1962 Dodge Lancer 770 from North America - Comments

Hi, I own 1962 Dodge Lancer 2 door. I am having problems locating parts. I need all types of body parts. Plus I don't know much about these cars. So any help from anybody would be greatly appreciated. So contact me at Racindirt20@PeoplePC.com.

I bought a 1962 Dodge Lancer from a fellow in North Carolina. He saw that the original owner, an old fellow in his area, had set the car in his driveway to rot away. The paint was covered with black dirt/algae. He bought the car, had it stripped and amazingly the only rust was in the trunk floorboard. Although the original paint color was brown, he had the car repainted mist green. I have owned the car for 6 years and enjoy the stares I get at this old, original "compact" car. Right now, it needs brake work (master cylinder) so it's resting until I change out the brake lines and master cylinder. The only major work I've done is replace the original water pump. I'd like to put seat belts in it. Also, the pushbuttons sometimes fall into the dash -- I'm told a simple crimping of the metal receivers under the dash will fix that.

All the spare parts I've found were on ebay, including wiper motor, hubcaps, rear tail light, trunk mat, and miscellaneous documentation like magazine ads, wiring diagram, color paint chips, etc.

Good luck to all you Lancer drivers out there!

Rick, Big Cove, Alabama.

Dear fellers, I live in Chile and I found a 62 Lancer for sale. I love his shape. Can someone contact and help me to contact were to buy parts?

My mail is fecolo@gmail.com.

Thanks.

A few years ago I bought an old beat-up 62 Lancer from under a shade tree in CA for $150. It ran okay, but the ball joints were going out, but didn't have the money to fix them. This caused me to have to replace tires every 2 months. Eventually the transmission (I liked the push buttons) started going out. Again, didn't have the money to fix it. I had to rev up the engine to get it in gear, and in doing so I threw a rod. I had it towed away. : (Had it less than a year.

Hi, my father owns a very nice '62 Lancer wagon, and he is dying to know how many of these were made? He has been told that only 3 to 4 hundred were produced. I would appreciate any info regarding this, or tips about where I can ask this. Thanks a million!

-Cherub

cherubfreed@yahoo.com.

Re the above comment, the actual production figure for the 1962 Lancer wagon was 7005 (per Encyclopedia of American Cars 1946-1975).

If it's any consolation, probably no more than 20-25% of that figure are still around, and even fewer are still being driven.

The Mopar station wagons are starting to attract the attention of the muscle car enthusiasts, fondly remembering the old days. A Lancer wagon with a dual quad crossram 383 would be pretty cool!

When I was a boy, my Dad owned an early production '60 Valiant. It was super cool and so original (if controversial) in styling that one couldn't be luke warm about it. He says that the neighbors borrowed it to go grocery shopping in snowstorms because it just wouldn't get stuck!

When the Lancer came out in '61, I loved the front end so much that I vowed to own one some day. I eventually purchased a pretty nice coupe in the mid '90s. I recall being amazed at its nimble yet solid road manners. It was a 170 cid, so it's acceleration wasn't the strongest, but it had terrific mid-range torque for cruising easily at 80 mph with power to spare for passing. A "take your hands off the wheel" feeling of security. I don't know why, but these first generation Valiants/Lancers have always seemed a bit more spritely than the later, '63-'66 models (of which I have owned many, and which are great in their own right). Maybe they have a slightly lower center of gravity... or maybe the 170 engine is just light enough compared to the 225 that it produces less understeer...?

Anyway, I loved that car, and kept it for about 4 years before passing it on to another Slant 6 aficionado in the early '00s. I am getting the itch again, though! My perfect "Toad" bodied car would be a chrome-less '62 Valiant coupe with a '61 Lancer front clip and a '60 Valiant trunk lid and dash, powered by a 170 Hyper Pak. I would add Classic Auto Air Conditioning, mounted in a custom, under dash housing, and fit body painted Dayton wire wheels. The Exner fuselage styling harkens back to cars of the '20s and '30s, so wires would look great on it!

Barry, New York

Found a 62 Lancer at an automotive swap meet in Kansas 2 years ago. My 15 year old daughter was with me and she knew I was starting to think of a car for her in a year when she started driving. She fell in love the car and we restored it; trying to keep it as original as possible. She is a great kid with a cool car that everyone at school knows. I can always spot her car in the parking lot. Maybe some day I will get it back.