A short story:
What I learned from the hand written 1987 letter from Ralph Ronzello regarding the 1964 Hemi Belvedere track car currently in the Chrysler museum…
NOTE: I am not enjoying having to write this disclaimer.
DISCLAIMER: I am taking what is written in the letter the truth as he has no reason to lie-do you understand that all you moparts policemen??
It’s 1987 and these are just used cars at this point…. I did not inspect the car or get Galen Govier’s stamp of approval. I apologize to the majority of you whom are enjoying the sharing of information and don’t act like tools. Remember I am recounting a hand written letter and I am not investigating what is written, just reporting it
The car in the museum is a real 4 sp hemi belvedere [former drag racing car of unknown heritage] with the track option package & short track air breather. It was restored as a track option car as built by Chrysler BEFORE it was modified to be raced. This is the only known example of a 64 hemi hardtop 4 speed with the track option. It was called the “track option” not a NASCAR car, and only avail on a belvedere 4 speed hardtop steel car.
The track option parts were collected with lots of help from Petty Enterprises and the car was restored as a NASCAR track car. [Did you even know there was a track option in 1964-65?] The real hemi car is a former drag race car. There are no reproduction parts, all parts are the real deal. The car has orig 64 hemi exhaust with the track extension going out the side under the doors. The correct hand built 3 piece welded track valve covers have 2 breathers & a tall oil fill neck tube. They are not a stamping and weigh 1.5 lbs. The authentic wheels were reproduced by Clemont [I can’t decipher the handwriting so the spelling may be off] Wheel Industries. The 15x8 wheels with a 4-5/16 offset allows the stock car Goodyear tires to clear the stock body and suspension.
The track option part numbers
2468904 Engine code 09 12.5:1 for manual trans $1750.00 retail $1435.00net
2563496 Track code X9 $369.50 retail $ 303.00 net
1964 Track package:
1964 Hemi Belvedere w/ dual quad hemi under the hood
Alum single carb intake w/ Holley center float carb manual choke-shipped in trunk
Special oil pan
Special exhaust
Sway bar and large brakes – actual config unknown
Short & long track air breathers
Internal engine modifications
The family visited with the Petty’s during the research phase of the restoration.
From the horse’s mouth [as told in the letter] Maurice Petty states:
The car that won the 64 Daytona 500 was a body in white. They had 5 or 6 cars in 64 and only 2 actually arrived from Chrysler with a hemi under the hood as those 2 cars were built in may/june of 64 [like the museum car and the rest of the 64 hemi cars.]
Stock motor mounts were used as well as stock headers.[I do not understand what "stock" headers were] The battery was relocated to behind the left front wheel. Maurice suggested that Chrysler lost interest in making the track car factory package since the race cars got cut up and reworked so much that is was cheaper for everyone to go back to the body in white stock car with the engine in a crate. The cars were required at the time to be raced in full trim which presented some challenges keeping the stuff on the car at track speeds. Any Petty records/pictures of the 64-67 years are gone as they were lost in a fire in the 70’s.
As for the 660342 Chrysler Engineering white paper - I have to read it first and attempt to scan it.
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