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Bad photo but good memories.
Doc
Member Posts: 13,898 ✭✭✭
In 1971 I bought a 1962 Dodge Polara 500 that was setting in a field for $75. I also bought a wrecked 1968 Dodge Charger R/T for around $400. My friend and I took the 440 Magnum and 727 Torgueflite out of the Charger and rebuilt them in the high school auto shop class. Big cam, Holley double-pumper, headers, all the good stuff. Trans was made full manual-shift with a 3,000 RPM converter. The rear end was a 4.56 Sure-Grip and it went drum to drum into the '62.
We swapped the front disc brakes from the Charger onto the Polara and welded the floor shifter in place as the original was the push-button control. I added the mag wheels (15x10 rear and 15x8 front) with the Goodyear tires (L60 and G60 respectively). Stripped some weight by losing the back seat, front bumper and the hood hardware. It lifted off and was held down with pins. Molded the "Six-Pack" scoop on the hood, too. Had a roll bar put in (can be seen behind the driver's seat in pic).
God, that body style was ugly! But this car was a real monster for power. It got about 6 miles to the gallon in normal driving and under acceleration you could actually watch the gas gauge dropping. I drove this thing to my high school graduation party in 1973.
I sold it in the late 1970s to buy a more modern and sophisticated car, like a Plymouth Roadrunner or Dodge Coronet R/T, I forget which. I wish I had the old monster car back. It was unique.
We swapped the front disc brakes from the Charger onto the Polara and welded the floor shifter in place as the original was the push-button control. I added the mag wheels (15x10 rear and 15x8 front) with the Goodyear tires (L60 and G60 respectively). Stripped some weight by losing the back seat, front bumper and the hood hardware. It lifted off and was held down with pins. Molded the "Six-Pack" scoop on the hood, too. Had a roll bar put in (can be seen behind the driver's seat in pic).
God, that body style was ugly! But this car was a real monster for power. It got about 6 miles to the gallon in normal driving and under acceleration you could actually watch the gas gauge dropping. I drove this thing to my high school graduation party in 1973.
I sold it in the late 1970s to buy a more modern and sophisticated car, like a Plymouth Roadrunner or Dodge Coronet R/T, I forget which. I wish I had the old monster car back. It was unique.
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Too old to live...too young to die...
Too old to live...too young to die...
Comments
...The truck next to it,,, old Ford? Bullet lights? If it's Ford and like late 30's or 40's a friend of mine had one that had a kick * 375 hsp-327 dropped in...and the body and interior was awesome...[;)]
roadrunner, yes.. Dodge polara, no..
Agreed, them old Mopar body styles were ugly as hell, but for some reason I liked them....especially the old Belvedeer.
I bet that thing hauled * with all those mods done to it. You should have left the mag wheels off and made it a "sleeper". [:D][:o)]
Very few '62 Dodge Polaras around, now AND then. Most all the 1962 models you see (saw) were Darts.
Thanks for the photo. Thanks for the memories.
Those were fun times....[^][^]
"Fleet economy model. The performance and speed of this vehicle has been curtailed in order to obtain lower operating costs."
When I got it there was a 265 Chevy V-8 mated to the original 3 speed (floor shift, no less). Only drove it a few weeks and it started breaking down so I sold. Was more into the Dodge, anyway. But the body on the truck was perfect.
Too old to live...too young to die...