1961 CHP Dodge Polara - Jay Leno's Garage
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- Опубликовано: 15 май 2016
- Morgan Yates and Dave Skaien from the Automobile Club of Southern California stop by the garage to show Jay the club’s fully restored 1961 CHP Dodge Polara.
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1961 CHP Dodge Polara - Jay Leno's Garage
• 1961 CHP Dodge Polara ...
Jay Leno's Garage
/ jaylenosgarage 
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It's so good to see Jay in his natural habitat, No one else has the balls, crew, insurance, amazing facility to be able to jump in a car and give it a shake down with nervous restorers riding shotgun. Then on top of that to be true to his homies and share it on youtube for free. Good on you!
I know your comment is years old at this point, but I just want to point out that the restorer riding shotgun is not nervous in any way. He was a cool cat that had all of the answers without so much as a single "Uh...", or "So..." in the entire video. He was even great at playing off of, and adding onto, Jay's jokes, which is unusual for someone that comes off as a real "straight edge"/know-it-all kind of guy.
A police car with a gangster size trunk. Love it.
IMO the secong guest, the guy who did the resto is one of the most knowledgeable and well-spoken guests Jay's ever had.
CHP's requirement of 100 mph for 1 hour in 100 degree weather - that's impressive!
I thought that car style was close to double-ugly where it came out. Now I think it's BEAUTIFUL ... especially the rear low-sweeping sculptured tail fins assemblies with jet-barrel rear lights. Thanks J.L.
Jay is the one celebrity that actually sounds like a legitimate nice guy
+Sierra Nevada I've never heard anyone say anything different, pretty good for a big deal celeb.
+Sierra Nevada While he is obviously an awesome, intelligent, personable guy that any proper person would love to have a beer with, you should check out some Keanu Reeves interviews, that guy'd give you a pint of his blood.
+Steven Mccullough - I bet Conan would disagree with you.
+Sierra Nevada From personal experience, Jay is the real deal; nice as he can be.
+Sierra Nevada Tell that to Conan O'brian
The Automotive Club sure did a super outstanding job restoring the 1961 Dodge Polara.
The 413 cam comment brought back memories. In 1980 I worked after high school cleaning up the shop at the local Dodge dealership in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The RCMP had their own garage, but we worked on a lot of their cars too. One day the RCMP garage called asking what was the maximum cam lift that a 440 could take. I imagine that a modified 440 must have surprised a few speeders!
Despite what most people probably think about this car, I think it's pretty awesome looking! The style of the time was really cool, and this thing is just a beast for it's day! I love seeing stuff like this on Jay's show - thanks, Jay!
Exactly. Looks great.
Yes ///////////////////
I love how Jay asks "Can we take this thing for a ride?", as if the owner might say no. Awesome!
I absolutely love this type of historical stuff. Fascinating.
churches, priests make us sad, but you Mr. Jay Leno makes our Soul smile, Thank you.
One of the best reviews ever. I love how Jay goes onto the onramp, and says "These things were meant for the American highway" and then floors it. That motor sounds sweet. A real V8. Thanks again Jay, we love you mate :) Tom from Oz.
The second guy really knows his stuff.
That guy's my uncle.
The first guy is very unprepared for an archivist.
I love when Jay Leno meets cars meets American history.
My mother was a CHP Matron back in the 1970's when I was in high school. I knew all the local CHP officers and was totally into cars like most teen guys in those days. I had a couple of 1969 Plymouth Roadrunners with 383 "Magnum" engines and the CHP were using the Polaras with the 440's. I've been in various Law Enforcement jobs since 1979 and in the Academy in central California we used the old Dodge Coronets with the big block Mopar engines. This is a great piece of history to me. Who would have thought an old 1961 Dodge would be so cool?
Your 60 years oldM
My grandfather was a Sheriff in upstate NY for 26 years. I remember as a kid back in the late 60's and 70's my grandfather always had Plymouth Fury's with the 440 as his cruisers. He was a plainclothes detective so his cruisers were always unmarked. I remember him taking me for a ride in a brand new 440 Fury he had just gotten and he was doing massive burnouts out on the back roads LoL. Grandad was a gearhead. He bought a Roadrunner brand new in 1969. It was orange with black bench seat interior and it had the 383 with the column shifted 727 automatic transmission. He's the reason I became a Mopar guy but my whole family is Ford guys except for my Grandfather and I
I live in the Central Valley, and I can't even tell what cars the local police and CHP are driving now. Looks to be SUVs.
@@jeremythompson9122 I friend I know has a 1981 Chevrolet Bel Air originally used by the Vancouver Police Department. It is a "plain wrapper" AKA unmarked police car. The speedometer has a metric speedometer, kilometers large numbers, miles per hour small numbers.
We should compare past stories with those cop cars/muscle cars which I still have......
"It seems happy in its natural habitat!" Hilarious.
I don't think the car is ugly at all! It's beautiful in my eyes. But that's just me, different strokes for different folks.
+Manuel Hernandez me too :)
Same
+Manuel Hernandez To me its absolutely beautiful too. But i am european, maybe my standards are different because in my opinion american cars where way more sylish and prettier than anything from europe back then. Maybe americans think different because they are used to their type of cars?
+Manuel Hernandez I Like the car too,, My Town had weird Rambler Automobiles,,, and the State Parkway Police had Pontiac's and they couldn't catch a Volkswagon That would make a great looking TWO DOOR, Love the Front End...
+Ronald Horvath I think you're right, I am canadian and police cars in Europe look weird, and they were ugly in the 80's and 90's.
I love how Jay can't get enough of that Mopar 4 bbl sound! We always called the Thermoquads the "nope" carburetors as in hey, I think this guy's gonna try to pass us, and suddenly...NOOOOOPE! cops said guys would surrender just hearing those open up across town when they called for backup! I've made people jump in the ditch just blipping 2 TQs on a 440 with long rams and hood scoops!
Jay Leno is not only a funny guy, he's very educated and loves to learn all he can, about anything, not just automobiles. Love this guy. Who wouldn't want to hang out with him? .
Nothing like the sound of a 4 barrel carb opening up !
Jay absolutely cracks me up. The restorer of the car G this is the first time it's actually been on the freeway as Jay repeatedly floors it kicking it down. Chase response will it seems right at home here. Give it to it Jay give it to it
ID BE MUCH HAPPIER IF I RESTORED THESE CARS MYSELF...THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME.
The sound of the four-barrel opening is iconic, at least for those of us that were teenagers in 1960. :-)
the guy who restored the car seemed very knowledgeable and wasn't full of himself. cool dude, cool car.
They should have gone to a CHP station and shown the current officers what their fathers and grandfathers had to drive in. Congrats to the Automobile Club of Southern California for a beautiful restoration and not having problems on the first run. Thanks for the video Jay.
+Gvfdsg Gfdgdf What? CHP personnel at the station walking outside to look at the car. What police state do you live in?
Don't swear at me, I'm Canadian!
no,I'm not a cop. Our local police department has a restored 1965 VW Beetle that the police used as a patrolca. Becauce of the way our city is laid out in city blocks, they actually caught a couple of bank robbers with this car back in the 60s because it could get around the city better than the bigger patrol cars. They haul it out all the time. Canadian police and American police do things differently.
You mean predecessors.....
There's no guarantee that any current cops are beyind 1st gen.
most wouldn't care unfortunately. probably be more interested in finding a way to write you a ticket.
love the shape of the car. the restoration is immaculate and done with love and passion. respect!
My dad bought a lake Tahoe patrol boat with a 383 magnum engine, rugged, dependable, and fast, I'm NOT a nocar guy but those are bullet proof hardcore engines!!!
Interesting to see how some things never change. I liked the comment on how these cars, when they were finally sold off, were totally clapped out wrecks. Some things never change. I am a police officer today, and our cars basically run 24 hours a day. An officer drives them all day, pulls into the station at the end of his 12 hour shift, and the car sits maybe 20 minutes until the next shift goes out. They only last a few years under those conditions. The biggest issue with police cars is not horsepower, its cooling capacity and electrical power. You need plenty of cooling for a car that spends a lot of time sitting by the side of the road idling -- often in very hot weather -- just waiting to take off on an emergency call or after a speeding motorist; and which needs a big alternator, since it has to run a lot of extra electrical equipment, like a light bar, police radio, and these days, a laptop computer and wireless connection.
+Darren O'Connor I find it interesting that they don't last long. For the engine it should be pretty healty if it has no cold starts.
I have heard of cars at the airport that ran 24/7 that did ridiculous amounts of mileage before they had to get replaced.
Kalimerakis
It's not the engine that usually gives out. There are lots of different systems on cars, and lots of things to go wrong. Also contributing is the fact that officers don't care for the cars all that well, because they're not their own cars. So they drive them really hard and don't always look after them. By contrast, departments that give some officers take home cars usually find those cars lasting a lot longer, since only one officer drives it, and he takes good care of it.
ah, yes
makes sense
ty
+Darren O'Connor
Since you are an officer ,what are you're thoughts on it not having a divider?
boundish1
They didn't have them back when my Dad was a cop (same era this car is from). But back then, there were no single officer units. They always rode two to a car, and when they had a prisoner, he was always handcuffed, and one of the officers always sat in the back, behind the driver's seat.
It's time I watched "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World" again!
.. indeed
Funniest movie ever
Did they really have to wreck Culpeppers dodge? Personally I would've like to have Sid Ceasers plymouth wagon . . . & Edie Adams!!! 😲
@@geemee3364 Jimmy Durante aka the schnozzola kicked the bucket
@@cbumpus... Me? The Imperial ... and Dorothy Provine.
The motor sounds super healthy and smooth. I like this car It's pretty stealthy on the highway.
+DJ MotoVlogs stealthy ? hahah
+jody024 Dude you can barely tell it's a cop car if you look at it head on.
DJ MotoVlogs
smh....
+DJ MotoVlogs Yeah I guess except for the moon sized police lights...
+DJ MotoVlogs Also the kickdown is at 65 MPH with those gears, something tells me that was intentional.
I owned a dodge Polaris once. I now have a 2008 retired dea police interceptor from Vegas. I love this car.
"This is the first time this car has been on the highway..." and glances nervously to the other lanes of traffic, lol
And he said this thing served the California Highway Patrol?
The guy riding, probably seen that Ford Ranger cut right behind them on that lane change. Might made him a little nervous
I'm biased because I'm a Mopar guy but I love this. How easy on the eye are the lines of this car? No computers back then, only curves. The front bumper lights, grille, fender humps, tail lights, dash and steering wheel were crafted perfectly. Jay and the other guy have no idea about styling saying it is ugly. I've also loved the '62 Polara since I was a kid so Jay's words really got my hackles up. Lucky the sound of that 383 accelerating is so soothing.
+Byron Sigrano...Jay was "knocking" the Dart, not the Polara.
M21L35 Thanks, but I love 'em all. Yes, the Dart is the one I loved since when I was a kid. They were badged as the Dodge Pheonix here in my country. I'll always be Mopar or no car.
@@byronsigrano6849 Me too, but i remeber when you could buy them for peanuts .I have a mate who is hunting a Convertible..
This builder is incredibly well spoken.
I like how Jay can ask critical questions when reviewing vehicles and still make it pleasant
Mopar produced a lot of nice powerplants, but nothing seemed to roll like that 383. Love it!
Jay sounds like an automotive human encyclopedia...that s a data bank for milennials.
You are so awesome Jay.
+Giovanni Socci Is this channel gay friendly??
Who's still here in '20? Check out the other police vehicle ('66 Polara) that matches Jays HEMI car....and thats a must watch too.
Nobody did police package cars like Chrysler.
With one exception - the Ford Interceptor package of the Ford Crown Victoria based around the last big-block that was used in passenger cars - the 460 CID V-8. (The only passenger car that saw this engine OTHER than the Interceptor was the Continental Mark V - otherwise, it saw truck duty.)
He had a 69 Roadrunner 383-auto that he bought new as his daily driver for many years too. He was a big gearhead
Christopher Estep yeah but every police department and their mother got those Crown Vics. They were so ubiquitous that now a crown Vic is nothing that special
Chrysler ruled the police car business. Check out Arthur Godfrey and the commercial for the 1972 Plymouth Fury.
What a great time going over the car. Thanks Jay.
My dad had a 1961 Buick Invicta up until a few years ago.. This car reminds me of that. 61 was an interesting year. It still had some of the features of the 1950's while not quite enveloping the slightly streamlined 60;s styles that were a bit more boxey
That 383 sounds great. The steering wheel brought back memories, we had a 57 Plymouth station wagon when I was a kid
I miss vent windows, and the vent that was a lever by your knees
+Daniel Grass I miss them too. My first car was a 1967 AMC Ambassador. It too had the vent windows. Came in handy on those cool days where it was too cold to open the window. Just crack the vent window and you were good to go. I also miss the floor switch to activate the hi-beams.
+Daniel Grass I have a 1966 Chevy C-10 with both vents. They work great until about 80 degrees and low humidity. Then I pack the big water bottle in the cab.
I would accidentally knee open the vent in my '69 Corona.
Vent windows were nice until the weatherstripping began to age. Then they would start to whistle, and the faster you drove the louder they whistled.
Vent windows were a "God send" for cigarette smokers!!! You never had to worry about hot ashes flying back in as long as back window was closed.
I miss those vent windows, as a kid I loved those.
Jay, when you floored that Polara which moves faster, the speedometer or the gas gauge?
+reelreeler One goes uphill, the other downhill.
It can pass everything except a gas station !
Hahahahahaha lol :D
It's a CHP car! You pay for their gas in CA., and a bonus for the state if you get pulled over!
@reelreeler, You might find this hard to believe, but compared to many of the newer police vehicles, these older cars probably cost much LESS to operate- than the current vehicles that they use... This is also accounting for the decrease in the value of currency in the last 60 years... These older vehicles were far less complicated and they tended to be more reliable because of that. They might not have gotten the same average fuel mileage overall in a day, than what the newer vehicles get, but they provided better reliability and the maintenance / repairs of these vehicles was far less intense because of the simpler~more rugged designs... From what people have told me that work on various city/government fleet vehicles, the older designs lasted much longer, and gave fewer problems.
This is so awesome, esp. the history of how the CHP specified the various performance and HD bits.
Jay has so many families of four that are living in trunks. Let them out Jay!!!!
This is a master piece of restoration! Actually, it's quite shocking to see the superb quality of the restoration. It looks brand new!
Nothing sounds better than a 4bbl. V8 being being floored.
When I was younger, we used to flip the lid over on those old big round air cleaners. The lid still sealed around the top of the air cleaner, thus protecting the engine, but left an open crack about 1" thick around the rim of the housing. The cars were pretty silent when cruising but the intake noise, when the vehicle was floored, actually sounded like a pretty healthy exhaust system. Nice but no annoying drone when just movin down the highway.
Yes the engine sound is good but no great suspension with oil shock and blades i think, like the Ford cars in Hawaii 5-0 when in a curve.....
@@claytonroot806 Did that so many times. Loved that "ooooowwhhhoooooaaahhh" sound.
My favorite early girl friend who lived in San Ysidro and went to Marion High School lived in a small house with her father. He had just purchased a 1961 Dodge Polara with what was called a Torque Flight transmission. Claimed it was the fastest accelerating car on the road and was totally durable. He was sure that the car would outlive him. He attempted to get the police engine and transmission, with the higher lift cam. She finally got her father's old car, a 1954 Ford flat-head v-8 with a 3-Speed stick shift on the column with an overdrive. She told me the flat head with the transmission got 24 miles per gallon. That upgraded cooling is very cool on this car. I still miss Jodie.
I've got a 2000 P71 Crown Vic. I love that car, because it's a real American body on frame, v8 rear wheel drive, with the beefed up suspension, oil cooler, trans cooler, power steering cooler, big radiator, etc. No holes or spotlight, probably a detective car. I'm in upstate South Carolina, so this car doesn't have salt rust damage. The A/C is ice cold, everything's tight. I know the 4.6 isn't that powerful, like the Dodges, but I'm not in a race.
That thing sounds so good on the kickdown...love hearing that four barrel opening up.
hi Ramblin around
+RamblinAround
would make the perfect summernats entry
+RamblinAround I had a 1980 HDT Commodore with a Rochester Quadrajet four barrel.
Barry Jones
if one car could satisfy everyones wants and needs, the holden commodore is the only car i can think of that is designed to be absolutely everything, family commercial trade farm and track racing.. what other car does it all?
im surprised jay leno hasnt got a commodore and falcon collection yet
I sure would love to have that '61 Chrysler 300 in the background. One of my all time favourite cars.
.. so beautiful, i could cry. Especially those black wheels and police lights..💝💖..
Four years later and I stumble back across this episode of JLG (I remember when it first "aired", too)
and it plays just as well now as it did then.
I'm glad these episodes are archival in a way, so that folks in the future will be able to refer to them
as well - and I'm betting that's a major reason Jay does these, too.
Our hobby has some great ambassadors and Jay is certainly one of them.
-Ed on the Ridge
the reason the dash was satin was to cut the glare, not an asthetic.
+Ryan Dorman - I believe he said they (the restorers) painted it gloss to match the exterior, not that it was original.
@ Ryan Dorman-Yes, the matte Black paint was used on vehicle hoods, dash boards, and on aircraft- on the top of the nose, to prevent glare... I understand WHY the restorer used the same paint as the outside of the car, but heck, a can of matte-black spray paint costs what, $7 ? I'm now wondering why they didn't do that...
@@michaelmartinez1345 Yes I was wondering that, too: everything else is so faithful to the original, why change that one little thing? Anyway, not the end of the world I guess, some future owner could easily enough repaint the dash back to the original satin finish. I just love this car.
What a beautiful and historical machine!
Jay I love your knowledge. And history of your different vehicles you highlight. I just get goose bumps on listening to your History on the different vehicles. There's none other like you.
Just watched an unrelated video on the Indian motorcycle, your a gentleman and a true enthusiast. Bikes, cars. Love your vids. Respect from New Zealand
"Four inches made a difference to the CHP." Jay, "Tell me about it." LOL
This thing is gorgeous! Damn, would I love to own it and cruise it around. If this car could talk - imagine the history.. all the highways and chases, and God knows what. lol These shows/videos are awesome, Jay!
Compared to the other cars on the road, this beast is low, lean and mean.
I own a similar 1961 Dodge Polara CHP car, there are now three recognized restorations and mine is under restoration. When complete mine will be the fourth restored unit. My Polara is equipped with a transmission cooler.
My dad bought one of these back in the 70s and he said cops always waved at him even when he was speeding because they thought he was a cop. lol
You always make the best videos, I still cannot stand that horn honking at the end, I always make sure to stop the video before that lol
I’ve run 383’s in all my cars for 30 years. Great gas mileage & bullet proof. Best street big block
Damn, that 4 barrel opening up is just music to my ears
Reckless driving doesn't determine who's right, only who's left! -- Broderick Crawford
+TAOFLEDERMAUS Good one! *BGM.41
+TAOFLEDERMAUS oh hey it's the gummy bear man
TAOFLEDERMAUS you are on every channel lol. Keep up the awesome work.
Oh man that's awesome!
my dad use to call brodrick crawford Waddles!
One of the greatest looking american rearends. The rearlights - fantaaastic! What a sophisticated design. Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth had a fantastic design language in the late 50's - early 60's.
+Bruningable Everyone made beautiful cars in the late 50's/early 60's
+kirbyswarp Yes indeed - but not that extraordinary and sophisticated.
Bruningable When they're such rolling pieces of art, does it matter? They were good enough for Americans to buy millions a year.
The legacy of Virgil Exner.
John Hughes
I wonder how much chrome polish has been used on this .!
As a kid, there was one of these '61 Polaras on on the road still. It was dark green & white, 4dr. A few other large Molars, a '59 Coupe de. Ville, lots of '64 Sedan de Villes, a really great '61 Impala Sport Sedan. Many mint bugs, color & condition. I was almost given a '69 Bonneville Sport Sedan. Then I went away to college, and finally got my license after driving around a '77 LeSabre Limited, a $200- car....
I may be sick but I love the looks of this car
So appreciate Dave Skalen for making this episode great! The technical specs and reasons behind them - that's what more car builders need to bring to Jay's channel. ALl too often we get the guys who maybe designed the looks or concept, or sometimes just the 'owners,' when this channel thrives on the enthusiasm and research that Dave, and that Jay's own mechanics, have done and can supply. Thank you!
+Spearfisher1970 Agreed. Dave Skalen and Jay made this video. Mr. high pants president of the auto club.. You should research more before showcasing with Leno.
+tj06sti Hey, I was glad Morgan came along, too - and glad that he knew enough to hand it over to Dave for the rest of it. Morgan must be a car guy, so let's not disparage him for making the simple mistake of showing up unprepared to one of these new-fangled internet videos. He presented well, and had a hand in bringing back this car so we could see it and relish it.
+Spearfisher1970 I was thinkin' the same thing. The "archivist" clearly hadn't done his homework (too many "I dunnos") then Dave Skaien comes in and could even tell the amperage draw on the old GE radio, let alone the rear-end ratio and the cam grind used. The guy gets an A+ in my book.
What was he talking about "ugly"????? I think it looks beautiful.
Yeah. Ive always loved the big chrome and rocket ship/aircraft type styling.
+dmitriy40
ugly no , menacing hell yes .
it looks fantastic
+commodore665 you should see the hearse version
Maybe because it looks like a blobfish from the back .
That's a beautiful looking old CHP car.
Nothing better than the sound of a 4 barrel sucking down the air.
Actuallly I think it looks quite smart with the nice chrome in that black, it's growing on me - it's almost got me wanting one!
I am loving all these classic Mopars on Jay's channel. Growing up, we had a 1968 New Yorker Town and Country station wagon with the paneling and was only produced for one year. I would like to see a restored one of those sometime.
I remember the later iterations of the Chrysler police packages, from the early 70s and beyond. BTW, the CHP used the 1967 Oldsmobile Belmont instead of the usual Dodge for that year. I remember sitting in the passenger seat of the Olds when a CHP officer gave me a lift after my car broke down, I was around 19 at the time and a Police Science student in college. For some reason, the big black hood of the Olds impressed me, it was huge. I asked the officer a few questions about the car. He said one of his co-workers was taking an offramp when suddenly the whole steering wheel came off the steering shaft and he was there holding it for a few moments before running off the ramp. The favorite car in our fleet was an older 69 Dodge flat top 440, I figured it had the CHP specs. It was still around in the mid-70s and used as a dedicated radar enforcement vehicle. It also was equipped with the old technology manual siren, we called them "growlers". You fluctuated the pitch and length of the siren by pressing on the horn assembly ring which was inside the steering wheel itself. Otherwise, the Chrysler products, mainly the Dodge dominated the years I was on the PD except for one year when the department went with the downsized Chevy. A car that was quick and nimble, but actually too small and really in my mind didn't look like a cop car compared to the Chrysler products, probably due to the fact the department went with all-white paint on the Chevys instead of the traditional black and white scheme. I missed the Chevy years because I was assigned to motorcycle duty at the time. When we went back to the Dodge, the black and white color combination returned. One quirk of the early to mid 70 Dodge was the AC cut off footswitch on the floorboard. The use of the AC during high-speed pursuit driving was discouraged, hence the switch. I recall thinking about it one time during a nighttime pursuit initiated by another officer. The one complaint most officers had regarding the Dodge was brake fade under heavier use. If you had to use your brakes frequently, especially if you had to slow and speed up, the brakes didn't last. The later models didn't have this problem. The introduction of power windows and door locks was a big deal, your large flash lite served as your tool to unlock and lock the passenger side door. And yes, I was there when the Blues Brothers Dodge became legendary. I believe that was the 74 Dodge Monaco. It had all the equipment Jay described, but he left out the "cop shocks". Great review Jay and thanks to the gentleman who restored it to its former glory.
🔴🦅🇺🇸🦅 I really appreciate the work J puts into his car collection ❤️ Steven Seagal and His dark guitar collection, can't hold a candle to this, No pun intended 🤣🤣🤣🤣‼️
I love how Jay drives, never afraid to drop the hammer, awesome!!!
That car is immaculate. Love old police cruisers. Thanks for showing us this one!
+swSephy | Sim Racing I agree. I think it's like the girl next door - might not be the best looking but the more you see her, the more you want it.....lol
My dad is a retired CHP Sergeant. He was in the patrol from the early 60-80's. I used to play sick while at school so he could pick me up in a Black and White, and take me home. My friends thought it was cool. Now, at 60, I have many memories. Thanks, Jay. Be safe, my brother. Peace.
Jay is just the nicest guy ever
Very nicely done. Thank you for this production. I had the opportunity to buy this very car a few years ago but had several other projects going at the time so I had to pass it up. I wondered what happened to it and it looks like it could not have found a better home. Certainly they had more resources available than I did. They did a first rate restoration so I can take that as consolation.
This was a particularly hard restoration. Some mechanical parts are available new but not much and nothing CHP related. Body and trim is really tough. You have to really search for decent used stuff or the occasional very rare NOS. And be prepared to pay $$$ for NOS. It was pointed out that they were fortunate to have the Speedo and radio either donated or made available by collectors. It is a strange fact of life that many guys who squirrel away old cop radios and other items are eccentric to say the least.
Thanks for doing the job right.
fantastic episode love the early 60's cars.
My dad owned a 1960 Dodge Polara. When the 1961 came out and didn't have fins, they made the 1960 look dated. My father was obsessed with pointing out how ugly he thought the '61 was, mainly because he was embarrassed that he had a '60 with big fins which were now out of style. I was only six years old but I still remember him knocking the looks of the 1961 Dodge. Those were the days! Dad also owned a 1957 DeSoto that had a hemi, he loved that engine.
My father was a NE county sherrif who had a cousin that was one of three county government commissioners. Somehow, my dad's sherrif car was always a super fast Ford Victoria or LTD with the police interceptor heavy duty engine (427 or 428 c.i.). I was old enough to drive and he would sometimes let me use it for a road trip. At 19 years of age, I drove that car to Omaha on I-80, took it up to about 130 mph, and could barely keep the car on the road surface as it kept lifting up off the freeway on me. I still had plenty of foot throttle left but the car was too unstable to completely floor it. The city chief of police had an Olds 440, and my dad was good friends with the NE highway patrol officers assigned to that part. Rumor has it that there was some late night bragging rights action down at the airstrip outside of town between my dad, the highway patrol and the city cop. I always wondered what the heck my dad could be doing out late at night, but now I know there was lots of racing going on. When I first got my drivers license, my father gave me his old white 1963 and 1/2 Ford Galaxie 500 XL (with black vinyl bucket seats up front and bucket style bench in the back). This car had the 390 ci police interceptor engine setup and the automatic transmission with the floor mounted shift. I had a blast, that car had power. I really never appreciated what I had, and ran the heck out of it. I rear-ended a car on an icy Lincoln NE street while attending UNL, dented up the hood and punctured the radiator (cooling fluid pouring out on the road). I got the radiator fixed, but shortly afterwards, I got a summer intern job in St. Louis, and after that going into graduate school so I needed a more reliable car. I parked the Ford Galaxie in my mom's backyard and there it sat for about 8 years until someone offered $500.00 and I sold it. I wish I could go back in time with the money I now have to restore that car. I later saw a restored Ford Galaxie in the Blackhawk Museum. What a great car.
Nodraft windows in the corners. I was pissed when they did away with them. Use them to suck air out of the car or reverse them completely and aim a blast right inside. 'Course you collected the odd bee or wasp in the chest which made things interesting for a couple of moments. XD
I grew up across from Electronics Parkway in Liverpool, where that radio was built in 61.
This really is as good of a restoration as any I've seen on Jay's show.
My Dad bought me a '63 Ford police car. Wegge Dodge in Pasadena had a row of them when they traded new Dodges to the police. My Dad bought it because it looked like a taxi (they were all painted dull interesting colors), but I checked under the hood and saw the T-Bird 312 and new it had the police package. It chirped with the pedal down in second and third gears and was remarkably reliable with more than 100K. It had probably never been on the freeway, but it would haul butt. I never told my Dad what he had given me!
Man this was a good one. Detailed history of every part of the car and build. Great job!!!...
I concur though I must confess, I'm a smidge partial. S. Yates
Fantastic restoration of CA history... Would love to see a LAPD "Adam 12" AMC :)
Jay, you absolutely crack me up! What a great sense of humor.
What an awesome restoration and visitation of this Police Polara! Thanks to all who kicked in information and OEM parts.
Motrola speedo /= Motorola Co. Nice restoration though. That carb was a bit small for the 383 but I love the growl when the secondaries open. Many earlier [pre war] CHP radios were custom built by ham radio enthusiasts.
+indoorherbivore I'm glad someone else noticed the Motrola name on the speedo. I was thinking, "you restored the car, but never noticed the speedometer says James Motrola instead of Motorola? So much for an eye for detail."
This has been one of the most entertaining videos I have seen from the channel, a conversation betwwen two guys that love cars
Alberto Laita Are you kidding yeah Jay is interesting , the bald guy was boring
I was waiting for Jay to call him 21-50 ....
My great uncle was a CHP officer in the 50s and 60s, and he would have driven one of these when my parents were little kids. It's so cool to see what he would've been driving back then.
The sound of that on the freeway is freakin awesome. Good job!
Great job Jay, I would have loved to see the red lights and hear the siren.