Rough Start: The Ghost Of Street Stompers Past Haunts This 1964 Dodge 330


Rough Start: The Ghost Of Street Stompers Past Haunts This 1964 Dodge 330

That first photo is haunting, ain’t it? It’s the kind of scene a true gearhead hopes to stumble upon by sheer luck: they meet up with an older gearhead at a show who is just there to look over the iron, and they strike up a conversation. After a while, the older gentleman makes mention of a car in a garage that he’s been holding on to for years now, and with a little bit of persuasion, he finally lets you see what’s been hidden behind the door of the shop. The slicks, the ‘cage, and the stance tell you everything you need to know about this engineless beauty. mw2

In 1964, the Chrysler Corporation had finally gotten fed up with the speed antics from Ford in both NASCAR and NHRA and set loose one of the biggest bombs ever to hit either racing series, the 426 Hemi. To say it was a wild card is an understatement: Ford was sent scrambling to the authorities, crying foul the whole way, while rumors persisted that it broke dyno gauges while making north of six hundred horsepower. Whatever the case, for 1964 officially no street-legal Hemi cars were produced. However, for competition purposes, a small number of Dodge and Plymouth intermediate bodies were selected, fitted with lightweight components and a pair of van seats, stripped of any and every unnecessary frill, and set loose on drags trips across America. They might not have been as flashy as a Thunderbolt or a Corvette, but these Mopars were not Granny Edna’s bingo ride.

Is this Dodge a real-deal lightweight? We doubt it. It is, however, one tough mother just by the look and deserves something better than just sitting in a shed. A Hemi would be the ultimate option, but really any pissed-off Chrysler big-block would do this monster justice. Back it with a 727, give it enough gear to get loose with, and we’d suggest putting it back on the street. As a Rough Start car, we might be bending the rules where immediate drivability is concerned, but for a bitchin’ project, you won’t do better than by shelling out half of the budget for the rolling body. Use the other half to get the car moving and start building up slowly after that. mw3

Craigslist Link: 1964 Dodge 330 two-door

(Courtesy: Bring A Trailer)


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4 thoughts on “Rough Start: The Ghost Of Street Stompers Past Haunts This 1964 Dodge 330

  1. MGBChuck

    If it will roll on a trailer it’s a bargain, needs exactly what was stated in article with that bitchin’ look to be good to GO.

  2. Chris

    The car had a stage III wedge motor, 5:13 gears, and a 4speed…. its final rendition was black with sweet 70’s stripes… “dastardly dan & the sundown dodge” painted on the doors. I may or may not been conceived in/on that very car

  3. Dan DeShane

    That was my old daily driver. It started as an Oregon State Police Interceptor, 383. 3 speed. I drove it to US Army Rotary wing training in Texas, then all over the South.

    Eventually, I installed a Stage III 426 Wedge, factory stock, with 13.5 compression, 520 solid lift cam, cross-ram, scattershield, and a 4 speed, backed up by an 8 3/4 rearend with 5.38 gears and 14×32 Drag 500s.

    Car was used as a street racer to run some big Japanese bikes, about the only guys that would race me.

    Traded it for a 1969 Hemi Dodge Super Bee in 1978. The 64 was driven with no water and the engine suffered from the mistake.

    Guys need to remember that back then, things were much more basic. You would spend 3 days getting ready to race, then maybe drive the beast 30 miles to race and find no takers. You didn’t order a bunch of parts, you built your own.

    The 426 Stage III was out of a boat that ran 121mph down in t he Sacramento area. I didn’t know that was fast until I started driving it to work, during the fuel crisis of 1973.

  4. Dave

    This is awesome I\’m the very proud new owner of this car. I knew when I bought this there was a story to this 330. I have been looking for one for a long time. If anyone has any pics of it back in the day I would love to see them.

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