1965 dodge Monaco

[AnglerJ 10]

Recently came upon the opportunity to restore an old dodge Monaco given to me by my grandpa. I am inexperienced when it comes to antique cars and all advice is warmly welcomed. Currently I am a student so the question is should I attempt a restoration or should I sell? Given the car has sentimental value and I really enjoy looking at it I am leaning towards restoring the beauty.

[keiser31 5,997]

If you can post photos of the car we can tell you if it is worth restoring. Of course, only you can say if it will be worth it to you. Do NOT expect to spend a lot on it and recoup your costs.

[AnglerJ 10]

[keiser31 5,997]

Yes! Being a convertible, it would be well worth it to restore. The small block will be a BREEZE to rebuild. LOTS of parts available for the mechanical end of the restoration. First thing I would do is get rid of those wheels on Ebay and find some originals. That looks to be a very rust-free car to me. I am thinking that maybe the "Monaco" badges were added to a Polara or Custom 880 since my books do not show a 1965 Monaco convertible. Can you supply us with a serial number? That will determine what you actually have.

Edited September 25, 2014 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[AnglerJ 10]

Alright! That's awesome,thanks so much for the feedback!

[Rusty_OToole 2,148]

Before you get carried away.... restoration may not be the way to go. These days, preserved original cars are prized more than "restored" cars.

In the case of your Dodge, do you have a garage or safe place to store it? Are you willing to work on it yourself, and do you have any tools or skills?

If you have a place to keep it and work on it, and are willing to get your hands dirty then yes, definitely keep it.

But don't overmatch yourself. In other words, don't get carried away and start tearing the car apart.

First, go over the car and give it a good cleaning. Save anything you find in the car. That bit of rubber, plastic, or metal that looks like it could not possibly be part of a car, will turn out to be some irreplaceable thing that it takes a year to track down. You can throw away the old McDonald's wrappers, cigarette packs and dried out ballpoint pens lol.

Then make a list of what it needs for parts and repairs. Figure out how much it will cost in time and money. Double it. Now double it again. That is what it will take to do everything on the list.

Suggest you start with the basics and get the car on the road. Dodges are very reliable cars. If I were there, I could have it running and driving around within a few hours, 9 times out of 10. Clean it up, get it on the road and have some fun.

If you decide to take this advice, which is based on 50 years of messing around with old cars while spending minimal amounts of money, come back and let me know. I can give you some tips on how to get the car on the road without messing it up, and without spending excess amounts of money.

[AnglerJ 10]

Thanks for the sound advice Rusty! I greatly appreciate it, I'll get back to you for sure.

[rocketraider 812]

A convertible in that condition it's definitely worth saving.

Not knowing the car's full history my guess is the car had a Monaco front clip installed sometime in its nearly 50 years. I think I'm right that most if not all 1965 Monaco were bucket/console cars? weren't they kinda sorta aimed at Starfire/Grand Prix/Galaxie XL territory?

[keiser31 5,997]

I think you may be correct about the front clip replacement. I also agree with Rusty.....if you can buff it and save it as original, by all means, do THAT instead of restoring.

Edited May 7, 2014 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[joe_padavano 2,020]

I think you may be correct about the front clip replacement. I also agree with Rusty.....if you can buff it and save it as original, by all means, do THAT instead of restoring.

Last time I checked, if the front clip has been replaced, the car already isn't "original" (that is, unless Barrett Jackson is selling it... ).

[keiser31 5,997]

Last time I checked, if the front clip has been replaced, the car already isn't "original" (that is, unless Barrett Jackson is selling it... ).

Yep.....I did a booboo there. I will bet that you know what I meant, though.

[AnglerJ 10]

The model number is A-D2-H-27, so wait, do I have to check if the front clip is an original?

[Commodore 3]

The model number is A-D2-H-27, so wait, do I have to check if the front clip is an original?

I am not sure where you got that number from. It does not look like a good number. See links on how decode body tags.

http://www.tpocr.com/dodgebp5.html

http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/ml-osterling65fendertag.html

[ghostymosty 60]

If it has a Fury instrument panel then it could be a Canadian market Monaco convertible. That would also explain the small block V8 in the engine compartment. It does appear to have a 70's disc brake master cylinder on it.

[AnglerJ 10]

Yes it is most likely the Canadian model, the body number is 374 and the trime code is p4y...if any of that helps lol

[Commodore 3]

Maybe this will help.

A 1965 Dodge dash

A 1965 Plymouth Fury dash

[mastertech 13]

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[TD=align: center]1965 Dodge Monaco Limited Edition 2-door hardtop[/TD]

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[TD=align: center] <iframe name="google_ads_iframe_678811" width="234" height="60" id="google_ads_iframe_678811" src="about:blank" frameBorder="0" marginWidth="0" marginHeight="0" scrolling="no" style="border: 0px currentColor; border-image: none;"></iframe>

<noscript><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/oldride/library;kw=top;make=DODGE;model=MONACO;sz=234x60;ord=123456789?" target="_blank" ><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/oldride/library;kw=top;make=DODGE;model=MONACO;sz=234x60;ord=123456789?" border="0" alt="" /></a></noscript>

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[h=2]1965 Dodge Monaco[/h]In its debut year, 13,200 Dodge Monaco's were available for purchase. The Monaco was produced by Dodge to compete with the Pontiac Grand Prix. Standard features on the Monaco included a 383 V8 engine, full foam front bucket seats, padded dash, full carpeting, rear seat cigarette lighter, fender mounted turn signal indicatiors, electric clock, special wheel covers plus more.

[mastertech 13]

<noscript><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/oldride/library;kw=top;make=DODGE;model=MONACO;sz=234x60;ord=123456789?" target="_blank" ><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/oldride/library;kw=top;make=DODGE;model=MONACO;sz=234x60;ord=123456789?" border="0" alt="" /></a></noscript>[h=2]1965 Dodge Monaco[/h]In its debut year, 13,200 Dodge Monaco's were available for purchase. The Monaco was produced by Dodge to compete with the Pontiac Grand Prix. Standard features on the Monaco included a 383 V8 engine, full foam front bucket seats, padded dash, full carpeting, rear seat cigarette lighter, fender mounted turn signal indicatiors, electric clock, special wheel covers plus more.

1965 Dodge Monaco Factory Specifications & Production

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[TD=class: specsttl, width: 106]Model Number[/TD]

[TD=class: specsttl, width: 129]Body/Style Number[/TD]

[TD=class: specsttl, width: 197]Body Type & Seating[/TD]

[TD=class: specsttl, width: 121]Factory Price [/TD]

[TD=class: specsttl, width: 124]Shipping Weight

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[TD=class: specsttl, width: 146]Total Production[/TD]

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[TD=class: modelttl, colspan: 8]Monaco Series[/TD]

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[TD]AD2P[/TD]

[TD]D42[/TD]

[TD]2-dr Hardtop - 6P[/TD]

[TD]$3,308[/TD]

[TD] 4,000 lbs[/TD]

[TD]13,200[/TD]

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[mastertech 13]

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[mastertech 13]

Chrysler Canada ltd fielded a dodge Monaco which was dodge version of the Plymouth sport fury it was offered in hardtop coupe or convertible. This model in Canada had the Plymouth dash.

unlike US models they could be had with 318 v8 or even the slant 6.

another good place for info is www.CBodydrydock.com

[Larry W 36]

I can't help but chime in here and agree with Rusty Otool. If you're not highly experienced in auto restoration and/or you don't have a boat load of cash, leave the car as is. You're fortunate in that the car already looks cool just the way it is, and I sense that these unrestored cars garner as much, or more, attention as the highly restored ones do at car shows and cruises. I would just maintain the mechanicals and clean it up as best you can (don't throw anything away) and enjoy the heck out of it.

[joe_padavano 2,020]

I'll take the other side of this, since the hobby desperately needs new, younger members. This car is an excellent first project. It doesn't appear to need much at the moment, so you can drive it and enjoy it while you work on it. Concentrate on any needed routine maintenance items first (tune up, suspension, brakes, steering) to ensure that the car is safe and reliable. Only then, think about restoration and what that means to you. "Restoration" can run the gamut from new tires and a compounding to a full disassembly, stripping, and repaint. You need to decide what the car needs and what you are capable of performing (and can afford). If you are serious, take adult ed auto mechanics and auto body courses at your local vocational tech high school or community college. The basic skills they teach will be valuable, however don't expect the details to cover items on a car this old. Good luck and enjoy.

[keiser31 5,997]

First order of business after getting the car is to buy a factory shop manual for the car. It will cover most of what you need to know except for some of the shortcuts.

[joe_padavano 2,020]

First order of business after getting the car is to buy a factory shop manual for the car. It will cover most of what you need to know except for some of the shortcuts.

X2. This it the first "tool" you should buy for your car. Just be aware that the factory manual will often call for the use of special factory tools. Making do without these are those "shortcuts" that you'll find out when you join a forum for this car. Good luck.

[zapcan59 10]

There were 300 1965 Dodge Monaco convertibles made and only in Canada. For some unknown reason they also put 880 emblems on, notice the square dash as opposed to the American 2 half circles. I just picked up a very nice original needing minimal cosmetic work in Ottawa.