1977 Dodge Warlock
Page 1 - Introduction
Purchased on February 20th in Havre, Montana. Once again, my uncle JP helped out with the fetchin part. Drove up to Havre on Friday, sealed the deal, loaded it up on the trailer, then crashed at the Super 8. Then drove home on Saturday. All the while, both of us were ailing from a nasty congestion type cold.
About the Warlock (A very abbreviated story):
Muscle cars were on their way out due to insurance companies charging higher premiums for high performance cars. On top of that, the oil embargo in 1973 was pushing gas prices higher and higher. The big three automakers were struggling with sales. Their fleets were composed of large "boats" that guzzled gas, and with high gas prices, nobody was buying. (Sound familiar?!) Around this time in California, youngsters were buying vans and pickups and customizing them with elaborate paint schemes and sprucing up the interiors. The word from the street was that if a car company offered a customized ride off the showroom floor, it would sell. In 1976, Chrysler tried just that with a test run of True Spirit pickups in San Francisco, and the Warlock in Los Angeles. Both trucks did well, and it was the Warlock that got the final nod. Due to the short time frame, the 1976 production run was fairly limited. Full production commensed in 1977, and continued through 1979. The cousin to the Warlock, the Lil' Red Express, was also produced in 1978 and 1979. For more detailed information on the Warlock, check out the book put together by Warlock/Lil' Red Express expert Skip Gibbs.
Exterior
Body and Paint in decent shape. A few areas of paint bubbles where rust was not entirely eliminated. Lots of little paint chips since the repaint 10 years ago.
Future plans: Big Sky mud flaps and the fender flares are history. Diamond plate running boards will be replaced by chrome nerf bars. Diamond plate bumper will be replaced with the original bumper when the class 3 hitch is installed. Fog lights on front bumper will disappear.
Engine
360 with upgraded aluminum intake and 4 barrel carburator. Factory air conditioning and cruise control on this buggy!
Interior
Drivers seat has some splits in the vinyl. Grant GT steering wheel will eventually be replaced by a Tuff steering wheel, which is what originally came in these trucks.
April 2009
Got a few things done this month that were on the to do list. The Big Sky mudflaps are history and the fender flares are gone. Also removed the diamond plate running boards. It looks a lot cleaner and looks like it sits higher without them. Lucked out and scored the "Warlock" plates. Sometime this Fall the bumper will come off and the original bumper will go back on. Next on the list is the fog lights.
May 2009
Got the ole truck down to its first local car show at Western Dakota Vo-tech. It was a decent day for early May, with some afternoon sprinkles passing through.
June 2009
Entered my truck at The Mopars in the Hills car show on the 27th. Great day with the exception of some breezy winds. You can check out many more pics of the show and the top vote getters at www.blackhillsmopars.org then click on Club Pictures.
July 2009
Removed the heavy-duty bumper and reinstalled the original bumper. I will install the receiver hitch at a later date.
September/October 2009
Entered the Warlock at the Liberty Chrysler Fall Fling car show. I was told I was two votes shy of pulling off the Top Truck award. Oh well, maybe next year. Winter is coming around, I better get this washer fluid pump replaced. You can see the old one is a wee bit corroded.
