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.