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Post by SCMODS on Sept 11, 2011 18:36:05 GMT -5
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 11, 2011 20:19:45 GMT -5
I remember this guy: It seems to be a 75 (alternator solenoid on firewall), and seems to be police (brake booster, speedo, upper door panels, power steering cooler - and hey, I just noticed it has the CHP style subframe ground strap, I've been meaning to create a thread on that). I think our assessment on BBC was that it was a 75, ex-police, with a wrong steering column and wheel (76+ tilt/telescoping), and quite expensive. I don't know if it's still available. /arthur
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Post by tk826 on Sept 11, 2011 21:46:04 GMT -5
I remember bringing that ad to BBC, probably a little over a year ago.
When I wrote to them at the time I was told...
"Price is firm" "No negotiations" "If you are interested in any of the parts off this car, they are $3500 each"
Considering it's shape, and the unwillingness of the seller to haggle, my guess is that it is still out there rusting away.
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 12, 2011 4:22:40 GMT -5
From the ad page:
This black and white 1975 Dodge Royal Monaco Police Special 4 door patrol car is a very straight, solid high Idaho desert patrol car ready to be restored. This is the same as the "Blues Brothers" movie squad car. The movie car was a 1974 but the 1975 had an indentical body. It came from the Arco, Idaho police department in central Idaho. This is a U code police package car with a 440 CID 275 HP high performance motor with air conditioning. The car was running when we got it about 15 years ago and it was driven to it's current location. There is a small dent in the front center nose. There is a dent in the left front fender. The sheet metal is scratched and slightly dented on the back top of the left front fender and door. There is a rusted area behind the left front wheel well at the bottom. The left front and right rear doors are missing the glass and door handles. The rest of the glass is good. The hood hinges need some work. The left tail light is broken. The spot light and the police antennas are gone. The rear brakes and axles are gone but we will put axles back in it and get it rolling. The special wheels are gone and we will provide non-stock standard wheels. The brown interior is mostly complete. The left/right dash panel is out and some of the dash parts may be missing. The 140 MPH Certified speedometer is there and the mileage reads 31,136 which has certainly turned over. The fabric seat inserts are deteriorated. The vinyl areas of the seats look ok. The floors and trunk bottom are solid. The motor is missing the alternator and air cleaner. A carburetor is on the back seat and it looks like the correct one but I cannot be sure. It comes with an Idaho title. Please call Steve Murphy at (406) 565-5277 for details about this restorable classic project car. For sale $3,500
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Regarding: > It came from the Arco, Idaho police department in central Idaho.
It looks like a CHP. Whenever the CHP wore out a car, sometimes they sold it. If they sold to a civilian, they painted the car first (such as with 440RULEZs car). If they sold to another police agency, they left the original black and white paint job.
The only way a civilian could get an ex-CHP with original CHP paint would be for the CHP to first sell the car to another police agency, and then have that second police agency sell the car without repainting.
This might be an original CHP, with the original CHP paint, making it quite rare. The paint, carpet, door panels, seat upholstery look CHP. And notice the passenger-side windshield washer reservoir. It seems the only way to get a passenger-side reservoir on a 74/75 was for CHP spec cars that needed the room on the driver side for the siren and this bracket:
Here's what it looks like on Marin County:
I was thinking that this bracket was used to support the front of the siren. Here's a pic of 440RULEZs car:
But I've heard recently that this was not to support the siren, and was actually a super ground connection between the battery and the subframe, and a variety of other car connections needing a ground.
440RULEZ: can you take a pic of your car and clarify this?
It would be interesting to check out the car and see if other things pointed to ex-CHP. Not that I'm in the market for a 75 Monaco, but it's still cool.
your friend in police car history, arthur
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Post by scatpack on Sept 15, 2011 8:58:05 GMT -5
that tilt column with the chrome spacer was on 75 Monacos also. They used 2 75 Monacos on the Dukes and 1 had this wheel and column. the other was a fixed column with the black 3 spoke wheel.
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 15, 2011 19:46:27 GMT -5
> [from sigmfsk] ...with a wrong steering column and wheel (76+ tilt/telescoping)... > [from scatpack] that tilt column with the chrome spacer was on 75 Monacos also. Good catch! I think you're right, and that matches the info in our chart: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=details&thread=170&post=768that 75-77 tilt/telescoping wheels were the same. I just didn't remember the details. I update my comment from > ..with a wrong steering column and wheel (76+ tilt/telescoping)... to > ..with a wrong steering column and wheel (tilt/telescoping). I mean, I guess a cop car could have tilt/telescoping, but could it really, with CHP spec everything else? I'll send the guy an e-mail with my sick grandma story and see if he'll send a pic of the fender tag.
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Post by tk826 on Sept 15, 2011 19:49:07 GMT -5
Every Monaco shown on the TV series "CHiPs" was a '75 with tilt steering.
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 15, 2011 20:08:15 GMT -5
Every Monaco shown on the TV series "CHiPs" was a '75 with tilt steering. Hmmmmm. I think we talked about that the pushbars on the CHiPs show didn't seem realistic (the angle of the uprights). But were the actual cars police cars, or at least appear to be with police upper door panels? Maybe all 75 CHP Monacos had tilt steering. It's certainly an interesting tidbit, thanks. I sent the grandma e-mail; I'll keep you posted.
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 18, 2011 8:43:54 GMT -5
Here: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=police&thread=252&post=741Steam Writes: > I recall the 'Buffalo Collection' seller mentioning that the only > Royal Monaco police car was in 1977. > There's no such thing as a '75 or '76 Royal Monaco police car... Here: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=police&thread=252&post=743I write the following, summarizing my understanding of Steam's understanding of the Buffalo Collection's seller's understanding that --------------- in 74, the royal monaco didn't exist 75 cop monacos were "monacos" (bluesmobile-ish style front end), never "royal monacos" (hideaway headlights) (according to buffalo collection) 76 cop monacos were "monacos", not royal monacos (basically the same, but with monaco being a lower style class). The "royal monaco" was available, but no police agency used it (according to buffalo collection). --------------- There would seem to be the following ways to tell if a 1975 Monaco was a "Monaco" or a "Royal Monaco" Method #1: VIN DH : royal monaco (in 1974 the DH was called the monaco custom) DK : monaco police DM : monaco base DP : royal monaco brougham (in 1974 the DP was called the monaco brougham) DT : monaco taxi Method #2 : body style. bluesmobile style = not royal hideaway headlight style = royal Method #3 : look at the emblems on the fender and fuel access door Fender = monaco, fuel access door = DODGE : not royal Fender = royal monaco, fuel access door = royal monaco : royal So what do you do if everything says "monaco", except for the fuel access door which says "royal monaco"? I think I'd probably say it is a monaco, with an incorrect fuel access door emblem, and Ma Mopar had some fun on the assembly line. Notice the "monaco" fender emblem, non-civilian antenna, and 74 style fender brace. And look - detachable shoulder harnesses on a 1975. This car is blowing my mind! You can see here that it has 1975 style seatbelts : lower retractor, but interior b-pillar cover is 2-piece. 75! Detachable! This shows that the passenger mirror remote joystick (under the dash to the left of where the map light is/would be). I'm thinking it is likely that the right mirror joystick, and tilt/telescoping steering wheel is stock. TK, you mentioned that > Every Monaco shown on the TV series "CHiPs" was a '75 with tilt > steering. Do they have passenger mirrors, and "royal monaco" on the fuel access door? I'm not asking for you to invest a lot of time; just if you have pics handy. And check out these "bumperettes" - I guess to keep things from bumping into the trunk supports? My car didn't have those: Anyone seen those trunk bumperettes before? This car is blowing my mind! your friend in cool cop finds, arthur
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Post by tk826 on Sept 18, 2011 9:05:27 GMT -5
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Post by Steam McQueen on Sept 18, 2011 14:33:40 GMT -5
That fuel door must have been a swap, Arthur. I can't imagine Ma Mopar putting a Royal Monaco fuel door on a Monaco ... but she did do a lot of crazy things. Heh, she must have drank a lot in the 70's. Here's a couple of "CHiPs" cars ... Some more to peruse here ... www.imcdb.org/vehicle_18213-Dodge-Monaco-1975.html
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Post by sigmfsk on Sept 18, 2011 18:46:50 GMT -5
That fuel door must have been a swap, Arthur. I can't imagine Ma Mopar putting a Royal Monaco fuel door on a Monaco ... but she did do a lot of crazy things. Heh, she must have drank a lot in the 70's. I think you're right on this one, Steam. Notice that this car has the truck latch screwed to the car THROUGH the cardboard protector: I believe this installation is non-stock, and it should look like this with the cardboard protector on top: from here: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=details&thread=161&post=1600So I'm thinking that maybe it got rear-ended or such and they ended up replacing the fuel access door, and also replaced the cardboard protector incorrectly. But what's up with the bumperettes in the trunk? Don't they seem too perfect of a fit to be a coincidence? I've never seen a Monaco with them, though. I'm thinking it may be a 75 only thing. Maybe a 75 police only thing. The trunk bumperettes don't look like those on 74 front bumper: above, Lord Vadus' hardtop. But the look of the parts catalog 75 bumperettes is different than those in the 74 catalog. Those in the 75 catalog look like they'd match those in the trunk. The trunk has the spare tire mount over on the right rear (or at least not on the left front), but I don't think it is an ex-CHP, because the exterior chrome trim has a factory stamped hole for the spotlight (instead of the CHP drilling the trim themselves for a 216 exterior mount). I think it used the factory exterior 2XX spotlight mounts, like Ghostbluesman has on his 75 Ohio State Police monaco: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=owners&action=display&thread=98bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=information&thread=101&post=817It looks like's Ghost's has front and rear bumperettes: but not the trunk bumperettes: It seems weird that Ma Mopar would even want trunk bumperettes, but to retool the front bumper and front bumperettes so that they could also be used for the trunk... And then not actually use them on many cars??? Now that I look closely, this car does have the rear bumperettes installed (on the bumper), but the front bumper is missing its bumperettes: Maybe someone at the police maintenance lot removed them from the front bumper, and installed them in the trunk? After the fuel access door accident? your friend in the weirdness, arthur
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Post by tk826 on Sept 18, 2011 21:09:51 GMT -5
The CHiPs cars...
I'm not sure how many total Monaco's were used. The most I see in one shot is 5.
It looks like all of them have/ had passenger mirrors, and the simple DODGE lettering on the fuel doors.
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Post by Steam McQueen on Sept 20, 2011 20:49:07 GMT -5
But what's up with the bumperettes in the trunk? I'd say those are the missing front bumperettes that someone placed into the trunk, instead of just throwing them in. Must have been a fit of aesthetic symmetry. ;D
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Post by fordjockey on Sept 21, 2011 0:16:22 GMT -5
From the ad page: This black and white 1975 Dodge Royal Monaco Police Special 4 But I've heard recently that this was not to support the siren, and was actually a super ground connection between the battery and the subframe, and a variety of other car connections needing a ground. 440RULEZ: can you take a pic of your car and clarify this? It would be interesting to check out the car and see if other things pointed to ex-CHP. Not that I'm in the market for a 75 Monaco, but it's still cool. your friend in police car history, arthur Hi guys it is a bracket to support the siren speaker....its came under special ordered items and there had to be a minimum of 5 cars ordered to get one. *Special siren bracket to accommodate a mechanical siren (siren and wiring not included). Bracket is located in the engine compartment on the left inner wheelhouse directly behind the battery. The old Federal Mechanical sirens were quite heavy and could only be mounted under the hood area. The blue and gold has one mounted in the front . My car has the bracket also.
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