Thanks for sharing that. An interesting piece and neat that he included so much detail. I worked with a fellow with a '68 Polara with the 383 I think that he used to pull a 22' SOB all over Canada for several years. I still remember how excited he was when he moved up to a 1971 Dodge wagon
Merry Christmas
Barry
Back in the late 60's a guy in the trailer club we belonged to has the same 383 Polara and towed a 20plus SOB. The car was a rebuilt wreck and he did a good job.
whistler, Terry... Another guy in the club had an older burb. He retired from a construction company and when he left he was lucky enough to take one of the dozer engines with him. He got the cat in the burb and used it for many years towing his TT.
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I'm the guy towing with the '68 Polara mentioned a few posts above. I still use it. We got a '99 Durango a couple of year ago ....the wife figured we needed a newer tow vehicle that was reliable. Well, guess which car needs several expensive repairs right now (hint: NOT the old one!) The '68 was repainted this spring and it looks as good at it drives now. It's my favorite car to drive. I wish I could try a 383 verson of this car to see if it's worth the extra power. The 318 is a bit underpowered ...at least compared to the 440 in my old Chrysler staion wagon! (which I also still have). I like the gas mileage, but in the mountains I have to be more patient with it. The good thing about a 318, however, is that it was made from 1967 to at least 2000, so there are tons of them out there still. Spare parts are easy to find. My experiences towing with the '68 have been very positive. I had one incident, though: my fan clutch went bad last year (it was only about three years old). I got a new one in Gettysburg, PA while on vacation. New parts are often not as good as the originals were.
Vintage tow vehicles are great!
I enjoy reading this thread too!
Merry Christmas.
MARC
Punxsutawny, PA
I'm the guy towing with the '68 Polara mentioned a few posts above. I still use it.
Vintage tow vehicles are great!
I enjoy reading this thread too!
Merry Christmas.
MARC
Punxsutawny, PA
Good day Marc. Thnxs for the update and thnxs for the info re your Polara.
My Dad towed with a 64 Dodge (2 door hard top) (313ci) for many years and then bought a 66 Windsor and then a 68 Newport both with 383's. They were 2 barrel versions and not that powerful considering the weight of those heavy cars.
My dad and I did have the oppourtunity to take a (then new) 64 Dodge Polara for a test drive once. It belonged to the Dodge dealers son who race it at the local drag strip. Hopped up 383 4 barrel with 4 speed and a set of gears. Did that car go!!! Later on a buddy had a 69 Super Bee with the HO 383. It was powerful too.
Thnxs again for the look at your site. Great info!!!
__________________ Airstreams..... The best towing trailers on the planet!
New parts are often not as good as the originals were.
MARC
Punxsutawny, PA
Marc, I also enjoyed reading your write up with all the detail. With my wife doing 90% of the driving right now she has mixed feelings about using the '57 a lot to tow. There are certain events that it's the only TV to use but these are usually less than 1 days tow each way and then we tour that area sans trailer. I need to do a couple of things to it to make it more comfortable for her to drive for the longer trips. From a reliability standpoint, as you have noted, if properly maintained the old cars are often just as dependable.
In terms of the replacement parts I've learned that in my case at least most of the pieces I buy from parts houses are very poorly made and often they come from overseas. If I go directly to the dealer and pay more I often get new old stock parts that last a lot longer. One area in particular I learned to be insistent on getting the best made are wheel and axle bearings. We compared the ones I'd just bought at a parts supplier that were made in China with ones the dealer had that were made in the USA. The difference was noticeable just looking at them. Same with a starter - I was buying a rebuilt and the older counter guy who was sitting back having a coffee said to the "kid" filling my order that instead of giving me the rebuilt he should take another look at what was available. To my delight they had GM brand new starters in stock, they were $14 less than the questionable rebuilts, and I got to keep the core to rebuild when I had the time just so it could take up valuable shop shelf space .
I've ridden in both 318 and 383 Mopars and although it's been a while I remember the torque of the 383 to be more noticeable - but I also remember on a 600 mile round trip having to do one extra gas station stop and we were not doing anything different than we usually did with the other car. Same rear gears, pretty much identical cars. We were towing a race car to the drags and it was pretty much always the exact weight for every trip.
My buddy is pulling the Windsor 351 out of his '54 Ford wagon and installing a 390. Both two barrel engines, but the torque difference is substantial enough that it will make towing his trailer in the mountains we live in that much easier. We like the larger engines when towing so we can lope down the highway and climb pretty much anything without working the driveline too much. We pay a bit more in gas useage but it's worth it.
City of Tulsa buried a brand new 57 Plymouth and are digging it up this year as part of their anniversary and giving it away. There's some question as to how well it has weathered the time in storage.
The mopar/chryco fans are really excited and are making a pilgrimage of it this summer. Hundreds of Forward Look cars will make the trip, along with a few *ick* chevys and fords.
The hotels in Tulsa are already sold out, apparently. If only they had Airstreams....
I also put this in the 1960's stationwagon thread but it's certainly relevant here as well. I thought I'd mention that I put a buddies 1966 Impala 9 passenger wagon in the tow vehicles for sale section today. It's a beauty, completely restored, and I'm sad to see him sell it. The upside is he's got a 1935 Ford that's beautiful he tows with and he also has a 1954 Ford 8-passenger wagon he has done a restoration on and is going to increase engine size to a fresh 390 and use it as his primary tow vehicle. And the upside of all of this is he's sold the Award trailer and is actively searching for a fifties 22' Safari so we will gain another forum member and I'll have a companion trailer when we go camping.
Barry
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We plan to tow our Excella with our '53 Chevy one-ton panel truck (it was a school bus!). It needs a full resto, but it will be getting a stroker and some other nice updates. I originally wanted to paint it the same as the Excella, but now I am not sure what I want to do with the color.
We also have a '63 Dodge Custom 880 with 383 engine that could be a good TV after its resto. Not so sure how push-button transmission will do with towing, though... I need to find a pic of it to post!
Susan
__________________
"Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?"
1984 310 Limited Motor Home "The Rockin' A"
1974 31' Excella (soon-to-be carhauler)
1974 20' Argosy Motor Home
We also have a '63 Dodge Custom 880 with 383 engine that could be a good TV after its resto. Not so sure how push-button transmission will do with towing, though... I need to find a pic of it to post!Susan
Back in 1964 my Dad bought a 64 Dodge 440. It had the 313ci engine and the push button automatic. That car towed TT's for many miles and the drive train was problem free. Just remember to drop the park lever down when parking the vehicle otherwise the car will roll!!!
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Hey Susan, that's a neat suburban. I've seen a few that have been rodded over the years and they look pretty good when they are a tad lower, have nice wheels on them, and paint is optional. Some folks have just left them in primer while they drive it and then don't get around to paint for years.
The Dodge would likely do just fine with a trailer in the 22' range that wasn't too heavy. Those cars were used to tow a lot of trailers. If you look at the older pictures on another thread on this forum of the caravans of years past you'll see a ton of similar cars, and yep, even truck/burbs like yours if i remember right.
Have fun with the resto's and yes, pics of the Dodge would be good.
RoadRuler, thanks for the info about the 440 (I'll bet that was a cool car!)--I was worried that the push-button trans might have issues with towing, but that heartens me.
safari57, thanks! We were thrilled to find it at the swap meet in Dallas one year. Yeah, we want to make sure all of the mechanicals are good before we worry about paint. If it runs and drives, who cares!?! (Okay, I do, but I'm more concerned with using it than how pretty it looks, really.) And thanks for the info on the Dodge!
Susan
__________________
"Despite the cost of living, have you noticed how popular it remains?"
1984 310 Limited Motor Home "The Rockin' A"
1974 31' Excella (soon-to-be carhauler)
1974 20' Argosy Motor Home
Starting in the 1958-60 era the full sized Chrysler's got the 8 3/4 inch rear axle assembly. The gear ratio on all towing equipted cars in the Imperial Division, Dodge Division, Plymouth Division and the Chrysler Division was the 3.23:1 unit the new 9 1/4 inch unit was issued in about 1970. A friend of mine here in Colo Spgs has a 2 dr 1973 Fury III with the same ratio rear axle on his OEM tow equipted car. The stardard ratio rear assembly will still do the job.
The push button Torque-Flite is an brute. Make sure that you have changed all the fluid ( Torque convertor too ) and the level is correct for many many miles of worry free fun. The car's transmission may like it if you pick up an transmission aux cooler from any auto parts retailer.
If your car came with the 18 1/2 inch diam seven blade cooling fan, that is great. If not stop at any pick & pull salvage yard and get one. They are on all MoPars ( cars, trucks or vans ) that had an V8 until ~. In 1974 the upper end vehicles with a V8 started getting a 20" seven paddle fan. They are one dollar per blade here and the clutch fan can be found at the same place as the transmission cooler.
I am known to pull with a 1966 Le Baron and others around here also have the Imperials with AS trailers.
The 1963 Dodge 880 is on an 122 inch Chrysler frame and that little bit longer wheel base makes an easy vehicle to cruz with.
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