My favorite type of episode, like this, with Jay by himself describing all the details of one of his own cars. It's relaxing, as if you're just hanging out with Jay and going for a drive.
Jay runs with a crowd beyond our apprehension. There are far more cool vid's with a well-known other car collector.......to want to imagine "just Jay" provides any form of personal comfort......The best episodes feature the key players who run his massive shop.
When I was 16 my dad bought a 1965 Belvedere I from a guy who was on a baseball team he coached and got drafted. It had a 426 wedge with a push button Torque Flight transmission, he instantly became the coolest dad and I was the luckiest kid on the block. It was the car I learned to drive in and take my driver's license test in. Yes I passed and the guy who gave me the test had a big smile on his face, boy did I love the 60's, 73 now and still smiling 😃
Heh, Steve, my father was also a Mopar guy and at 15 in 1962, I took my driving test in his 1959 Chrysler 300 E coupe. I recall a similar reaction from the State Trooper administering my test!!!
Thanks for sharing, fellas... my dad is 74 and all our lives, my brothers and I have been exposed to Dad's stories of those cars. And I still own the car he brought me home from the hospital in,,, a 1964 Dodge Polara 500, 426 street wedge 4speed. Pretty much the same package Jay featured in this episode, but Dad's car is dark blue poly with light blue buckets and console with white insets, and that same white 4 speed ball on the Hurst shifter. It's got 71k original miles on it today. It's still got it's cast iron prestolite tach drive dual point distributor and the chrome unsilenced air cleaner and chrome valve covers that all came standard with the 426 street wedge. That car, and the memories of it from my childhood are wonderful bits of our shared passion for old Mopars. I am so happy to hear Jay say the things he did about this model. I have always loved them just a little bit more than the hero cars, like the 68 and 69 Chargers and the Cudas and Challengers that command the limelight.... I am especially intrigued about Jay's appreciation for the 7 litre Galaxy that he did to commemorate one his Dad had when Jay was young,,, as I too find those to be extremely attractive even though they're outside the Mopar family. I searched one out back in 1990, complete with the 7 Litre 427 4v and unfortunately, the C6, unlike the 4speed I prefer. Same maroon and black livery as Jay's car. They are all great time machines,, to take us back to our childhoods,,, thanks to our Dad's getting us exposure to them. Jay has certainly made a friend in me. I have been a loyal watcher since the beginning.
@@patrickwayne3701 -Patrick, thanks so much for sharing your own story about your father and his 64 Polara in particular. You have the advantage of not only having your dad around to listen to his tales, but also the car of your youth to enjoy firsthand… Unfortunately, in my case, I have only memories of Dads most special Mopars as no photos remain of either the 59 300 E or my 64 Polara 500 in white with red/white interior.
@@brenmizer123 man that's a bummer. I was ALWAYS getting one of those Kodak cheapo cameras that were sealed in the foil package, and clicking away, then sending the camera off thru the drugstore to get double prints back. A 59 300 is SOOO damn cool....
Credit to the camera crew. It's good to have pros back; definitely better than when Jay actually had to run the cameras by himself. In some of those episodes, to exposure or contrast or something wasn't right... I think the camera was automatically trying to correct for the bright floor, and it was hard to see darker vehicles.
Jay, we are about the same age, thanks for the trip back in time to when we were kids. My mother's family was in the car business, my grandfather had a Dodge dealership in one small town in upstate NY (Lyon's NY) and in Newark, NY he had a Chrysler dealership. My grandfather came to the USA from Italy with 17 dollars in his pocket in 1908. He had 3 years of school in Italy and worked as a laborer on the Erie Canal. A dynamite accident motivated him to find another job. He took his lunch bucket and walked to the nearest town (Lyon's) and got a room in an Italian American rooming house, and found a job as a blacksmith apprentice. He married the daughter of his landlord and when the old blacksmith retired bought his business. Cars and tractors were replacing horses and Chyrsler was needing a dealership network of people skilled in metal working. Chrysler had a mutually beneficial program of helping those they were putting out of business by letting them sell cars on the side. By 1950 he had two dealerships, 7 kids and a string of Shell and Mobile Gas Stations. The American dream, a poor boy from Italy made his fortune in America. My grandmother was first generation Italian American and her contribution was teaching him to read and write in English and helped him keep the books with a pot of spaghetti on the stove and a baby in her arms. I remember as a kid when the turbo Chryster made the tour of dealership to promote business. Pretty cool car, very hot exhaust.
Michael, just happened to see your comment watching this video. I live south of Savannah and am very familiar with Lyons and Newark. When did your Grandfather have his dealerships and what was his name? I’m a lifelong diehard Mopar guy myself.
@ Michael Law // My Grandfathers from Italy came to West Virginia with nothing. No cash, education, no language. They had the social safety net.... THE COAL MINES. I liked your story. Proper respect to your Grandfather.
Jay ,I really enjoy ur videos I'm from Springfield ma I have a 69 dart gts m code Hurst built440 original paint it has about30k miles on it it's on of 731 built,I also had a 71 charger rt ,,440 six pack one of 198 built anyway ty for the shows
We started a new Dodge dealership in our upstate NY town in the summer of 1963 and our first new models were the 1964 Dodges. My dad had a 1964 Polara two door hardtop as his first demo and it was a burgundy color with a black vinyl roof and black interior...such a striking car and he was so proud to have been made a new car franchise dealer by Dodge in our small town. I grew up in that dealership and eventually came home from college in 1971 and went to work there selling cars and eventually became the dealer principal after my dad's untimely demise in 1983. So many wonderful memories were evoked by this video. Thanks for the memories Jay!
What a wonderfully heartwarming story. I worked at a new Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealership for most of my adult life, wouldn't trade those memories for anything. I don't even recognize the new car sales world anymore! Sure is a different business now.
@@MrMenefrego1 Jeff...thanks for the kind words. Oddly enough, my dad started in the car business working for our local Ford, Lincoln, Mercury store in the 1950's selling used trucks. He eventually became the sales manager and continued there until Dodge approached him in early 1963 to open a new store and become the Dodge dealer in our town that already had a Chrysler Plymouth store. We eventually took over that franchise in 1982 and ultimately got Jeep which made us a six-pack...Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge truck (now Ram), Jeep and Eagle. As you stated...wouldn't trade all those wonderful memories for anything.
@@dmnearing May I ask, are you retired now? Or do you still have a few irons in the fire in the car business? (Wouldn't it be great if we could go back and do it all over again knowing what we now know?) God Bless.
@@MrMenefrego1 No, I've been retired for quite some time. I still keep my hand in by buying and selling Mopar Muscle occasionally for personal enjoyment. As far as going back, I don't think so...at least not in today's times. If I could go back to 1963, I might be tempted (especially if I knew what I know now as you mention)! Take care.
Hey, my family is from Attica. I was wondering do you have any speedy Greco storys? My grandmother and grandfather bought plenty of cars from him (including a 1970 corvette t-top)
Had a red 64. Pulled the 383 and added the 413 from a wreck. Every cop in LA new me. Used to go out in the desert and run. Bias ply tires, drum brakes, and lap belts and we are STILL ALIVE!
I had a nascar prepped 413 in my 68 Super Bee. What a monster. I bought it from some guys that had to sell it. I had it almost 3 years then sold it. That car was scarry fast & very loud but you knew your limits for the roads you ran it on. No power anything except under the hood. That was back when gas was cheap too but ran AVGAS most of the time. Didn't drive it much on the streets or highways. Love those 413s & 426 Wedge engines.
Sometimes Jay tries to be so professional and serious when he's doing these episodes, but when he gets behind the wheel of a car like this Dodge you can tell how it really takes him back to his youth.
THIS is the main reason Jay's segments are great. The knowledge he has and depth I really appreciate. The fancy stuff is ok but THIS is where he shines.
I love when Jay does his own cars. This one brings back memories, because my first car was a 1964 Dodge Polara, it looked a lot like this one but was a normal family car, 318 with Torqueflite (push-button selection!). My dad got it for (I think) less than $100 because it only ran in reverse. We rebuilt the transmission for $30, gave the engine a tune-up, and it was good to go.
We need more episodes like this! Just Jay, his camera and his car. These type of episodes are my favorite because it's just Jay being wholesome about cars and I feel like I'm alone in the garage hanging out with Jay. When I first saw this episode, I could already tell it's going to be a great episode!
In 1964 my father sold Dodge and they gave him a D500 Polara as a demonstrator. 383 4-speed gold with matching interior. They called it the Golden Goose. It was the first 4 speed I ever saw. I was only 13 at the time and we were a family of 6. Not much room for 6 but it was fun to ride in. From that same dealer I got a ride in a 63 Polara max wedge with the service manager. I remember his saying holy crap 100 mph. i was hooked on cars beginning with that Golden Goose and when I saw your Dodge it brought back good memories. Thanks
I went to high school in Chicago graduating in 1966. The Mopars ruled the northwest side and the 1964 Dodge was my favorite. Thanks for reminding me just how beautiful they are.
My older sister's husband had the 1964 Plymouth "Belvedere" - their version of this car ... it had the 426-cu in "Street Wedge" V-8 ... and was absolutely unbeatable! Miss him and the excitement of cars from that era. Thank you for the memory.
Jay, I knew you purchased this car but didn't know you did a video on it. I spent 7 years doing a rotisserie resto on a 4 speed 426 street wedge and absolutely love the car. I'm the second owner and have all the history. Purchased originally in Atlanta it spent it's whole live in Alabama until I bought it in '97. Did all the work myself with the exception of the machine work on the block and heads. My wife taught me how to sew so I purchased an industrial sewing machine and did all the upholstery too. Painted it Bright White with red interior. We were featured on Garage Dreams TV a couple years ago along with another member of our club with his '57 Chevy sedan delivery. Love watching your videos so please keep it up.
Thanks Jay. Not only did I love this car when it was new, I was a senior in high school. I currently have a 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury with a 426 Max Wedge. I am smiling as you painted the picture with words about my youth and this car. Thanks again for the ride!!!
I was 6 years old when my dad brought home our 1969 Roadrunner. 383, 4 speed, bench seat convertible. Those were the days when the neighbors would come over and want a look too. Thanks Jay for letting us take a look and remembering when.
it was 1972-73 that a high school friend had this or coronet . What I do remember is this was one of his Dad"s beaters. It was a convertible. His Dad loved convertibles . ( He also had a beautiful Cutlass 442,4 speed, convertible.) Anyway, the top had some taped holes, the steering wheel was so loose you thought it would pull off. It was indeed a 426 wedge, 4 speed. It felt insanely fast. The stick shift was very tall and had a beer tap for a handle he made. When he shifted, his knuckles would just about hit the dash in third gear. He used to take a couple friends out for hell rides on route 95. He would scare the bejeepers out of us. At over 100mph the front end was light and wandering all over the road. I remember enough wind coming through the top to catch a cold. Thanks for the memories , Jay
This was my grandpas car! My grandpa just passed on the 30th of April he would have loved to know someone was appreciating it as much as he did. He was the 1st owner and my uncle was the second owner.
Growing up in the 70’s my high school (and eventually brother in law) buddy had powder blue 64 polara with same console & 4 speed options. We built a dual quad 440 with an Isky cam, 12 to 1 compression & fender well headers. On Wednesday night we would bolt on 7” slicks & drive the 6 miles to Fremont raceway where that monster ran 12.47 second quarter miles. Thanks for taking me back. I’d forgotten how much fun those days were!
Yes a 12.47 was fast back then for sure . I’m 63 and I have a guy at work with a 19 accord 2.0. With mods that runs 12.30 . What a dif world now . I’d rather have the Polara of course.
Was anyone else secretly hoping Jay would do a burnout? I miss those days when he would ask the question: “But will it do a burnout?” And then lay a patch. 😁
The perfect episode, right there. Just Jay, one of his newest acquisitions and us. The fact it's a Mopar big block 4-speed is just icing on the cake. I love mine ('68 GTX 440 4-speed) and have owned others. Wonderful stuff. - Ed on the Ridge
I bought a 64 Polara 4 door while in high school. 318 pushbutton automatic. Drove it all over, many adventures. Replaced it with a 63 Plymouth Sport Fury, Golden Commando Power 383 auto. LOVED them both. Would give anything to have one again. Hope your recovery goes well.
if you can, go back and buy the great old car models that you once owned, or wanted to own. Tell your wife, like I did, "it's a good investment" which is true, my old cars appreciate in value each year, so that my insurance company tells me to increase my coverage!! Which I dutifully do! ;D
Thanks for another great video, Jay. I grew up in a small town in NH, I'm 70 years old now, but when I was a kid there was a guy who had a '64 Sport Fury with the 426 wedge, 4 speed. It was red with a white convertible top and If I remember correctly Cragar SS mags. The owner was a really nice guy. My brother and I would hitch hike into town from a small village nearby, and If he saw us he would always stop. There were a few hot rods in town, a Corvette or two, some pretty nice cars, but that Plymouth was special. I can still remember it like it was yesterday...
My parents had a 64' sport fury 383 dual point distributor & performance factory cam, it would load up & start shaking at idle after a couple weeks of mom driving, I'd tell dad & we would take it out to " clean the plugs" witch meant floor it a few times. It would throw your head back!
Thnanks, for comments , me too ( I am 74 YEARS young):: these were the ones.. Interestingly, still remember vividly fhe coming into ( @ WILMOT, INDIANA ) the first 63 Corvette FUELIe / Red ,**brand new( driver visiting his Family, & working his MOVING & Storage CO….)…..
My mom's neighbor at her condo had the same car 12 years ago. The old fellow still drove it every day -- 426 wedge, 4 speed, original paint and interior. Believe it was gold or bronze. My mother complained incessantly about the racket the engine made in the morning 😅
@@frankweathersbee2553 thanks, interesting….. we. I fixed some of the 383s were Hot… I had 383 / Turquiose. / DUAL* SNORKEL, In my first New car Purchase ; Coronet 500/ automatic/ dual *EXHAUST/ loaded*** exc. no a/ C;; and it was raucous …. I had to put HEI Ignition on right away, but always seemed more than 315 HP, Etc……IN THOSE DAYS , spark plugs went quick @8-10,000 miles ( had two plug @ rear , tight locations)…..
I think one of the most amazing things that I like about Mr. Leno‘s car reviews is his range, one minute he’s talking about the new Corvette, next week he’s talking about Mercedes AMG and now he’s talking about a dodge Polara, which were truly amazing and have their rightful place with the other cars as well. Thank you again🙏🏽
I have never been able to put my finger on why that body style captures my attention and then dominates it, but it always has. I think proportion has something to do with it. Eye-pleasing ratios. I have always loved it. Seldom see one any more. Thanks for this video.
Good God, my Dad owned this car (not this trim)! The front wheel fell off when he was cruising I-71 in Cleveland, I'll never forget it. The push-button automatic transmission...Holy Cow! What a machine! Cars were a real adventure in the '60's! Thanks Jay, this really makes me smile...
I agree with you Jay, 63 and 65 to me was just ugly. 64 was it! My dad had one when he and my mom lived in Puerto Rico. My dad loved his Polara. He had the car repainted charcoal gray with a white top. It had a red interior. His, I believe had a 318 with a push button shift on the dash. He regrets getting rid of it, not his fault its a long story. Thank you for sharing this beauty with us. I'm going to share this video with him. He's going to get all choked up! Thanks again!
Very nostalgic for me Jay. This is a beautiful example of my first muscle car in the 60's. I worked my way through High School and all my savings went into this car. Mine was also red (of course) except with a 383, automatic and convertible top. You're right about the console mounted tach being a joke. I ended up going through a lot of bent push rods due to over revving the engine. Every now and then I see one of these 64 Polara's at a car show and stop dead in my tracks. Mine had an aftermarket 8 track tape player blasting "American Woman", glass packs and Hi-Jacker air shocks in the rear. I used to take my grandma to get groceries in it and she always lectured me about speeding even though I wasn't. This car just looked and sounded like trouble. Thanks for stopping me dead in my tracks today.
thanks for the story as i try to get the feeling of being in pre-1977 driving my 2-gen charger. and i wasn't alive with the ussr vs usa era but my dad was as his frist car was a pre-1970-78 red Chevy inpolla 350 auto velilor red interior
Jay this car brings back a great time in my life. My moms car looked just like your 64. We drove that car everywhere. Same beautiful red but hers had a 318 push button automatic. I played this video for her and she started crying. She loved that car and all the places we went in it. Awesome car.
1964 was the last year Chrysler used push buttons to control the TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Most of these cars came with the 318 poly although larger engines like the 383 were available.
one of my favorite cars from high school days, a classmate farmer friend of mine got a polara 500 hemi 4 speed for graduation, was the envy of everyone, at recent class reunion I asked him what ever happened to that Dodge? surprised me he said ""I still have it, had to replace the engine"", but he and his sons keep it in a barn, totally cleaned up, repainted the original white, and has original white bucket seats, then he brought it out for display, I about flipped, he gave me a ride in high school 50 years ago, it was amazing to me, beautiful car, great lines and powerful. and promised to go again but I took a rain check for another day as the reunion was coming to a close, and my old lady had to get home. love your polara, sure brings back memories of that ride 50 years ago.
To speak of these Chrysler mopar cars. Back in 1965 my dad bought a brand new 1965 Chrysler New Yorker 2 dr HT being that very nice dark metallic green with black leather interior. 413 engine automatic transmission. This was in Finland so anyway, us living in Vasa we flew own to Helsinki and went to the Chrysler dealer there called BERNERS and wow, i was 8 years young then and I still remember how big and powerful that car was. That car is stll in the family. My brothers son has it now but it's just being parked at a barn and who knows what will happen to the car in he future. So anyway, great memories and those good old days are gone forever just like anthing else. Many times, I wish I could go back and re live my childhood it went by just to fast. I'm so thankful for my childhood and that I had a good lufe with the best ever greatest parents. Rest in peace my beautiful Dad and Mom ❤
😎👍 Yeah, Jay is the real deal when it comes to car enthusiasts. He's not just a rich guy who wants a few cool old sports cars to impress his buddies. He truly loves them. He buys cars that HE likes, not just what's popular with other people. That's why he knows EVERYTHING about them. Otherwise he'd have nothing but late 60s Camaros, 60s Mustangs, 70-74 Challengers, and maybe a 1969 Corvette, because those cars are "crowd approved". But nope! He also buys Falcons, Fairlanes and Polaras!
@@ditto1958 yes, he does have a vid on it. Very good info on the car, don't think it's his it's in a museum or something, check out the vid for info on it, and some good Jay humor too! ;D
I'm with you Jay. The 63 had a design only a mother could love and the 65 design was a more conservative, full sized boat. The 64 is a very attractive and a more nimble looking car. Cheers!
Funny you mentioned that, the '63 Polara would be my "money no object" car. In a world of Supercars that can do 250MPH, that would be my pick for a one car to drive until the end of parts, gas or life. I wouldn't say no to a '67 Barracuda or a '68 Hurst Olds either.... Maybe a '70 Buick GSX too.
I'm that camp also, my favorite Dodge. Passed up a chance (actually couldn't afford it) to buy a 64 vert years ago at an auction. Missed opportunity's!
Watched the Polara video and enjoyed it. I'm 76 and grew up in the times of those big v/8 cars. You mentioned plumbers and carpenters who made good money and who could afford cars like 5he Polara. There were two brothers who frequented the Spur station my dad leased. One brother had a new '64 Pontiac GTO, the other had a new '64 Cevelle Super Sport with a 4-speed. He was an unmarried sheet metal worker and had a good income. My buddies and I were a bit younger than the two brothers. The sheet metal worker with the Super Sport took one of my pals for a ride. When the ride was over, I asked my friend what it was like. He said that the acceleration was so fierce that it almost snapped his neck off. Thank you for these truly WNDERFUL videos.
Best roof line of a 2 door hardtop ever. Jay when this car came out it was a mid sized car and very easy to drive and park. I had the push button auto version with a 318 and loved it.
Was this equivalent of the Plymouth Sport Fury or Plymouth Belvedere. I had a 64 Belvedere had same roof and 4 speed but bench seat in front. My friend had 65 Sport Fury convertible with the same 426 Wedge and even 4 speed with buckets and console. That was really fast car and think I answered my own question. I have seen one 64 Belvedere with Hemi there were some in 65 as well but not many. I recall 2 fours staggered was on every wedge I seen not sure if standard with the wedge. I got six miles to a gallon of gas that was 25 cents a gallon back then. lol
When I was kid in the 1970s, my friend had a 64 Polara. It was a 383ci 4 speed and a 671 dyers blower with 2 750 carter carbs I think, drum brakes and manual steering. It was a beast! But it would lift the front wheels off the pavement from a red light on a cool summer night. On a warm summer night we spent half the night pulled over waiting for it to cool off enough to start driving again! Those were the days!
LOVE IT!! Born in 1957 -- even though I'm a Corvette guy, the look and sound of this car brings back great memories. Jay, you're a genuine national treasure.
One of my favorite Mopars. Two things I noticed while it was on the lift. The Turbine Car in the background, and the hose clamp on the driveshaft. A simple old school way to balance your driveshaft. Oh to spend one night wandering around this shop and garage !
After getting my driver's license, this was the car that I wanted so bad I could taste it! As my dad was going to be the co-signer, I ended up with a '63 Ford Falcon convertible with a 260 engine. I thank him to this day for not allowing me kill myself in the Dodge, and he passed away 25 years ago!
Dads are the practical balance to a young man's exuberance. I was in my late teens in the mid 80s and I wanted a Dodge Demon that was in a local used car lot,I forget the year, early 70s example. My dad said no, it's a basket case and a money pit. Ended up getting a 67 AMC Ambassador sedan with a 290 V8. A much more sedate car for sure.
When I got my DL at 16, my mom had a 2 year old 390 GT/A Fairlane convertible. It did not take long for my parents to sell it, in order to keep me alive. I just could not be trusted.
What a amazing mopar . Love the colour can practically hear Jan and Dean singing . Brakes are a excellent upgrade dodge drum brakes from the sixties actually seemed to accelerate the car when slamming them on .I was surprised there was no cross ram but it’s much better to drive without it and less hassle to maintain . Always loved this year and model . The dog dish hubcaps with black rims is a look you can’t go wrong with on those . I can see this with ram chargers written down the side of it lol. Love it jay .nothing sounds like a wedge .
My brother-in-law had one of the first cross-rams in a convertible. It was very difficult to control. seemed like it had a sticky throttle (maybe it did). It would not pull away from a stop sign without snapping your neck. I pulled away from a stop sign the first time I drove it and got a ticket for burning rubber. The cop asked me why I did that with him watching. He would not believe me that I did not do it on purpose.
Nice '64 Polara. In 1991, I was living in Culver City, and bought a "mint" '65 Dodge Monaco 2-door coupe. Factory 413 big block, automatic, dual exhaust, and exactly the same black bucket interior and tach down low as on Jay's Polara. Interesting. In fact, my Monaco had the factory AM-radio stereo "reverb unit" (12" x 8" x 4") located back in trunk. I forget what it was called. Something like "Vibrasonic", I forget, with a reverb knob located on the dash. I was working for peanuts, and had hopes of doing engine mods, yet could never afford it. Bought the care for $2K, and later sold it for $4K. I thought that I had made a fortune! When I sold it, the Cal Plates read "JOES413". No idea where that car is now. It was a odd factory tan color, with a black vinyl top. Oh ... Hi Jay! I'm from Maine, and also lived all around Boston (Malden, Medford, Allston, Brighton, Brookline). Just turned "60", and I know EVERYTHING that you are talking about regarding "High-school-year cars, back in THE DAY". One friend, a Maine factory worker, had a purple CUDA with a factory 440 six-pack & 4-speed - shaker hood. Many a night we rode around the woods of Maine in that car! Those were the days.
I love the 64 Polara. I actually have one in white with red stripe and red interior in a nod to the Ramchargers. Mine happens to be powered by a later 440 with a 75mm turbo hung off the exhaust for good measure. Thanks for sharing this one!
Hi Jay, I absolutely agree with you, your Polara as far as I'm concerned is "ice cool". If only we had cars like that in the UK back in 1964. I suppose our equivalent might be a Mini Cooper or maybe a GT Cortina, certainly these were the cars I lusted after. For sure there where lots more powerful cars such as Jaguars and Astons, but these were for the well-off, not us boy racers. It's rather ironic that as we get older it is not the current supercars that we hanker after but the cars of our youth. My personal favourite American car is a Toranardo, not a muscle car I know but a feast for the eyes. Thank you for posting, much appreciated.
My father always drove Polara's . He always got the 318 . We lived in a small town and he drove over 50 miles one way to his job at General Dynamics . He test drove one with a 383 and loved the power but needed better gas mileage . He bought a new one every 18 months because of the miles he put on . He switched to the coronet when they discontinued the polara
Back in the day we called the cut-out "dumps". Put a penny or a nickel between the flange and tighten it up to get just enough rumble! Great video sir!
Beautiful car Jay. My first Mopar was a 1967 Dodge Coronet RT it came from the factory with the 426 Hemi and a 4-speed. I sold it when I went into the service. I found out years later how valuable it was they only made about 300 of them with the 426 4 speed. It looked like your grandma's car, but boy would run.
Great episode on the 64 Polara. The 64 Dodge and Plymouth B Body cars are a true American muscle car. Personally, I've owned a 64 Dodge 383 4 speed and 64 Plymouth Savoy 413 Max Wedge 4 speed back in the 70's which I raced. Presently, the max wedge is in my 64 Belvedere with a push button automatic. So, I can appreciate Jay's passon for the old 64 Mopars.
@@anitaperri5030 nice collection and next time, for extra credit, someone asks about the push button automatic, call it the "typewriter" which they/we used to call it, back in the day!! LOL ;D
There was something about those '64s after the crazy '63s. Just a sweet year in styling for Mopar and the size was perfect. I think my favorite car is the '64 Plymouth Fury, 2 door, the same B Body. Cool to see Jay with a '64 Polara. Just nice.
We had a brand new '64 Polara 440 wagon with 3 bench seats, tons of glass, a 383 4bl, and dual exhausts. A modern "blended family" with 4 kids, moving from Air Force base to base. At least once a month, we would get on the highway to "Clean out the carbon" with a high speed run, never a ticket. Those Airmen can be sneaky, or stealthy as they would say now. A fun family Saturday outing was to wash and wax the blue beast then go to the beach or park for a picnic. Good times. Thanks, Jay.
I love the 64 Polaras. My grandparents had a 4 door with the 318 push button that my dad bought from them. Have always thought the front ends were mean looking. Such a great looking car.
Ha... This makes me laugh and remember the 64 "330" that my mom bought new. (The 330 was the stripped down model of the Polara). She had a 4 door, 318 automatic, also with no power steering or brakes. (Steering was amazingly light.) I was well aware of the Polara like Jay has, so I would do a quick makeover when I borrowed her car on the weekends, trying to make the 330 look like Jay's hot rod. I'd drive about a mile down the road, then stop and take off the hubcaps and the air cleaner (giving it a "throaty" sound). The transmission was amazing, given the amount of abuse I gave it. That abuse consisted of me revving the engine in neutral, then pushing the "drive" button... That would break the rear tires loose every time. This always impressed my friends, so I did it alot. Amazingly enough, my mom eventually traded the car off with 140,000 miles on it but she never had a lick of trouble with the transmission, or anything else with the car either, actually. Although it was "square" and boring, quality wise, it was an amazing car. I don't recall her ever having any trouble with the car at all (no thanks to me😅😂🤣).
Neutral drops we used to call that. Me and my friends would have our parents grocery getters out trying to see who could let some smoke out of the tires. Well, one of the tires anyway.
I guess every generation has its moments of glory. Ours was just how you tell it. Borrowing your parents luxo barge and hot rodding around town with it. With as many kids as you could fit. Which was alot !
One thing that doesn't change over time is teenage kids abusing their parents' cars... I leaned to drive around 1999-2000 in a '92 Chevy S10 Blazer with the 160 hp non-Vortec 4.3L V6 and a five speed manual. Gutless engine but I'd still peel out with it or try to shift into second so hard the tires would chirp sometimes... that poor truck... 😂 We also got rid of it at 140k still running fine, and it was seen running around town for years after that.
@@rustyjeep2469 The family car I learned to drive on in 1971 was a 1970 VW bus, bought new. Needed a calendar to time its 0-60. Then Dad bought a VW Squareback. To me this was a hot car, a lot fun to drive, low the road with great handling. The 4-on-the-floor was a short throw sports car transmission. The Bus had a 4 on the floor of course, but the handle was so long it was like finding the right gear with a blind man's cane. We lived in the foothills of the Adirondacks and I had a lot of fun driving on the back roads.
Jay love your channel you are a true car guy. wish You the best and a speedy recovery. First hot rod I ever drove. I just turned 16. Guy across the street from me had one 426 cross ram ,fender well headers ,4 spd, 4.10 gear. Fortunately for me he wasn't much of a mechanic and I had 3 older brothers that were gear heads. So I had learned a lot from them. Paul with the max wedge pulled out distributor for some reason and couldn't get it re started. after watching for a while I said if I can get it running can I drive it . He said yes .Put it on #1 fired it up may have not been timed perfect just by ear but I got to drive it around the block remember like it was yesterday over 50 years later. Always wanted to own one.
"Memory lane" big time! I remember this exact car. And yes, rare for New England. You Andover kids might have had Rt125 but us Lynn, MA kids had the Nahant Causeway. So, so easy to get in trouble. One of the prettier engine bays - with those cool factory headers. Exhaust cut-outs? Seriously? Thank you Jay for never growing past the age of 14! Another informative and entertaining video.
I was born and raised in West Virginia, in 1964 I was 19. The county that I live in had two state troopers most of the time they would take the evening breaks together. The bridge on Highway 20 just north of Hinton was almost a quarter-mile long. And yes the top dog in the county was a 63 Dodge 426 wedge.
Caved in air filter, orange paint on the frame, hose clamp to balance the drive shaft... Probably the most awesome car yet. I'm not even kidding. Great show. Beats any my classic car episode from when I was a kid. To the point. No weird mustache.. just humor and great cars with substance. Thanks Jay
I love hearing these car stories. You have a knowledge Jay that I hope never goes away. My dad who passed away in 2012, Use to tell me stories about him and his old Thunderbird with a 390 and a 3 speed and how good it ran and he spoke about the details the way you do. I probably heard it a thousand times and now that he is gone I wish I could hear it once more. I love when you talked about the guy that wasn't good looking but when things got rough he'd take care of it. Those are real car guy stories and entertaining. I'd love to meet you one day. I hope you keep telling these stories for many years to come!
The closest thing I ever rode in was a 67 GTX, with the 375 hp. 440. It had so much torque, you could fry a back set of tires in one day. It was a scary ride !
@@thechurchoftruth8578 Not really, considering the amount of drivers and distance run. Back then NASCAR was much safer than many other forms of motorsport!
64 Plymouth is my favorite for style. Especially the Sport Fury which was the last year for the B-Body "Sport Fury". 63-65 Dodges and Plymouth mid sized are known as the early B-Bodies... slightly smaller and lighter than the ones to come in 66-74. 1964 Dodges and Plymouths swept Daytona in 1964 with a 1,2,3 finish with the freshly designed 426 Hemi. We've had our 64 Sport Fury 383 4 speed for 34 years and it's still the most fun to drive car in the Mopar fleet. Also 64 was the first year for the A-833 4 speed transmission which is an iconic design.
This video has brought back a lot of memories for me. I was 12 years old when my dad bought a dark blue one in 1975. He only gave $250 for it because it had been rode hard and put up wet, nevertheless on our way home on the interstate my dad opened it up and the motor was so bad that it filled the cockpit full of smoke. I remember my dad laughing as we rolled the windows down to let the smoke out he said this thing is completely wore out and still the fastest thing on the road. After completely redoing the car my dad street race the car quite a bit and I never saw it lose... I fell in love with this car and to this day is probably one of the baddest factory Street machines I've ever rode in
I just love all your cars ,and your a great gentleman,I’ve got a 1978 Midnite Express and a 1977 Dodge adventurer,I’m from New Brunswick Canada,I wish I could drive to have a look at all your cars,would show you my truck,again thank you very kindly,to take the time to show us your treasures
This is what i call a "classic leno" episode great historic car that he owns and loves and you feel like you`ve gone for a ride with your Dad or gran-pa...cheers jay :)
Jay, love your content. I just finished a complete roticerie restoration on my '64 Polara 426 Street Wedge. A couple comments though... a '64 426 Street Wedge would have come from the factory with log style exhaust manifolds. The ones yours has are the Max Wedge factory headers. That said, you could easily have purchased the Max Wedge units over the parts counter back in the day. Now days however, those are as rare as hounds teeth. Also, I'm glad to see you kept the original rear end and the trunion drive shaft. Most people swap them out for later units because the drum brakes are a real paint in the rear (no pun intended) to service. There is an easy way to solve that problem and I wrote an article on how to swap out the original swedged drums for easily serviceable slip on units, but that's another story. The stock rear is very strong and will last for eons if properly maintained. All in all a beautiful rendition of Dodge's mid sized '64 model. Yes I did say "mid sized". Some so called experts in the automotive media claim the Polara was a full sized car but it wasn't. Later in '64 Dodge came out with their somewhat delayed full sized car the 880. So don't let anyone tell you it was a full sized car. Great job, Jay!! Love watching your videos.
Was just going to do a search on those headers! Thank you very much for the comment. They are cast iron, he said. But factory, or over the counter from the dealer option? Were they tuned for length? They look fantastic. Also, did the "64 come with options for carb?
Yep,Jay you remind So much of My childhood Growing up in RI... My Childhood consisted of My Dad's 1964 Ford Fairlane Sport coupe which I learned to drive on... Watching Your videos really take Me down Memory lane... Just a simpler time with Cars and Girls hanging out at Goddard Park in Warwick RI... What a blast Growing up in the 60s,70s and 80s.. Thx for the flashback of memories... Always love a walk down Memory Lane...
OMG LOVE the content on old/obscure stuff Jay ! Please keep it coming ! The new, ultra-exotic, unobtainium stuff is fun every now and then - but depressing for working class blokes.. whereas the older, vintage-geared, visceral stuff is ALWAYS straight goodness. Cheers from Wisconsin !
Hi Jay, great review of one of America's best 60's performance cars. I love Mopar muscle, in the fall of 1969 I purchased a Roadrunner (new) and promptly blew the engine at 2200 miles top-end racing a 1969 390 Torino. Fortunately, I was working as a mechanic at the Plymouth dealership and was able to get a replacement engine under warranty and along with the service manager and another mechanic, we swapped in the new engine in the 3 hours the business was closed on "Good Friday" and none of my friends knew this happened, including the Torino guy, who saw my tail lights all three runs! Love your channel.
Jay I live 10 minutes from 125 and love tooling around on my Harley . I also use to work at Wilmington Ford in the wash bay I loved hearing the stories of you working there and I love you videos !!
Jay those old cars sure bring back the days when I used to run the streets, ill be 73 this Aug I can remember the small town I was raised in it was full of Mopars one Chevy 2 Fords ihad a 427 in it the other had a 390 all the rest were Mopars 383 engines I don;t know of any 426 Cars Oh and 164 GTO. Thanks for the memorys. thanks Chuck
I absolutely love the 64 Polara! Such great lines and so much race history as well. While the single 4 barrel has better manners for the street, you just can't beat the look of the cross ram dual quad setup. Thanks for sharing.
These cars were in Hot Rod and Motor Trend back then but out here in the east, I never saw one or maybe didn't know it if I did. Beautiful car! MoPar was all over it back then. Thanks Jay!
I'm in Canada and I didn't remember this car but as soon as I mentioned the name my dad (81) remembered it fondly. Not only does he have a better hairline but a memory also.
My brother and I spent a lot of summer nights down at New England Dragway just off Route 125 in NH. It was always a treat when any of these great old machines would rumble up to the staging line. We raced our motorcycles, so enjoyed a 'slight' power-to-weight advantage over the old muscle car iron. I still still smell the rubber and hi-octane.
This type of video is the best of Jay Leno‘s Garage. Jay, you are a national treasure! People will be talking about your car collection and thanking you for creating it long after we are both gone. I never saw one of these as a kid. It was outnumbered by about a jillion Polaras with 318s.
GREAT video, Jay! Back in '64 I knew this kid who "helped" his mom with the options list when she bought a car very much like the one in this video. Oh yeah - it had the Torqueflite instead of the 4-spd manual. Hey, the kid couldn't push it all the way, y'know? Sometimes he'd take the car out on El Camino Real between San Bruno (Mc Donald's) and Belmont (A&W). He had this deal where he'd get his front seat passenger to hand over $5, then he'd take out $5 and fold them in half and jam them in the spot where the windshield met the dash. He'd do a max accel takeoff when the light turned green. If the passenger could reach the money he won the bet and could keep it. Never went that way, of course. I had a buddy with a '49 Willys Jeepster with a '55 Cadillac engine and a B&M Hydro tranny. Me? I was riding around on my '50 Panhead (still have it). All on El Camino Real. We talked about petitioning the city, or county, somebody to modify the stop lights on El Camino to the classic NHRA Christmas Tree mode...
Great video! I owned two 64 Polara 440's back in the 80's. Same body style as yours but with different trim and rear lighting arrangement than yours. On one, the PO had swapped in a 440 engine and transmission out of the 70 Fury police interceptor into it. Racer Brown cam, Edlebrock intake and 750cfm Holley. Added a floor shifter. That was a nice car. One of many I wish I still had. The other was stock and literally driven to church on Sundays by a little ole lady. 318/auto. I kept it stock. I love old DPCD products. I have a 67 A-108 van with a slant 6 I'm getting back on the road now. It's been sitting since early 2000. I also have a 78 B200 Maxi van with a 360.
I've always been into Chrysler products. At first I thought it was because my family always drove them. But later, I came to realize that I liked the fact that they were just so well engineered. Engines like 340's 383's, and 440's were pretty much bullet proof. You really didn't see them blow or wear out like a lot of GM and Ford engines. And the 904 and 727 Torqueflite transmissions were more durable than the GM and Ford offerings. Being a smaller company, Chrysler couldn't afford to build separate performance-specific cars like Mustangs, GTO's, and Camaros, so their muscle cars tended to be two-door versions of their family cars, like this Polara, with big engines stuffed in them. And I liked that. You could get a 6-cylinder Dodge Demon for next to nothing, and stuff a 340 or even a 440 in it without much trouble, and voila! You've got a really fast, tough muscle car for a lot less than what you would pay for a comparable Mustang or Camaro. And because Chrysler couldn't afford to do a bunch of different components for different cars, there was a lot of part interchangeability across platforms and model years. That made it easier to find replacement parts for the 60's and 70's cars during the 80's and 90's, before you could get the reproduction parts available now. This Dodge Polara is a prime example of Chrysler at its best. You wouldn't think anything of it if you saw it in a parking lot. But because of its light weight, and the long overhang past the rear axle, giving it really good weight transfer under acceleration, these things made phenomenal drag cars. That's one reason why so few of these 64's are still around. It figures Jay would have one of these Max Wedge cars. This is a cool car because it truly is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Any time you have driven front and rear drum vehicles from the 60's up and, especially, down hills with multiple brake applications you completely and totally understand Jay's desire to put Wilwoods on it lol.
What a great car Jay. I had a similar car, 65 Plymouth Satellite, it had a mild built 440 with a 727 trans (stage 2 shift kit) and 390 gears with suregrip. If you remember, 65 was the first year of the Satellite and carried the on the 64 Sport Fury body style which was similar to the Polara, both were B- body cars and became C-body cars in 65. The 65 Plymouth Satellite was a one year body style the used design (interior and exterior) from both 64 Polara and Sport Fury. As like your 64 a Dodge Polara. I upgraded the brake system to four wheel disc brakes, 3 inch dual Flow Master exhaust and mini-tubbed for bigger tires. With the 440 egine, manual steering and brakes the was a hand full. I don't own the car any longer but your video brought back great memories. Thanks Jay.
My favorite type of episode, like this, with Jay by himself describing all the details of one of his own cars. It's relaxing, as if you're just hanging out with Jay and going for a drive.
Totally agree!!
me 2
The pandemic changed many things... A (very) few of those things changed for the better.
True that
Great episode Mr. Leno
Thanks
Jay runs with a crowd beyond our apprehension. There are far more cool vid's with a well-known other car collector.......to want to imagine "just Jay" provides any form of personal comfort......The best episodes feature the key players who run his massive shop.
When I was 16 my dad bought a 1965 Belvedere I from a guy who was on a baseball team he coached and got drafted. It had a 426 wedge with a push button Torque Flight transmission, he instantly became the coolest dad and I was the luckiest kid on the block. It was the car I learned to drive in and take my driver's license test in. Yes I passed and the guy who gave me the test had a big smile on his face, boy did I love the 60's, 73 now and still smiling 😃
Heh, Steve, my father was also a Mopar guy and at 15 in 1962, I took my driving test in his 1959 Chrysler 300 E coupe. I recall a similar reaction from the State Trooper administering my test!!!
😊😀😃
Thanks for sharing, fellas... my dad is 74 and all our lives, my brothers and I have been exposed to Dad's stories of those cars. And I still own the car he brought me home from the hospital in,,, a 1964 Dodge Polara 500, 426 street wedge 4speed. Pretty much the same package Jay featured in this episode, but Dad's car is dark blue poly with light blue buckets and console with white insets, and that same white 4 speed ball on the Hurst shifter. It's got 71k original miles on it today.
It's still got it's cast iron prestolite tach drive dual point distributor and the chrome unsilenced air cleaner and chrome valve covers that all came standard with the 426 street wedge.
That car, and the memories of it from my childhood are wonderful bits of our shared passion for old Mopars. I am so happy to hear Jay say the things he did about this model. I have always loved them just a little bit more than the hero cars, like the 68 and 69 Chargers and the Cudas and Challengers that command the limelight....
I am especially intrigued about Jay's appreciation for the 7 litre Galaxy that he did to commemorate one his Dad had when Jay was young,,, as I too find those to be extremely attractive even though they're outside the Mopar family. I searched one out back in 1990, complete with the 7 Litre 427 4v and unfortunately, the C6, unlike the 4speed I prefer. Same maroon and black livery as Jay's car.
They are all great time machines,, to take us back to our childhoods,,, thanks to our Dad's getting us exposure to them.
Jay has certainly made a friend in me. I have been a loyal watcher since the beginning.
@@patrickwayne3701 -Patrick, thanks so much for sharing your own story about your father and his 64 Polara in particular. You have the advantage of not only having your dad around to listen to his tales, but also the car of your youth to enjoy firsthand… Unfortunately, in my case, I have only memories of Dads most special Mopars as no photos remain of either the 59 300 E or my 64 Polara 500 in white with red/white interior.
@@brenmizer123 man that's a bummer. I was ALWAYS getting one of those Kodak cheapo cameras that were sealed in the foil package, and clicking away, then sending the camera off thru the drugstore to get double prints back.
A 59 300 is SOOO damn cool....
Always prefer the videos jay does by himself. Been watching since it was on Jay's website only in 2007.
For a retired tv show host, he's much better at monologue than dialogue lol
Msnbc ones are just fluff.
Credit to the camera crew. It's good to have pros back; definitely better than when Jay actually had to run the cameras by himself. In some of those episodes, to exposure or contrast or something wasn't right... I think the camera was automatically trying to correct for the bright floor, and it was hard to see darker vehicles.
Wish I'd known about it back then!
I have been watching Jay Lenos garage since his first episode in the late 1950s.😁
Jay, we are about the same age, thanks for the trip back in time to when we were kids. My mother's family was in the car business, my grandfather had a Dodge dealership in one small town in upstate NY (Lyon's NY) and in Newark, NY he had a Chrysler dealership. My grandfather came to the USA from Italy with 17 dollars in his pocket in 1908. He had 3 years of school in Italy and worked as a laborer on the Erie Canal. A dynamite accident motivated him to find another job. He took his lunch bucket and walked to the nearest town (Lyon's) and got a room in an Italian American rooming house, and found a job as a blacksmith apprentice. He married the daughter of his landlord and when the old blacksmith retired bought his business. Cars and tractors were replacing horses and Chyrsler was needing a dealership network of people skilled in metal working. Chrysler had a mutually beneficial program of helping those they were putting out of business by letting them sell cars on the side. By 1950 he had two dealerships, 7 kids and a string of Shell and Mobile Gas Stations. The American dream, a poor boy from Italy made his fortune in America. My grandmother was first generation Italian American and her contribution was teaching him to read and write in English and helped him keep the books with a pot of spaghetti on the stove and a baby in her arms. I remember as a kid when the turbo Chryster made the tour of dealership to promote business. Pretty cool car, very hot exhaust.
Michael, just happened to see your comment watching this video. I live south of Savannah and am very familiar with Lyons and Newark. When did your Grandfather have his dealerships and what was his name? I’m a lifelong diehard Mopar guy myself.
@ Michael Law //
My Grandfathers from Italy came to West Virginia with nothing. No cash, education, no language. They had the social safety net.... THE COAL MINES. I liked your story. Proper respect to your Grandfather.
Beautiful story. Thank you sir.
I live in Italy! The best people in the World.
Jay ,I really enjoy ur videos I'm from Springfield ma I have a 69 dart gts m code Hurst built440 original paint it has about30k miles on it it's on of 731 built,I also had a 71 charger rt ,,440 six pack one of 198 built anyway ty for the shows
My favorite Jay videos.old cars that sound amazing...new cars boring
I think nobody should apologize for upgrade the anemic brakes of classic cars. Safety first.
The thing about brake upgrades: you can always put them back to original.
@@mindeloman but why would u.
Not only safety, but being able to brake decently is also fun because if you can brake later, you'll be fast longer 😄
@@Jozavenue Concours restoration.
If you can’t harness the horsepower, you’re not going to enjoy going fast for very long…
Brakes are more important than having big speed…
No electric vehicle will ever be this awesome
never ever
No electric vehicle will ever be awesome at all.
Absolute truth
Truth
Yo Jay , did you say glass packs ?? Are those glass packs ?
We started a new Dodge dealership in our upstate NY town in the summer of 1963 and our first new models were the 1964 Dodges. My dad had a 1964 Polara two door hardtop as his first demo and it was a burgundy color with a black vinyl roof and black interior...such a striking car and he was so proud to have been made a new car franchise dealer by Dodge in our small town. I grew up in that dealership and eventually came home from college in 1971 and went to work there selling cars and eventually became the dealer principal after my dad's untimely demise in 1983. So many wonderful memories were evoked by this video. Thanks for the memories Jay!
What a wonderfully heartwarming story. I worked at a new Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealership for most of my adult life, wouldn't trade those memories for anything. I don't even recognize the new car sales world anymore! Sure is a different business now.
@@MrMenefrego1 Jeff...thanks for the kind words. Oddly enough, my dad started in the car business working for our local Ford, Lincoln, Mercury store in the 1950's selling used trucks. He eventually became the sales manager and continued there until Dodge approached him in early 1963 to open a new store and become the Dodge dealer in our town that already had a Chrysler Plymouth store. We eventually took over that franchise in 1982 and ultimately got Jeep which made us a six-pack...Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge truck (now Ram), Jeep and Eagle. As you stated...wouldn't trade all those wonderful memories for anything.
@@dmnearing May I ask, are you retired now? Or do you still have a few irons in the fire in the car business? (Wouldn't it be great if we could go back and do it all over again knowing what we now know?) God Bless.
@@MrMenefrego1 No, I've been retired for quite some time. I still keep my hand in by buying and selling Mopar Muscle occasionally for personal enjoyment. As far as going back, I don't think so...at least not in today's times. If I could go back to 1963, I might be tempted (especially if I knew what I know now as you mention)! Take care.
Hey, my family is from Attica. I was wondering do you have any speedy Greco storys? My grandmother and grandfather bought plenty of cars from him (including a 1970 corvette t-top)
Had a red 64. Pulled the 383 and added the 413 from a wreck. Every cop in LA new me. Used to go out in the desert and run. Bias ply tires, drum brakes, and lap belts and we are STILL ALIVE!
Sounds good! Bumper sticker I recall from that era was: "Go like Hell, you'll get there!"" And we did, as you said! :D
These were AWESOME cars!
1971 , Had one, black in and out . 383 , Crower cam and ram exhaust manifolds from a Roadrunner . Ah , the memories......
"knew"
I had a nascar prepped 413 in my 68 Super Bee. What a monster. I bought it from some guys that had to sell it. I had it almost 3 years then sold it. That car was scarry fast & very loud but you knew your limits for the roads you ran it on. No power anything except under the hood. That was back when gas was cheap too but ran AVGAS most of the time. Didn't drive it much on the streets or highways. Love those 413s & 426 Wedge engines.
Sometimes Jay tries to be so professional and serious when he's doing these episodes, but when he gets behind the wheel of a car like this Dodge you can tell how it really takes him back to his youth.
Right wheels, right tires and right stance. The lines of this car is so beautiful.
I totally agree. They are a timeless hot rod. GM, Ford and Chrysler had beautiful cars in this era.
THIS is the main reason Jay's segments are great. The knowledge he has and depth I really appreciate. The fancy stuff is ok but THIS is where he shines.
Agreed
I love when Jay does his own cars. This one brings back memories, because my first car was a 1964 Dodge Polara, it looked a lot like this one but was a normal family car, 318 with Torqueflite (push-button selection!). My dad got it for (I think) less than $100 because it only ran in reverse. We rebuilt the transmission for $30, gave the engine a tune-up, and it was good to go.
Nice, sad that those days are long gone.
Took my driver's test in a 64 Polara with that crazy pushbutton tranny and the 318. Great times in that car!
We need more episodes like this! Just Jay, his camera and his car. These type of episodes are my favorite because it's just Jay being wholesome about cars and I feel like I'm alone in the garage hanging out with Jay. When I first saw this episode, I could already tell it's going to be a great episode!
Love it!
In 1964 my father sold Dodge and they gave him a D500 Polara as a demonstrator. 383 4-speed gold with matching interior. They called it the Golden Goose. It was the first 4 speed I ever saw. I was only 13 at the time and we were a family of 6. Not much room for 6 but it was fun to ride in. From that same dealer I got a ride in a 63 Polara max wedge with the service manager. I remember his saying holy crap 100 mph. i was hooked on cars beginning with that Golden Goose and when I saw your Dodge it brought back good memories. Thanks
I went to high school in Chicago graduating in 1966. The Mopars ruled the northwest side and the 1964 Dodge was my favorite. Thanks for reminding me just how beautiful they are.
There are wealthy collectors and there are gear-heads. Jay is both with an encyclopedic knowledge of all makes & models.
For sure!!
My older sister's husband had the 1964 Plymouth "Belvedere" - their version of this car ... it had the 426-cu in "Street Wedge" V-8 ... and was absolutely unbeatable!
Miss him and the excitement of cars from that era. Thank you for the memory.
What a gorgeous piece of American history! Bless you Jay for all that you do for the classic automobiles!
Jay, I knew you purchased this car but didn't know you did a video on it. I spent 7 years doing a rotisserie resto on a 4 speed 426 street wedge and absolutely love the car. I'm the second owner and have all the history. Purchased originally in Atlanta it spent it's whole live in Alabama until I bought it in '97. Did all the work myself with the exception of the machine work on the block and heads. My wife taught me how to sew so I purchased an industrial sewing machine and did all the upholstery too. Painted it Bright White with red interior. We were featured on Garage Dreams TV a couple years ago along with another member of our club with his '57 Chevy sedan delivery. Love watching your videos so please keep it up.
Thanks Jay. Not only did I love this car when it was new, I was a senior in high school. I currently have a 1964 Plymouth Sport Fury with a 426 Max Wedge. I am smiling as you painted the picture with words about my youth and this car. Thanks again for the ride!!!
I was 6 years old when my dad brought home our 1969 Roadrunner. 383, 4 speed, bench seat convertible. Those were the days when the neighbors would come over and want a look too. Thanks Jay for letting us take a look and remembering when.
it was 1972-73 that a high school friend had this or coronet . What I do remember is this was one of his Dad"s beaters. It was a convertible. His Dad loved convertibles . ( He also had a beautiful Cutlass 442,4 speed, convertible.) Anyway, the top had some taped holes, the steering wheel was so loose you thought it would pull off. It was indeed a 426 wedge, 4 speed. It felt insanely fast. The stick shift was very tall and had a beer tap for a handle he made. When he shifted, his knuckles would just about hit the dash in third gear. He used to take a couple friends out for hell rides on route 95. He would scare the bejeepers out of us. At over 100mph the front end was light and wandering all over the road. I remember enough wind coming through the top to catch a cold. Thanks for the memories , Jay
Nice!!
More of this please. I prefer when Jay talks about his own cars.
This was my grandpas car! My grandpa just passed on the 30th of April he would have loved to know someone was appreciating it as much as he did. He was the 1st owner and my uncle was the second owner.
Growing up in the 70’s my high school (and eventually brother in law) buddy had powder blue 64 polara with same console & 4 speed options. We built a dual quad 440 with an Isky cam, 12 to 1 compression & fender well headers. On Wednesday night we would bolt on 7” slicks & drive the 6 miles to Fremont raceway where that monster ran 12.47 second quarter miles. Thanks for taking me back. I’d forgotten how much fun those days were!
Yes a 12.47 was fast back then for sure . I’m 63 and I have a guy at work with a 19 accord 2.0. With mods that runs 12.30 . What a dif world now . I’d rather have the Polara of course.
Was anyone else secretly hoping Jay would do a burnout? I miss those days when he would ask the question: “But will it do a burnout?” And then lay a patch. 😁
He probably had a talking to by the Burbank police.
Lay a patch. That's what we called it in Cleveland in the '60s.
I miss it too!
YEH I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE ! ....////
I was hoping the same thing - with the cut-outs opened up.
The perfect episode, right there. Just Jay, one of his newest acquisitions and us.
The fact it's a Mopar big block 4-speed is just icing on the cake.
I love mine ('68 GTX 440 4-speed) and have owned others. Wonderful stuff.
- Ed on the Ridge
Right on.
Agreed. A piece of history, and Jay doesn't cut corners on these excellent cars. So good.
A true enthusiast. Worth 1.5 million? No. Is Mr Leno still excited about it? Yes. Thank you for sharing your cars and knowledge. Happy Thanksgiving
I bought a 64 Polara 4 door while in high school. 318 pushbutton automatic. Drove it all over, many adventures. Replaced it with a 63 Plymouth Sport Fury, Golden Commando Power 383 auto. LOVED them both. Would give anything to have one again. Hope your recovery goes well.
Had a 63 Sport Fury with the 318 wedge filled the space under the hood like a big block.
if you can, go back and buy the great old car models that you once owned, or wanted to own. Tell your wife, like I did, "it's a good investment" which is true, my old cars appreciate in value each year, so that my insurance company tells me to increase my coverage!! Which I dutifully do! ;D
Love your show! Hope your doing better. Have a 64 Plymouth sport fury 383hp auto red on red posi that I've had since 86 and these are the best!
Thanks for another great video, Jay. I grew up in a small town in NH, I'm 70 years old now, but when I was a kid there was a guy who had a '64 Sport Fury with the 426 wedge, 4 speed. It was red with a white convertible top and If I remember correctly Cragar SS mags. The owner was a really nice guy. My brother and I would hitch hike into town from a small village nearby, and If he saw us he would always stop. There were a few hot rods in town, a Corvette or two, some pretty nice cars, but that Plymouth was special. I can still remember it like it was yesterday...
My parents had a 64' sport fury 383 dual point distributor & performance factory cam, it would load up & start shaking at idle after a couple weeks of mom driving, I'd tell dad & we would take it out to " clean the plugs" witch meant floor it a few times. It would throw your head back!
Thnanks, for comments , me too ( I am 74 YEARS young):: these were the ones.. Interestingly, still remember vividly fhe coming into ( @ WILMOT, INDIANA ) the first 63 Corvette FUELIe / Red ,**brand new( driver visiting his Family, & working his MOVING & Storage CO….)…..
My mom's neighbor at her condo had the same car 12 years ago. The old fellow still drove it every day -- 426 wedge, 4 speed, original paint and interior. Believe it was gold or bronze. My mother complained incessantly about the racket the engine made in the morning 😅
@@frankweathersbee2553 thanks, interesting….. we. I fixed some of the 383s were Hot… I had 383 / Turquiose. / DUAL* SNORKEL, In my first New car Purchase ; Coronet 500/ automatic/ dual *EXHAUST/ loaded*** exc. no a/ C;; and it was raucous …. I had to put HEI Ignition on right away, but always seemed more than 315 HP, Etc……IN THOSE DAYS , spark plugs went quick @8-10,000 miles ( had two plug @ rear , tight locations)…..
I think one of the most amazing things that I like about Mr. Leno‘s car reviews is his range, one minute he’s talking about the new Corvette, next week he’s talking about Mercedes AMG and now he’s talking about a dodge Polara, which were truly amazing and have their rightful place with the other cars as well. Thank you again🙏🏽
I have never been able to put my finger on why
that body style captures my attention and then
dominates it, but it always has. I think proportion
has something to do with it. Eye-pleasing ratios.
I have always loved it. Seldom see one any more. Thanks for this video.
Good God, my Dad owned this car (not this trim)! The front wheel fell off when he was cruising I-71 in Cleveland, I'll never forget it. The push-button automatic transmission...Holy Cow! What a machine! Cars were a real adventure in the '60's!
Thanks Jay, this really makes me smile...
I agree with you Jay, 63 and 65 to me was just ugly. 64 was it! My dad had one when he and my mom lived in Puerto Rico. My dad loved his Polara. He had the car repainted charcoal gray with a white top. It had a red interior. His, I believe had a 318 with a push button shift on the dash. He regrets getting rid of it, not his fault its a long story. Thank you for sharing this beauty with us. I'm going to share this video with him. He's going to get all choked up! Thanks again!
Very nostalgic for me Jay. This is a beautiful example of my first muscle car in the 60's. I worked my way through High School and all my savings went into this car. Mine was also red (of course) except with a 383, automatic and convertible top. You're right about the console mounted tach being a joke. I ended up going through a lot of bent push rods due to over revving the engine. Every now and then I see one of these 64 Polara's at a car show and stop dead in my tracks. Mine had an aftermarket 8 track tape player blasting "American Woman", glass packs and Hi-Jacker air shocks in the rear. I used to take my grandma to get groceries in it and she always lectured me about speeding even though I wasn't. This car just looked and sounded like trouble. Thanks for stopping me dead in my tracks today.
thanks for the story as i try to get the feeling of being in pre-1977 driving my 2-gen charger. and i wasn't alive with the ussr vs usa era but my dad was as his frist car was a pre-1970-78 red Chevy inpolla 350 auto velilor red interior
Jay this car brings back a great time in my life. My moms car looked just like your 64. We drove that car everywhere. Same beautiful red but hers had a 318 push button automatic. I played this video for her and she started crying. She loved that car and all the places we went in it. Awesome car.
1964 was the last year Chrysler used push buttons to control the TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Most of these cars came with the 318 poly although larger engines like the 383 were available.
Push button sounds so cool
When Jay posts a new video I always hit the like button before the video even starts because I KNOW it’s going to be good!
Me too
i do the same when he is presenting his own vehicles.
Ditto !
one of my favorite cars from high school days, a classmate farmer friend of mine got a polara 500 hemi 4 speed for graduation, was the envy of everyone, at recent class reunion I asked him what ever happened to that Dodge? surprised me he said ""I still have it, had to replace the engine"", but he and his sons keep it in a barn, totally cleaned up, repainted the original white, and has original white bucket seats, then he brought it out for display, I about flipped, he gave me a ride in high school 50 years ago, it was amazing to me, beautiful car, great lines and powerful. and promised to go again but I took a rain check for another day as the reunion was coming to a close, and my old lady had to get home. love your polara, sure brings back memories of that ride 50 years ago.
To speak of these Chrysler mopar cars. Back in 1965 my dad bought a brand new 1965 Chrysler New Yorker 2 dr HT being that very nice dark metallic green with black leather interior. 413 engine automatic transmission. This was in Finland so anyway, us living in Vasa we flew own to Helsinki and went to the Chrysler dealer there called BERNERS and wow, i was 8 years young then and I still remember how big and powerful that car was. That car is stll in the family. My brothers son has it now but it's just being parked at a barn and who knows what will happen to the car in he future. So anyway, great memories and those good old days are gone forever just like anthing else. Many times, I wish I could go back and re live my childhood it went by just to fast. I'm so thankful for my childhood and that I had a good lufe with the best ever greatest parents. Rest in peace my beautiful Dad and Mom ❤
That turbine car casually hanging out in the background, lol.
Jay’s off-hand knowledge of literally every car he owns is always impressive.
That was a good episode. Go back and watch the Turbine car episode.
😎👍 Yeah, Jay is the real deal when it comes to car enthusiasts. He's not just a rich guy who wants a few cool old sports cars to impress his buddies. He truly loves them. He buys cars that HE likes, not just what's popular with other people. That's why he knows EVERYTHING about them.
Otherwise he'd have nothing but late 60s Camaros, 60s Mustangs, 70-74 Challengers, and maybe a 1969 Corvette, because those cars are "crowd approved". But nope! He also buys Falcons, Fairlanes and Polaras!
Is that really a Chrysler turbine car? Wow
@@ditto1958 yes, he does have a vid on it. Very good info on the car, don't think it's his it's in a museum or something, check out the vid for info on it, and some good Jay humor too! ;D
Thanks Jay for another blast from the past! Jan and Dean would be proud for the mention.
I'm with you Jay. The 63 had a design only a mother could love and the 65 design was a more conservative, full sized boat. The 64 is a very attractive and a more nimble looking car. Cheers!
Funny you mentioned that, the '63 Polara would be my "money no object" car. In a world of Supercars that can do 250MPH, that would be my pick for a one car to drive until the end of parts, gas or life.
I wouldn't say no to a '67 Barracuda or a '68 Hurst Olds either.... Maybe a '70 Buick GSX too.
I'm that camp also, my favorite Dodge. Passed up a chance (actually couldn't afford it) to buy a 64 vert years ago at an auction. Missed opportunity's!
Jay’s garage looks pristine enough to double as an operating room. The amount of care that goes into the space, tools and cars is amazing.
Watched the Polara video and enjoyed it. I'm 76 and grew up in the times of those big v/8 cars. You mentioned plumbers and carpenters who made good money and who could afford cars like 5he Polara. There were two brothers who frequented the Spur station my dad leased. One brother had a new '64 Pontiac GTO, the other had a new '64 Cevelle Super Sport with a 4-speed. He was an unmarried sheet metal worker and had a good income. My buddies and I were a bit younger than the two brothers. The sheet metal worker with the Super Sport took one of my pals for a ride. When the ride was over, I asked my friend what it was like. He said that the acceleration was so fierce that it almost snapped his neck off. Thank you for these truly WNDERFUL videos.
Best roof line of a 2 door hardtop ever. Jay when this car came out it was a mid sized car and very easy to drive and park. I had the push button auto version with a 318 and loved it.
Was this equivalent of the Plymouth Sport Fury or Plymouth Belvedere. I had a 64 Belvedere had same roof and 4 speed but bench seat in front. My friend had 65 Sport Fury convertible with the same 426 Wedge and even 4 speed with buckets and console. That was really fast car and think I answered my own question. I have seen one 64 Belvedere with Hemi there were some in 65 as well but not many. I recall 2 fours staggered was on every wedge I seen not sure if standard with the wedge. I got six miles to a gallon of gas that was 25 cents a gallon back then. lol
@@captainjim6300 absolutely
When I was kid in the 1970s, my friend had a 64 Polara. It was a 383ci 4 speed and a 671 dyers blower with 2 750 carter carbs I think, drum brakes and manual steering. It was a beast! But it would lift the front wheels off the pavement from a red light on a cool summer night. On a warm summer night we spent half the night pulled over waiting for it to cool off enough to start driving again! Those were the days!
LOVE IT!! Born in 1957 -- even though I'm a Corvette guy, the look and sound of this car brings back great memories. Jay, you're a genuine national treasure.
Absolutely agree👍🏼
Awesome! Had a new '66 Nova with Hurst stick, canary yellow. A babe magnet for sure. Miss it. Thanks for sharing Jay.
My cousin,Bruce,had a twin to your’64 polara. It was beautiful and fast. Thank you for sharing.
One of my favorite Mopars. Two things I noticed while it was on the lift. The Turbine Car in the background, and the hose clamp on the driveshaft. A simple old school way to balance your driveshaft.
Oh to spend one night wandering around this shop and garage !
I actually just asked why those were there. Figured it was a balance thing lol.
After getting my driver's license, this was the car that I wanted so bad I could taste it! As my dad was going to be the co-signer, I ended up with a '63 Ford Falcon convertible with a 260 engine. I thank him to this day for not allowing me kill myself in the Dodge, and he passed away 25 years ago!
Falcon is way cool though
Dads are the practical balance to a young man's exuberance. I was in my late teens in the mid 80s and I wanted a Dodge Demon that was in a local used car lot,I forget the year, early 70s example. My dad said no, it's a basket case and a money pit. Ended up getting a 67 AMC Ambassador sedan with a 290 V8. A much more sedate car for sure.
@@Jelsick And, like myself, you're still here today to talk about it!
When I got my DL at 16, my mom had a 2 year old 390 GT/A Fairlane convertible. It did not take long for my parents to sell it, in order to keep me alive. I just could not be trusted.
You might find the Falcon in Repo Man interesting
What a amazing mopar . Love the colour can practically hear Jan and Dean singing . Brakes are a excellent upgrade dodge drum brakes from the sixties actually seemed to accelerate the car when slamming them on .I was surprised there was no cross ram but it’s much better to drive without it and less hassle to maintain . Always loved this year and model . The dog dish hubcaps with black rims is a look you can’t go wrong with on those . I can see this with ram chargers written down the side of it lol. Love it jay .nothing sounds like a wedge .
My brother-in-law had one of the first cross-rams in a convertible. It was very difficult to control. seemed like it had a sticky throttle (maybe it did). It would not pull away from a stop sign without snapping your neck. I pulled away from a stop sign the first time I drove it and got a ticket for burning rubber. The cop asked me why I did that with him watching. He would not believe me that I did not do it on purpose.
Nice '64 Polara. In 1991, I was living in Culver City, and bought a "mint" '65 Dodge Monaco 2-door coupe. Factory 413 big block, automatic, dual exhaust, and exactly the same black bucket interior and tach down low as on Jay's Polara. Interesting. In fact, my Monaco had the factory AM-radio stereo "reverb unit" (12" x 8" x 4") located back in trunk. I forget what it was called. Something like "Vibrasonic", I forget, with a reverb knob located on the dash. I was working for peanuts, and had hopes of doing engine mods, yet could never afford it. Bought the care for $2K, and later sold it for $4K. I thought that I had made a fortune! When I sold it, the Cal Plates read "JOES413". No idea where that car is now. It was a odd factory tan color, with a black vinyl top.
Oh ... Hi Jay! I'm from Maine, and also lived all around Boston (Malden, Medford, Allston, Brighton, Brookline). Just turned "60", and I know EVERYTHING that you are talking about regarding "High-school-year cars, back in THE DAY". One friend, a Maine factory worker, had a purple CUDA with a factory 440 six-pack & 4-speed - shaker hood. Many a night we rode around the woods of Maine in that car! Those were the days.
What a wonderful episode - heartfelt
I like that car and his green hemi coronet
Those cars were gorgeous. Full of chrome. I've owed two polara 500's. The second one was a triple black with the 426 wedge.
Billy Uhlir you had TWO? surely even GOD can't have THAT much STYLE!
I love the 64 Polara. I actually have one in white with red stripe and red interior in a nod to the Ramchargers. Mine happens to be powered by a later 440 with a 75mm turbo hung off the exhaust for good measure. Thanks for sharing this one!
Hi Jay, I absolutely agree with you, your Polara as far as I'm concerned is "ice cool". If only we had cars like that in the UK back in 1964. I suppose our equivalent might be a Mini Cooper or maybe a GT Cortina, certainly these were the cars I lusted after. For sure there where lots more powerful cars such as Jaguars and Astons, but these were for the well-off, not us boy racers.
It's rather ironic that as we get older it is not the current supercars that we hanker after but the cars of our youth. My personal favourite American car is a Toranardo, not a muscle car I know but a feast for the eyes. Thank you for posting, much appreciated.
My father always drove Polara's . He always got the 318 . We lived in a small town and he drove over 50 miles one way to his job at General Dynamics . He test drove one with a 383 and loved the power but needed better gas mileage . He bought a new one every 18 months because of the miles he put on . He switched to the coronet when they discontinued the polara
Back in the day we called the cut-out "dumps". Put a penny or a nickel between the flange and tighten it up to get just enough rumble! Great video sir!
Beautiful car Jay. My first Mopar was a 1967 Dodge Coronet RT it came from the factory with the 426 Hemi and a 4-speed. I sold it when I went into the service. I found out years later how valuable it was they only made about 300 of them with the 426 4 speed. It looked like your grandma's car, but boy would run.
My dad has one!!! He wins quite often at shows for different things. I even get to drive it sometimes. Very fun to drive!!! Nice to see a piece on it!
Great episode on the 64 Polara. The 64 Dodge and Plymouth B Body cars are a true American muscle car. Personally, I've owned a 64 Dodge 383 4 speed and 64 Plymouth Savoy 413 Max Wedge 4 speed back in the 70's which I raced. Presently, the max wedge is in my 64 Belvedere with a push button automatic. So, I can appreciate Jay's passon for the old 64 Mopars.
@@anitaperri5030 nice collection and next time, for extra credit, someone asks about the push button automatic, call it the "typewriter" which they/we used to call it, back in the day!! LOL ;D
There was something about those '64s after the crazy '63s. Just a sweet year in styling for Mopar and the size was perfect. I think my favorite car is the '64 Plymouth Fury, 2 door, the same B Body. Cool to see Jay with a '64 Polara. Just nice.
We had a brand new '64 Polara 440 wagon with 3 bench seats, tons of glass, a 383 4bl, and dual exhausts. A modern "blended family" with 4 kids, moving from Air Force base to base. At least once a month, we would get on the highway to "Clean out the carbon" with a high speed run, never a ticket. Those Airmen can be sneaky, or stealthy as they would say now. A fun family Saturday outing was to wash and wax the blue beast then go to the beach or park for a picnic. Good times. Thanks, Jay.
I just added a 1964 330 to my garage. Bench seat, push the drive button and unleash 650HP! What Jay says about these being a brute is so true.
sounds good, but we called the push button automatics in the early 1960's Chrysler products, the "typewriter" back in the day! :D
I love the 64 Polaras. My grandparents had a 4 door with the 318 push button that my dad bought from them. Have always thought the front ends were mean looking. Such a great looking car.
Ha... This makes me laugh and remember the 64 "330" that my mom bought new. (The 330 was the stripped down model of the Polara). She had a 4 door, 318 automatic, also with no power steering or brakes. (Steering was amazingly light.) I was well aware of the Polara like Jay has, so I would do a quick makeover when I borrowed her car on the weekends, trying to make the 330 look like Jay's hot rod. I'd drive about a mile down the road, then stop and take off the hubcaps and the air cleaner (giving it a "throaty" sound). The transmission was amazing, given the amount of abuse I gave it. That abuse consisted of me revving the engine in neutral, then pushing the "drive" button... That would break the rear tires loose every time. This always impressed my friends, so I did it alot. Amazingly enough, my mom eventually traded the car off with 140,000 miles on it but she never had a lick of trouble with the transmission, or anything else with the car either, actually. Although it was "square" and boring, quality wise, it was an amazing car. I don't recall her ever having any trouble with the car at all (no thanks to me😅😂🤣).
Neutral drops we used to call that. Me and my friends would have our parents grocery getters out trying to see who could let some smoke out of the tires. Well, one of the tires anyway.
I guess every generation has its moments of glory. Ours was just how you tell it. Borrowing your parents luxo barge and hot rodding around town with it. With as many kids as you could fit. Which was alot !
One thing that doesn't change over time is teenage kids abusing their parents' cars... I leaned to drive around 1999-2000 in a '92 Chevy S10 Blazer with the 160 hp non-Vortec 4.3L V6 and a five speed manual. Gutless engine but I'd still peel out with it or try to shift into second so hard the tires would chirp sometimes... that poor truck... 😂 We also got rid of it at 140k still running fine, and it was seen running around town for years after that.
@@rustyjeep2469 The family car I learned to drive on in 1971 was a 1970 VW bus, bought new. Needed a calendar to time its 0-60. Then Dad bought a VW Squareback. To me this was a hot car, a lot fun to drive, low the road with great handling. The 4-on-the-floor was a short throw sports car transmission. The Bus had a 4 on the floor of course, but the handle was so long it was like finding the right gear with a blind man's cane. We lived in the foothills of the Adirondacks and I had a lot of fun driving on the back roads.
JAY! Literally my favorite Mopar from that time. Gorgeous car, and tastefully upgraded. Loved this!
That's my favorite too I think that reconfigured roofline for 64 it just makes all the difference. I had a nice belvedere
Jay love your channel you are a true car guy. wish You the best and a speedy recovery. First hot rod I ever drove. I just turned 16. Guy across the street from me had one 426 cross ram ,fender well headers ,4 spd, 4.10 gear. Fortunately for me he wasn't much of a mechanic and I had 3 older brothers that were gear heads. So I had learned a lot from them. Paul with the max wedge pulled out distributor for some reason and couldn't get it re started. after watching for a while I said if I can get it running can I drive it . He said yes .Put it on #1 fired it up may have not been timed perfect just by ear but I got to drive it around the block remember like it was yesterday over 50 years later. Always wanted to own one.
I'm not a Big Dodge fan but I was smiling listening to Jay talk about this car!
"Memory lane" big time! I remember this exact car. And yes, rare for New England. You Andover kids might have had Rt125 but us Lynn, MA kids had the Nahant Causeway. So, so easy to get in trouble. One of the prettier engine bays - with those cool factory headers. Exhaust cut-outs? Seriously? Thank you Jay for never growing past the age of 14! Another informative and entertaining video.
I was born and raised in West Virginia, in 1964 I was 19. The county that I live in had two state troopers most of the time they would take the evening breaks together. The bridge on Highway 20 just north of Hinton was almost a quarter-mile long. And yes the top dog in the county was a 63 Dodge 426 wedge.
Caved in air filter, orange paint on the frame, hose clamp to balance the drive shaft... Probably the most awesome car yet. I'm not even kidding. Great show. Beats any my classic car episode from when I was a kid. To the point. No weird mustache.. just humor and great cars with substance. Thanks Jay
yup, weird mustache indeed!! I would be careful getting too close to the fan with that thing hanging off my lip! :D
I love hearing these car stories. You have a knowledge Jay that I hope never goes away. My dad who passed away in 2012, Use to tell me stories about him and his old Thunderbird with a 390 and a 3 speed and how good it ran and he spoke about the details the way you do. I probably heard it a thousand times and now that he is gone I wish I could hear it once more. I love when you talked about the guy that wasn't good looking but when things got rough he'd take care of it. Those are real car guy stories and entertaining. I'd love to meet you one day. I hope you keep telling these stories for many years to come!
Always loved the roofline and the oddly unique rear sloping angular pillar. A neighbor had a ‘64 and I would stare at it for hours…
That car looks awesome! If NASCAR still had "real" cars like this one, I'd be more interested in it.
A lot of drivers died in those days
The closest thing I ever rode in was a 67 GTX, with the 375 hp. 440. It had so much torque, you could fry a back set of tires in one day. It was a scary ride !
And real non PC men who drove to win instead of these whiny wimps driving for divisive political points.
..me too...reminds me of Richard Petty's '64 Plymouth
@@thechurchoftruth8578
Not really, considering the amount of drivers and distance run. Back then NASCAR was much safer than many other forms of motorsport!
64 Plymouth is my favorite for style. Especially the Sport Fury which was the last year for the B-Body "Sport Fury". 63-65 Dodges and Plymouth mid sized are known as the early B-Bodies... slightly smaller and lighter than the ones to come in 66-74. 1964 Dodges and Plymouths swept Daytona in 1964 with a 1,2,3 finish with the freshly designed 426 Hemi. We've had our 64 Sport Fury 383 4 speed for 34 years and it's still the most fun to drive car in the Mopar fleet. Also 64 was the first year for the A-833 4 speed transmission which is an iconic design.
This video has brought back a lot of memories for me. I was 12 years old when my dad bought a dark blue one in 1975. He only gave $250 for it because it had been rode hard and put up wet, nevertheless on our way home on the interstate my dad opened it up and the motor was so bad that it filled the cockpit full of smoke. I remember my dad laughing as we rolled the windows down to let the smoke out he said this thing is completely wore out and still the fastest thing on the road. After completely redoing the car my dad street race the car quite a bit and I never saw it lose... I fell in love with this car and to this day is probably one of the baddest factory Street machines I've ever rode in
I just love all your cars ,and your a great gentleman,I’ve got a 1978 Midnite Express and a 1977 Dodge adventurer,I’m from New Brunswick Canada,I wish I could drive to have a look at all your cars,would show you my truck,again thank you very kindly,to take the time to show us your treasures
This is what i call a "classic leno" episode great historic car that he owns and loves and you feel like you`ve gone for a ride with your Dad or gran-pa...cheers jay :)
Saw one of these at a car show about 2 years ago here in South Africa, fell in love with the look. Real cool to see you make a video on one you own🙂
This oompie has so many cars and he knows every single thing about them.
Jay, love your content. I just finished a complete roticerie restoration on my '64 Polara 426 Street Wedge. A couple comments though... a '64 426 Street Wedge would have come from the factory with log style exhaust manifolds. The ones yours has are the Max Wedge factory headers. That said, you could easily have purchased the Max Wedge units over the parts counter back in the day. Now days however, those are as rare as hounds teeth. Also, I'm glad to see you kept the original rear end and the trunion drive shaft. Most people swap them out for later units because the drum brakes are a real paint in the rear (no pun intended) to service. There is an easy way to solve that problem and I wrote an article on how to swap out the original swedged drums for easily serviceable slip on units, but that's another story. The stock rear is very strong and will last for eons if properly maintained. All in all a beautiful rendition of Dodge's mid sized '64 model. Yes I did say "mid sized". Some so called experts in the automotive media claim the Polara was a full sized car but it wasn't. Later in '64 Dodge came out with their somewhat delayed full sized car the 880. So don't let anyone tell you it was a full sized car. Great job, Jay!! Love watching your videos.
Was just going to do a search on those headers! Thank you very much for the comment. They are cast iron, he said. But factory, or over the counter from the dealer option? Were they tuned for length? They look fantastic.
Also, did the "64 come with options for carb?
The max wedge exhaust manifolds have been reproduced and IIRC are available from Mancini Racing.
@@Redmenace96 They were factory installed on the max wedge cars and over the counter for the non max wedge cars.
Yep,Jay you remind So much of My childhood Growing up in RI...
My Childhood consisted of My Dad's 1964 Ford Fairlane Sport coupe which I learned to drive on...
Watching Your videos really take Me down Memory lane...
Just a simpler time with Cars and Girls hanging out at Goddard Park in Warwick RI...
What a blast Growing up in the 60s,70s and 80s..
Thx for the flashback of memories...
Always love a walk down Memory Lane...
Jay, we've never met but it's like you're one of my friends. Thanks for sharing! Best of the Holiday and hope you're feeling better
OMG LOVE the content on old/obscure stuff Jay !
Please keep it coming !
The new, ultra-exotic, unobtainium stuff is fun every now and then - but depressing for working class blokes.. whereas the older, vintage-geared, visceral stuff is ALWAYS straight goodness.
Cheers from Wisconsin !
Hi Jay, great review of one of America's best 60's performance cars. I love Mopar muscle, in the fall of 1969 I purchased a Roadrunner (new) and promptly blew the engine at 2200 miles top-end racing a 1969 390 Torino. Fortunately, I was working as a mechanic at the Plymouth dealership and was able to get a replacement engine under warranty and along with the service manager and another mechanic, we swapped in the new engine in the 3 hours the business was closed on "Good Friday" and none of my friends knew this happened, including the Torino guy, who saw my tail lights all three runs! Love your channel.
Jay I live 10 minutes from 125 and love tooling around on my Harley . I also use to work at Wilmington Ford in the wash bay I loved hearing the stories of you working there and I love you videos !!
Jay those old cars sure bring back the days when I used to run the streets, ill be 73 this Aug I can remember the small town I was raised in it was full of Mopars one Chevy 2 Fords ihad a 427 in it the other had a 390 all the rest were Mopars 383 engines I don;t know of any 426 Cars Oh and 164 GTO. Thanks for the memorys. thanks Chuck
Mr. Leno you are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you for all of your time !
I absolutely love the 64 Polara! Such great lines and so much race history as well. While the single 4 barrel has better manners for the street, you just can't beat the look of the cross ram dual quad setup. Thanks for sharing.
These cars were in Hot Rod and Motor Trend back then but out here in the east, I never saw one or maybe didn't know it if I did. Beautiful car! MoPar was all over it back then. Thanks Jay!
Mechanix Illustrated...
...I learned more about cars from "McCahill Speaks" column in that mag than I could ever try to remember...lol
@@TennesseeMethuselah my Granddad quoted McCahill all the time, Lol. Funny the stuff that triggers memories like that....
I'm in Canada and I didn't remember this car but as soon as I mentioned the name my dad (81) remembered it fondly. Not only does he have a better hairline but a memory also.
My brother and I spent a lot of summer nights down at New England Dragway just off Route 125 in NH. It was always a treat when any of these great old machines would rumble up to the staging line. We raced our motorcycles, so enjoyed a 'slight' power-to-weight advantage over the old muscle car iron. I still still smell the rubber and hi-octane.
This type of video is the best of Jay Leno‘s Garage. Jay, you are a national treasure! People will be talking about your car collection and thanking you for creating it long after we are both gone. I never saw one of these as a kid. It was outnumbered by about a jillion Polaras with 318s.
GREAT video, Jay! Back in '64 I knew this kid who "helped" his mom with the options list when she bought a car very much like the one in this video. Oh yeah - it had the Torqueflite instead of the 4-spd manual. Hey, the kid couldn't push it all the way, y'know? Sometimes he'd take the car out on El Camino Real between San Bruno (Mc Donald's) and Belmont (A&W). He had this deal where he'd get his front seat passenger to hand over $5, then he'd take out $5 and fold them in half and jam them in the spot where the windshield met the dash. He'd do a max accel takeoff when the light turned green. If the passenger could reach the money he won the bet and could keep it. Never went that way, of course. I had a buddy with a '49 Willys Jeepster with a '55 Cadillac engine and a B&M Hydro tranny. Me? I was riding around on my '50 Panhead (still have it). All on El Camino Real. We talked about petitioning the city, or county, somebody to modify the stop lights on El Camino to the classic NHRA Christmas Tree mode...
Great video!
I owned two 64 Polara 440's back in the 80's. Same body style as yours but with different trim and rear lighting arrangement than yours. On one, the PO had swapped in a 440 engine and transmission out of the 70 Fury police interceptor into it. Racer Brown cam, Edlebrock intake and 750cfm Holley. Added a floor shifter. That was a nice car. One of many I wish I still had.
The other was stock and literally driven to church on Sundays by a little ole lady. 318/auto. I kept it stock.
I love old DPCD products. I have a 67 A-108 van with a slant 6 I'm getting back on the road now. It's been sitting since early 2000. I also have a 78 B200 Maxi van with a 360.
I've always been into Chrysler products. At first I thought it was because my family always drove them. But later, I came to realize that I liked the fact that they were just so well engineered. Engines like 340's 383's, and 440's were pretty much bullet proof. You really didn't see them blow or wear out like a lot of GM and Ford engines. And the 904 and 727 Torqueflite transmissions were more durable than the GM and Ford offerings.
Being a smaller company, Chrysler couldn't afford to build separate performance-specific cars like Mustangs, GTO's, and Camaros, so their muscle cars tended to be two-door versions of their family cars, like this Polara, with big engines stuffed in them. And I liked that. You could get a 6-cylinder Dodge Demon for next to nothing, and stuff a 340 or even a 440 in it without much trouble, and voila! You've got a really fast, tough muscle car for a lot less than what you would pay for a comparable Mustang or Camaro.
And because Chrysler couldn't afford to do a bunch of different components for different cars, there was a lot of part interchangeability across platforms and model years. That made it easier to find replacement parts for the 60's and 70's cars during the 80's and 90's, before you could get the reproduction parts available now.
This Dodge Polara is a prime example of Chrysler at its best. You wouldn't think anything of it if you saw it in a parking lot. But because of its light weight, and the long overhang past the rear axle, giving it really good weight transfer under acceleration, these things made phenomenal drag cars. That's one reason why so few of these 64's are still around. It figures Jay would have one of these Max Wedge cars. This is a cool car because it truly is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Any time you have driven front and rear drum vehicles from the 60's up and, especially, down hills with multiple brake applications you completely and totally understand Jay's desire to put Wilwoods on it lol.
I believe the Olds Starfire was the first muscle car. Excellent video Jay. Thanks! It brings back old memories.
What a great car Jay. I had a similar car, 65 Plymouth Satellite, it had a mild built 440 with a 727 trans (stage 2 shift kit) and 390 gears with suregrip. If you remember, 65 was the first year of the Satellite and carried the on the 64 Sport Fury body style which was similar to the Polara, both were B- body cars and became C-body cars in 65. The 65 Plymouth Satellite was a one year body style the used design (interior and exterior) from both 64 Polara and Sport Fury. As like your 64 a Dodge Polara. I upgraded the brake system to four wheel disc brakes, 3 inch dual Flow Master exhaust and mini-tubbed for bigger tires. With the 440 egine, manual steering and brakes the was a hand full. I don't own the car any longer but your video brought back great memories. Thanks Jay.