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What's under the Hood of this car?


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Just to keep anyone else from getting "taken" by misleading box art, be aware that this kit does not contain the factory stripe package or the Cragar SS wheels depicted above. The decal sheet is virtually worthless for a factory stock build as it is comprised mostly of blue/green ProStreet-style striping. Wheel selection consists of Cragar SSTs or stock Mopar "Rallye" wheels (never understood the spelling on that).

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Was the 360 Mopar used in the '70s and '80s the same as what I had in my 1960 Dodge Matador? I remember mine looked like a 383, but it wasn't. I had a '58 with a 318 and that definitely looked different.

The engine you most likely had in your 60 Dodge Matador was a 361 cu in. It was in the same engine family as the 350, 383, and 400 low deck B engines.

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Low deck?, never heard that term before , what does it mean?

The distance between the crank centerline and the top of the block is lower in the B series engines and in the later RB or raised block engines. Raising the top of the engine also extends the bores, allowing for a longer stroke and more cubic inches while maintaining common bottom end geometry and cylinder head fitment. Ford did the same with the 302, raising its deck by half and inch to make the 351 Windsor. It's basically a cheap way to get a bigger engine, you get more cubes but without all of the R&D on a totally new engine family.

On a side note, does anyone make a set of stock decals for this car?

Edited by Fat Brian
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The engine you most likely had in your 60 Dodge Matador was a 361 cu in. It was in the same engine family as the 350, 383, and 400 low deck B engines.

Yes...that was it...a 361. It was originally a 2bbl single exhaust which I immediately replaced with a Holley 4bbl and dual exhaust from (I think) a 413 setup out of the yard. It ran noticeably stronger and had enough power to rip my Torqueflight -- twice. Aamco loved me. I loved winding the thing up and pushing that upshift button. It would shift fast and hard. Too hard, obviously. I found a website with a bunch of the Matadors on it. Really cool.

But a question for you Mopar experts: Why did Dodge market the Matador AND a Polara that were identical? Back then I never came across the similar-looking Polara, but now see lots of pics of them.

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