Just because your dad and grandpa were both over six feet tall doesn’t mean that you or your kids will be. DNA in vehicles is somewhat similar. Just because most of us remember Dodge’s muscular menagerie in the late-60s and early-70s, that doesn’t mean that every Dodge with two doors and a V8 will be a screaming muscle car. This 1978 Dodge Magnum GT is posted here on craigslist in Fox Lake, Illinois and they’re asking $9,950. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for sending in this tip!
That isn’t to say that the two-year-only B-body Dodge Magnum (1978-1979 in the U.S. and Canada) wasn’t muscular or fast, especially for the era. Not to mention that they were available with a big-block V8, albeit with only 50 horsepower more than the smallest V8 engine, which is in this car, a 318, the base engine. A slant-six wasn’t available in this model.
I don’t know, I like ’em. This is the era when I started driving (legally, I started driving around age 12) so I like the vehicles that were on my wish list at the time. We all wanted Hemi Challengers and Cudas, but the era was turning into personal luxury cars and the Dodge Magnum seemed to have it all. The GT model added fender flares for a more muscular look.
A red interior? Yes, please. There is work to do inside as you can see, the steering wheel has pain written all over it. The seller acknowledges that the interior needs help but other than the cracked dash, cracked steering wheel, and some arm rest issues, I don’t see that it’s super alarming inside, do you? The back seat looks literally like brand new and the seller has provided a good variety of photos, please check out the listing.
That chrome air-cleaner is hiding an LA-series 318-cu.in. OHV V8, which had 140 horsepower and 246 lb-ft of torque, or 155 horsepower and 246 lb-ft of torque, depending on whether it has a two-barrel or four-barrel carb. The seller says that it runs “excellent”, is very dependable, and is a solid car – it sure looks great to me. Have any of you owned one?
Hope it finds a good home. My younger brother owned one in the early-’80s. He’d bought it from someone who’d parked it during the second oil embargo in ’79. The Magnum with the 318 cruised effortlessly (in memory) on several trips to the mountains of north central Pennsylvania from the Philly suburbs. I don’t remember when my brother sold it but it was sometime before Thanksgiving 1988. It still looked good, the engine ran quietly and the Magnum retained its good road manners.
I want it
I had a 78 Chrysler Cordoba, pretty much the same car. Mine had a 400 engine, but it had the Carter Thermoquad, also known as a thermobog, because it was made out of crap. The car rode nice, but used to eat ignition modules and ballast resistors, in addition to the crappy carb. I had nothing but headaches with it. They’re nice to look at, but a pain to work on if it was left outside and got rusty. The Magnum above looks very nice, just don’t expect a lot of power.
My ‘78 ate those modules too. Had to carry a spare. Otherwise good 360.
My wife’s ’75 Ford Gran Torino (beautiful blue, white vinyl top) went through ignition modules once a year after 1977. I found an inexpensive but suitable replacement at Sears Auto Service for around $75. Always carried a spare from ’77 through ’83 when she bought an ’83 Buick Regal. No ignition module problems with that over six years.
My ’85 V6 Fiero GT was celebrated for cooking ignition modules and ignition coils. A factor engineer worked on the Fiero in August 1986 and installed heat shielding and heat dissipating paste. That solved the problem but I carried a spare coil and ignition module. I didn’t need those over my four years of ownership.
Interestingly (or not) the Fiero first manifested the ignition module problem the first time my wife drove it on her own to go to work. She was more perturbed by the experience than I was. I drove her car to her and got the Fiero towed to the dealer on a flatbed. I got a Grand Prix loaner car for a week while everyone was troubleshooting the no start condition.
I had 3 different 340 A body Mopars back in the day. After a series of Holly Vaccum 600’s and small Holly double pumpers, I bought my ’71 340 Duster which came with a Thermoquad. The tricky part with those carbs was just getting them jetted right after you installed headers and a cam. But once they were dialed in, they ran great.
Maybe all the “lean burn” ignition crap for emissions made them problematic by 78. But in my experience the Carter Thermoquad worked just great on small block Mopars.
A Mopar f.i 318 magnum from around 2002 would fit in nicely. 230hp 295lb/ft
I was wondering that same thing. Updated engine and drive train would make this badass sleeper.
Which means a 360 magnum would also fit. You could tell the competition that it is only a 318.
???????????????????????????????????????????
/////////////////???????
Wow, I think I’d buy this if the total price was under $10. But I’d have to have it shipped. Anybody have any idea what shipping is today ? Cost per mile that is.
Shipping is typically $1 or $2 per mile.
The only new car I ever almost bought.
I was 18 and specifically wanted the console shift and 3 spoke steering wheel.
The salesman tried to talk me out of ordering one how I wanted it, and attempted pressuring me to take one out of stock.
I walked out.
I later worked as the fleet manager for a Cadillac-Buick dealer for over a decade, and warned our salesmen about such tactics alienating potential customers, and the bad word of mouth that could follow it.
I’m sorry but the only magnum I like to be seen in is the condom. Just had to say it. The magnum kind of like the St. Regis by mopar at that time was super slow, big and heavy and no power. Seems I remember reading about southern California VW bugs that were modified blowing off and pulling away from the California Highway Patrol up the grapevine driving the St. Regis. I love Mopars…….just not this one. Front Looks kind of like the Interceptor from Mad Max.
I never had the pleasure of owning one of these fast cool looking beauties, but a very good friend had one very similar. His was the same year, 1978 that he was able to special order. He wanted an all white GT, with red interior that looked very similar, but he had a nicer steering wheel and top of the line quadraphonic 8 track tape deck. Power everything with AC. Under the hood he just stayed with the 318/4 brl dual exhaust, but with the lowest rear gearing he could get, a 3:09 limited slip he really wanted for the snow we usually get. But he had plans to swap that engine out for a built 440 TNT he had in a crapped out 68 Chrysler 300, that was an incredible highway flyer and tire burner. I helped with the transplant that took us a week to get the whole thing sorted. He added bigger brakes all around, with stiffer rear leafs, plus rear sway bar, the front had torsion bars like all MOPARS at the time so all he could do is add the best shocks he could find, luckily KONI made an adjustable HD shock for big MOPARS, that set next to the highest setting really settled that big car down and made for a comfortable ride, especially on the highway! That big old 440 was an absolute riot! I don’t know what happened to the car though, I haven’t seen him since we both got married, he could still have it.
King Richard Petty found out how much muscle car DNA was in this brick. That would be zero.
From what i can see in the engine bay photo,there’s probably more than stock hp numbers.very clean and worth the asking price.there’s always room for a 383 or 440 in there…
Hated them then. I doesn’t look bad now. If I was youngster I’d jump on it.
Very nice… Just needs a440.
Couple of things bother me about this listing. First there’s no picture of either the vin tag (that’s legible) or the fender tag which would confirm (a) that it’s a real GT and (b) what engine it’s supposed to have in it. It also strikes me odd that the horn pad is from a Cordoba 300 (this IS a Magnum!) and why there are bite marks in the steering wheel rim and the left door panel. For a car that’s supposed to be in such “good” condition, why is the seat so torn up?
This car requires a close up personal inspection before anyone consider laying down cash.
I always liked the look of this Magnum and at age 74, I don’t need a fast car anymore. I’ve had a couple that would scare the heck out of you. They were fun at the time, but I’m over it. Enough power to pull a hill at highway speed without downshifting will be fine, but good road manners and reasonable comfort are a must, plus the look and the sound. This Magnum fills the bill for me. :-) Terry J
Meh! Give me a Mirada. Those wheels look excellent on my ’66 Galaxie.
Awesome cars. The 318ci is definitely a great choice! In my opinion, I would go with either the smallest engine (318 ci) and modify it for more power and efficiency or the largest engine (400ci) for even more power. But in today’s world of high gas prices, the 318ci is the way to go! Besides – this is really a big comfy cruiser that just looks fast. I love it ! Nice article.
That area, the pics are taken in, looks like it might be at Indy Auto, aka Nicks Garage. Hmmmmm
Our family had ‘78 with a 360 2 barrel carb and was dark grey fully loaded with leather seats and center counsel and am/fm 8 track was passed down to my oldest brother drove it for a few years and i was going to buy off him the day I was going to, he was heading to work and got T boned on driver’s side totaled it out sad for me brother ok ended up buying my brothers friend’s sisters car ‘75 cordoba it was a california car this was all in ‘86 when it all went down
Could an earlier carb, & pts & condenser distributor be swapped in? End of module & bogging down headcahes.