Here’s a car equipped in such a fashion that many have read about but few have seen. There is nothing particularly special about a 1964 Dodge Polara 500 though this example is in magnificent condition. But what really sets it apart is how it’s powered – more on that in a bit. Let’s look her over! This Dodge is located in Imperial Beach, California and is available, here on craigslist for a make an offer price. Thanks to rex m for this tip!
Chryco was in the final year of their full-size car down-sizing in 1964 though with a wheelbase of 119″, it matched that of competing full-size cars like the Chevrolet Impala. And being a 500, put the Polara in a sporty class, denoted by its standard bucket seats. But the sportiness persona was backed up by performance as that was Dodge’s watch-word in ’64. The horsepower wars were reaching lift-off and Dodge was trying its best to lead the pack.
In 1963 Chrysler introduced their 426 CI “wedge” engine, a size that most know from a “Hemi” configuration. But before the Hemi, there was the wedge and the “max wedge”, known officially as the 426 “High-Performance” V8 and the 426 “Ramcharger” V8. Regarding the standard 426, which is ensconced under the hood of this Polara, Dodge’s sales brochure in 1964 described it as such,”‘High-Performance’ is an understatement for this powerplant. Quite frankly, it is recommended for the performance specialist only“. It is rated at 385 gross HP and utilizes an 11.0:1 compression ratio – the sort of engine that today would require either racing fuel or a lot of octane booster. The seller states that the 426 in this Dodge is the original, numbers matching engine, no mean feat considering how many probably got blown up on the track or the street. The motor was rebuilt 20K+ miles ago and is mostly original except for the “max” wedge iron headers and MSD ignition. The seller doesn’t elaborate on how the entire package runs, but with a four-speed manual transmission (A833), it has to be a rocket. Other improvements are a new radiator, gas tank and sending unit.
The exterior of his Polara is sharp! I have always appreciated this body-style, particularly the distinctive, almost triangular C-pillar. The seller doesn’t elaborate on its condition or originality but the red finish and silver top coordinate perfectly and both possess a like-new presentation. There is no indication of body damage, rust, or missing trim – this Polara is as good as it gets – remarkable for a car with 104K miles on its odometer. There are 1960’s vintage Torq Thrust wheels holding down this Polara’s four corners, perfectly establishing the exterior experience.
The interior is resplendent with its black, vinyl bucket seats, center console, and near-perfect instrument panel. There are no under-dash auxiliary gauges or a big old aftermarket tachometer crammed right into center stage and the seller mentions that all of the gauges work. It is exactly as Dodge intended it to be back in 1964. The seller advises that the steering wheel has been refurbished and the radio has been restored to its original presentation while there is a stereo system of some sort under the driver’s seat.
What’s not to like? One thing and one thing only (it is a fantastic car!), and that’s the “Feel free to make an offer” selling price. I pass on every one of those that I encounter regardless of how much I like the car – I refuse to negotiate against myself. But that’s just me and plenty of cars trade hands that way. The seller states, “The Polara 500 is a somewhat rare car. In this trim, being a survivor, and this drive train make this car very rare. So I have little to compare it to for an asking price“. That’s one thing that I’m not buying, the seller has owned this car for a while and he has to have at least a gut feel for what he wants out of it, otherwise, how would he know what to accept and what to reject? So, since a price isn’t stated, what do you think, what’s it worth?
It’s been my experience that a seller who wants you to make an offer has very high expectations. Having spent years in the antiques business has taught me that those sellers usually have an unrealistic price in mind. The seller should just post his asking price. If it’s too high, he gets to keep the car. If he’s willing to negotiate, it will sell. This car is a real beauty and should be worth a good bit Auction results show these cars in Excellent Condition have sold for
$26,400 – $32,425. That’s probably a good place to start.
I’ve watch 3 mopar ad’s for at least 3yr’s. Seems to me they are holding out for best price. Wow I was offered $$$$.$$. Wonder if I can get $$,$$$.$$? If I hold out
Oddity: Somebody added 1968 Mopar circular side marker lights to the car.
Funny – my dad did too – added the rear 1968 Mopar lights to the rear of his then new 1968 Ford swb 390/auto – we road the bus down to get it at Richie Motor Co in Grand Saline , Tx.
Sure did! And they say that before the hemi was the wedge. WRONG. Chrysler started making hemis in the early 50s.
We don’t know the circumstances under which the current owner obtained the car nor whether he/she is even knowledgable about cars at all. Note the use of “I believe….” when describing it. For all we know they could have inherited the thing.
What one wants to get out of the car is not the same as asking for offers due to not being able to make a comparison. IF the seller is being honest, I prefer the latter.
I had a 64 myself. One of the sharpest body styles IMO. I wish I still had it.
This is a nice car and someone is going to get one fun ride.
GLWTS.
If you can appreciate a 64 409 Impala or a 64 427 Galaxie, this is the natural to complete the setting.
Or what started it all, the ’64 Gran Turismo Omologato 389 Tri!
Or the 1963 GT Hawk….
I don’t know why folks say the GTO started it all. I had a’64 Sport Fury with this engine and it never saw the tail lights of any GTO. Rick.
My father used to tell me stories of such a car. In 1964 he a lot boy a a small Dodge dealer. Working there he knew the Dodge factory rep. He put the old man in the know. He ordered a 426 Dodge 4 spd. in red like this but with red interior. When the transport showed up he was able to drive it off. Fresh off the truck the rep advised how it should be broken in. It went like this. Drive it about a mile down the road as hard as you can. Turn around and do the same. Pull it in the bay and add a quart of Rislone. That was it.
The old man added exhaust cutouts and numerous mods. Was reasonably successful at racing. But as he later said. It was never a Hemi. In the fall of 1964 a new Mustang showed up on the streets one night. A gold fastback. Called out the old man. Here is this guy with a 289 wanting to race me he said.
What seemed a hopeless mismatch proved wrong. The old man got smoked in his 426 by a Hypo 289. Not long after I came along and a kid working as a lot boy couldn’t afford that new car. He ended up giving the mighty Dodge to his buddy to take over payments. He picked up a 55 BelAir as a daily for $60. and never looked back.
the only way a 289 would beat a 426 is lots of tire-spin. My buddy had a 409 & he used to dump the clutch in second gear at traffic lights, never got beat by anybody.
Back in the late 60’s-70’s we used 348/409 in our hobby stock car. Everyone else was using 350’s. We were season champions 3 years in a row. TORQUE is king.
Those headers are truly “over the top”. Very interesting how they lead to the front and then go high toward the rear. Certainly a creative solution to limited space between the engine and front suspension. a perfect counterpoint to Chrysler’s ram intake manifolds. Research required as to whether there is enough space to use both, although it seems like heat would be a problem.
The street 426 wedge did not have 11 to one compression. It was a big brother to the 383 and little brother to the yet to come 440. The dual quad race engine was something totally different. Not at all practical for the street, even for the dedicated street racer. Read the 1963 Motor Trend article about trying to drive a race prepped Dodge 413, it was horrible in traffic. Only good for the drag strip. BTW, why so many stupid Hurst shift handles these days? The standard round ball was always best to fit into that console.
From the 1964 Dodge sales brochure, the third paragraph under “Optional Engines”.
JO
Okay, to clarify, MOST 426 wedges were NOT the dual quad variety. I know, I test drove a new one and asked about the availability of the race engine. The salesman laughed and said that it was only for weekend races, not for the daily user. He said they had never sold one, that only pro racers and ridiculously rich people owned them. This looks like the regular street able 426. If it was the king of the hill engine, don’t you think it would be presented that way for value? BTW, the 426 4 speed I tested scared the bejesus out of me. More than enough power, though it handled a corner like a drunkard. I ended up later buying a 65 Plymouth with a poly 318 and a 3 speed and I was more than happy with that.
The one that I referenced in the brochure does not have dual carburetors, the “Ramcharger” listed below that entry, has dual carburetors. Both 426 engines, however, are listed as having an 11:1 compression ratio.
JO
Amen to your comment about those dumb looking Hurst (or imitation) shift handles. It seems that an awful lot of the cars I see here on Barn Finds has those. They look totally out of place on a stock looking car like this Dodge.
Slamming the shifter into second or third was more firm with the Hurst knob. You could easily miss a gear with the round knob.
I feel it’s worth 25k and I’d put a pistol grip handle on that hurst!
My sister in law hasone of these with the max wedge. It was her late husband’s car. They are right it is a beast to street drive them.
Can someone explain the fad with those wheels? Those 1960s “mags” were lightweight magnesium for speed/handling advantages and now show up even on otherwise-correct restorations, polluting the concept like vinyl siding on a Victorian home.
I grew up in the the sixties and I had those lightweight Torque Trust wheels on a 55 Chevy in 1965 and still today I have torque thrust wheels polluting my though not the same 55 Chevy in my shop I drive and show occasionally.
Unlike most aftermarket wheels of today, they at least look halfway decent. Could be worse. The seller could have put 21’s all the way around.
I like the look of the 60s vintage wheels on a 1964 Dodge. Real magnesium wheels tend to get brittle over time, though.
By the mid-60’s wheel companies such as American Racing had switched most of their production to aluminum.
Steve R
Jimmy Novak. No where in ad does it say wheels are magnesium. They are not!
“I have little to compare it to for an asking price. Feel free to make an offer.”
Facebook?
Be afraid, be very afraid!
I imagine a lot of sending units were replaced, since these cars pass everything except a gas station. Still, I like this body style and would like to find one with a humble 318 or even a slant six.
Following up on William’s comment. A friend, now deceased sold one of the nicest looking 57 Chevys I have ever seen to this day that he drove some on the street and raced on weekends so he could buy a new high performance Plymouth. Can’t recall the dealer in Detroit that was known to sell the high performance cars. He was shown their inventory and he asked about a few cars along the fence that were separated from the rest. He was told those were for certain people and not for sale to the regular public. The car he bought was scary fast but not one of those along the fence. His Dad sold it while he was in Vietnam because if he made it back that car wasn’t going to kill him.
The 440 6-pak Roadrunner was faster car I have ever ridden in. Maybe, the fact i was in the backseat and he was drunk. made it seem so terribly fast, but, he was still burning rubber at 90. I was thankful when he took my girl and I back to my car.
This was “the little old lady from Pasadena’s” car. “Parked in her rickety old garage was a brand new shiny red superstock Dodge”
Beat me to it!
The hemi was the first v8 Chrysler made, until the poly came out and then the wedge came later because they were cheaper to make. So you have it backwards.
I am aware of that fact, I believe 1951 if I’m not mistaken. I was referencing engines that displaced 426 CI, the wedge, in that case, did predate the Hemi version.
JO
My first car, obtained in May, 1968, was a 1964 Polara 500, metallic blue with matching interior, 426 Street Wedge, 4 – speed, 3:23 rear end. Manual steering, brakes, windows. An absolute beast to handle, with seemingly unlimited torque. I would race anyone in anything at anytime in my Atlanta suburb, and was never beaten. Liked the car so much that I bought another 64 Polara 500, red / black interior, 383 w/ 2 – 4 barrels, 4 – speed. The red one would moan at the top end, but it didn’t have the thrust of the 426. I loved those cars, but evolved (?) into a VW Westfalia driver for many years.
of the 9 same era cars on this day’s list this one may exemplfy the “straight lines” (of body work) between the ’50s ‘bulgemo-biles’ and the ‘wheel humps’ or ‘fender humps’ of the muscle era (late 60s) the best. I really like’em altho just B4 I hada licanse…
119 WB isa mid sz or big car so alill more room/weight, bearly streetable engine, red on black, unknown price? Seems just right for ‘our sight’ no?
This car , to me at least is so much more desirable that the late 80s early 70s Mopars that seem to be selling for triple what this is said to be worth.
This is cool love those early mopar muscle. Don’t see rows of them at car shows. I would slap down 25k and feel we both did well. 426 is a torque motor not the monster 440 but plenty.
I love this car. I would love to have it but it’s the same old story, no space for it and no money. I buy a new 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible with the 426/four speed, 365 HP, and traction definitely was a problem even with Sure-Grip 323 rear. It was my only car at the time and I drove it every day. I later on got married, sold the Plymouth, bought a house, had a kid, and bought a 64 Dodge station wagon that I felt more fitting with my life style at time. I loved that 64 Dodge and I still have a warm feeling for 64 Dodges. A little while later I bought a StingRay convertible for our second car. Car guy’s got to have a little fun.
Yes been a car guy my whole life, have a modern (2014)dodge charger R/T awd,love it,its very quick 14.4 97.29 quarter stock but I still miss having a classic,chrome bumpers,old car smell, carburetor exhaust smell…I feel a tim Taylor’s grunt coming on…lol
As long as we’re guessing at value, I wonder how much to knock off for the ’68 marker lights carved into the sides.
I keep coming back to look at this car. The little round side marker lights don’t bother me since they are so small and don’t really look out of place. The hood pins are worse to me but I wouldn’t remove them if I were to buy the car as that would require body work and paint. What I would get rid of is the Hurst handle on the shifter and those exhaust manifolds. I’d get rid of the mag wheels also. I hope this Dodge goes to an owner who will take good care of it.
why does one jack ass always mention fuel mileage ? whats up with that upper rad hose..? stay away from this car
How does this Eng. in this car compare to a 56 dodge Texan that had a special D-500 Eng. ?
Jay Leno bought this car. He did an episode of Jay Leno’s garage featuring it.
I have owned both cars. Both are Polara 500′ s My current one is an original factory 4 speed. The engine is a 426 max wedge and is a really fast and strong car. It can easily rev to 6500 rpm.
There are some claims that only 5 426 Max wedge were made. All had push button or console torque flight automatic transmissions, In 1966 when I finally had enough money to buy one there were none available . Around the year 2000 Chrysler re issued the very good 426 max wedge heads, I already had a nice 1964 Dodge Polara 500. So I purchased the heads and already had the cross ram manifold and the beautiful tuned headers and I made my own car, I have seen dyno tests that have gotten upwards of 465 Horsepower at 6500 rpm .Even with a 3.23 rear end my car is very strong and can go through a quarter mile in 3rd, Gear.
I also own a 1967 GTX Plymouth Belevedere Hemi. It has a 4.10 rear end and an an Alabama torque converter with a colum shift automatic. This is a very rare car with only a 100 or so made. There was one sold here i in Albuquerque that was in poor shape with only 30K miles The owner got Alzheimer’s disease and died and his widow sold it for $100k Cash both are dead. Rick Quanz still owns it but it is for sale,. I assume he wants too much. It is the same color as mine but has original factory wheels. Mine has Crager Mags. and large tires. Marion Schneider Albuquerque NM.
I also own a beautiful 1956 Chrysler New Yorker 354 Hemi Original Albuquerque Car with 2 speed push button automatic 2 speed transmission. It was clocked on a lonely road by a friend of the original owner near Sho Low Arizona at a speed of 127 Mph. within a few mph of the Chrysler 300 C’s that won 19 Grand National races in 1956 including the Daytona 500 race. Kiekauffer of Wisconsin sponsored the cars. If one coldbuy one of his cars that would be neat.
Marion Schneider
If anyone wished to contact one of the great experts in 426 max wedge questions, I can be reached by email
I live in Albuquerque New Mexico
I am in the mountain time zone
I doubt that there is a question I cannot answer or find the answer to your questions.
My greatest thrill is to step on the 426 in low gear and watch the action which is condsiderable. It is quite a thrill to listen to it windout in 3rd gear to 6500 rpm.
I want to add that in 1964 and 1965 I took my pushbutton 426 street wedge out many nights looking for someone to beat. I never lost. I had races with many GTOs and some 383 mopars. At that time Fords were very poor in power. I took on a 427 Ford and put him down. I often wouul race some 383s and say aside of them and just out torque them. Once I overhalled the engine and found the big timing gear set one tooth to the right. We asked the local Dodge dealer what to do and he said sometimes the factory actually set cars that way when they built the engines to give more duration on the intake side of the cam which was only a 268 degree hayduralic. BTW one time I took the car out on a lonesome Texas road and clocked 145 miles per hour I evenweighed the car an it weighed 3850 lbs
I have often been asked which of the 3 years in which Max Wedges were made were the strongest connecting rods made. The first 413 max wedges came with standard 413 cu inch stock rods. The 1963 Max wedge had rods made with better materiial and were baked at high temperature to temper them. I understand they were checked with dye to assure no cracks they had wider tabs at the connecting rod and rod cap line. They weighed within about 3 grams of the original rod. I have a set and I weighed them they were within a gram for a set of eight. Despite claims that the 1964 Max rods were stronger and heavier I doubt these claims of strength. The Heavier rods will require different crankshaft balance to work. The 1963 rod also shared with the 1963 Chrysler 300 J are part number 2406359.VIitrually impossible to find a set of these. I looked for over 25 years and found a set at Brewers parts in Ohio.
If you cannot find the large max wedge headers Isaw an article many years ago of people who used these later pretty good cast iron headers from a high performance 383 engine that ran through straight pipe 12.2 sec quarter miles
https://www.ebay.com/b/Exhaust-Manifolds-Headers-for-Dodge-440/33632/bn_20174433
At the risk of dominating this blog. anone interested in actually seeing the rods used in Max Wedge engines in 1962 through 1964 just look at the first few pages to see these prized possessions. The website is :
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/rb-and-max-wedge-rod-pictorial-reference.175132/