16th Oct 2003, 21:45
I have a 1975 Royal Monaco that I bought from a local Police Dept. with 96000 miles. It has a 400/2 barrel, and the Carter BBL does a fine job. But I only get around 12 MPG. Is this about average? I have considered buying a new holley 2 barrel or just going for the 4 bbl. Other than iffy gas mileage, it is a great car and really justifies my being a mopar man.
2nd Nov 2004, 16:36
The monaco was indeed offered with a 440 magnum V8, but this was factory special order only. most went to law enforcement or cab firms and consequently got driven into the ground and few survive today. I think the film "blues brothers" demolished a good 1000 cars.
Most had the 360 or 400 Ci motor. A 440 is worth tracking down though for the performance, if you can live with 8 mpg!
10th Nov 2005, 09:08
I bought a 1974 Bluesmobile Dodge Monaco last year in London, England and have been trying to get parts for it, to no avail. The windscreeen is cracked, the gearbox kaput and yet it drives like a dream! Currently I have it stored in a garage awaiting repair. Can't wait to gert it on the road as this is absolutely unique in the UK.
19th Apr 2007, 22:21
I was a big fan of the styling of the 1971-72 General Motors cars, especially the bubble rear window on the 4 door hardtops.
I owned a 72 Chevy Caprice. When I first saw the 1974 Monaco I thought Chrysler outdid General Motors with that entire styling theme. It looked just like a Buick updated for a model year change; It looked like a better Buick than a Buick.
The Dodge had all the unique Mopar engineering features of course.
I thought the front ends of the 74 full size Plymouths looked like imitation Oldsmobile. This could be because Chrysler did a study in the early 70s and found that Oldsmobile owners had the highest satisfaction rate of all the American cars.
The 74 Monaco didn't sell well as it was introduced just when the 73-74 gas crisis hit. I thought Chrysler ruined the looks of the subsequent 75 onwards models.
1st Aug 2007, 16:52
The only changes to the 1975 Monaco was the Grille. The other stuff is the same. I have a 75 A38 Monaco ex-Nevada H. P car. it has the 440 and such, and it is fast. lol I take it to car shows, and place a donut and coffee on the dash. It won 2nd place in a car show. (GRIN)
S. Williams
KS
26th Aug 2008, 19:51
Be careful with the 440 guys. My Uncle drove a 440 squad back in the day and he always told me that they had a fatal flaw. If you go from high speed to panic stop and then punch the throttle again you threw a rod every time. There was just so much rotating mass that something had to give. He blew out 2 motors in his squad car before the dept. issued a policy that you had to pause for a couple of seconds before hitting the throttle again in pursuit situations. Powerful motor, but for those who want to display that power on the street... it gets very expensive real quick if not careful.
15th Jun 2003, 07:10
My family had a '74 Monaco station wagon, a town and country version with many luxury options. Ours had a 400 2-barrel, which wasn't exactly fast, but provided good power for such a heavy car. It was a great winter car, always started on even the most bitterly cold northern Wisconsin mornings, and it was very sure-footed in the snow. We had it 2nd or 3rd hand, and when the power options quit working (i.e. power windows, power locks, power seats, A/C), it wasn't pleasant. However, it was a very smooth car that gave a very good ride, and had plenty of power even when loaded down. It makes me wish they still made station wagons because the interior of that car was cavernous compared to a mini-van.