I bought my Canadian 1964 Dodge 440 2 door hardtop
in September of 2001. It had 127,252 miles on it at the time.
My Dodge is #1314 of 1579 Dodge 440’s made with
the V8 engine and the hardtop in Canada.
| Kevin writes: I bought my Canadian 1964 Dodge 440 2 door hardtop in September of 2001. It had 127,252 miles on it at the time. My Dodge is #1314 of 1579 Dodge 440’s made with the V8 engine and the hardtop in Canada. |
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I bought the Dodge from the original owners and it was a complete car. There was some damaged trim and the car was very rusty but all the parts were there except the neutral button.
The Dodge was towed home (2000 miles) by my friend using a tow bar after removing the front bumper, drive shaft and hubcaps and attaching a towbar to the front bumper mounts. He removed the hubcaps and put the jack assembly into the car so that nothing would fall off or out of the Dodge on the trip home.
When the car came home, I was so excited I couldn’t eat or sleep. I guess that my excitement rubbed off on my family right up until they saw the car. Each of them (my wife Karen, daughter Tina and son Grant) thought I had lost my mind.
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I didn't really care what they thought. I had a 1964 Dodge to restore!
As a Canadian car, the 440 has a Plymouth interior and instrument panel. Painted the original colour “Sky Blue” the only options on the Dodge are the AM radio, automatic transmission, map/coutesy light and power steering. There is no outside mirror or power brakes.
I spent the first evening changing the oil and sitting in it and pretending to drive. The engine had not run in 5 years and I was not particularly sure that it would start. The next afternoon, I got some gas and poured it into the tank with the 5 year old varnish or whatever was in the tank and turned the key. After a few splashes of gas down the throat of the Carter BBD the Mopar started.
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I was even happier than I had been! However, when I pressed the drive button, nothing happened. After refilling the tranny, the Dodge then actually moved under its own power.
I took my 11 year old son around the block and as I was grinning and counting the shifts of the 727, he was clutching the door handle for dear life. There was no shoulder belt.
After that one trip around the block, I took the car apart and did not drive it again for 3 years.
In early December 2004, the Dodge was ready for the safety check and was legal to drive. I then focussed on the body work and the car was painted “Sky Blue” in May of 2005.
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 ...test fit of patch panel... |
During the restoration I overhauled the engine twice. In the spring of 2004, I put together the stock bore 313 and installed it into my car. I was very proud. But, I had an oil pressure concern with my engine.
After the paint was complete and I finally got the car home, I pulled the engine apart to find every bearing was ruined as were the journals on the crank and connecting rods. Apparently, there is an oil gallery that ends behind the oil filter mounting plate. This particular oil gallery is to have a threaded plug in it. I did not know it existed and, since I did not put a plug in it, that was the cause of my oil pressure problem.
On July 29, 2005, the rebuilt engine (now 0.040 oversize 325 CID) was started and the oil pressure has been exactly where it should be and the car is a dream to drive.
I want to thank the 1962 to 1965 Mopar Mail List Clubhouse for the advise and parts that have been made available to me from it’s members. In particular I want to thank Doug Baker, Bill Watson and Gary Pavlovich.
