Kids and wife are all busy. I know nobody is blogging anymore. But, I don't have a project car and I'm tired of consuming everyone else's YouTube videos and Instagram photos. Honestly, those are the only real car related media I go to anymore. I will still drop in to Speedhunters.com once a day, but it's not the same as it used to be. Actually it's probably more about me not being the same as I used to be. I'm not sure what it is. The small displacement sport compact car is just not giving me the same dopamine hit it did for the last 20 years. LOL I've been craving the big V8 rumble! I really digressed there didn't I?
I decided to write. I sat down at my "new office" at my computer. I'm actually working from home the last month. This means I've only driven about 200 miles in the last 4 weeks. 100 of it was to drive out to UMC (Utah Motorsports Campus) to see my hero cars dodge cones. I'll do a separate blog about that.
I have huge respect for 90's and 2000's sport compact cars. The Mitsubishi Evolution and Subaru WRX are the 2 I have followed and liked the most since 2001 or so, especially when the WRX came to the USA in 2002 and the Evo in 2003. Times change, people change. I'm no longer 23 years old. I'm actually 43 years old. Yes, I'm driving a 2002 WRX right now. LOL I love these cars.
I'm just letting the thoughts flow down through my finger tips onto this keyboard. The other part of my car enthusiast brain is one that is sucked in by history, by nostalgia, by the past. The origin of hot rodding goes back to the V8. It goes back to the 40's, 50's, 60's and early 70's. The origin of hot rodding in the Hechtspeed family really began with my dad and his brother in the late 60's, early 70's. There is this really big part of me that is so drawn into the 60's hot rod era. I've shared a little about my dad and his brother and their cars. I've actually gone to look at 2 different 1964 Mercury Comets I found on sale on the KSL classifieds. I was never going to buy them. Sure, I believed if they were in good enough shape I could talk my wife into letting me buy one. Fact is I'm still not in a place where I can realistically have a project car.
So, 2 weeks ago or so, I had this thought to go check out KSL, it had been awhile, maybe I'd find something cool for sale. This is what I found. A 1964 Dodge, labeled as a "400". The ad said it was a "real 383, 4 speed car".
Look at that roofline! I don't know if its my bias from being so hooked on my dad's 1964 Comet Cyclone or what, but I think 1964 was the single coolest year for hot rods and muscle cars.
I'm sure the low starting price point was a factor in it catching my eye. $1900!? You kind of can't go wrong with that price! It looks pretty straight. The car guy rationalizations kick in strong with this one! There are no good interior pics, no pics of the floor boards. There are 2-3 pictures of the empty engine bay. There is no engine or transmission, hence the cheap price. But, the potential is endless!
So, what would I do with this thing? Here's some ideas I found by simply googling "1964 Dodge Polara" and "1964 Dodge NASCAR".
I can't get over that 1964 Dodge roofline. It gets me everytime! The exterior design is very reminiscent of my dad's 1964 Mercury. Very similar tail light design with the 3 sections on each side. The front end design is also similar. The Plymouth version has the quad, equal size, head lights that look like those of the '64 Mercury.
I have an Insta-friend, "tef_yensen", who is building a 1965 Ford Galaxie with a Vintage NASCAR build theme. Strip away the racing livery of these 2 Dodge's above and you have an aggressive looking hot rod man! Big wide tires, steelie wheels, lower ride height, side exhausts, stripped down interior and 4 speed transmission you shift with your right hand and left foot!
These next 3 photos were found when I began putting "restomod" and "pro-touring" in the search bar after "1964 Dodge Polara". Love the big hood scoop on this white "hot rod" variant.
Isn't it crazy how many different ways you can build a 1964 Dodge? Obviously any car can be built in so many ways. I just happened to be looking at a 1964 Dodge Polara right now. ;)
I couldn't find a ton of detail, but this brown/gold and patina'd '64 Polara belongs to Jesse James. It has a full Roadster Shop chassis, 1500hp twin turbo Hemi. Watch this 2-min clip on YouTube of Jesse talking about it.
He comments in the video that Polara's have only really been built one way, the old man hot rod style with Torq Thrust wheels. He wanted a driver built with a pro-touring driver in mind. I dig it!
I think the only twist I'd put on my version, would be a little NASCAR thrown into the mix. See the front wheel and tire package on the "Hill Country Hustler"? It's too small! I am all about the "square stance" look and handling. My favorite look is the aggressiveness of wide wheels and tires on all 4 corners. This car is a little too low. This restricts how wide you can go up front.
Here's the quick and dirty build! Find a used 5.7 modern EFI Hemi with a 6 speed with NASCAR side exit exhaust, do some suspension work to get the car to take corners (Roadster shop chassis since I'm pretending I have the budget), some black Wilwood 6 and 4 piston brakes, an Alcantara wrapped Momo Prototipo steering wheel and black Corbeau seat with harness bar for track days, simple black racecar style interior panels and carpet and some 18x11 modern, clean and simple wheels with at least 30/30/18 tires. Christy can make a magnetic vinyl decals when I'm headed to the track and just want to turn up the NASCAR theme for a weekend.
There you have it! I built my own 1964 Dodge Polara PRO-NASCAR-ROD!
