CHP INFLUENCE ON THE 1976 Dodge Coronet with the 440 Engine
Oct 23, 2016 19:52:45 GMT -5
Post by mrwill17 on Oct 23, 2016 19:52:45 GMT -5
I am currently restoring a 1976 Dodge Coronet CHP with a numbers matching 440 engine. As the story goes in 1975 CHP wanted a fast chase vehicle. At the time, Chrysler was their police car supplier. When they were ready to order their 1976 Police cars, CHP asked Chrysler to install 440s in their intermediate B-body Coronet which the following year would become the Monaco for 77-78. Chrysler said they only come with 400s. Chrysler said they would order 250 Coronets if you install them with 440s along with the rest of their fleet since CHP would only do one year contracts with carmakers. Needless to say the Coronet 440 was born. These car were so fast and got such great feedback from officers that Chrysler built the Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Fury with 440 truck engines for the rest of the cars run of production which ended in 1978 with it being the fastest U.S. made production car. It had a top speed of 133mph which was not beaten until 1994 when Chevrolet made the LT-1 powered Caprice.
Soon after I bought my Coronet I contacted Chrysler and they put me in touch with their historic department. They were very nice. They sent me the police brochure for 1976 showing the 440 engine being a CA only option in the Coronet. The rest of the U.S. could only get the 400 engine in Coronets. The lady I spoke to told me that according to their records CHP were the first to purchase 440 Coronets and some CA departments piggybacked on CHP police car orders so they got Coronet with 440s too. The total production of 440 Coronets was about 1,200. I have only seen two cars like mine on the internet and would love to hear from people that own a 76 440 Coronet.
I have owned police cars since I was 22 years old and have always wanted a 70's Mopar police car. I think I got lucky when I bought my car, the owner did not know it was a matching numbers car until I told him I would buy his car for the "buy it now" price and all his NOS parts he acquired for the car to restore it if he sent me a picture of the vin# on the block and trans. He sent it to me an hour later saying it was the same as the vin#,which it was, so I sent him the money immediately and the car was mine. He had it 5 years but never did anything with it. He lives in Nevada so rust was not an issue except for the front floor pans which were replaced by a highly skilled friend who took floor pans I purchased from year one that were for 71-74 B-body cars and added six inches of metal in the center of them so they fit perfectly. During the course of the build I have rebuilt the engine and had it dynoed to the tune of 411hp and 494ftlbs of torque, acquired front and rear NOS bumpers, had the interior redone exactly to original pattern, had the car sandblasted except for the driver's door that has the CHP numbers along with the plastic label from when it went into service. Everything has been powdercoated, rebuilt or replaced saving all the markings from the factory I have found from cleaning the entire undercarriage. This winter starts putting the car back together after it is painted. I will post a couple pics to show the car when I got it and how it is now. Thanks, Will
Soon after I bought my Coronet I contacted Chrysler and they put me in touch with their historic department. They were very nice. They sent me the police brochure for 1976 showing the 440 engine being a CA only option in the Coronet. The rest of the U.S. could only get the 400 engine in Coronets. The lady I spoke to told me that according to their records CHP were the first to purchase 440 Coronets and some CA departments piggybacked on CHP police car orders so they got Coronet with 440s too. The total production of 440 Coronets was about 1,200. I have only seen two cars like mine on the internet and would love to hear from people that own a 76 440 Coronet.
I have owned police cars since I was 22 years old and have always wanted a 70's Mopar police car. I think I got lucky when I bought my car, the owner did not know it was a matching numbers car until I told him I would buy his car for the "buy it now" price and all his NOS parts he acquired for the car to restore it if he sent me a picture of the vin# on the block and trans. He sent it to me an hour later saying it was the same as the vin#,which it was, so I sent him the money immediately and the car was mine. He had it 5 years but never did anything with it. He lives in Nevada so rust was not an issue except for the front floor pans which were replaced by a highly skilled friend who took floor pans I purchased from year one that were for 71-74 B-body cars and added six inches of metal in the center of them so they fit perfectly. During the course of the build I have rebuilt the engine and had it dynoed to the tune of 411hp and 494ftlbs of torque, acquired front and rear NOS bumpers, had the interior redone exactly to original pattern, had the car sandblasted except for the driver's door that has the CHP numbers along with the plastic label from when it went into service. Everything has been powdercoated, rebuilt or replaced saving all the markings from the factory I have found from cleaning the entire undercarriage. This winter starts putting the car back together after it is painted. I will post a couple pics to show the car when I got it and how it is now. Thanks, Will