Vehicle Description
1964 Dodge Polara 500
Long before the mega million dollar, multiple sponsorship, star
studded spectacle that professional drag racing has become there
was a time where the little guys could shine. All the cars had
nicknames, drivers had nicknames, and the only sponsorship one
could hope to get was driving for a dealership who owned or
sponsored a race car. The mantra of race on Sunday and sell on
Monday worked. You could go to the strip and watch the Super Stock
cars hash it out Sunday afternoon then toodle into your local
dealership and buy the exact same car on Monday. Albeit maybe not a
full-blown drag car, (even though they were available), but the
same bodied car with anything from an economy minded 6 cylinder all
the way up to a tire shredding earth rotating big block. Man, those
were the days....
For consignment, a once dealership sponsored Dodge that hunted the
quarter mile in and around Pennsylvania. This 1964 Dodge Polara 500
was originally campaigned by Kolsar Dodge in Tioga County,
Pennsylvania and was born with a 426ci V8 wedge engine with a
4-speed. Named the Jack of Diamonds, with the playing card and all
muraling hand painted on the rear quarter panels. It ran at Maple
Grove Raceway, Cecil County Drag-O-Way, Bloomsburg, PA and
Williamsport PA just to name a few. It competed against famous
racers such as Mr. 409 and The Hemi Honker. The car raced under the
Kolsar Dodge livery until the early 1970's then it was campaigned
by multiple different dealerships. Our consignor purchased the car
in 1992 and raced it through 2006 at many of the same tracks
clocking a best time of 10.87 @ 123mph.
Exterior
White, red, and hand painted murals now cover nicely straightened
steel panels all around. Some scratches and flaws are seen in the
paint, but they are battle scars proudly worn from races and
thrashes long past. There is slight misalignment between the fender
and the doors, however, this is due to the front fenders being
fiberglass. Trim work is all good with few faults, even when
studying it closely and the front and rear bumpers have been
replaced with fiberglass units in the name of weight savings. Twin
trim spears run down the long steel sides with the top being a thin
stainless unit and the lower being a broad spear having a machine
turned finish within. A pristine front grille is flanked by single
headlights and hovers below the hood which has a large scoop which
will funnel plenty of air into the big mill underneath, as a bonus
the original hood is included with the purchase. A shout out to the
B pillar with its V shaped design that adds to the very nice line
this car produces. 15-inch Centerline type drag wheels adorn all 4
corners with the fronts wearing Moroso front runner tires and the
rears being shod in BF Goodrich Radial rubber. Spare rear wheels
and slicks are included for those quick trips down the strip.
Interior
Nearly perfect Super Stock style front buckets and matching rear
bench are draped in white vinyl. A red roll cage sits outboard
buckets which feature RCI wide harnesses. An original dash with a
metal front and padded dash top houses all the correct gauges. An
original steering wheel is in front of this dash and has a
tachometer and oil pressure gauge to the column. Other aftermarket
additions include a dash mounted air fuel ratio gauge, and an
aftermarket water temperature gauge which hangs below the dash. A
stock center console runs between the seats and has a storage
compartment and the chrome handled shift lever. A clean red carpet
covers the floors and a tighty whitey headliner hangs above. A
shout out to the white vinyl headrest hanging off of the roll bar
on the driver's side to keep the drivers neck from snapping back
during those hard launches.
Drivetrain
Opening the large scooped hood we are met with a 1967 440ci V8
painted in Mopar orange. It has been bored .060 over to achieve 452
cubes. Inside this mill is a forged crankshaft, rods and 14.5-1
compression pistons that have been fully balanced. A Comp Cams
.568i/.588e lift camshaft resides within and actuated valves in the
Edelbrock aluminium heads via Crane roller tipped rocker arms. An
Edelbrock STR-14 cross ram intake feeds fuel and air from the twin
Edelbrock 4bbl carburetors. A MSD 6AL and billet distributor lights
the fire within. Power is transferred to a A727 transmission with a
Winters reverse manual valve body and holds a Dynamic 3800 stall
converter all wrapped up in a safety blanket then back to a 8 3/4"
rear axle with 4.10 Richmond gears. All business here!
Undercarriage
Unibody, rockers, body hangers, and floor pans all are looking
straight and secure with no rust. Torsion bars provide the ride up
front while Super Stock leaf springs with old school traction bars
and a pinion snubber are on the rear. Strange disc brakes have been
added to the front while drums provide the whoa factor on the back.
Stahl fenderwell headers with 2" primary tubes send spent fossils
out to exit under the car. A full 3" exhaust system with Flowmaster
mufflers is included with the purchase. Noted is a Hurst line lock
kit for the front brakes to make heating up the slicks a ton
easier.
Drive-Ability
Try as I may I wasn't able to squeeze myself between the rollbar
and the steering wheel so I let my muscle car aficionado and
partner in crime take the wheel. He reported a well-built engine
that fires right up and has a wall vibrating deep idle! Plenty of
brute power in this car offering up some neck snapping
acceleration, and also a good cruiser. Steering was nice and tight,
and brakes stopped us quickly. While better suited for the track
this car can be registered for street use and enjoyment.
A beautiful piece of North East drag racing history, wearing its
hand muraled paint scheme from 1967. Massive power from the big
block engine and cross ram intake with all the right supporting
parts to go along with it. This car is show and go all wrapped up
into one. You better hurry to get this one as it may end up in my
garage...well that is if the missus doesn't mind me racing in
Nostalgia Super Stock classes on the weekends.
VIN DECODE
6442107656
6-Dodge V8
4-Polara
4-1964
2-Dodge Main Assy Plant
107656-Sequential Unit Number
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.