Canadian 1960 Forward Look cars. The differences from the US cars.

[Furious]

Canadian built cars often had differences from their US built equivalents.
Let's discuss, share photos and info about the Canadian cars.

I just bought a 1960 Dodge Polara, Canadian built, and it has several differences from the more commonly seen US built Polaras.
1. Canadian cars were painted apart, then assembled, so the rad support, inner fenders and hood hinges are not body color.
2. The seat upholstery appears to be like the Matador {although I am still researching that}.
Wheel covers don't have the 4 "flippers".
3. Canadian cars don't have a fender tag-per se. They have an aluminum tag on the cowl near the left hood hinge, that has very minimal information on it.

What else is different on the Canadian Polaras?

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Typically, Canadian Dodges used Plymouth interiors and dashboards with Dodge badging. Something to do with the Autopact in place at the time. I'm not sure when this started (mid 50s I believe), but it was definitely still in place by 1966. So your Polara may well have Fury dash and some level of Fury interior.

Canadian Dodges for some years often had Dodge front ends on Plymouth bodies, unique Canada-only trim, and wheelbase differences too.

I am definitely NOT the expert on this, but just passing on information I have picked up over the years - erroneous or not! Lol...

 

[crv]

Typically, Canadian Dodges used Plymouth interiors and dashboards with Dodge badging. Something to do with the Autopact in place at the time. I'm not sure when this started (mid 50s I believe), but it was definitely still in place by 1966. So your Polara may well have Fury dash and some level of Fury interior.

Canadian Dodges for some years often had Dodge front ends on Plymouth bodies, unique Canada-only trim, and wheelbase differences too.

I am definitely NOT the expert on this, but just passing on information I have picked up over the years - erroneous or not! Lol...

Australia got a mixed bag as well, the '66-'68 local Dodge Phoenix was a Plymouth Fury with a Dodge dashboard/instruments.

 

[cbarge]

The Canadian built Dodges of the 50's and early 69's are known as PLODGES.
Lol.
Prior to the 1965 Autopact, Chrysler Canada Corporation
( separate from its US counterpart in order to set up shop in Canada) had to use Canadian suppliers in order to manufacture their vehicles.
Plus the Canadian market was different compared to our southern brothers.
Yes we are cheap bastards, lol.
In order to keep costs down, using existing tooling with the exception of the front clip, and existing interiors
suited the public demand.
American Dodges could be ordered but subject to import tarrifs.
Ditto letter 300's

 

[cbarge]

Here is a brief history of the Canadian car market..

 

[Furious]

Typically, Canadian Dodges used Plymouth interiors and dashboards with Dodge badging. Something to do with the Autopact in place at the time. I'm not sure when this started (mid 50s I believe), but it was definitely still in place by 1966. So your Polara may well have Fury dash and some level of Fury interior.

Canadian Dodges for some years often had Dodge front ends on Plymouth bodies, unique Canada-only trim, and wheelbase differences too.

I am definitely NOT the expert on this, but just passing on information I have picked up over the years - erroneous or not! Lol...

The Canadian 1960 Polaras have the same dash as the US cars. The Canadian 61 Darts use the Plymouth dash and seat upholstery.
The 1960 Polaras are very uncommon in Canada. I think they sold around 2500 total of all body types.
As af as I know, they didn't sell the Polaras in Canada in 1961, and never sold the 62-64 880's here either. I have seen a few 64 880 convertible sin Canada, but they may have been US cars imported.

 

[cbarge]

DeSotos were built in Canada to give Dodge - DeSoto dealers an upscale offering on which import duties did not have to be paid. The DeSoto Diplomat was a Plymouth with a scaled down DeSoto front end. Most of these were built in the U.S., a few in Canada, all for sale outside of North America.

Entries for Diplomats are from Chrysler Canada production records, 1946 - 1960. None were built in Canada for 1955. Entry for 1961 may or may not be correctly attributable to Diplomat, which used the 1960 - 1961 Plymouth/Dodge unibody

 

[CBODY67]

Curious as to where the Canadian assy plant was? Why would the front end items not have been painted/assembled as the USA products were?

Just curious,
CBODY67

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

Windsor, Ontario I believe. Not sure why there were those differences in assembly tactics.

 

[Furious]

The Dodge trucks built in Canada in 72 and 73 were also painted apart, and had black rad support, inner fenders and hood hinges.

 

[Justin Plant]

So, how much money did they really save with all the extra labor and fiddling around to make something the same only different?

 

[Davea Lux]

Most Windsor produced vehicles has the distinctive Red engine enamels instead of the Blue or Blue Green enamels used on US produced cars.

Dave

 

[Fireflite56]

Canadian '60 DeSotos used the Chrysler interior. At the National DeSoto Club convention in Chatham, Ontario last year, we got to see a number of Canadian DeSotos (quite a few '60s included) alongside their US counterparts and compare differences. On the '59, Canada filled in some of the rear seams that the US cars have visible, such as the vertical seam at the rear of the fin on the side and the seams on the body under the trunk lid lip. The Canadian '59s also used a '58 steering wheel, horn ring, and radio speaker grille. A Canadian '58 that was there had a 354 poly from the factory - an engine never offered in the US DeSotos. There was even a very rare Canadian '38 coupe with rumbleseat at the show!

 

[twostick]

My first car was a 56 Dodge Regent 2 door hardtop, which was a Plodge, a Dodge front clip on a 56 Plymouth. Flathead with a Powerflite.

My 65 Polara wagon has a Fury interior and uses US A-body V8 emblems.

A friend of mine bought a new 65 Monaco 413 4 speed, a Canada only combination.

Lots of other quirky stuff from that time. Dodge and Fargo trucks. Canadian Valiant was a Dart with Valiant front clip. Canadian Pontiac was scaled down and sat on a Chev chassis and running gear. Interior was a mix of Pontiac and chev.

Ford had Mercury Meteor and Ford and Mercury trucks.

Kevin

 

[Furious]

My first car was a 56 Dodge Regent 2 door hardtop, which was a Plodge, a Dodge front clip on a 56 Plymouth. Flathead with a Powerflite.

My 65 Polara wagon has a Fury interior and uses US A-body V8 emblems.

A friend of mine bought a new 65 Monaco 413 4 speed, a Canada only combination.

Lots of other quirky stuff from that time. Dodge and Fargo trucks. Canadian Valiant was a Dart with Valiant front clip. Canadian Pontiac was scaled down and sat on a Chev chassis and running gear. Interior was a mix of Pontiac and chev.

Ford had Mercury Meteor and Ford and Mercury trucks.

Kevin

The 65 Monaco 413 4 speed is a cool car. There were quite a few C bodies with 4 speeds in Canada, because the B body was dropped for 1965. so if you wanted a big block 4 speed car, a C body it was. The B body returned in 1966. There were a number of 66-68 C bodies built with 4 speeds too though, probably because people saw their neighbours 65 Fury or Dodge, and that influenced them to buy one too.

 

[crv]

The car at 8:03 is really nice, had never seen one of these before.