1965 Dodge Camp Wagon

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The 1964-1965 Dodge Camp Wagon

            

 North Americans have long burned with wanderlust and as road building began in earnest in the mid-1920s, there was no stopping folks from seeing the magnificence the continent had to offer. Roads were jammed with cars pulling trailers, many of them homemade.

            After World War Two, the travel phenomenon mushroomed out of sight. Manufacturers were mindful of it, early on. Ford offered a sleep unit that could be slid onto a truck bed in 1950. West Germany’s Volkswagen was quick to offer a self-contained Campmobile. 

Willys advertising featured Jeep FCs with camper units.

            Not about to be left out of the travel segment of the market, the boys at Dodge introduced a self-contained camper to the lineup in 1964. 

The 1964 Dodge Camp Wagon

Based on its top-of-the-line Sportwagon model, the home on wheels was a natural addition to the family. Camp Wagon looked mighty smart indeed on the new, compact, 2 286-millimetre (90-inch) wheelbased A-100 body.

            At the factory, Sportwagons destined to hit the highways as Camp Wagons were given the 3.7-litre (225-cubic inch) Slant Six engine, generating 140 horsepower. The 4.5-litre (273-cubic inch) V-8 engine was made available, too. With 174 hot-to-trot horses, the Dodge Camp Wagon could hold its own on the highways with the best of them.

           

Brekena made a Dodge Camp Wagon in HO scale.

 The mill of choice was mated to the three-speed Type A745 heavy-duty manual transmission or the extra-cost LoadFlite three-speed automatic tranny. Beefy 1,110-pound capacity front springs were installed along with a 997 kilo (2,200-pound) capacity front axle and a 492-kilo (1,085-pound) capacity rear springs.  Oversize six-ply tires, 7.10 x 15, were part of the package.  The rear axle ratio gearing was 3.55:1.

            Optional equipment for the Dodge Hilton included two-tone paint treatment and a fully transistorized radio. A pair of Jr. West Coast dual outside rearview mirrors made driving less stressful. Dress-up items included chrome bumpers, deluxe wheel covers and white sidewall tires. More practical than pretty were the oil pressure gauge, undercoating, an oil bath air cleaner, variable speed electric wipers and a 70-amp heavy-duty battery. Ordering dual horns got the owner a chrome horn ring too, adding a little sparkle to the steering wheel. A unique, “youth-sized” reversible center jump seat could be fitted over the engine hump.

 

            Completed vehicles were shipped to the Travel Equipment Corporation in Elkhart, Indiana for conversion into Camp Wagons. Here, craftsmen installed wood panelling on the interior walls and ceiling. They added vinyl-covered foam dinette seats that cleverly converted into a double bed. A 203-centimetre (80-inch) long canvas bunk, dubbed the Crow’s Nest, rolled out of sight ran down the centre of the vehicle and stowed away neatly when not in use. Another kid-sized bunk, this one 152 cenitmetres (60-inches_ long and transversely mounted, stretched across the bucket seats up front. 

Canadians could buy Fargo trucks at their Chrysler-Plymouth dealers, not offered in the United States. (1970 model seen here.)

            A fold-up, laminated dinette table, a two-burner propane gas stove, an insulated, non-electric icebox, a stainless steel sink with pressure spigot and a trio of 11.3-litre (three-US gallons) water tanks were bolted into place. Wooden cabinets, a dustproof zippered wardrobe bag, a portable, non-chemical toilet, Hehr combination sliding windows with screens and shades, a 12-volt transformer and a 110-volt outlet were all part of the base package.

Chevrolet offered a camper in its Corvair Greenbrier series for the 1965 season.

            The folks at Travel Equipment cleverly built in plenty of storage under the dinette seats, behind the rear seat and in all the special built-in cabinets. Not a square millimetre of space was wasted in the Camp Wagon, yet it boasted “plenty of room to move around in.”

The industry's benchmark camper was West Germany's Volkswagen Westphalia, a.k.a. the Westy.

            A nifty optional feature was the Elevating Top. Taking only two seconds to erect, when popped into place it offered plenty of “man-sized relaxin’ room” inside for big burly men. In the “down” position, it added a mere ten centimetres (four inches) to the overall height of the Camp Wagon.

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            Other extra-cost items and upgrades for even more fun on wheels included deluxe seat cushions and a matching garment bag. One could choose drapes instead of shades, vinyl flooring instead of rubber matting, too. A 1.8 metre square (6’x’ 6’) side awning tent with its own self-storing topside zip case added a whole new dimension to camping. An AC generator was most useful. Promising to keep lettuce crisp and beverages cold, an electric refrigerator that could run on AC or DC was a great idea. For keeping toasty warm, the Adventurer #30 Therm’x Safety heater with a 3000 BTU capacity or the larger 4000 BTU model, by the same manufacturer, were hot sellers.

Canadians could choose a Ford or Mercury Econoline Supervan Camper from 1961 to 1965.

            One would certainly want to order Thermasol fuel for the heater and Insta-Lite propane fuel for the range. To help Smokey the Bear prevent forest fires, a fire extinguisher with refiller cartridges was on the options list.

 An optional, glass-lined, aluminum septic toilet was a good upgrade. A separator curtain, located behind the front seat, offered a modicum of privacy.  A window screen for the driver’s front door was an extra cost item. One could also have screens with reversible zippers specially fitted for the tall and wide curbside doors. For those with a serious travel bug, a trailer hitch with ball and a roof rack for skis made perfect sense.

           

The 1965 Toyota Stout with camper.

The nifty Camp Wagon was given star billing at the Chicago Auto Show in February 1965 in Dodge’s “Work and Play” exhibit. One look at the Camp Wagon would help folks “understand why so many Americans enjoy life a lot more, traveling this self-contained way!” and  “Get away from it all in style, comfort, convenience in a new Dodge Camp Wagon” were the advertising themes. “Travel anywhere—any time!” was yet another inviting lure. The Camp Wagon boasted living facilities for six and promised to be the perfect companion for vacations, weekends, hunting and fishing tips. When not at play, the versatile vehicle was touted as having station wagon utility the rest of the year.

The 1965 Fargo A100 Transline family.

The 1965 model year was a banner year for Dodge trucks. With 45 different models on the market, retail sales hit 119,395 units, making the season the best in Dodge’s postwar history. Dodge could claim fourth place in domestic truck sales. Of that number, 36,535 units produced were in the A-100 series and the Camp Wagon only sweetened the bottom line.

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Copyright James C. Mays
2005 All rights reserved.

1965 Dodge

 The Dodge Monaco hardtop's base price was $$3,446 and $3,588 when equipped with the optional 5.2-litre (318-cubic inch) V-8 engine. A total of 2,068 of the posh Dodge flagships were built during the 1965 model year.

Long popular with Canadians, Dodge entered its 51^st year with a fresh-from-the-ground-up model line. The Windsor-based Dodge Division of Chrysler Canada fielded thirteen full-sized beauties, in four series for 1965, every one of them just itching to knock the socks off the competition.

An open letter to prospective purchasers promised that the newest Dodge was “a lot more car for your money.” The folks in marketing weren’t kidding. “Dodge has a longer wheelbase then ever before.” Now, it was stretched to unprecedented 3 073 millimetres (121 inches) in length. Inviting people to come and look, the letter read, “It has a wider tread between the rear and front wheels: over five feet (1 524 millimetres). It has hundreds of extra pounds of solid strength. Dodge is big.” In an era when compact cars were king Dodge boldly proclaimed, “thrift comes in a big new size.”

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The envelope was a massive, squarish unitized body punctuated with deep full-length creases at mid-body and the upper door line. The overall look was lean and uncluttered. Quad headlights were imbedded horizontally in an attractive ribbed pattern grille that took on a barbell look. Trapezoidal taillights were the end song of a long, rectangular rear deck cove, called the “Delta.”  Bumpers, fore and aft, were appropriately angular.

 Dodge power ranged from the miserly 145-horsepower Slant-Six engine all the way up to the vast and fast Maximum Performance V-8 with 325 thundering horses.

Every car in the Dodge line carried the economical Slant-Six engine as standard equipment. This year, the mill was rated at 145 horsepower @ 4000 RPM. The extra-cost 5.2-litre (318-cubic inch) V-8 with its dual carbs was rated at 230 horsepower @ 4400 RPM. Also available was the Dodge High Performance V-8 with 325 horses and a four-barrel carb set up. Finally, there was the Maximum Performance 6.7-litre (413-cubic inch) V-8 with a 360 horsepower rating @ 4800 RPM. These engines were all mated to a three-speed Easy-Shift manual transmission, though a four-speed manual shift was also available to harness all that power when either of the two larger V-8 mills was ordered. For the shiftless, there was the optional Torqueflite automatic transmission, floor or column mounted.

 The 1965 Dodge Polara 880 Convertible weighed in at 1 5680 kilos (3,705 pounds) and carried a list price of $3,585. Workers in Windsor produced 8,116 cars in the 880 series during the model year.

Leading the Dodge pack for 1965 was the magnificent new Monaco. Appealing to the “man who likes the pride that goes with owning a rare car,” a convertible and a hardtop were the exclusive offerings. Dubbed the “rare pare,” Monaco was Dodge at its “most luxurious” and “its breathtaking best.” While the thrifty slant-six mill was standard equipment one was encouraged to upgrade to “318 cubic inches (5.2 litres) of V-8 silk.” The big engine was fast enough that, “You can turn fence posts into a white blur with a nudge of the accelerator.”  “His” and “hers” bucket seats, finished in glove-soft, grained vinyl and a smart centre console were part of the elegant Monaco package, too.

The centre console offered with the Monaco included an electric clock. The three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission is featured here.

There was initial confusion about how to pronounce the word Monaco. Was the accent to go on the first or second syllable? An informative press release was issued that that putting the accent on the first syllable was the preferred way to pronounce the name. Regardless, Monaco was hyped as being ‘red hot.” Advertising purred, “Turn it on. Let her out—and it goes by anything on the road.”  The wordsmiths waxed on. “You move. You feel the ‘G’s’ pressing you into the seat. You reach 60 mph (100 kph), and a mere seven seconds have passed.”

The cavernous 1965 Dodge Polara 440 wagon boasted  3.2  square metres (10.5 square feet) more cargo space than last year. The price was $3,555 for the six-passenger version and $3,680 for the nine-passenger model, when equipped with the Slant-Six engine.

There was no confusion about how to Pronounce Polara. The Polara 880 family was made up of a two- and four-door hardtop, a convertible and a four-door sedan. Nicely priced, the 880s were trimmed inside with any one of four pastel nylon and rich vinyl interiors that co-ordinated with colour keyed deep pile carpeting. Outside, the body was given upper frame and centre pillar mouldings on the sedan; plenty of brightwork on the body and a textured appliqué was applied to the rear deck cove between the tail lamps.

Taking up just as much parking space but more modestly priced was the Polara 440 series. A two-door hardtop and a four-door sedan were joined by six- and nine-passenger station wagons. Even at this low price six passengers got the Dodge Velvet Ride; those on board were cradled in a carpeted and custom styled cabin so large that nary a gown was crinkled nor a collar crimped.

The 330 four-door sedan was the least expensive full-sized Dodge offered in the 1965 lineup with a starting price of $2,887.

Billed as the “next best thing to money in your pocket,” the lowest priced Dodge 330 didn’t even get the Polara name. It was offered as a four-door sedan, a six-passenger and nine-passenger wagon. Gone were the carpets, replaced with rubber matting. The upholstery was a highly durable Jacquard fabric with silver metallic threads offered in one of three colours. Rear arm rests disappeared but there were still two sun visors and dual horns. The practical 300 was positioned in the price range of many of the “jazzed up compacts” but staked its reputation on being bigger, roomier and more powerful.

The instrument panel gave the driver a warm, wonderful welcome with dials and controls front and centre for easy operation. New Glare-free night illumination eliminated the “hunt-and-peck distress” of nighttime driving.

Taylor Field in Regina was just about the right size for holding all the possible options available for this year’s Dodge. A few of the add-ons included the Adjustable Tilt-Type Steering Wheel, the Three-Spoke Steering Wheel (standard on Monaco), a black or white vinyl roof for the Monaco and Polara 880 hardtops, Auto-Pilot, bucket seats, power steering, power brakes, padded dash, front and rear bumper guards, tinted windshield, variable speed windshield wipers and washers, rear window defogger for sedans and coupes, numerous mirrors, radios with or without push buttons in AM or AM-FM and stereo form, an electric clock for the more modestly priced models, the Sure-Grip differential, trunk and glove box lights, backup lights, a parking brake indicator lamp, spinners to dress up the wheel covers and many more comfort and appearance options that the Dodge dealer would be only too pleased to add for one’s driving pleasure.

 Even the lowly Dodge 300 was nicely finished with embossing on the vinyl upholstery. Seat belts were optional equipment in 1965. Production of the 330 series reached 10,306 units during the model year.

It would be an excellent year for the Dodge Division. Production rose significantly to 36,237 units for the model year. Part of that increase was due to the new AutoPact agreement that permitted trans-shipment of vehicles without duty or tax between Canada and the United States. AutoPact or not, the domestic sales story was a happy one. Dodge jumped from seventh position in the sales race to pass Volkswagen, knock Rambler out of the fifth spot and raise the Dodge banner.

Visit my old car website at: The Oilspot Eh!

Copyright James C. Mays 2005
All rights reserved.