1964 Dodge Polara

Mark writes: Painted 2004 Viper Red, the Dodge is gonna be a beauty. Built to be a driver, but I'm trying to do show quality. Stainless, chrome and glass are almost installed.

Every day I'm down at my painter's shop figuring out this and that. I bought the screw kits, but I'm going to 90% stainless.

I never realized how much fun it was to put this puzzle together. Everything goes together real slow and meticulously. My contract with my painter was that he hang the bumpers, chrome and stainless -- and boy am I glad about that. He's way more experienced than I.

Oh, if you noticed the 3 lights on each side in the rear, I'm kinda doin' like the '64 Landy car, but a hardtop.

Till next update....

P.s., I'm still looking for roof rail moulding clips. Anybody see any please give me a holler!

Update February 14, 2005

My 1964 SS custom clone is back from the painter. We started to put the engine and driveline in around Feb.1 and after putting the TTI headers on it took a while to get 'er to fit and found she goes in only one way, so we had to pull 'er out and redo the elephant ear brackets and make another custom ear.

Fabrication is time consuming and then we realized after talking to the likes of Gary Hansen Racing and Reed's Performance that a 800 hp Hemi should have a midplate. So I had to find a midplate and fab and bracket, etc., then repaint the engine areas. Gosh talking about double work. My first mock-up was lacking the TTI headers. Well, live and learn.

Here's current pictures with some concours stuff. It's been over 3 years now. Should be complete by mid March or so, but you know how one week turns into four.

I'm really trying to build a 10 point car. She'll probably end up close to it.

Oh, by the way for any of you who were at the Columbus Chrysler Classic in 2003 and saw Larry Shepard fire up an awesome 800+hp Hemi with the dual distibutor 16 plug race crossram, that's my motor and it's going in this car. It took me tons of cash and close to three years to pay for it. Tubbed and tied, SS springs, built 410 Dana.

I'm on this countdown to heaven. Still can't believe I'm almost done!

April 2005

After 3-1/2 years we're getting ever so close to the end...or is it the beginning? Anyway just a couple weeks away she'll be done. I has to cut off the scoop and re-glass higher. The carbs were sitting too high with the new Mopar intake on top of the Indy heads.

The engine started right up on March 24, 2005 and we are very pleased: just a few bugs to work out.

Everything took long to complete. Custom but awesome. This car is bad to the bone.

Update February 2006

First I’ll give the complete scoop on my 1964 Dodge Polara 2 door hardtop: original Califonia car; recreated as concourse as possible to resemble the S/S cross ram Race Hemi; Dodge was tied and tubbed and a six point roll bar welded to frame ties. 500 was made for show and pro street legal driver, and can be converted to race easily. The body was almost rust free. The inside of the wheel wells look like day one, only better.

I bought the car with a 1966 Hemi in it for $25k and began to dismantle it day one. Little did I know what I really was getting into; that is the time and money it takes to totally restore and build something unique.

Well here I was at age 50 taking on this challenge and not really knowing what car I had other than what the owner had told me.

Anyway 4 years later and half a condo invested I built one of the most awesome Hemi cars out there.

We altered the rear wheelbase then frame tied and tubbed to fit with relocated wheel arches. The tranny is a 727 rebuilt reverse and has to be shifted at all times, which is fun.

There’s a Dana 60 rear end with 4:10 gears and 3 inch chrome molly tubes, with
trac lock 35 spline Moser axles. Pro series steet legal Mickey Thompson’s
surround 4-wheel disc brakes.

The motor is a new mega block, stress relieved with Indy ported and polished heads, with big valve option and dual plug set up and Colvalt 16 plug Dual Distributer. Dual 770 Holley’s sit on a polished new Mopar crossram intake. Inside are Comp Cam roller lifters, Comp Cam Roller and Indy roller rocker arms. Anyway, about 700 Horses flow through TTI 3 inch coated headers and exhaust, with Flowmaster dual chamber mufflers.

The paint is 2004 Viper Red and the interior
is white with black carpet and every detail to
match the Super Stock race delete car.
The dash is pure concourse.

Interior in progress

When we took out the the inside headlights we bought another grill and extended the original and welded into one which turned out great.

I entered the Norwalk Chrysler Classic last September and took first in 1962-1965 B Body Modified.

I am still working on a few things for perfection.

I am entering the Cleveland Autorama Car show March 17 in Ohio and have still a lot to do to present the car properly.

Shaping up as a great looking Dodge, Mark!

Very, very nice, in fact!

Gary H.

December 21, 2004; February 14, 2005; April 5, 2005; February 8, 2006

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