My new toy...Warning Vintage Resto Inside

[TerryBPP]

I have been looking for a new project these last few months but wasn't sure exactly what I wanted. I went to this little crap buy here pay here style car auction to sell a few cheap trade-ins I had and saw this car just sitting there. No one bids on classic cars at these auctions so i stayed to see what it went for.......$2800 BUCKS!

Rundown:

-1964 Dodge 440 (aka polara)
-440 engine runs like a top. 1st crank start. Weiland intake and Holley carb.
-Cool push button 727 torqueflite trans that shift amazing.
-Tracks perfectly on the highway @ 80 mph
-...and ICE COLD A/C!!!!!
-Nice Flowtech exhaust with manual cutouts.
-also has flame thrower kit, lol. Doesnt work but lets me know the PO was elderly.
-The red interior is in great shape. Just needs some freshing up.
-Solid frame, Doors & Rear Quarters.

Its just a really comfortable cruiser.

[TerryBPP]

The bad:
The car had a repaint but it was a hack job. Tons of skim coat and 2 rust holes that were patched with fabric cloth and tons of bondo. Also the clear coat on the roof and hood is peeling. So it needs a complete repaint with some mild body work.

The plan is to switch the color to black but keep the red side stripe. Switch the front drums to disk and add 18" wheels to the front and 20" on the back. Then spruce the engine up a bit. Nothing major.







I started by accessing the 2 rust spots.

Front Drivers side Cowl:




This one was really bad. I am pulling the wind sheild tonight to see how much welding room I have. I haven't been able to locate a repro front cowl so if anyone know a place let me know. Otherwise I'll just cut and patch weld the spots (not optimal)

Rear Passenger Cowl:





Surprisingly the back cowl was in much better shape. I'm still going to pull the glass so the welding doesn't pop it but this will not need any metal fabing, just a small metal patch.

Stay tuned.....

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

wow, nice!! did the car once have a vinyl top?

[LakeCleElum]

My buddy had one of those when we were in high school. His was a black, 2-door. With the 440, nobody could beat him.......Nice car.....

[Dueller]

As a homage to the movie Animal House, I suggest this:

[Eric 951]

Damn--that is a nice score, 2,800 bucks......very nice cruiser for that amount.

[Laneco]

Pretty common spots for rust. A pain to repair, but all fixable. Bit metal cars are easy to fix. If you can't buy the part, you just cut a piece of metal and beat it into the shape - LOL!

I think it will look KILLER with black paint and the red stripe 18/20's.

Further, I'd put a hidden hitch on it and use it to pull a Porsche to the track! Now that would be cool!

angela

[911boost]

damn Terry, nice job! The rust looks fun....

This is my latest purchase, picked it up at from the original owner for very cheap. 1968 Buick Sportwagon 400. 400 big block, limited slip rear, power disc's, power steering and cold ac. All I have done is swap the plugs and points, and it cruises just fine.

[TerryBPP]

Thanks fellas. Nice score Bsiple! Thats begging for yellow and black GS-X paint.

Did some further exploration on the front cowl rust. Of course it was worse than previously thought but still fixable:

[TSNAPCRACKLEPOP]

may as well chop that top while your'e in there.

[scottmandue]

440 = nice cruiser? riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... I see many smokey burnouts in your future grasshopper.

Nice car BTW.

[TerryBPP]

Found a place that makes a reproduction left side cowl. Apparently this is a weak spot on 62-64 Polaras. $129!!

I'm going to have to pull the dash to fix the inside sheet metal which sucks.

[Jeff Higgins]

Sorry, the car model is Coronet 440, but that's no 440 under the hood. It's a small block MOPAR, i.e. 273, 318, 340, 360. Big block MOPARS have the distributor on the front, at an angle, on the right side of the water pump. If it's original to the car, it's a 273. Sorry.

[TerryBPP]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Sorry, the car model is Coronet 440, but that's no 440 under the hood. It's a small block MOPAR, i.e. 273, 318, 340, 360. Big block MOPARS have the distributor on the front, at an angle, on the right side of the water pump. If it's original to the car, it's a 273. Sorry.

Thanks for the info. That explains why its not crazy fast. Doubtful the engine is original considering the work that has been done to the car. I'll see if I can get the #'s from it and look it up.

Whats the difference in the body between a Polara and a Coronet? Reason I ask is that I hope the cowl I ordered still fits.

[Laneco]

Shoot - you're right... I've been spending too much time under the hood of chevies, missed the distributor entirely.

You know what I can't figure out? Why the Coronet 440 (from the factory) has a 318 as the standard engine. I think that was right, 318? You would think if they included the displacement in the name, then THAT would be the displacement!

Things will be different when I'm the king.

angela

[Rick V]

Dude, Score. I cut my teeth on old Mopar.

[VINMAN]

Awesome score Terry!!

[pwd72s]

Great buy! Show a pic of the rear view...always admired the clean lines of the '64 Dodge...

[Jeff Higgins]

The Polara and Coronet are two different bodies; nothing interchanges.

Angela, I can't remember what year the 273 was bumped to 318. It was somewhere back in that timeframe. I can tell big blocks apart at a glance - "B" vs. "RB" blocks, original Stage III heads from the rest, etc. I'm just not all that up on the small blocks.

The Coronet 500 came standard with a 383, just to further confuse matters. I was never sure what the "440" and "500" meant. Mine was a '67 Coronet, in a very easily distinguishable guise - it was an R/T. Only two engine options in the R/T back then, the 440 and the Hemi. Mine was a 440. Being a '67, it had the sought after small chamber heads as well - good for over 11:1 compression with flat top pistons.

I drag raced several big block MOPAR's from the late '70's through the mid '80's. Very easy and cheap motors to get really big power out of, along with all-season-long reliability. Hell, I ran one 383 for three years and never had the valve covers or oil pan off of it. Great motors.

Oh - and with the small block, you won't get the 727, either. It will be the smaller Torque Flite, I just can't remember the number on it. I think it was some 900 series or something.

[TerryBPP]

Ran the engine and tranny #'s. 1972 360 ci & a 1969 727 torqflite. Neither match the car.