09 May From Single Guy Ride to Family Car: 1964 Dodge Polara Convertible
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Creemore Valley Classics VIP Stories #42
In 1964 I was working at Westinghouse in Brantford when I decided to get a new car from a dealer I knew named Jack Van Tilburg. He brought me to Roe-Hoiles Motors in Galt, where I found my 1964 Dodge Polara Convertible. When I purchased it on November 11, 1964, I was still single and that car saw me get married, raise three girls and served as my only car (winter and summer) for thirteen years with no garage protection. Consequently, it got rusty since there was no undercoating of the day.
In 2004 it went in for major restoration over in Beaverton to National Mopar run by Nigel Mills. They did complete restoration on the body and most of the interior including the seats, carpet, and replaced the top. The engine, a 318 cc with a four barrel carburetor was rebuilt in 1992, with a 727 automatic transmission with pushbutton shift. Since 2005 it has only seen summers and I have continued to improve by re-chroming the dash and front bumper, sending the steering wheel to the Wheel Guy for restoration and ordering and installing door and back panels from Legendary Upholstery. Over the years I have added cruise control, a security pad for starting, and even air conditioning for my partner, since she has MS and needs low humidity when travelling.
The past few years we’ve put between 5700-6000 miles on the car by going to thirty-five car shows, general cruising and a trip to Michigan. This winter I am having the four barrel carburetor rebuilt and a new boot made to cover the convertible top when it is down.
Each spring I remove all the wheels, check and replace brake shoes as needed, and lubricate the brake adjusters, just so we are ready for another season of traveling with this car.
Owner: Doug Renault
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