1977 Dodge Monaco California Highway Patrol CHP Police Package car 440 HP

Price: - Item location: Davis, California, United States
Description:

1977 Dodge Other

I am the second owner of this 1977 Dodge Monaco A38 police car. I have had a lot of fun with this car and I am only selling it because I purchased another classic car, nd need the garage space.

The car was purchased through the CHP bid process at Chuck Swift Dodge in Sacramento by the city of Dixon, alifornia in August, 977. CHP allows other jurisdictions to ‘piggyback’ onto their order of vehicles, hereby ordering more cars from the manufacturer and getting a better per car price. The cars are all delivered with the same specifications as the CHP vehicles, xcept possibly for paint colors. I worked for the city of Dixon and know that the police department used this car as a patrol vehicle until approximately 1984. The car was then used as a pool car until I purchased it at auction in August 1987 with approximately 92,000 miles on the odometer. I used the car as a daily driver for several years and then decided to restore it.

Although the engine ran well, n January 2002 at 129.989 miles, decided to have Cascar Machine Shop in Sacramento rebuild it and add a mild cam. In California, ou cannot legally change much on an engine for a car that must pass the rigid biannual smog inspections. This car has passed smog every other year since 1998 and just passed this year’s inspection in October.

I obtained original equipment upholstery fabric from Original Auto Interiors and had the seats reupholstered and the headliner replaced.

CHP Motor Transport in West Sacramento was very helpful in providing technical assistance to restore the car with accurate detail. They supplied original CHP decals and some minor, ard to find parts such as the whip antenna mount and hold down bracket. I was able to obtain the very rare two position radio mic. The siren/PA, adio head, adio equipment bracket, hotgun rack, potlights and Federal Signal California Twinsonic are all period correct and accurate for this vehicle. The radio is non-functional and the siren and light bar have been disconnected per eBay policy. The Goodyear GT+4 tires are also period correct and have a good amount of tread remaining.

I replaced the original valve covers with Mopar performance valve covers and Moroso high heat gaskets. The original valve covers will be included with the car.

I replaced both mufflers in October 2015. I also recently replaced the wheel opening moldings with new old stock moldings and had the rocker moldings straightened and polished. The fuel gauge does not work. I will include two additional fuel gauges with the car. All other gauges and the certified speedometer work properly. I disconnected and re-routed the heater hoses to bypass the heater core. It was not leaking when I disconnected it, ut I don’t use the heater and the car is in storage during the winter, o I wanted to avoid any problems. It would be no trouble to reattach the heater hoses. The air conditioner blows warm. I will include two cans of R12 refrigerant with the car. The dash lights are very dim, o there may be a bulb or two out. The wipers, ll other lights, orn and rear window (fan) defogger work properly. The windows crank up and down.

Besides the parts I already mentioned, am also including: a custom made Dustop car cover, dditional seat upholstery fabric, ront seat tracks, fan shroud, ide marker lights, dditional interior and exterior trim pieces, ash parts, n AM radio, n extra hubcap, California Twinsonic light bar for parts, period correct CHP first aid kit and mounting bracket for the trunk, CHP fire extinguisher, eproduction California ‘exempt’ license plates (plastic), eadlight bulbs, notepad to attach to the shotgun rack (if desired) magnetic strips to cover decals when the vehicle is being driven, hassis and electrical service manuals, ll service records and literature related to the car.

Less than 5,000 A38 Monaco police cars were built in 1977 and I believe that CHP was the only agency that used the 440 in the shorter wheelbase Monaco. 1978 was the final year for the 440 engine. This is a three fender tag car. The last tag says “Special Handling Car” which means it had special handling on the assembly line, ot that it has special handling powers.

These cars are pretty rare (since many were destroyed in TV shows like CHiPS, J Hooker and Hunter) and this is a rust free, estored example. Earlier this year an A38 Monaco sold on eBay for just under $10,000, nd it needed a complete restoration in addition to the hard to find police equipment. I have been showing the car for about ten years and it has won many awards. It has a clear California title and is being sold as-is with no warranty. This is a 38 year old car and I have done my best to describe known problems. Check with your state to see how replica police cars can be operated on roadways. I use the car only for shows and parades. The car is offered for sale locally, nd I reserve the right to end the auction early. Please call 916-661-8753 with any questions.