1966 canadian polara 880

[LocuMob]

and have always wanted a 4 speed car.

Another member here is going to convert to a four speed, and I've already bugged them about selling!

@Polara_500 his car has working accessories, mine don't, and I'm apparently not in too big a hurry to get them working.

 

[rd92west]

I have a polara 500 and if and when I get to it I would do a conversion. I have clutch and brake pedals and linkage. Brewers can supply the rest. cost some peso's but a tiny fraction of what a original 4 speed car would cost.

I don't think the polara 500 has any working accessories.

 

[LocuMob]

I don't think the polara 500 has any working accessories.

Well, then it needs to come to Minnesota, to be with the other cars like it! . And I have rear defoggers to put in them too.

 

[Bill Watson]

No such thing as a Canadian Monaco 500 in 1966. If you have an owners manual that does not mention Monaco 500 it should be Canadian. The title page will have Chrysler Canada Limited while the US will have Dodge Division, Chrysler Corporation.

The Canadian Dodge line-up for 1966:
BD1/2-L : Polara - (Fury I interior) - 4dr Sedan, 2 and 3 seat Wagons
BD1/2-M : Polara 440 - (Fury II interior) - 4dr Sedan, 2dr Hardtop, 2 and 3 seat Wagons
BD1/2-H : Polara 880 - (Fury III interior) - 4dr Sedan, 2dr Hardtop, 4dr Hardtop, 2dr Convertible, 2 and 3 seat Wagons
BD1/2-P - Monaco - (Sport Fury interior) - 2dr Hardtop, 2dr Convertible.
BD1 - 1966 Dodge, six cylinder (225-cid standard)
BD2 - 1966 Dodge, eight cylinder (318 V8 standard)

The USA Dodge line-up for 1966 :
BD2-L : Polara - 4dr Sedan*, 2dr Hardtop, 4dr Hardtop, 2dr Convertible, 2 and 3 seat Wagons
BD2-M : Polara 500 - 2dr Hardtop, 2dr Convertible.
BD2-H : Monaco - 4dr Sedan, 2dr Hardtop, 4dr Hardtop, 2 and 3 seat Wagons
BD2-P - Monaco 500 - 2dr Hardtop
BD2 - 1966 Dodge, eight cylinder (383 V8 standard)
* - 318-cid engine available as Polara 318 4dr Sedan

For 1967, with the Windsor plant building C body Dodges for the US market, the Engineering Model Codes changed :
CD1 - 1967 Dodge, Canadian market, six cylinder (225-cid standard)
CD2 - 1967 Dodge, US market, eight cylinder (383 V8 standard - 318-cid on Polara 318 model)
CD3 - 1967 Dodge, Canadian market, eight cylinder (318 V8 standard)

The Canadian Dodge was priced just above the Plymouth Fury and competed against the Canadian Chevrolet-based Pontiac and the Canadian Meteor (Mercury Monterey body with Ford instrument panel and interiors)
Dodge Polara - Pontiac Strato Chief - Meteor Rideau
Dodge Polara 440 - Pontiac Laurentian - Meteor Rideau 500
Dodge Polara 880 - Pontiac Parisienne - Meteor Montcalm
Dodge Monaco - (No Pontiac equivalent) - Meteor S-33
Pontiac had a Grande Parisienne that was priced with the Chevrolet Caprice, Plymouth Fury VIP and Ford LTD in 1966.

The American Dodge Polara was priced against the US Pontiac Catalina and Mercury Monterey, while the US Monaco went up against the US Pontiac Executive and Mercury Montclair.

 

[rd92west]

thanks very much Bill.

this Monaco has funky brake light lens's. kinda ugly but so am i

 

[Bill Watson]

The brake lights on the 1966 Monaco are for a Polara, not Monaco.

The Monaco taillights continue the theme used on the trunk pieces with the horizontal ridge.

 

[LocuMob]

I'll take those ugly lenses, and give you some polara inserts for the trunk, I'll even pay shipping! If you find more of them, I need a set for this:

Damn kids used the car as a target for BB gun shooting, lil bastards.


But yeah, the outer lights are for a Polara.

 

[rd92west]

there is a cardboard box in the trunk. in it I find the original brake lite for the right side. I expect they smashed the left one and replaced both with polara units.
I will be going on a crusade up here to find a Monaco left side brake light. I will keep you in mind should I run across extra's. there seems to be lots of polara's up here, or I guess there was at 1 time. I see lots of 67 and newer monacos, but dam few 65 and 66.

 

[LocuMob]

there is a cardboard box in the trunk. in it I find the original brake lite for the right side. I expect they smashed the left one and replaced both with polara units.
I will be going on a crusade up here to find a Monaco left side brake light. I will keep you in mind should I run across extra's. there seems to be lots of polara's up here, or I guess there was at 1 time. I see lots of 67 and newer monacos, but dam few 65 and 66.

The 66's are hard to find for the Monaco, for me, I trip over Polara lights.

Good luck on the Crusade, I have to stop by the local junk yard next week.

 

[rd92west]

i bought a outer right tail light assembly on e bay. the plan it to install it upside down on the left side. I havnt got it yet. it looks to me that the mounting screws don't match. I hope to possibly massage the screw holes to make the right fit the left.

can anyone tell me what a fair price for a complete set of used tail lights would be. I have placed ads everywere I can think off looking for lites.

 

[LocuMob]

can anyone tell me what a fair price for a complete set of used tail lights would be. I have placed ads everywere I can think off looking for lites.

As cheap as you can find. I got an NOS lens for $75. I grabbed it as soon as I found out you were looking, no offense, cause these aren't laying around everywhere. I got the car and that was the first thing to find! I still need the inners on the trunk. If I find a stash, I'll let you know.

 

[GJS]

thanks very much Bill.

this Monaco has funky brake light lens's. kinda ugly but so am i

View attachment 211117

View attachment 211118

The brake lights on the 1966 Monaco are for a Polara, not Monaco.

The Monaco taillights continue the theme used on the trunk pieces with the horizontal ridge.

View attachment 211137

This happens with 67 Monacos and Polaras as well:
Polara:

Monaco:

Drives me batty too, though both are like hens teeth and priced accordingly, you can find a good Polara lens with *relative* ease. The Monacos are most always cracked and missing that chromed plastic inner trim.

 

[rd92west]

I thought about grafting a Monaco lens onto a polara assembly. it could be done but would be far from ideal. I have placed a few wanted ads and I have a hunch I will find some. the outer I got on ebay was fairly big money. I seen Monaco nos lens's for 200 bucks. I hope to find a few 4 door's parked in a bush somewere.

 

[Bill Watson]

And in Canada the 1966 Polara taillamps were on the Polara (L), Polara 440 (M), and Polara 880 (H), with Monaco taillamps on the Monaco (P). Makes sense.

For 1967 the Canadian series dropped a notch, so they were E, L, M, and H. (US remained L, M, H, P) But the taillamps were distributed the same as in 1966 - E, L, M with Polara lenses and H with Monaco. But in Canada the series names were adjusted - Polara (E), Polara 500 (L), Monaco (M) and Monaco 500 (H). So the Canadian 1967 Monaco has Polara taillamps and the Monaco 500 came with Monaco units.

But you can tell a Canadian 1967 C body Dodge from the American original by the base engine code in the model number. American Dodges, 383 V8 base engine, were model CD2-, while the 6 cylinder Canadian Dodges were CD1-, and the Canadian V8 models (318 base engine) were CD3-.

 

[rd92west]

thanks again Bill. very interesting.

I included a picture of my cars tail lights in the wanted ads I placed. also a description of what I had and what I was looking for. I got a reply last nite. the guy pointed out that my outer lights were "Monaco" and the inner lights were "Monaco 500". he didn't have any tail lights.

 

[GJS]

And in Canada the 1966 Polara taillamps were on the Polara (L), Polara 440 (M), and Polara 880 (H), with Monaco taillamps on the Monaco (P). Makes sense.

For 1967 the Canadian series dropped a notch, so they were E, L, M, and H. (US remained L, M, H, P) But the taillamps were distributed the same as in 1966 - E, L, M with Polara lenses and H with Monaco. But in Canada the series names were adjusted - Polara (E), Polara 500 (L), Monaco (M) and Monaco 500 (H). So the Canadian 1967 Monaco has Polara taillamps and the Monaco 500 came with Monaco units.

But you can tell a Canadian 1967 C body Dodge from the American original by the base engine code in the model number. American Dodges, 383 V8 base engine, were model CD2-, while the 6 cylinder Canadian Dodges were CD1-, and the Canadian V8 models (318 base engine) were CD3-.

Thanks for this. It clarifies a lot for me. I was certain that there was a difference between Polara and Monaco for 67 but didn't know that non 500 Monacos had the Polara lenses up there.

 

[Bill Watson]

thanks again Bill. very interesting.

I included a picture of my cars tail lights in the wanted ads I placed. also a description of what I had and what I was looking for. I got a reply last nite. the guy pointed out that my outer lights were "Monaco" and the inner lights were "Monaco 500". he didn't have any tail lights.

The lights on the trunk were used on the "P" series 1966 Dodge - Monaco. In the U.S. they were also used on the 1966 "P" series, which was the Monaco 500. Something to mention to US sellers as they may not know the top series in Canada was just Monaco, and not Monaco 500, but the Canadian Monaco used the taillamps and many trim pieces used on the US Monaco 500.

 

[LocuMob]

The lights on the trunk were used on the "P" series 1966 Dodge - Monaco. In the U.S. they were also used on the 1966 "P" series, which was the Monaco 500. Something to mention to US sellers as they may not know the top series in Canada was just Monaco, and not Monaco 500, but the Canadian Monaco used the taillamps and many trim pieces used on the US Monaco 500.

Weren't the Monaco and Monaco 500 taillights the same for the US cars?

I noticed the trim on the Canadian Monaco is the same as the trim in my Monaco 500, where the three pieces are on the quarter vs the fender for a standard US Monaco. I never paid much attention to the liggts before I got my 500.

 

[Bill Watson]

Yes, the U.S. Monaco and Monaco 500 had the same taillights in1966. What was called the Monaco in the U.S. was called the Polara 880 in Canada and thus used Polara lights and trunk trim along with U.S. Monaco side trim.

The Monaco 500 was sold in Canada as the Monaco, so the Canadian Monaco had the U.S. Monaco rear lights and trim and U.S. Monaco 500 side trim.

 

[1Fury1]

But you can tell a Canadian 1967 C body Dodge from the American original by the base engine code in the model number. American Dodges, 383 V8 base engine, were model CD2-, while the 6 cylinder Canadian Dodges were CD1-, and the Canadian V8 models (318 base engine) were CD3-.

Bill Watson you seem to be the Dodge model expert. I was going to start a thread but the question I have seems relevant and I would like to hear any comment you have on this; The 68 Canadian Monaco wagon that I just acquired has a 383 in it. The VIN however DH45G8R350811 indicates with the "G" that it was built with a 318. It is possible of course that its a transplant but it really doesn't look like it, and I question whether someone would have gone to the trouble on this type of car to change SB to BB along with the tranny etc. I had a situation with a Ferd F-150 where the factory made a mistake on the VIN indicating a different model and I had bought the truck new. Have you ever seen this before or heard of this type of thing happening at the Windsor plant? Mistake on the VIN or maybe a last minute change to the factory order? Thanks