1964 Dodge Polara: Quirky and Cool

A delightful Chrysler product with a slightly unconventional look, at least compared to the typical muscle car mold. Then again, it’s not a 1963 Dodge Polara. Or – glory be – a ’62 Polara. But still, it has something. Something different. Could it be something worth having? Gustav Kimmehed certainly thinks so, and I have to agree.

“Why did I choose this particular make and model? Honestly, I don’t really know. I just thought it looked a little unusual. I wanted something you don’t see every day. It’s not exactly a Chevy Chevelle. I’ve swapped wheels and tires too, so now the Polara has a bit more of a muscle car vibe. But yeah, the Dodge has great lines. It reminds me a little of a Pontiac Tempest from the same era,” Kimmehed says.

When he imported the Polara from St. Paul, Oregon, in US, back in March 2018, it arrived in excellent condition. It seemed like the car had been stored indoors for most of its life and hadn’t racked up many miles since it rolled off the assembly line.

“It’s been repainted once but never restored. I’ve noticed a small patch on one of the fenders, nothing more. When was it originally sold? Let me check the paperwork. Hmmm… the documentation is like half a paper phone book. Here! May 14th, 1964,” Kimmehed says with a smile.

While the Polara is mostly untouched, the V8 has been thoroughly reworked. It’s a 440-cubic-inch engine stroked to 505 cubes, virtually everything has been replaced, including the block itself. The engine was built by Anders Andersson at Double A Custom and runs incredibly well. It produces 589 horsepower, but the internals are built to handle 800–900 wild horses. All it needs is a blower and ethanol. If you want to, that is. And it certainly sounds like Kimmehed does.

“Haha, yeah. But hey, I don’t have unlimited funds. It’s probably another 150,000 SEK ($15,000 dollar) or so for the blower setup. Still, it’s such a rush when you’re behind the wheel,” Kimmehed says with a grin.

The rest of the drivetrain includes a 904 transmission, push-button automatic, and a Chrysler 8¾-inch rear axle, built by Sweden’s own rear-end expert Henrik Modigh.

According to Andersson, the 440 block has been bored 0.030 inches over. It’s fitted with forged Icon pistons, 7.1-inch H-beam connecting rods and a 4.25-inch stroke, which adds up to 505 cubic inches. The crankshaft is made from 4340 steel. The Edelbrock RPM heads are port-matched and mildly ported. Steel roller rockers with a 1.6:1 ratio handle the valvetrain. Fuel and air are supplied by a Holley 850 double-pumper, and spent gases exit through 2-inch TTI headers. Ignition is handled by MSD, and the camshaft – a hydraulic unit from COMP Cams – works with the rockers to deliver a valve lift of 0,6 inches.

Now 50 years old, Kimmehed is a proud father of two. He was drawn to American muscle early in life, though he’s somewhat of a lone wolf in his family when it comes to car passion.

“You know how it is. People think it’s weird to sink this much money into these cars. But hey, at least I’m not part of Sweden’s Jante’s law crowd. Yeah, I guess I’m a bit of an outlier in the family. I’ve always liked blown V8s, cars with a little attitude. And the sound, that full-throttle roar is such an adrenaline rush. It rumbles, it shakes, it vibrates,” Kimmehed says.

He adds that he enjoys the occasional weekend trip to Stockholm or Gothenburg, good food and all that, but then he just wants to get back home. He prefers being on the family farm, which he now runs.

Kimmehed’s American car journey began with a 1991 Pontiac Trans Am GTA. That was followed by a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro with a big-block and blower, a Pontiac Firebird convertible with a 428, a 1989 Ford Mustang with a ProCharger, a 1984 Dodge stepside pickup and some more modern muscle, including a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.

“There’ve been a few cars over the years. Like that 2001 Mustang Cobra I converted into an ’03 Terminator – with a blower. Those engines can handle a lot. Stock they make 399 horsepower, but with just a blower swap, you can get 700-800 easy. I did a bit of track racing with mine, but the brakes gave out after five minutes. That’s what happens when you’re doing 200 km/h and braking down to 70–80 on stock hardware,” Kimmehed says with a smile.

Aside from the engine, the Polara has kept much of its original appearance, thanks to its excellent condition. But Kimmehed has made a few upgrades, like a four-point harness and a driveshaft safety loop, just in case. The Dodge also has a new steering box, radiator, headers, cutouts, steering wheel and CalTracs.

“I’ve kept the front bench seat. I think it’s cool, and one of the reasons I bought the car in the first place. It’s great when both kids can ride up front with me,” Kimmehed says.

The scoop might raise a few eyebrows. It doesn’t exactly scream Chrysler.

“It’s a little different, yeah. I looked around at various fiberglass scoops. I started with Mopar_®’s square HEMI^® scoop, you know. Then I found this one and thought it looked badass. It’s actually a Ford scoop, like the ones on BOSS 429s. It was a bit tricky to get it to sit right. Chrysler offset their engines slightly to the right, and I didn’t want the scoop to be off-center on the hood. I finally found an air cleaner base at a local speed shop that let me mount the filter off-center on the engine but still center it under the scoop. Looks matter!”

Drag racing with a push-button automatic? Yep – and it’s awesome. But how does it work in practice? Kimmehed has taken it to the strip a few times and says it’s not exactly easy to master. First and second gear are fine, but something binds up going into third. Hitting the shifts just right is tricky. Otherwise, it works great, he says.

Owning American iron usually comes with certain weekend projects, and Kimmehed is no exception. On the to-do list: a transbrake and a new driveshaft that can handle over 1,000 horsepower. Rear slicks and front runners are also in the plans.

“I can’t run quicker than the 11s without installing a roll cage, and I absolutely don’t want to do that. The Polara needs to stay a family car too,” Kimmehed says.

And now, to the final chapter in this Polara tale – what kind of times has Gustav actually run?

“The first time I raced at Kjula (a well-known dragstrip in southern Sweden), I ran 11.93 seconds. Then Double A Custom helped me swap out the rear axle gears – from 3.23:1 to 3.91:1. Second time at Kjula, I clocked 11.73 seconds,” Kimmehed says.

There’s still some tuning to do to break solidly into the 11s, especially the challenge of holding the car at the line. The camshaft is so aggressive that the engine barely generates any vacuum, making it hard to hold with just the brakes. That’s why the Polara is getting a transbrake.

A family car with a transbrake. Yeah, that’s a little odd too. And lovely!