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1964 Dodge 330 HEMI Lightweight: The Beginning To A Mopar Racing Revolution Joyson Finds Falsified Seat Belt Test Data
1964 Dodge 330 HEMI Lightweight: The Beginning To A Mopar Racing Revolution
A misunderstanding led Chrysler to an all new platform in the early 1960s. The “B” body pla orm, though not ini ally well received, quickly gained in popularity because of its small stature.
Plymouth and Dodge “B” body cars made their debut in 1962. With a misunderstanding that Chevrolet would be downsizing their cars for that model year, Chrysler’s designers reworked their planned design on a shortened chassis. Though marketed as “fullsized” cars, the “B” body cars were in fact much smaller than Ford’s and Chevy’s off erings for the vehicle class, giving Dodge and Plymouth “B” bodies a clear advantage when fi ed with a V8 engine.
Almost simultaneously, as Mopar bodies were shedding weight, Mopar engine op ons were ge ng bigger. The HEMI, now displaced 426-cid and when combined with the lighter Chrysler off erings made for a car that would break Ford’s grip on NASCAR and absolutely dominate the NHRA track. Just under the mid-trim for the 1964 model year, the Dodge 330 A864 was a historical step forward for Mopar’s legendary motorsport record.
This par cular 1964 Dodge 330 HEMI Lightweight is one of just 55 examples made like it. It features an aluminum hood, scoop, front bumper, fenders and doors as well as an aluminum intake with dual off set Holley carburetors. Trading side glass for thin plas c and rear glass for lightweight Plexiglas encasing the car’s interior, it also features factory lightweight bucket seats, radio and heater-delete plates, and the rear seats were also deleted from the factory. Under the hood is a 426cid HEMI with a 12.5:1 compression backed by a race-prepped 727 TorqueFlite heavy-duty automa c transmission. The factory exhaust system implemented cutouts, a single muffl er, and just one exhaust exit.
According to a trustworthy history fi le, various invoices, and a Galen Govier report, this car is believed to be op oned as built with its original engine, although there are no iden fi able markings on said engine. Either way, as a righ ul predecessor to the legendary Charger and Roadrunner HEMI models, this 1964 Dodge 330 HEMI Lightweight would make for an awesome addi on to any collec on.
