The styling department at Chrysler gets whizzed on a lot for their designs that hit the streets in the early 1960s. Virgil Exner led the unit and gets most of the criticism for the odd looking cars, but even he isn’t fully to blame. Exner designed larger cars that were downsized at the last minute, changing the proportions of his work, and not for the better. That being said, the wagons of that era are totally bitchin’ and this 1963 440 model is no exception. Featuring our favorits paint scheme for these cars, which is refrigerator white with the red side spear, it is clean and tidy.
Outside of some nice white paint, the reason we’re slobbering over this long roof is the 6-71 Dyers blown 440 motor under the hood…well, it would be under the hood if there were actually a hood. The lack of said hood is also wildly appealing.
There are no elapsed times listed, but the car is set up to go. The motor is stuffed full of great parts like Venolia pistons, a Crane roller valvetrain and cam, the transmission is a built 727 and the rear is a beefed 8 3/4in Mopar piece with 4.13 gears. In the middle is a 9″ torque converter from ATI couples the engine to the transmission.
We think cruising this car and drag racing it on the weekends would be radical, especially with the kids packed in the back seat and that iron lung whining away on top of the 440 out front. It is a simple machine that pushes all the right buttons in our BangShifty brain!
RacingJunk Find: A blown 1963 Dodge 440 wagon
Since ’63 Dodges are my dream car… YES!!!
“…pushes all the right buttons”: is that supposed to be a pun? 🙂
sweet…the Chryslers of that era are so ugly they are cool. That would make a ballsy power tour ride. lol.
Ya know, I really like the freak show appearance of the early 60’s mopars.
More than ever, 50 years later.
I’d love to drop that mill into my ’63 Newport! 😉
Thanks for featuring my car on your website. This wagon is alot of fun. Winter plan may be to drop in a 426 Hemi.