There’s no confusing Dodge’s first Magnum with the one that came next, this one was based on the B-platform that gave us the Cordoba, Charger, Monaco, Fury, and Chrysler 300. The next Magnum would be the muscular wagon that somehow went away 16 years already. How is that even possible that it’s been 16 years? This 1979 Dodge Monaco XE has some rust issues, let’s check it out.
This car was made in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and then made its way down to the U.S., where it’s now located in the heart of winter and rust country: Wisconsin. That isn’t to say that vehicles rust any less in Minnesota or other Upper-Midwest states. The seller doesn’t give any written description at all, which is unusual for an eBay ad, but they have a great video here on YouTube. The headlight covers don’t seem to be working.
The first-generation Magnum was made for only two model years, 1978 and 1979, at least for the U.S. and Canadian markets. They were made in several forms and different decades in Mexico. You can see some rust on this car and other exterior issues and depending on what’s underneath, this could be relegated to parts car duty, despite being a running, driving, stopping car. Speaking of underneath and rust, this is never good to see, the right leaf spring mount rusted out and pushed through the trunk floor, ouch.
The interior looks good other than the seats that are showing almost as many wrinkles as I have and are just about as worn out and tired. The armrest isn’t much better, but the backseat looks like new. 25,367 Magnums found a home in the last year of production, 1979 and there can’t be many left in any condition. I can’t see this car being restored, check out the photos and let us know your thoughts.
The engine is Dodge’s 360-cu.in. OHV V8, which with a two-barrel carburetor had 150 horsepower and 265 lb-ft of torque. This one seems to run well from the video, and the underhood area looks about as clean as most of the vehicles we see here at Barn Finds. The seller has it listed here on eBay in New London, Wisconsin, there is no reserve and a single bid of $900. Can this Magnum be saved without too much money thrown at it?
My parents had a 75 Silver Duster with the same leaf spring problem. It’s a parts car. Must’ve been nice when new, with the buckets and console and tilt and cruise. Unfortunately, these cars rotted very badly.
No doubt these were nice cars in their day. Good color and equipment to my needs. I always felt that the front end was too good for the rest of the car.
I never saw one of these before without the headlight covers.
Auction update: this one sold for $911!