References
This section provides a subjective listing of reference material that this author found escpecially interesting. The purpose of this section is not to list every reference about the 1962 - 1965 Mopars. Rather, this is to point out a few items of information others should find useful and fun.
Since this page went on line in 1997 the Web has evolved to duplicate and surpass the scope of this page. So this section does not get updated regularly.
Nonetheless, all the material listed here is worth reviewing. The "rating" simply helps identify the focus of the material and the impression left on this reader.
4 Push-buttons: Great! Essential, likely to lead to discovery of new information...
3 Push-buttons: Very worthwhile information repackaged in a useful format...
2 Push-buttons: Interesting information with a technical perspective...
1 Push-button: A feature about a 1962 -1965 Mopar...
Magazines
Collectible Automobile
1962-1964 Plymouth: Pivotal, Panic-Driven MoPars
by John Katz, April 1995, pp. 56-69.
[An excellent overview of these Plymouths, including pictures of clay renderings and artist conceptual drawings. The issue cover car is a 1962 Plymouth Sport Fury Convertible.]
1962-64 Dodge: The New Lean Breed by Jeffrey
I. Godshall, October 1992, pp. 50-63.
[A must read article.]
1965-1968 Dodge Monaco and 500: Grand Prix Wannabe by Jerry Godshall, April 1998, pp. 40-51.
[Great information on the big 1965 Dodges. The article's 1966 - 1968 scope goes beyond the content of this web site, but makes good reading as well.]
Reference Restoration, The Great White Mope by Al Kirschenbaum and Bill Woods, June, 1997, pp. 46-49.
[Factory lightweight 1965 Hemi Belvedere I]
To The Max by Bill Woods, April, 1996, pp. 19-20, 86-87.
[1962 Ram-Charger 413 Dart]
Triple Nickel by Steve Magnante, April, 1996, pp. 45-47, 60-66.
[Ken Montgomery's 1965 Plymouth A-990 Super Stocker]
Fare Game by Nick Brunt, June, 1997, p. 27, 88.
[1964 Belvedere taxi, 9.53 @ 141 MPH]
High Performance Mopar
[now merged with Mopar Muscle Magazine
Altered Wheelbase and Vinyl, Too by Tony DeFeo, May, 1997, pp. 42-45.
[1965 Dodge Coronet Hemi]
Mopar Collector's Guide
Mopar Collector's Guide Web Site
Chrysler Car Enthusiast
Glory Days, Chrysler's Maximum Effort: A Wedge of a Story by George Longacre, March/April, 1994, pp. 24-35.
[A fine article with a lot of great pictures and stories of where the surviving Max Wedge Mopars roam.]
Popular Hot Rodding
Max Thrills by Pete Pesterre, November, 1980, pp. 24-25.
[A short overview of a 1963 Dodge Polara 500 with the Ramcharger factory package option, one of two Polara 500 Ramchargers made that year.]
Bob Mosher's '64 Belvedere by Pete Pesterre, November, 1980, pp. 24-25.
[All original factory 426 Max Wedge 1964 Plymouth with optional dealer installed dash-mounted tachometer]
Chrysler Power Magazine
Chrysler Power Magazine Web Site
Mopar Muscle
Mopar Muscle Web Site
Books
Mopar Performance Books, including:
Small Block A Engines Manual
Big Block B/RB Engines Manual
Hemi Engines covering the 426 engine.
The Chassis Book, 8th edition A race oriented book covering chassis modification of rear wheel drive cars.
9th Edition Engine Speed Secrets Manual
[These Mopar Performance Books are available through the parts department of DChrysler dealerships and through Mopar Performance distributors.]
1964 Dodge Ramcharger Superstock 426 Hemi Cross Ram in American Muscle Cars by Randy Leffingwell (Lowe & Hould Publishers, 1996; previously published by Motorbooks International, 1990), pp. 19 - 23.
[A chapter on what was likely the only factory 1964 Dodge Superstock Hemi 2 door hardtop Chrysler made.]
1956 - 1978 Dodge, Plymouth & Chrysler Police Cars 1956 - 1978
by Edwin J. Sanow and John L. Bellah, (Motorbooks International, 1994), pages 52 to 79 cover the 1962 - 1965 Cop Cars.
[This is a great book about Mopar Cop Cars, and the 1962 - 1965 chapters will make you dizzy with glee.]
Car's Of The Sizzling '60s by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide, ISBN 0-7853-2435-6.
[Lot's of neat photo's, but covers all brands and 1960 to 1969 models.]
Old Reliable - The Practical 440 Race Motor by Don Dulmage.
[Do you think tips drawn from 35 years of hands-on experience will help you? Check this book out!]
Movies and Videos
Don Murphy writes: ...here is one off-beat suggestion for fans of the '62 Dodges and Plymouths. An old movie, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World released in 1963 was a showcase for Chrysler's '62 model year. Viewers can get great shots of Mopars in action while viewing this movie, available on video. A number of Dodge and Plymouth police cars, a Plymouth station wagon and a nice '62 Imperial as well, are featured. The highlight, though, is a chase between a '62 Dart convertible and a '61 Impala. Be warned, however: most of these cars were wrecked during the course of the action. While it's fun to see all these old classics, it is rather sad to see them all get smashed up.
[Thanks for the tip, Don. Crank up those VCR's folks!]
Nostalgic drag racing footage is available on tape. One source is
Main Attractions, P.O. Box 4923, Chatsworth, CA 91313, Phone: 818-709-9855. They have a catalog available for $5.00. If anyone knows about if they have a web site let me know.
Sample titles include "1320 Memories" which includes footage from the 1963 Nationals, and footage from 3 different events in 1965;
"Weekend Warriors", which has the 1964 NHRA Nationals, 1965 AHRA January meet in AZ, and 1965 Nationals as well. Each tape costs about $20-25.
[I have not seen these tapes, so I won't rate them. They sound great, though! Thanks to Doug Weschules for the tip!]
Other Mopar videos to look for include the 1992 videotape "Favorite Mopar" from Wild Motor Films, "MOPAR 1965-74 -
10 Years of Mopar Magic", which despite the title, only has a few 1965's represented from from England; and a few scattered among Mopar Collectors Volume I as well as Stranger Than Paradise (1983), Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch. An offbeat comedy-drama that features a 1965 Dodge B body available at a lot of local video rental stores.
Douglas Sutherland writes that he found the videos listed below at Historic Video Archives. Thanks Douglas!
- 1964 Test Track U.S.A. — compares the 1964 Plymouth, Ford and Chevy
- 1963 - 1964 Chrysler Corporation Car Promo Films
- 1962 Dodge — Taming the Tornado — 1962 Turbo Dart
- 1962 Dodge — Riding the Whirlwind — 1962 Turbo Dart
- 1963 Return to Riverside — compares the 1963 Plymouth to Ford and
Chevrolet, in color
- 1963 Chrysler/Plymouth Announcement Show
- 1962 - The 300 Idea — 1962 Chrysler 300H
- 1962 Chrysler Imperial
- 1963 Chrysler Imperial marketing Plan in color
- 1963 - 1964 Chrysler Corporation Car Promo Films
- The Forward Look Volume Volume 3: 1959 - 1962 Chrysler Corp. car promo films
- The Chrysler Turbine Car — early 1960s promotional films and rare footage
Send in other 1962 to 1965 Mopar video title suggestions and they will get posted here!
Web Resources
What's my 1962 to 1965 Mopar Worth?
NADA Price Guide -- value of 1962 to 1965 Mopars included!
[Note, check the market for what has sold recently, as any price guide is just a very general reference. The market will determine the actual price. See What's My Mopar Worth?]
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Decoder courtesy of AutoHobbyDigest. It is probably the most comprehensiveVIN decoder on the Web, covering 1962 to 1980, including some non-Detriot plants for the pre-1965 years.
Mopar Engine Casting Numbers Chrysler A-833 4-speed
1962 Plymouth-Valiant Price Guide
Courtesy of the great imperialclub.com Web site you will find many references about 1962 to 1965 Imperials AND other 1962 to 1965 Mopars, too. Here are some examples:
- 1962 sales, repair, technical literature and more, including the 1962 Imperial Brochure
- 1963 sales, repair, technical literature and more, including the 1963 Chrysler Imperial Factory Service Manual.
- 1964 sales, repair, technical literature and more, including the 1964 Chrysler Imperial Factory Service Manual.
- 1965 sales, repair, technical literature and more, including the entire 1965 Chrysler Corporation product brochure.
Fender tag decode
Unrated until I try it, but it is not working at this time.
1965 Mopar Fendertag Codes
1965 Mopar Engine Identification
1965 Mopar Certicard Codes
Mopar Build Sheets
Example of a Chrysler Historical Build Sheet
Chrysler Historical Build Sheets
Untried, so unrated....
Directory of Mopar Dealerships-- Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth or DeSoto dealerships that were in business prior to 1980.
Mopar Parts Number Lookup
Mopar Parts Number Lookup
1962 to 1965 Mopar Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) location and verification
Catalog of Canadian I.D. Numbers by Bill Watson
Author Bill Watson spent the last 20 years searching for, and consolidating, the information contained in this massive Catalogue of Canadian Car I.D. Numbers. To ensure accuracy, the data presented in the book’s 856 pages was gleaned from original sources and not compiled from any secondary publications. For anyone interested in Canadian-produced or Canadian-sold vehicles, this book is THE essential reference work. Watson provides a brief history of each Canadian manufacturer; guides to deciphering VIN tags; vehicles identified by model year, model number, series name, sub-series name and body style; assembly plant information; VIN and engine numbers; locations of engine and serial numbers; weights and prices of the vehicles; and paint codes and colors.
'62 to '65 Mopar Clubhouse Member Contributions
Paul writes about collector car insurance:
Here is a list of collector car insurance companies to look at. My own collector cars are with American Collectors. I have no personal experience with any of the others, but have heard good reports on all of them from friends in the collector car hobby.
How to "value" your '62 to '65 Mopar:
agreed value vs. assigned value: In general, collector car owners should be looking for an "agreed value policy." You and the insurer agree to cover the vehicle(s) for a specific amount. And that's what the insurer will pay if the car is totaled or stolen.
You want to avoid an "actual cash value" policy (you may see this referred to as "ACV"). This is what you have on your regular cars. In the event of a total loss or unrecovered theft, the insurer will depreciate the value of the vehicle when making the loss payment, regardless of the value stated when the vehicle was first insured.
Some insurers might throw out the term "stated amount." Be careful with this. What they are really saying is they calculate the premium based on a "stated amount" value. But in the event of a loss, the settlement will still take depreciation into account.
Before you buy, make sure you know what you are buying. If the sales materials are not clear, ask for a copy of the policy itself before you sign on the dotted line.
Disclaimer: These are my opinions. Please understand any policy before you sign! Paul
This is version 45 of this page: October 6, 2007