1968 Dodge Polara, 318, turquoise, sedan
05-14-2009, 06:31 PM
#1
MoparMania-no cure for it
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1968 Dodge Polara, 318, turquoise, sedan
My Polara is a former daily driver w/ not quite 80K on the clock.
It's body is straight but not cherry (rough areas are the bottoms
of the front fenders and behind the wheels on the 1/4s).
The turquoise paint is faded and the hood, roof & trunk
are in primer (olive drab etching primer),
but the 318 & 727 are strong- this car is a blast to drive..
The fender tag decodes as follows:
CAR: Dodge Polara 4 Door Sedan
ENGINE: 318cid 2-bbl V8
TRANSMISSION: 3-Speed Automatic
TIRES: Unknown tire code
BUILD DATE: June 27.
AXLE: 3.23 Rear Axle Ratio, Sure Grip
INTERIOR: Deluxe Trim Grade
PAINT: Monotone Medium Turquoise Metallic Paint.
OTHER: Medium Turquoise Metallic Upper Door Frame Color.
MOLDINGS: (none - IE: fendertop ridge stainless trim only,
no other bodyside moldings)
ABC OPTIONS:
R1: AM Radio
In other words, a baseline Polara with only 3 options:
"Deluxe" interior (one step up from "Economy")
AM Radio
3.23 SureGrip rear axle
I have the original wheelcovers for it,
but i'd like to find a usable set of "red ring" small hubcaps
(AKA "poverty caps" or "dog dish" caps)
I have replaced the original cooling fan
with an 18" 5-blade clutch fan
(from the 318 in an '86 D150 pickup - direct bolt-on replacement)
thus freeing up 15 additional dyno-proven HP.
Future plans include:
Dual exhausts
Mopar Electronic Ignition
4bbl intake and carb
Eventual repaint, most likely in original color
I'd like to find a dash pad (top of dash)
and a front bumper for it
(plus other misc. items)
I'm greatly enjoying refurbishing and driving this big ol' Mighty Mopar
05-14-2009, 07:35 PM
#3
thats a cruiser for sure. im diggin the turquois. keep everything original as possible and that boat would be oh so sweet. except for the duals and 4 barrel, thats a good upgrade.
05-17-2009, 10:08 PM
#4
MoparMania-no cure for it
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so does the U.S. Army lol
I may just paint it all in olive drab primer
and put big white stars on the front doors
and a flag on the fender lol
Thanks!
But are you saying youre against dual exhaust & a 4-bbl..?
If so, why..?
Every V8 engine can benefit from an appropriate dual exhaust system
(increased power and efficiency)
and the same benefits apply to an appropriate 4-bbl carb as well..
"appropriate" is the key word here -
don't make the mistake of bolting an 800 CFM mechanical-secondary carb
on a high-rise manifold to a street-driven smallblock
that's otherwise basically stock lol..
I plan to retain the stock exhaust manifolds
(perfectly suitable for up to 5000 RPM)
and install a dual exhaust system w/ an "H" pipe (IE balance tube)
for proper exhaust tuning and increased torque,
and a 600 CFM vacuum-secondary carb on a dual-plane manifold..
Vacuum-secondary carbs automatically "size themselves" to
the CFM needs of the engine, and a dual-plane manifold
is what you want for a mild, street-driven V8..
I may just paint it all in olive drab primer
and put big white stars on the front doors
and a flag on the fender lol
But are you saying youre against dual exhaust & a 4-bbl..?
If so, why..?
Every V8 engine can benefit from an appropriate dual exhaust system
(increased power and efficiency)
and the same benefits apply to an appropriate 4-bbl carb as well..
"appropriate" is the key word here -
don't make the mistake of bolting an 800 CFM mechanical-secondary carb
on a high-rise manifold to a street-driven smallblock
that's otherwise basically stock lol..
I plan to retain the stock exhaust manifolds
(perfectly suitable for up to 5000 RPM)
and install a dual exhaust system w/ an "H" pipe (IE balance tube)
for proper exhaust tuning and increased torque,
and a 600 CFM vacuum-secondary carb on a dual-plane manifold..
Vacuum-secondary carbs automatically "size themselves" to
the CFM needs of the engine, and a dual-plane manifold
is what you want for a mild, street-driven V8..
05-17-2009, 10:39 PM
#5
05-18-2009, 06:27 PM
#8
MoparMania-no cure for it
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thanks!
Since those pics were taken I have put new seat covers on it -
the seats were worn & split, so i got a couple blankets from K-Mart
in an appropriate color and fitted them as seat covers..
Sounds funny, but it's an old rat rod trick and it works well
for quickly covering up worn old seats lol
(my '67 Impala has been sporting seat covers made from blankets for over 10 years now lol)
Since those pics were taken I have put new seat covers on it -
the seats were worn & split, so i got a couple blankets from K-Mart
in an appropriate color and fitted them as seat covers..
Sounds funny, but it's an old rat rod trick and it works well
for quickly covering up worn old seats lol
(my '67 Impala has been sporting seat covers made from blankets for over 10 years now lol)
Last edited by Polara_68; 05-18-2009 at 06:31 PM.
05-19-2009, 03:38 AM
#10
Admin
Actually, you can get olive drab green as a paint color. I would do that and put 1 white start on each front door. That would look killer.
05-19-2009, 07:22 AM
#11
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She's resting in the barn a lot these days, since I got the Polara..
I need to dust 'er off & take some pics of them together
I love all my old cars,
even the "brand X" ones lol
02-05-2010, 12:07 PM
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Thanks! I really like the look of it too, and its been a great car, all told.
I’ve had a lot of fun with it, tinkering on it & doing upgrades,
and driving it often..
Some time has passed since I started this thread,
it may be time for an update on the upgrades & mods done so far..
I’ve had a lot of fun with it, tinkering on it & doing upgrades,
and driving it often..
Some time has passed since I started this thread,
it may be time for an update on the upgrades & mods done so far..
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