1977 Dodge Monaco 440, ex-California Highway Patrol
Discussion
It's fair to say I have had a varied history with cars.
I've owned fast Audis including an A3 3.2 V6 and a B5 RS4. I've also owned and restored a 1977 Porsche 911 Targa. More recently I've gotten into American V8s, specifically old police cars.
In 2017 I bought a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 (police package) which had been kitted out as a New York Police highway patrol unit. This was originally a USAF police car based in Germany. It was then sold into the film industry and used in the 1996 Stallone film 'Daylight' and a Westlife music video (world of our own, if you must know).
It then came to the UK where a succession of owners improved it and made it a more authentic replica of a NYC Caprice. A 5.7 LT1 engine replaced the original 5.0 engine, complete with replacement ECU, throttle body and stainless steel exhaust. A McDermott hi-rise light bar was added to supplement the original Federal Signal Vector light bar. The hi-rise consists of two arms which lift red and amber warning lights over traffic so you can be seen.
The car is fitted with a working radar detector, police computer, camera (which records to a bulletproof VHS recorder in the trunk) spotlight and gun rack in the trunk lid.
The Caprice has been a huge amount of fun to own and great to take to shows. People love it on the road and dads/kids are fascinated by it at shows. However I do generally prefer 1970s cars and had been on the look-out for either a Dodge Monaco or Plymouth Fury for a while. This has always been my favourite police car but they are now very hard to find. Most were turned into taxis after coming out of service or destroyed by Hollywood - ironic that shows that introduced me to these cars such as the A-Team or the Fall Guy were responsible for their demise!
I eventually found a 1977 Dodge Monaco in New Jersey. This was an ex-California Highway Patrol car and as luck would have it, this was also a 440 (7.2L V8).
You might remember that The Blues Brothers had a Dodge Monaco. That was a 1974 'C' body car which was downsized to this 'B' body platform (previously the Dodge Coronet) for the 1977 year although the C body would live on for 1977 in the form of the Dodge Royal Monaco. The 1977/78 Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Fury were the swan-song for the 'big block' police cars. The days of big blocks were numbered from the early 70s onwards; the cops got to hang onto theirs until 1978 but power outputs steadily dropped over the course of the decade.
This car was owned by a retired New Jersey police chief who bought it to use for parades. Unfortunately due to ill health he hadn't been able to do this and it hardly turned a wheel in the few years he owned it. The previous owner (also a cop) restored the car, repainting it, rebuilding the engine and transmission and sourcing replacement trim where required. The engine is now a bit of a beast - it was originally putting out around 255bhp, however with a competition cam, headers, replacement intake and carb it is now putting out around 430bhp and 470 ft lbs of torque.
The car came with a load of spare parts which is a real help as they would be extremely hard to source in the UK. This includes trim, a spare Aerodynic light bar (in addition to the one currently mounted on the roof), the original carb, dog dish hubcaps and so on.
I imported the car in a container (due to the spare parts) with Hill Shipping and it arrived on the 19th October. It's always going to be a gamble importing something sight unseen but it paid off in this case. I felt I had done my due diligence by speaking to the previous owner and investigating the history of the car online. I managed to find pictures of the car from 2008 when it was painted white and also some threads on various forums which documented the restoration work. When the car arrived I was very happy with just how solid it was, no rust anywhere and extremely straight. The engine fired right up and sounds superb, if perhaps a little too loud - a slightly tamer cam might be on the list in the future.
I am now in the process of registering the car. My plan is to restore the car to how it would have been in service with the CHP. It will look something like this:
I have already imported a correct Twinsonic CTS light bar to replace the existing Aerodynic and have a Federal PA1000 light/siren control unit en route. I intend to go through the car properly over the winter, get the doors painted in the spring and apply some decals which I am sourcing from someone who has an original door from a 1978 CHP Monaco.
The Caprice is now up for sale but for the moment is sharing the garage with the Monaco:
Hopefully this was interesting, I'll keep this thread up to date as I go with the restoration but happy to answer any questions in the meantime.
I've owned fast Audis including an A3 3.2 V6 and a B5 RS4. I've also owned and restored a 1977 Porsche 911 Targa. More recently I've gotten into American V8s, specifically old police cars.
In 2017 I bought a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice 9C1 (police package) which had been kitted out as a New York Police highway patrol unit. This was originally a USAF police car based in Germany. It was then sold into the film industry and used in the 1996 Stallone film 'Daylight' and a Westlife music video (world of our own, if you must know).
It then came to the UK where a succession of owners improved it and made it a more authentic replica of a NYC Caprice. A 5.7 LT1 engine replaced the original 5.0 engine, complete with replacement ECU, throttle body and stainless steel exhaust. A McDermott hi-rise light bar was added to supplement the original Federal Signal Vector light bar. The hi-rise consists of two arms which lift red and amber warning lights over traffic so you can be seen.
The car is fitted with a working radar detector, police computer, camera (which records to a bulletproof VHS recorder in the trunk) spotlight and gun rack in the trunk lid.
The Caprice has been a huge amount of fun to own and great to take to shows. People love it on the road and dads/kids are fascinated by it at shows. However I do generally prefer 1970s cars and had been on the look-out for either a Dodge Monaco or Plymouth Fury for a while. This has always been my favourite police car but they are now very hard to find. Most were turned into taxis after coming out of service or destroyed by Hollywood - ironic that shows that introduced me to these cars such as the A-Team or the Fall Guy were responsible for their demise!
I eventually found a 1977 Dodge Monaco in New Jersey. This was an ex-California Highway Patrol car and as luck would have it, this was also a 440 (7.2L V8).
You might remember that The Blues Brothers had a Dodge Monaco. That was a 1974 'C' body car which was downsized to this 'B' body platform (previously the Dodge Coronet) for the 1977 year although the C body would live on for 1977 in the form of the Dodge Royal Monaco. The 1977/78 Dodge Monaco and Plymouth Fury were the swan-song for the 'big block' police cars. The days of big blocks were numbered from the early 70s onwards; the cops got to hang onto theirs until 1978 but power outputs steadily dropped over the course of the decade.
This car was owned by a retired New Jersey police chief who bought it to use for parades. Unfortunately due to ill health he hadn't been able to do this and it hardly turned a wheel in the few years he owned it. The previous owner (also a cop) restored the car, repainting it, rebuilding the engine and transmission and sourcing replacement trim where required. The engine is now a bit of a beast - it was originally putting out around 255bhp, however with a competition cam, headers, replacement intake and carb it is now putting out around 430bhp and 470 ft lbs of torque.
The car came with a load of spare parts which is a real help as they would be extremely hard to source in the UK. This includes trim, a spare Aerodynic light bar (in addition to the one currently mounted on the roof), the original carb, dog dish hubcaps and so on.
I imported the car in a container (due to the spare parts) with Hill Shipping and it arrived on the 19th October. It's always going to be a gamble importing something sight unseen but it paid off in this case. I felt I had done my due diligence by speaking to the previous owner and investigating the history of the car online. I managed to find pictures of the car from 2008 when it was painted white and also some threads on various forums which documented the restoration work. When the car arrived I was very happy with just how solid it was, no rust anywhere and extremely straight. The engine fired right up and sounds superb, if perhaps a little too loud - a slightly tamer cam might be on the list in the future.
I am now in the process of registering the car. My plan is to restore the car to how it would have been in service with the CHP. It will look something like this:
I have already imported a correct Twinsonic CTS light bar to replace the existing Aerodynic and have a Federal PA1000 light/siren control unit en route. I intend to go through the car properly over the winter, get the doors painted in the spring and apply some decals which I am sourcing from someone who has an original door from a 1978 CHP Monaco.
The Caprice is now up for sale but for the moment is sharing the garage with the Monaco:
Hopefully this was interesting, I'll keep this thread up to date as I go with the restoration but happy to answer any questions in the meantime.
the first thing that went through my mind when I saw the thread title. Great looking machine though op.
king 5.0 :-) Very cool and as an ex-police officer I can appreciate the appeal.
Thanks for the comments so far, glad to hear that it’s of interest!
The next time I update this will probably when I fit the Twinsonic light bar. I am waiting for the mounting feet and brackets to arrive, along with a couple of spare lenses.
The only piece of ‘uniform’ that I have acquired is a 1970s patrolman’s helmet. They used to wear these on bikes and in cars until the mid to late 70s. It’s just for decoration though, I find it a bit weird when people dress up as police officers (although I accept that people might find it weird that I own a car like this too). I wouldn’t make a particularly convincing police officer either! I’m more interested in the history of a classic car, what it has seen and where it has been etc.
The next time I update this will probably when I fit the Twinsonic light bar. I am waiting for the mounting feet and brackets to arrive, along with a couple of spare lenses.
The only piece of ‘uniform’ that I have acquired is a 1970s patrolman’s helmet. They used to wear these on bikes and in cars until the mid to late 70s. It’s just for decoration though, I find it a bit weird when people dress up as police officers (although I accept that people might find it weird that I own a car like this too). I wouldn’t make a particularly convincing police officer either! I’m more interested in the history of a classic car, what it has seen and where it has been etc.
Swifty Boy said:
Thanks for the comments so far, glad to hear that it’s of interest!
The next time I update this will probably when I fit the Twinsonic light bar. I am waiting for the mounting feet and brackets to arrive, along with a couple of spare lenses.
The only piece of ‘uniform’ that I have acquired is a 1970s patrolman’s helmet. They used to wear these on bikes and in cars until the mid to late 70s. It’s just for decoration though, I find it a bit weird when people dress up as police officers (although I accept that people might find it weird that I own a car like this too). I wouldn’t make a particularly convincing police officer either! I’m more interested in the history of a classic car, what it has seen and where it has been etc.
But with it you can of course have a sideline business in being a quirky chauffeur for kids going to "prom" etc - or leaving it. The next time I update this will probably when I fit the Twinsonic light bar. I am waiting for the mounting feet and brackets to arrive, along with a couple of spare lenses.
The only piece of ‘uniform’ that I have acquired is a 1970s patrolman’s helmet. They used to wear these on bikes and in cars until the mid to late 70s. It’s just for decoration though, I find it a bit weird when people dress up as police officers (although I accept that people might find it weird that I own a car like this too). I wouldn’t make a particularly convincing police officer either! I’m more interested in the history of a classic car, what it has seen and where it has been etc.
I guess never say never! Proms are a no-no due to the insurance and licensing rules but weddings are a possibility.
I do intend to do some charity stuff in it, perhaps with the Sporting Bears as i’ve had a couple of great experiences with their members, once in a Countach and once in a C2 Corvette.
I do intend to do some charity stuff in it, perhaps with the Sporting Bears as i’ve had a couple of great experiences with their members, once in a Countach and once in a C2 Corvette.
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