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How the Big 3’s 1964 Cars Perform

May 29, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Here is an article comparing the top speed of the Big 3 (Chrysler, GM, and Ford) 1964 cars by model, from Motorcade Magazine Spring 1964 edition, copyright 1964 by the Coronado Book Corporation. Enjoy! There’s more to come…
– HKK

Some of My Images of the 1964 Dodges to come, check back soon!

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Images of Detroit’s 1964-1/2 Mid-Year Models
Article entitled “How They Perform” Motorcade’s Exclusive Estimate of Performance
Copyrighted 1964 by Coronado Book Corporation, Published by Motorcade Magazine Spring, 1964, Volume 2, Number 1.

Images of The 1964 Dodge Cars, to come
Copyrighted 2015 by HKK Productions Inc

Detroit’s 1964-1/2 Mid-Year Model Cars

May 21, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Here is an article from Motorcade Magazine Spring 1964 edition, copyright 1964 by the Coronado Book Corporation. Enjoy! There’s more to come…
– HKK

Some of My Images of the 1964 Dodges to come, check back soon!

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Images of Detroit’s 1964-1/2 Mid-Year Models
Article entitled “First Report: The 1964-1/2 Cars”
Copyrighted 1964 by Coronado Book Corporation, Published by Motorcade Magazine Spring, 1964, Volume 2, Number 1.

Images of The 1964 Dodge Cars, to come
Copyrighted 2015 by HKK Productions Inc

Dick Landy’s 1965 Dodge Coronet Funny Car

May 1, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Here are a few shots of Dick Landy’s Funny Car 1965 Dodge Coronet, from Hot Rod Magazine June 1965, copyright 1965 by Hot Rod Magazine published by the Enthusiast Network. Enjoy! There’s more to come…
– HKK

And one of my images of Dick Landy’s 1965 Dodge Coronet, shot at The Carlisle All Chrysler Nationals in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. More of my images to come, check back soon!

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Images of Dick Landy’s 1965 Dodges
Article entitled “Dodge Country”
Copyrighted 1965 by Hot Rod Magazine, Published by The Enthusiast Network

Images of The 1964 Dodge Cars, to come
Copyrighted 2015 by HKK Productions Inc

The Forgotten ‘64 Dodge Charger Story – Revisited

April 17, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Revisiting a post I made on April 2, 2013. A good story worth reading. Now with a few more images. Enjoy!
– HKK

In early 1964 Dodge went public with the Charger name for its Dream Show concept car. It quickly turned into a complete series of vehicles. Dodge had hit a home run when it presented the Charger to its first enthusiastic audiences.

The Dodge Boys had seen the popularity that the General Motors Pontiac GTOs were having and had the same plan to produce affordable, completely packaged, high-performance cars. Dodge saw this as a clear message that just having the fastest cars on the road was no guarantee of sales results. Dodge product planners knew that if they couldn’t be first in sales they had to be best quality. So began the program of a new breed of muscle car for the U.S. and import youth market. This ‘64 Charger was the first of a long line of famous ‘60s,‘70s and today’s version of a muscle car for Chrysler. But first they would need to improve their image. They had all the right hardware, the 727 Automatic Transmission were known as bulletproof. The quickest way for Dodge to start winning in the muscle car war would be the ‘64 Charger, one of the most aggressive and muscular looking of show cars. You’d almost expect sweat to ooze from its sheet metal, and saliva to drip from its extra wide mouth. Its hand operated open headers… trumpeting like a Hemi elephant. It definitely had a grab-you-by-the-throat persona. All this to show race fans that the Dodge Boys were planning on taking over.

According to the original press release, the Charger was “inspired by the outstanding competition records set by Dodge production cars in recent years”. The Charger started out as a 119-inch wheelbase B-body ‘64 Polara. This was no fantasy car, instead it had a real connection to the cars in the dealership showrooms. This would show the commitment to serious muscle car competition, in the tradition of Dodge’s proud successes on all types of race circuits.

The first Charger had several design features that were very original for the time, all aimed at attracting the baby boom generation. Both the front and rear bumpers were replaced not by the available aluminum race parts from Chrysler, but by smooth metal and small vertical bump strips. Two of the four headlights normally on a factory-issue Polara were also eliminated. The extra wide hood scoop had the extra cool “426” badge on the front edge to suggest what might be underneath that hood. The actual engines under the hoods were the respectable 305 bhp, 383-cid engine from its Polara sister ship. So the hood of the car remained closed for the show circuit and it didn’t effect the great interest of the show goers. The ’64 never failed to attract large crowds and impress performance enthusiasts. Forty years later the mighty ’64 Race Hemi engine would finally be installed in the last known surviving ’64 Charger. Mr. Joeseph Bortz, the new owner, wanted a Hemispherical engine in the renovation project Charger, but he didn’t want just any Hemi. He could have had a brand new crate motor from Mopar Performance installed, instead he wanted one of just 15 original Race Hemis made under the hood. Just as the excutive brass at Chrsyler Corp. had origanally planned on.

In 1964 other changes made to the first Charger were done in a number of ways; the seating was unlike any production Dodge, using a special bucket design that was both luxurious and sporty. Custom “superfoam padding” was covered by pleated charcoal grey leather. Black carpeting covered the floorboards . The advertised engine was the very rare and imposing 426 cid Hemispherical. This was a completely different design from the corporation’s 1950s vintage Hemi-head racers, and it continued on in its winning tradition. But there were some early problems with the new cylinder walls being too thin. This delayed their delivery to the race Nascar teams, when they did start arriving; they were in very great demand. Overall Chrysler Corps latest developments in the high-performance engine designs helped them dominate in the horsepower race of the big three U.S. auto makers

Dodge top management had planned from the beginning to put a 426 Hemi in the ‘64 Charger concept show car, but the availability was becoming a major problem. Back at Chrysler headquarters, as far as the race hemi was concerned, job one for the engineers was equipping the drivers for its debut at the Daytona 500 stock car race in February ’64. As it turned out every time one of these hand-built engines were set to be installed in the ’64 Charger it ended up being shipped to the corporate sponsored race teams in need of an engine for that weeks competition. The 1964 concept show car circuit was starting soon so the use of the mighty Hemi would have to be skipped… for the time being. Eventually one of these super rare cars was identified, pursued, purchased and restored to original specifications in this the new millennium.

After the show tour season was over, one of the eight experimentals was sold to a prominent and influential Chrysler dealer from Hershey Pennsylvania. For some strange legal liability reason, it was normal procedure for Chrysler to crush experimental and one-off machines like this. But luckily this dealer interceded and rescued this historic car and mostly forgotten origin of modern Dodge Chargers. This car was eventually inherited the dealers son . He was the first to perform a series of bad alterations to this experimental car that was by that time mostly forgotten by automotive world.

In 1999 a Chicago restauranteur and collector of prototype dream cars Joe Bortz bought the long lost ’64 Dodge Charger after 12 years of trying to negotiate a deal with its owner. Luckily this grandfather of all the Chargers was stored indoors and did not have many rust issues, but it would need a major overhaul and restoration. It had been repainted a long faded white with Ram Charger red stripes. The great looking charcoal grey leather was replaced with white squares and red piping. In place of the black carpeting was a 1970’s bright red shag rug. If that wasn’t tasteless enough, there was even red carpeting around the gauges on the instrument panel. A restoration expert began the project in Chicago. He was able to replicate interior and exterior pieces that were researched using original photographs from the brochure, and built with much custom machine work. The Chargers new for 64 headlights and wide mouth grill had been tampered with, and rectangular headlights had been jammed in. The reproduction of parts was the most difficult part of this restoration. The finishes to the chrome and Alcoa Aluminum were brought back to their original finishes. The interior received new leather including the unique combination roll bar/headrest pads. Many of the rare parts needed were located through a great list of automotive contacts. There would not be enough ’64 426-cu-in. parts in existence to rebuild this kind of engine again. So now, at long last, the original plan for the Hemi elephant race engine being in the ’64 Charger was completed with its connection to the bullet proof 727 Torqueflite automatic with the center console shifter, not the cool push button shifter in its final year in Chrysler cars. The correct paint color also needed a bit of detective work. Samples from an area where the original paint was still visible, a color spectrometer was able to digitally reproduce the deep-burgundy red hue. A set of new original stock Halibrand magnesium wheels was an amazing lucky find. They were mounted with the Goodyear Wingfoot bias-ply whitewall tire of the time.

Some day this forgotten and last ’64 Dodge Charger might make a run or two down the drag strip again to see the 11-second elapsed time. The big concern with a rarity like this is that racing stress could possibility hurt the engine or even twist the body enough to crack the paint. Maybe after a few more years of temptation it will race at an automotive event near you, before the grand dad of the General Lee and todays awesome Chargers takes a trip for at tune up in the mechanics shop!

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Images of the 1964 Dodge Charger & 1964 Dodge Golden Anniversary
Published and Copyrighted 1964 by the Dodge Division of the Chrysler Motors Corporation

Nascar at Watkin’s Glen – New York’s Thunder Road

April 10, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

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Here are some images I shot at Watkin’s Glen, New York at the 2001 Nascar race. These feature the Dodge Chargers, Fords and Chevys. Want more Nascar history, please see my post entitled The 1964 Sixth Annual Daytona 500. Enjoy! There’s more to come…
– HKK

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Images of Nascar at Watkin’s Glen
Copyrighted 2015 by HKK Productions Inc

Dodge Golden Anniversary 1914 – 1964, Now Platinum

March 26, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Here are a few images of Dodges from 1964 – The Golden Anniversary. Now 50 years later, the Platinum Jubilee continues. Like what you see and want to see & read more? Visit my Blog post “The Dependables Success Cars of ’64” to see more great Dodge Advertisements.

Images of The 1964 Dodge – Your Guide to Carefree Motoring, Dodge Golden Anniversary 1914 – 1964
Published and Copyrighted by the Dodge Division of the Chrysler Corporation

At the Met – Inside & Out

March 3, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Here are some images I shot at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Enjoy! There’s more to come…
– HKK

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Images of The Met – Inside and Out
Copyrighted 2015 by HKK Productions Inc

The 1964 Sixth Annual Daytona 500

February 4, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

Here are a few images and articles from my collection of Automotive Art. These are featuring the 1964 Sixth Annual Daytona 500, with “The King” (before he was crowned) Richard Petty’s first Daytona 500 win, in the new 1964 Super Commando Plymouth painted in the famous Petty Blue.

Also included is an advertisement for the a fun cross-promotion contest featuring the Hurst Shifter and a Hurst-gold painted ’65 Pontiac GTO and tiger-appointed interior. By listening to a recording of “GeeTO Tiger” by the Tigers and counting how many times the word tiger is sung on the record, you could win the car, or other prizes including Hurst products, stereos, albums, and magazine subscriptions. Would like to know what happened to that car – if anyone knows who the winner was, or where that car is now – please let me know and comment below!

Enjoy! There’s more to come…

– HKK

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Images of the Sixth Annual Daytona 500
Article entitled “The Tables Turn at Daytona” & “Fuel + NHRA = Action!”
Copyrighted 1964 and Published by Hot Rod Magazine.

Images of the Hurst Performance Products featuring the 1965 Pontiac GTO
Copyright June 1965 by Hurst Performance Products
Published by Hot Rod Magazine

Dissecting a ’64 Dodge Charger Dream Car

February 2, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

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Images of the 1964 Dodge Charger
Article entitled “Dissecting A Dream Car”
Copyrighted 1964 by Coronado Book Corporation, Published by Motorcade Magazine Spring, 1964, Volume 2, Number 1.

Image of the 1964 Ford Mustang III
Back Cover Promo
Copyrighted 1964 by Coronado Book Corporation, Published by Motorcade Magazine Spring, 1964, Volume 2, Number 1.

The Story of the Ramchargers – Part 2

January 10, 2015 by HKK Productions | 0 Comments

The Story of the Ramchargers – Part 2

When 1964 began, the Max Wedge 426 still dominated Drag Racing Stock Classes, but this was about to change… Down south there was another kind of racing going on, and Chrysler had a magic bullet to go into these race cars; it was a new version of an old friend – the Hemi engine. And as you might expect, the Ramcharger team played a big part in developing this engine.

For 1964 Tom Hoover had redesigned the Hemi engine until it was a totally new creation. About the only thing it shared with the early Hemi engine was the shape of the combustion chamber. For the past few years the NASCAR Fords had more horsepower than the Dodges or Plymouths. The new Hemi was going to shake thing up. To quote Tom Hoover; “Well, the very first laps testing this new Race Hemi 64 Dodge, we had more horsepower then the Max Wedge engines had ever run.” These cars were not only faster than the Fords – they were a lot faster! This resulted in the executives at Ford going absolutely berserk about this new winning competition from a long time adversary. And, of course, Richard Petty won the Daytona 500 in a Race Hemi Plymouth Fury. That started the season off with a bang, the beginning of many in this year the first year of the “Super-Speedway”. To quote Tom Coddington “The NASCAR Race Hemi initially had one set of problems getting dialed in. But the Drag Racing teams were dealing with a different set of issues.” Who are you gonna call? That’s right, not the Ghost Busters, The Ramcharger Team! Of course they stayed completely involved. Tom C; “At first we had carburetor problems in the Drag Race NHRA versions. Chryslers’’ emphasis was on the NASCAR version of the car; the Drag Racing version was simply brought along. Once the Holley carburetors were adjusted right, we took it out for the first time to Detroit Dragway NHRA meet in the FX class where it set an ET and speed record. From then on it ran with Holly carburetors.”

But there still was a problem with the lack of enough tire traction. It was time for another engineering solution, and this one was going to revolutionize the sport. To get better weight distribution, the team made a radical change, moving both the rear and the front wheels forward 4 inches. This shifted more of the cars weight over its rear wheels for a better bite. It was so cleverly done, many people didn’t notice. This little wheelbase adjustment worked so well, the team decided if a little was good, a lot would be just right! So for 1965, they moved the front wheels forward 10 inches and the rear wheels forward 15 inches! The altered wheelbase factory experimental car was pretty “off-the-wall”, but it worked great. And in Drag Racing, when something works it catches on. So overnight, altered wheelbase cars started showing up everywhere. And the Ramchargers had invented a whole new class of racecar. Coddington; “People at the races wanted to see those “funny looking cars” run, which of course were the Mopars. It went from “Funny looking cars” to the “Funny Cars”.

Between 1963 and 1966 Drag Racing door slammer classes exploded. Super Stock had expanded from basically stock cars, to some very wild and exotic creations. These new altered wheel based cars were now running in the eights at over 150 mph. At the head of this pack were the dominating teams of the Ramchargers. Now Drag Racing was becoming an even more expensive past time due to all of the great new ideas and techniques for ways of winning. Despite some help from the Chrysler Corporation, the Ramchargers were still paying for most of this from their own pockets! But luckily they were able to make the race victories payoff. Tom Hoover; “Prize money of 50 to about only 100 dollars and maybe some free pit passes was typical in 1965. One time there was a request to hold a match race with the Nicholson’s Race Team at the Detroit Dragway. After one hour and a half of negotiating, Dan Mancini was able to settle on $500 to go to the victors’ team.”

By 1966, funny cars had evolved from the wild AFXers into full tube chassis with fiberglass body racecars. The speeds in both “Funny Car” and “Fuel” racing both reaching 200 mph. It was a very different sport, in a very different environment, from the one they took on in 1959. The Ramchargers had been at the top of the sport for nearly 10 years. Their list of achievements was incredible. They were the first to run a nine second quarter mile on gasoline, they were the first AFX car in the eights with nitro fuel, and their 1966 Dodge Dart was the first “Funny Car” to run a quarter mile track in 7 seconds. Amazingly they did it all without giving up their day jobs. Tom Hoover; “Within the engineering establishment we were looked at as a little bit odd, and even why we would want to do this. And it probably wasn’t the best thing for corporate advancement.”

So then in 1967, after having achieved practically everything in American Drag Racing, it was time to stop and take a look around. Tom H; “We all had moved up in the ranks of the corporation, to somewhat more responsible jobs, not necessarily working in the race group anymore. And it was a question of what are we going to do, are we going to quit work and just race instead? And at the end of ‘67 we decided, well, it’s time to get out.” After the original group had retired a new Ramcharger racing team continued on the Mopar tradition led by some Chrysler enthusiasts Dick Scoglan, Dick Maxwell, Dan Knapp and others continued to run “Funny Car”, “Top Fuel”, and “Pro Stock” for several more years. This group finally hung up their helmets in 1975. They had converted their racing enterprise into a successful retail auto parts business, called, of course, Ramcharger Auto Parts. Many of the old team still get together today, not to go racing, these guys have been there and done that. And today’s drag racers and fans all over the world owe them a big thank you for making this sport so exciting.

There’s more to come. Enjoy!

– HKK Productions