not been worked on. It has the Visibar lightbar, PA20A siren, crystall type scanner, long whip antenna and a whip type scanner antenna, pro-gard mesh cage and wig-wags. Mileage is original at 53400 miles, has a 360 motor and runs great. Decals will be available on my website for sale here soon if anyone needs this type of decal 831 Jones Rd If you have any questions about the car please send me a message or email bobbyrum@cableone.net This car will also be on display at the Buford Pusser Museum periodically. Thanks for looking, Bobby Byrum

Bobby,


Super nice patrol car and I would love to take it for a spin!!, but they were definetly white in the 3- 70's Walking Tall Movies.(Best Movies ever!!!!!) :D I can't say if the real cars of McNairy County were that color or not? Do you have a close up of the door decal?


Thanks Todd
 
you are correct they were white in the movie, I have found out that he did have a green one actually when he was sheriff, as far as the vinyl top, when you find a car in this shape, vinyl or no vinyl you take it. I do know that all of Buford's cars were hardtops.
 
Nice Ride Bobby!!! Alot of rural counties in Tennessee used a variety of colors and makes due to the officers having to supply thier own car. This was common up unitil 1971 in Washington Co.
 
bobbyrum said:
you are correct they were white in the movie, I have found out that he did have a green one actually when he was sheriff, as far as the vinyl top, when you find a car in this shape, vinyl or no vinyl you take it. I do know that all of Buford's cars were hardtops.

Is your County anywhere near McNairy? There are 2 major places in Tennessee I have always wanted to visit, One is the very Sheriff Bufford Pusser Museum you spoke of and the other is the Jack Daniels plant in Lynchburg.


Thanks :DTodd
 
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Sweetness!!! That's a really great replica, Bobby. One thing I noticed: The Twin Beacon Ray's mounting feet. It should have the tube-type feet with gutter clips or a gutterless mount kit to be more correct. Other than that, it's a very well-done setup :thumbsup: !
 
Actually Federal Signal offered the gutter mount, permanent mount or the hook on mount for this lightbar. I could not find a decent set of gutter mounts when I got the lightbar so I left it as a hook on mount.
 
bobbyrum said:
Actually Federal Signal offered the gutter mount, permanent mount or the hook on mount for this lightbar. I could not find a decent set of gutter mounts when I got the lightbar so I left it as a hook on mount.

Well, hopefully somebody will have the correct system to spare one day. Never stop looking ;) !
 
I have the correct sets in stock, perm mount with single gutter clip, $85 and hi-bar gutter mount with 4 clips $200
 
Wigwam700 said:
Is your County anywhere near McNairy? There are 2 major places in Tennessee I have always wanted to visit, One is the very Sheriff Bufford Pusser Museum you spoke of and the other is the Jack Daniels plant in Lynchburg.
Thanks :DTodd

Its not a plant. its a DISTILLERY. And i live 17 miles from it..... :razz:
 
Jarred J. said:
Its not a plant. its a DISTILLERY. And i live 17 miles from it..... :razz:

sweet,


thanks for the correction


Todd:crazy:
 
You want the right car to make a movie-accurate McNairy County Sheriff's Polara? Bid on this gem.... allegedly 24,183 original miles!! Man, oh man, if I could only afford this sled!!


Dodge Dodge | eBay
 
bobbyrum said:
you are correct they were white in the movie, I have found out that he did have a green one actually when he was sheriff, as far as the vinyl top, when you find a car in this shape, vinyl or no vinyl you take it. I do know that all of Buford's cars were hardtops.

I remember seeing a green car in one of the movies (with Bo Svenson playing the part of Buford Pusser), but I think it just had a blue Federal Fireball teardrop beacon on the dash. The car also had a Federal PA20A.
 
patrol530 said:
Yeah, where the Sheriff was letting the kid play with the siren while he took his daddy to jail.

I remember posting a video of that a while back. It's gone now (sucks, I know).


I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd "Walking Tall" movie. I found it funny how when that scene comes in, it's a mechanical siren while the PA20A (I think it was an E series too) control knob was on WAIL when that shot came in. The kid then switches to YELP, and an early-sixties Federal WAIL comes on. Finally, just to drive us siren gurus even more nuts, the kid switches back to WAIL and an early-sixties Federal YELP is played. Correct tones were not used here at all during sound editing, but made for a funny tidbit:haha: :bonk:
 
You should make this car your avatar.


Todd:D
 
I live in McNairy County. I have seen everything "Buford Pusser" here. I just took my Cub Scout den to Buford's old office and the old jail on top of the courthouse as a field trip activity. There is a man here that owns a body shop that is a Buford Pusser nut. He is the "go to" historian for all things Buford. He has a rebuilt Polara that is correct in all forms for his reign as Sheriff. I could take you to every little hole that Buford busted, broke into, or destroyed. I go right by the memorial where Buford got killed on the highway when I go to Savannah, TN. During his terms as Sheriff, all the deputy cruisers were white. Buford personally changed his cars repeatedly to keep the bootleggers, lowlifes, and thugs on their toes. He had several different colors of cars back then.
 
I learned to drive in a 1972 Plymouth Fury III. It was this same green color. My sister called it "puke" green. It also had the 360 V8. From what I understand the 360 was the middle size moter of the three offered. My sister would drag race it in collage. She said it had a slow pick up time but would out run almost anything she would race. Also, I love the shot of the dash and seats. My Plymouth had the exact same color, trim and seat covers. Seeing that brought back a lot of memories. Those bumpers could take a hit and barely dent. I wish bumpers were like that today.
 
Kinda related ... Sheriff JW Pepper's car in Live and Let Die is Green with a vinyl roof ...

Saw that the other day; immediately thought of your car, and eLightbars.

(I would like to make a 175 that was smashed but still working, as from later in this same movie sequence.)

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