Another rare Mopar wagon!

About a year ago I got a call from a my buddy that has a tow truck and he told me about some old Mopar Cop Cars at an estate he is helping clear out.
I quick ran over there and found two 1978 Dodge Monaco Ex Phoenix Police cars, one a sedan and just a shell and the other a complete and very original wagon!
The sedan was sold very quickly to a Dukes of Hazzard fan back east because it was very solid but the wagon was love at first sight for me!
The Phoenix Police Department actually kept this 1978 Wagon in service until 1999! (At least they owned it until 1999) in late 1999 a gentleman (now passed) bought the wagon from the Phoenix Municipal Auction to use as a parts car for the decrepit sedan!
fortunately for the Wagon (and myself) he didn’t get too far getting the sedan ready or tearing down the wagon.
The old car sat from around 2001 (last sticker) until 2019 when I bought it.
I rebuilt the carburetor and cleaned out the fuel tank and lines, added a battery, changed all fluids and she fired to life like it was parked yesterday!
After cleaning everything out of the car as it was being used as a storage unit, I realized how well everything stacked inside the car, along with the bubbling window tint helped preserve the seats and plastics inside the car! nothing’s perfect but it’s in much better shape than it really should be sitting out in the AZ heat for 19 years!
amazingly the breaks work well after a flush and bleed and all of the wiring is good and intact, even the AC works!
I just got a clear title in my name so now I am really starting to dig into getting her back on the road!
I had a set of Dodge Magnum wheels with a new set of 235/60/15’s and 275/60/15’s sitting around so I tossed them on it with a set of 1970 centers for Mopar rally wheels for now, I really like it but may go back to the cop car wheels and poverty caps later.
I know it’s not the most desirable old wagon out there but it being a legitimate police issue wagon and a Monaco, not a Fury like all the others makes it more cool than a lot of them out there in my mind.
It’s cool looking down and seeing that “Certified” 140 MPH speedometer staring at you! Now if only the little 2bbl 360 had the horsepower to utilize it!







Gotta find a new needle and speedometer cable. ☹️
Interior pictures to come!
If you have parts for a Monaco, Coronet, Charger, Cordoba, Magnum or Fury (others possibly but I’m not sure)
(I really want Magnum GT dash trim!!!)
Let me know!
Thanks!!
Mopar to Ya!!!

 

Nice find!

 

Isn't it great when you find these gems in the rough!? Good luck with getting her back on the road!....Longroofs Rule!

 

We used to call them Panhandlercaps.
Is this vehicle emission control-exempt or did exemption only apply to federal vehicles? Because all the numbers appear to be lined up exactly straight, this should be the original milage.
It looks like a solid car and good deal

 

Nice. I like those rims on it.

 

This thing has all of the smog control from the factory still on it including cat converter. the mileage may be correct just going on how well everything works and how it looks underneath and under the hood.
This is absolutely one of the most solid vehicles I have ever owned! It’s surface rust and that’s even at a minimum! That alone makes this thing amazing! I would imagine the city used it sparingly but I’m sure it was maintained until 1999.

 

An ex PPD officer told me I need to talk to the PPD Museum and see about vehicle archives.

I’m really interested to see if this car had a tan hood and front doors. The paint doesn’t match on both front doors and the hood only. It’s outside paint only, there are no paint lines in the jambs and or overspray.
I’m planning on doing a easy wet sand and buff after doing some paintless dent removal.
The paint on the hood is badly checked and there’s just no real “saving” it so I’ve been contemplating doing the hood, tops of the doors and window frames all matte black. Along with tinted windows it should give the profile a cool look Accentuating the “cokebottle” shape.
(I just love the 71-79 B Body shape!)
Especially where the rear doors jump up at the rear quarter panels.

It’s no photoshop but you can kind of get the idea! (I couldn’t do the hood...)


I’m sure Police car collectors would be upset, but the areas I’m painting really need to be redone and if and when I sell the car I’d imagine anyone buying it would be painting the whole car anyway.
Let me know what you think!

 

You do know that in the late Eighties, the police 318 came with a 4-barrel intake and Quadrajet carb? You find those and install them, you'll be able to run that 140-MPH speedo all the way up. That wagon was likely a sergeant's car, like Sgt. MacDonald on ADAM-12.

 

If he finds that Quadrajet and manifold, he might as well drop the 360 into an old '66 Valiant and then drop a 440 from some motorhome into the wagon

 

I’ve got a spare steel crank 71 HP 440 or two sitting around and 727’s, I don’t think I’ll be looking for big speed from this one. It will absolutely be getting a FiTech EFI system and some healthy exhaust probably a cam/lifters and springs. That’s down the road, she runs smooth and strong for now with doing very little so it’s getting her looking good and livable.

Anyone know where I would source new door weather strip/gasket sets?
I know they make them for the 2 doors but I can’t find anything for 4 door/wagon.
I thought I’d check with Steel and Soft Seal and DMT.

I’d even buy a set of good (even decent) used set if someone had a doner car.

 

A friend of mine had a 1980 Dodge Aspen Chiefs car (silver with no markings) 318 4bbl that absolutely screamed! He was a Chevy guy until he bought that car as a winter beater. He had a
1966 Chevelle with a healthy 396 in it and he had me race him in the Aspen, his Chevy big block lost 3 out of 3 times and he’s been a Mopar small block guy every since. He’s got a high 10 second 67 barracuda fastback with a 410ci Magnum based small block and a beautiful 71 340 4 speed Duster. The duster is bone stock with 3.91 gears and runs 13 seconds flat at 100mph on bias ply tires! That’s cookin’!

 

Yeah, the adage that "There's no replacement for displacement" I always felt was just a boast. What matters is the power vs. weight ratio. You put that 396 in a late '70s Nova, and it'll definitely give the 318 Aspen a run for its money.

 

If the 396 was tuned right and geared correctly it should have handed the Aspen its Aspen!

 

True. Not every car that came off the assembly line was made to drive a quarter-mile at a time. My Ranchero has 2.47 rear gears from the factory.

 

That's a great looking wagon mopower. What a great score. I was going to mention that it wouldn't take much to wake that 360 up, but it looks like that has already been discussed. Good luck with it and be sure to keep us updated as things progress.