For Sale: 1962 Dodge Polara in Richmond, Illinois

This Gorgeous 1962 Dodge Polara 500 Convertible stands as a rare gem in automotive history. In the year 2000, the previous owner acquired the car, which was powered by a 361 but had a Max Wedge Clone big block in it. Having originally been an Alabama car, the body was remarkably rust free and straight. A new paint job was recently completed at the time, black with red accents. However, the decision was made to strip the old paint and start all over again. This operation confirmed that the Polara was indeed originally black with a white stripe. A new base coat/clear coat black paint scheme was then sprayed. All bright work and essentially every part of the car that shines has been stripped, smoothed, and re-chromed/polished by a local chrome shop to high standards.

The drivetrain underwent a dramatic change as well. He decided the 440 that had come with the car wasn't suitable for a major buildup, so another 440 was located. The goal was to build a potent but dependable powerplant. Knowing by this time he wanted to keep the black beauty a Max Wedge clone (just for the record, there are no Max Wedge '62 Polara 500 convertibles known to exist), he set out to create the perfect mill. At the bottom of everything is a 440 block bored .030 over and fitted with forged TRW pistons. The compression ratio was kept to 10:1 to enable the Dodge to live in the world of pump gas. The heads were reworked, ported, and fitted with hardened steel 2.14 intake valves. A Crane roller cam bumps around the valves. The cross ram is an original 1963 casting Max Wedge piece and supports a pair of original 3447 625 fm Max Wedge carbs. The original Max Wedge cast iron manifolds were Jet Hot coated to keep them young looking. You'll also notice the correct Max Wedge wiring harness, which pins the wires against the inner fenders to keep them away from the hot manifolds.

Backing up the potent crossed up big block is a rebuilt TorqueFlite with a B&M
shiftkit still controlled via the original dash mounted push buttons. Out back is an 8-3/4" rear suspended by Super Stock springs and holding a set of 3.91 Sure Grip gears. The heavy springs are largely responsible for the Dodge's forward rake and help the Cooper Cobra radials mounted on American Racing wheels get a little better bite when it comes crunch time.

One of the most striking features of this Polara is the drop dead gorgeous two-tone black and white interior. When originally acquired, the seats had just been re-covered in the black and white pattern, but the rest of the interior was still largely original. Naturally, he loved the Oreo color combination of the seating and the remaining door panels also exhibited a two-tone black and white theme. So, he embarked on finishing up the convertible's innards. He turned to SMS Auto Fabrics to make the classy door panels and then placed new black rugs on the floor. The dash was repainted, all the dash chrome refinished, and the original deluxe "Astrophonic" AM radio was reworked and converted to an AM/FM stereo job with modern internals while retaining its stone stock look. Since radio stations are few and far between in rural Wisconsin, he installed a vintage 8 track tape player to provide tunes when none other are available and keep the car somewhat period looking at the same time.

When the summer of 2001 came around, the reborn Polara hit the streets and immediately proved itself to be perhaps the best all-around car the meticulous Mopar collector ever had. Fast forward to today, the current owner has owned the car for many years, and the car is still looking incredible. Being a meticulous Mopar collector himself, he has taken extreme care for this car. The undercarriage of the car is extremely clean and an excellent shape as well. The chrome and bright work are in excellent condition, and overall enjoyability and drivability of this Vintage Dodge Polara is exceptional. An original '62 service manual, Dodge Polara brochures, extensive collection of receipts from work done during the restoration, a 2002 issue of Mopar Magazine featuring this specific car, and other documentation is included with the sale of this car. Don't miss this opportunity to own an extremely rare piece of Mopar history!