64 Polara - the fun begins

[dryheat]

Project Polly has officially begun. She is a bone stock completely original 1964 Polara 2dr hdtp w/383, 727 pushbutton, factory A/C car that I picked up in Ca. last year. She even has 14" steel wheels, hubcaps and bias ply tires. Owned by the preverbial "little old lady" just north of Pasadena ...

My plans are to keep her as original as possible with white paint and the turquoise/blue interior. No performance engine work ... just a complete refresh of the internal components.

She is scheduled for a trip to the body doctor in 3 weeks to deal with some rust & dent issues and to get a fresh coat of paint.

Here she is ... more pictures to follow as progress is made!

Wish me luck!

 

[charger360]

that will make a nice cruiser. are you going to keep the stock wheels or pop on somthing different?

 

[Propwash]

Nice project! Looks pretty solid...Good luck moving forward on your '64

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!We will need LOTA pic's on this one:headbang:

 

[dryheat]

Thanks guys ... I will be posting pictures as I make progress. I did find a little more rust in the front floor pan than I thought was there but I kinda already assumed I would be doing some level of rust repair there. The cowl is another area that could take a little longer that I thought too.

As for the wheels I do (budget/wife permitting) plan to give her a little pop with some SS's or Torque Thrust wheels at some point. Keeping my eyes open at local swap meets and CL for just the right set at the right price.

 

[6t4polara]

The fun will begin with the rear brakes if it still has the tapered axle.
Good luck with your project.

 

[dryheat]

Got all the fluids drained, de-chromed her inside and out, tore apart most of the dash (thank goodness for zip lock bags) and now begins the greasy stuff.

 

[71ChallengerSE]

The fun will begin with the rear brakes if it still has the tapered axle.
Good luck with your project.

No joke! Those can be a PITA!

 

[YY1]

Nice!

I'm a sucker for a white car with a blue int and a/c.

 

[dryheat]

The fun will begin with the rear brakes if it still has the tapered axle.
Good luck with your project.

No joke! Those can be a PITA!

Thanks guys ... I did one of these back in the 70's and it was a pain then ... I can only imagine what a few more decades worth of time and weather will add to the challenge.

I got in touch with Dr. Diff and he has a solution (albeit kinda pricey) for an axle and brake swap that fits into the existing housing and eliminates the tapered axle/hub. Kinda leaning that way.

 

[dryheat]

Admittedly it's been a long time since I was under a 64 B Body doing work. Either the components have gotten harder to get to or perhaps I got older and less flexible.

The engine/tranny are supposed to come out tomorrow if all goes well. While I was under the car I was looking at the trans cross member and it is bolted to the torsion bar member ... can I just unbolt it with out causing any issues?

P.S. After wresting with the shift and park cables in the push button tranny I will be switching to the Imperial Services conversion setup.

 

[5.7 hemi]

Undo the 4 bolts holding the crossmember and the trans will drop to the rear. I would only unbolt the crossmember when your ready to pull the eng/trans.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

You need to support the trans before removing those 4 bolts.Are you taking the engine & trans together?

 

[dryheat]

You need to support the trans before removing those 4 bolts.Are you taking the engine & trans together?

Yes ... I was primarily worried about any structural compromise of the torsion bar mounts while the center section of the cross member is removed.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Take a good look at the crossmember that holds the torsion bars to make certain there is no RUST! Which conversion are you thinking about?

 

[MoparMikey]

Amazing how you can blow apart a car in a day or two and then take a year or longer to put it back together!

 

[dryheat]

Take a good look at the crossmember that holds the torsion bars to make certain there is no RUST! Which conversion are you thinking about?

I took a good look at the crossmember and could see no obvious signs of rust. I also plan on putting the trans support back in once I get the engine and tranny is removed.

I am considering converting to a non-push button transmission but still keeping the push button shifter in the dash. Imperial has a setup that should work perfectly. I need to have a conversation with them first before I pull the trigger on this.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Jim,when you see the price of the conversion you just might change your mind on that one.I will never give up my pushbuttons!!!I've been told a 727 won't stand up to my HP levels,I betting it can:hello2:!!:hello2:

 

[dryheat]

Saturday was a fun day!!!

Shade Tree mechanic safety first ...

Getting Closer !!!!

Future son-in-law (I hope) hard at work

She's OUT!!!

Safely stored and ready for a tear down ...

 

[dryheat]

Guess who needs a new windshield ...

I decided that the best place to safely store the glass would be in my attic space above the garage. Got a nice steel pull down ladder with easy access so with the help of my future son-in-law we embarked upon our quest.

He went up first followed by me with the windshield under my arm. Upon reaching the top he grabbed one end and I grabbed the other ... he lost his balance and fell through the sheet rock ceiling barely catching himself with his arms on the rafters.

He's OK ... the windshield however is DOA ...

P.S. I found a much better place for the rear glass ... ground floor ... no stairs.