1966 Dodge Monaco

Loaded up. 440. Front/Rear AC

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2561077113...uid=o9-poCnLTli&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

Very nice. I like the rear A/C option.

 

7 seat wagon? Have we gotten so used to bucket seats/center console small cars that we've forgotten what a true full-sized car is? Flip up that front arm rest and you can easily fit 3 across, making accommodations for at least 8. And yes, that rear AC is cool (no pun intended).

The problems that jump out at me:
Brown paint -- and it doesn't look like too good a paint job -- where the woodgrain decal used to be.
I think we can all guess what that mat on the dash means.
I'm not too thrilled with the door speakers.

At first glance, it looks like a pretty nice car overall, but some photos of the underneath would be a big plus.

Final gripe:
Why do sellers feel they have to be so artsy with their photos? Pics rotated 90 or 180 degrees might get them acclaim in an exhibition, but, as far as I'm concerned, they don't earn any points with prospective buyers.

 

Not perfect, but just seeing a full size Mopar wagon avoiding the demo derby is a nice start to my day.

 

I think it's very cool that it still has its 1966 issue black plates and they're actually in the system and registered. So many people didn't care about that and then once people started to care people started to steal them off cars and sell them for $350-600/set.

 

The aftermarket steering wheel need to go

 

Agreed. That would be the first thing I look for on EBay.

 

I was getting confused looking at the '66 Dodge 'full-size' brochure on-line, since there were no Monaco wagons in it. Finally realized I was looking at a brochure put out by Chrysler of Canada..... In Canada, this wagon was known as a 'Polara 880'........

 

Wonder how hard it would be to find that missing pillar that is supposed to cover the lines?

 

Super Duper hard I’m sure, probably made out of unobtainium

 

If anyone has it, it's probably Desert Valley Auto Parts.......

 

But will the original covers fit if the a/c hoses are custom made/bent? This car has too much money spent on things I would have to change back to stock, and not enough spent on the stuff they didn't want to mess with, otherwise I might have been interested.

 

That depends on how it was done from the factory. GM used a full metal line on their Suburbans with rear air for the vast majority of the distance. This looks like it's got new fittings and new rubber lines, if it's the same as originally put out by Mopar in 1966, it should be relatively straightforward. If not, that's a whole 'nother can of worms. I don't know enough about this particular year to say much more than that.

I would speculate it was rubber originally for the lines on this one because if you look at what is left of the existing line cover, it looks pretty large to accommodate the lines. If it was originally metal I would believe finding it wouldn't be impossible, but if it was plastic originally, good luck. Interior plastics were not known for longevity in any car, especially ones that saw sun. You might end up needing to fabricate something that matches from metal if you know what the original looks like.

 

Agreed Krash. I have never seen such a well run operation. They have their cars divided into categories. I found a piece for my ‘57 Montclair in Casa Grande and then went to Black Canyon and my friends found 3 pristine front bumpers to choose from for their ‘76 Mark IV. Also found a perfect bumper spare for my ‘72 Country Squire. They literally had 30-35 ‘71-‘72 LTDs. I’m going to harvest some parts next weekend for a friend in Australia. The key is they remove the parts. Honestly I’ve been in yards where someone peels the whole side of a car for a piece of trim or a mirror. They tackle it with great dispatch and leave the surrounding parts of the car usable. Quite honestly I love that system. I’m getting to old to lug tool boxes, and leap over cars. All you need is the lawn chair and popcorn. A Swiss watch operation.