Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday: A Dodge Custom 880 6 Passenger Hardtop Wagon…
Welcome to another edition of Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday, where I find some cool old wagons from around the web and bring them to you, the Hooniverse viewer. This past weekend, I ran a story about how Chrysler created a car virtually from thin air in only 3 months, the Dodge Custom 880. Well, here is a 1964 version that’s for sale in Vineland, NJ.
I don’t know about you, but this wagon pushes all the right buttons for me. Let’s see if it does the same for you:
1) An old Mopar Wagon
2) A 361 CID V-8
3) Pushbutton TorqueFlite Automatic
4) Hardtop Wagon, meaning no “B” pillar between the windows.
5) Rarity. There were only 1,640 of these ever sold.
6) Did I mention the Cool Factor?
This particular wagon shows 85,757 miles. Upgrades to the brakes are recommended, as these were an all drum brake setup, and they are non-power assist! The car is relatively complete, with only a missing “D” on the tailgate, and the front seat needs help, along with the chrome that needs touching up. It is suppose to be rust free, and this would make a great start for a complete restoration, or a resto-mod in which you could drop in a modern 5.7L or 6.1L Hemi, and Vintage Air-Conditioning. The asking price for this car is $4,800. See the dealer listing here.
Related posts:
- Hooniverse Weekend Edition: The Magnificent 1962-64 Dodge Custom 880
- Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday – A 1963 Ford Falcon 2-Door Wagon
- Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday: A Citroën CX Turbo Diesel Wagon on Ebay
- Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday: A 1977 Plymouth Grand Fury Sport Suburban Wagon
- Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday: Two not so iconic wagons. Then why are they so lustworthy?
I'm not a huge fan of some of the exterior styling, but if that's what it takes to get a pushbutton hardtop wagon, it's worth that sacrifice.
Instead of a modern hemi, I'll take a 451, disguised as the original 361, to keep the pushbutton tranny intact. Add a hidden receiver hitch behind the license plate, and it's all set.
Hidden? Why hidden? A trailer hitch should remain on display as an inspiration for others.
I'd want a receiver hitch in order to accommodate bike racks and cargo carriers, but they aren't period-correct. It is sort of like hacking a hidden sound system into the cart, but controling it through the factory-looking AM radio.
This 880 is a perfect candidate for a resto-mod, since the trouble and money to keep it "correct" will never pay back. The car is a bit scruffy, but the seller is a dealer, so I'll bet there's room to dicker on price. Do check closely for rust, though.
A push-button automatic is awesome, and couple that with no B pillar and yowza. I think this is a smoking deal. A little love and you would have a pretty cool boulevard cruiser.
Yup, throw it in the garage with the others.
I know I'm cold, and my brain isn't functioning quite as it should be, but I can't think of a single current car with double curvature window glass like the rearmost side windows on this. Where's the Hoonopedia when you need it?
Double curvature? Two curves like on the Bristol Fighter? Or like the subtle double crease on the back of a USDM Odyssey?
<img src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/vehicle-pictures/2009/honda/odyssey/5811-048-rear-3-4-480.jpg" width="300">
Or maybe you're talking about curving on two axis, forming something like a bubble? (In which case I've got nothing…yet…it's too early for thinking :p )
As seen on AMC Pacer, 928 etc. Curves in two planes.
<img src="http://www.allsportauto.com/photoautre5/amc/pacer/1976_amc_pacer_15_m.jpg" width="300">
When asked about the location of the gas cap, the designers said, "Hey, we had to put it some place!"
Oooh, there's a '68 Bonneville parked next it in one of the pics. Gotta check out the seller's Web site.
Dang, I guess they sold the Bonneville; it's not listed on their site. The 880 wagon is definitely hip, though.
This was one of MoPar's duller designs, from the front end, way too generic and un-eccentric for a MoPar. But from the rear, you gotta love how the tail lights look like L-brackets, just added on as an afterthought to hold the rear and sides together.
Interesting thing about the back end of the Mopar Wagons…. The 1962 Chrysler Wagons, and the 1962, 63, and 64 Dodge 880 Wagons used the 1961 Plymouth rear fenders used on their wagons, and placed unique tail lamps to disguise that fact. I wish I had the ability to just add a picture here, but I don't. You will just have to take my word on it.
I have a hard time getting over the "hippo in high heels" stance that a lot of full-sizers on stock wheels have. It looks all bloated hanging over the 6" wide 14" wheels.
Not that I'm advocating 19" badonkadonkism, but a decent set of 8-10" wide 15" steelies with chrome centers is sort of a minimum for something this visually massive.
That, and a long-ram max wedge 413 running something like 11.5:1 compression.