Do you want to know what karma looks like? Here goes: back before I wrote for BangShift, I used to enjoy Craigslist surfing, looking for the kinds of vehicles that would make Lohnes weak in the knees. Tow trucks, old trucks, beaters of all shapes and sizes…you name it, I found it and ran it in front of his face. Today, I apologize for that. Every last picture I posted, every last one. Because right now, karma is dealing with me in the form of BangShift contributor Scott Liggett. I like Scott, he’s a good guy…but at this particular moment he is the devil on my shoulder and he’s doing a wonderful job of providing acupuncture with that tiny red pitchfork of his. And here’s what he has found for me: the moonshine runner of my dreams, a more logical choice for a big-block than the Raven Imperial, and a car that I could even sell the wife on since it’s a four door: a 1977 Dodge Monaco.

“Late B” Mopars, the ones built from 1975-1979, aren’t exactly everywhere you look. Cordobas are easy to find, Magnums and Charger S.E coupes a little more difficult, and the coupe body used on 1975 Roadrunners, Fury Sport, Charger Sport, and Monaco coupe is surprisingly hard to locate. But the plain-jane Dodge Monaco and related Plymouth Fury sedans might be the most difficult to find, and for one reason: find any movie made between 1975 and 1985 that has a cop chase that involves wrecked police cars. Count how many Dodge Monacos and Plymouth Fury cop cars you see. Or better yet, count how many Dukes of Hazzard episodes involve Roscoe stuffing yet another big Mopar into the woods, or sinking it in the creek, or rolling it on a tiny little dirt berm. It is rare to see one in the wild that isn’t restored, sporting a cop paint job, or hasn’t been sitting in place since…oh, about the time I was born. Yet here we are. This 360-powered example is not an ex-cop car. There is no “certified” speedometer, there probably isn’t any heavy-duty suspension items underneath it unless there was a trailer package on it. I’m not going to use the boat in the background as a reference point. What I will say is that for a thousand dollars, this would make for a killer “moonshine” build. Clean the interior out and you’ll have a decent-looking ride. From then on it’s all mechanical. The question mark in this case is just how dead that 360 is. Worst case scenario, you’ll have to replace the block. Best case scenario, it’s something stupid that the current owner doesn’t want to fix, will take (at most) a weekend to fix, and the car will start right up once you’re done. It’s a 1970s Chrysler small block…the amount of abuse one has to throw at that engine to kill it in stock form is pretty impressive. A good set of mags, an authoritative set of duals and an altitude adjustment would turn Mr. Smith’s sedan into an aggressive beast. And we highly doubt you’d cross the $5,000 budget if you’re smart about your purchases.

Craigslist Link: 1977 Dodge Monaco Brougham

I’ll get you for this, Liggett…if it’s the last thing I do!