Dayv writes from Milwaukee: In 1965, my Mom’s old ’60 Chevy needed to be replaced: rusted, tired you name it. My parents went looking for a replacement and found two cars that were of interest: one, a 1963 Chevy Impala and the other, a 1964 Dodge Custom 880 2 door. The price for both cars were the same and my Mom said that if that is the case, get the newer one. That was where my love affair started with the most exciting car I had ever seen.
Over the next 10 or 12 years, I washed it, cleaned it and babied it for her. However, she would not let me drive the Mopar no matter how I begged, but come Prom night, I finally got my wish and had a great time in the old girl. In 1973, I bought a brand new Buick Gran Sport and handed her the keys: IF she would give me the Dodge, she could have the Buick. Nice plan! It didn’t work! She sold the Dodge to my younger brother’s friend for $300 the following year and I was crushed!
Some 35 years of looking, I finally found a Dodge in Santa Paula, California that was the exact twin to my Moms and bought the Mopar for $2500. A year later, I found a 1964 Dodge Custom 880 convertible north of Sacramento and drove it to Long Beach for a new top. On the way, I had to stop for a few days (over the weekend) to get the radiator repaired, but that was a small repair and was finished in one day. The top took over a month to have done due to the rareness of the car and having to return a couple tops that did not fit. After that, I had the car shipped to Milwaukee where I am living and it has been babied ever since.
My plan now is to get the 2 door restored, which is at my brother’s place in Washington state, and drive it back here. My dream was always to have two cars of the same make, year and model (would you consider the convertible and a two door the same model?) sitting side by side in my driveway — and I am getting closer to that dream.
Both Mopars came with odd wheel covers from other Dodge years, but I found the correct wheel covers all over ebay and now have four complete sets just in case I loose some along the way. Nothing like having a spare here and there.
I hope to send pictures of these wonderful machines soon. Dodge had no idea what they had when they built them and the love we share for these great and often forgotten cars. I worked for Chrysler for 30 years and found that they (or some of the higher ups) did not remember then at all. I have been pretty lucky so far in finding the replacement parts I need for both cars. Some parts from a 1963 Chrysler are interchangeable and easier to find. Example, the bumpers from the 1963 Chrysler are the same as for the 1964 880 and cheaper to buy also. Not many know this trick.
Thanks for a great site and will look forward to hearing other stories from other owners of the best Dodge ever built!
Contact Dayv at
