You see them at every car show. The two-door hardtops. The Max Wedge monsters. The Hemi-powered legends that sell for the price of a suburban condo. But honestly, if you're looking for the soul of the 1960s Mopar era without the "collector tax," you’re looking at the wrong door count. The 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door is the car people walked past for decades, and that was a massive mistake.
It's a weird one.
1964 was a transitional year for Dodge. They were shaking off the "plucked chicken" styling of the early sixties—those bizarre, shrunken Virgil Exner designs—and moving toward something broader, flatter, and more intimidating. The '64 Polara sits right in that sweet spot. It’s got the quad headlights. It’s got that massive, stamped aluminum grille that looks like it could grate a block of cheese the size of a manhole cover. And in the four-door configuration, it has a presence that the coupes just can't match. It looks like a car a detective would drive in a gritty noir film, or maybe something a bank teller used to haul the kids to the lake before life got complicated.
The B-Body Reality Check
Underneath that 119-inch wheelbase is the legendary B-Body platform. This is the same architecture that gave us the Charger and the Coronet. When you buy a 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door, you aren't getting a "lite" version of a muscle car. You're getting the exact same torsion bar front suspension and leaf spring rear setup that made Mopars the kings of the drag strip.
Most of these four-door sedans came off the line with the 318-cubic-inch "Poly" V8. Now, let’s be real: the Poly 318 isn't a 426 Hemi. It’s got these funky scalloped valve covers and a combustion chamber design that was a stepping stone toward the Wedge. It's heavy. It’s reliable as a brick. It makes decent torque, but it isn't going to set the world on fire. But here is the kicker—the engine bay in the '64 Polara is cavernous. You could fit a small hot tub in there. This means if you want to drop in a 383, a 440, or even a modern Gen III Hemi, you have all the room in the world.
Styling That Actually Aged Well
In 1964, Dodge offered the Polara in a few four-door flavors. You had the standard sedan with the "pillared" look, and then you had the four-door hardtop. The hardtop is the one that really gets people. With the windows down, there is no B-pillar. Just a massive, open expanse of glass and air. It’s breezy. It feels like a convertible that forgot to take its hat off.
Chrysler’s styling chief at the time, Elwood Engel, was the guy who designed the iconic 1961 Lincoln Continental. You can see his influence in the Polara’s straight lines. Gone were the weird fins and the lumpy haunches of the 1962 models. The 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door is all about horizontal movement. The trim runs the full length of the body, making the car look about thirty feet long even though it’s relatively compact for the era.
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And those taillights? Circular, recessed, and surrounded by brightwork. They look like jet afterburners. If you’re following one at night, there is no mistaking what it is.
The Pushbutton Mystery
If you’ve never driven a 1964 Mopar with an automatic transmission, your first five minutes are going to be confusing. There is no shift lever on the column. There is no floor shifter. Instead, to the left of the steering wheel, you have a vertical bank of buttons.
L-2-D-N-R.
That’s your TorqueFlite 727 or 904 automatic. It’s mechanical, not electronic. You press the button, a cable pulls a lever on the transmission, and you're in gear. It feels like operating a heavy-duty typewriter. It’s tactile. It’s satisfying. Interestingly, 1964 was the final year for the pushbutton setup. By 1965, the government mandated a standardized PRNDL layout on the column, so the '64 Polara is literally the end of an era for quirky American interior design.
Why the Four-Door is Actually Better (Seriously)
I know, I know. "Four doors are for parts cars." That’s what the old-school guys say. They’re wrong.
First, let’s talk about entry and exit. Have you ever tried to squeeze an adult human into the back of a '64 Polara coupe? It involves a lot of grunting and folded-up knees. In the four-door, you just open the door and sit down. The rear seat is basically a sofa. You can fit three people back there comfortably. You can take your friends to dinner without them hating you by the time you reach the appetizers.
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Second, there's the price. A clean, running 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door can often be found for a third of the price of a comparable two-door. You’re getting 100% of the chrome, 100% of the dashboard cool factor, and 100% of the V8 rumble for a fraction of the investment.
Living with a 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door
Owning one of these is an exercise in "the thumbs-up." People love them because they remember them. It wasn't the car the hero in the movie drove; it was the car their grandpa drove. It’s approachable.
Parts availability is surprisingly good. Because it shares so much with other B-Bodies, you can get suspension components, brake parts, and engine gaskets at almost any local auto parts store. Interior kits and specific 4-door trim pieces are harder to find, though. If you buy one with trashed door panels, be prepared to get creative or spend some time on eBay and at swap meets.
The steering is... vague. It’s power steering from an era where "road feel" was considered a defect. You turn the wheel, and eventually, the car decides to follow suit. It’s like captaining a very stylish boat. But on the highway? It tracks straight and true. It floats.
Common Pitfalls to Watch For
Don't buy one sight unseen unless you trust the seller with your life. These cars love to rust in specific spots:
- The rear quarter panels, especially behind the wheel wells.
- The floor pans, particularly if the window seals have been leaking for thirty years.
- The cowl. If the cowl is rusted, you’re in for a world of hurt involving a welder and a lot of swearing.
Also, check the fuel tank. The 1964 gas tanks are notorious for collecting sediment. If the car has been sitting, don't just pour fresh gas in and try to fire it up. You'll suck thirty years of sludge into that Poly 318 and ruin your afternoon.
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Performance Potential: The Sleeper Build
If you really want to have fun, lean into the "grandpa car" aesthetic of the 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door. Leave the paint a little weathered. Keep the hubcaps. But underneath, upgrade to firm-feel steering boxes and front disc brakes. Swap that 318 for a 440 Big Block.
There is nothing quite like the feeling of a four-door sedan from the sixties lifting its nose and screaming down the quarter-mile. It defies physics. It confuses the guys in the modern sports cars. It’s the ultimate sleeper.
What to Look for When Buying
When you’re hunting for a 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door, try to find one that is as complete as possible. Chasing down missing trim pieces for a 4-door Polara is a nightmare because everyone saved the 2-door parts and scrapped the sedans. Look for the "Polara" badges and the specific aluminum grille inserts. If those are pitted or missing, they are expensive to restore or replace.
Check the pushbutton mechanism. If it sticks or doesn't engage properly, it's usually just a cable adjustment issue, but it can be a point of negotiation. Also, verify if it’s a true Polara or a 330 or 440 series (those were lower trim levels in '64—confusing, I know, since "440" was a trim level AND an engine size). The Polara was the top of the line, meaning more stainless steel and better interior materials.
Final Steps for the Aspiring Owner
If you’re ready to pull the trigger on a 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door, don't just jump on the first one you see on Facebook Marketplace.
- Join the Forums: Head over to "For B-Bodies Only." It is a goldmine of information. The users there have documented every bolt on these cars.
- Inspect the Torsion Bar Crossmember: This is the structural heart of the car. If this is rotted, the car is a parts donor. Period.
- Decide on your Build Path: Are you keeping it a cruiser or making it a bruiser? The Poly 318 is great for parades, but if you want to keep up with modern traffic at 80 mph, you’ll want to look into an overdrive swap or a gear ratio change in the rear end.
- Source a Service Manual: Get the actual 1964 Chrysler Service Manual. Not a Chilton’s, not a Haynes. You want the big, thick book the dealership mechanics used. It explains the pushbutton transmission and the charging system in detail that modern manuals just skip over.
The 1964 Dodge Polara 4 door is a slice of Americana that hasn't been priced out of reach yet. It’s a conversation starter, a family hauler, and a piece of engineering history all wrapped in a package that looks like it’s going 60 mph while it’s parked in your driveway. Just remember to use your parking brake—those old Park sprags in the transmission can be finicky after six decades.