It’s not easy being a four-door.Imagine the simple life of a 1964 Plymouth Savoy. Grandmotherly drives to the corner store, church on Sundays, and the clickety-clack of a slant-6 valvetrain. They were ignored in life, most likely being sped past by two-door Mopars,Fords, and Chevys with big blocks and stick-shifts. Even in death, they would usually succumb to the impact wrench and torch, to aid the restoration of numbers-matching muscle. Organ donors at best. That was the initial plan when Miles Watsko happened upon a rust-free, fourdoor Savoy in Moose Jaw, Sask.Back home was his rot heavy,two-door Savoy project, in need of floors and a firewall. "It was very rough," Watsko said. "I had every intention of fixing it." When Watsko explained to salvageyard owner Felix Bert what he was looking for, he received his first lesson in the Plymouthorean theorem: The area of the hole between the A and C pillars is identical for two and fourdoor sedans. "He was the fellow who showed me the similarities of the two cars," Watsko said. "I just couldn’t bring myself to cut this car up." Cars like the Savoy were the genesis of ’60s muscle, when the wildest mill could be installed in the most basic model. The year 1964 was pivotal for Chrysler, being the first year for the fabled 426 Hemi. Watsko is leaning towards a 426 Max Wedge mill with dual quads, if he chooses a factory-correct look. Another thought is a newer big block with a supercharger. Either way, keeping up with him will be a definite issue. The two-door had seen a performance boost in its lifetime, offering the all-important K-frame required for a V-8 install. The fourdoor was originally a three-speed column shift, which naturally included the required pedal array for the planned four-speed stick. A Dana 60 rear with Sure-Grip will be modified to accept drag-style slicks on steel rims, topped off with original low-dough dog-dish caps. The term "rust-free" is a subjective one, usually referring to what can be seen without removing panels for the true, and often tragic story. Aside from sandblasting to remove scale from the undercarriage, there hasn’t been a single patch added.

“The biggest problem I had when I brought the car home was the vacuuming,” Watsko said. “It was right full of Saskatchewan dust.” The Savoy received the full rotisserie treatment, with a factory-correct repaint to the chassis and inner compartments by Rod Ketello from Oakbank Auto Body. Taking a torch and air chisel to a two-door for a four-door may seem like the ultimate role reversal, but there just isn’t any other way. “You need to have a two-door sedan to do this,” Watsko said. The slice is relatively straightforward. Remove the doors and B-pillars of the four-door and graft in the rear portions of the two-door sedan with the new B-pillar position. Watsko had to do some metal work to erase the four-door B-pillar indentations for the new door cavities. Countless hours were spent lining up the exterior graft with the rear panels. A quick scan down the flanks reveals no telltale indents or miss-fits; even the factory lower rocker-panel seam has been expertly duplicated. Both two- and four-doors use the same mounting position for the door hinges. With rust-free front fenders in place, the Savoy is on coat 2 of high-build primer. The car will be finished in the original bone-coloured hue, complemented by a pristine NOS grille that Watsko found on Ebay. The four-door did provide a very useable OEM rubber floor mat, common for the cheapest of the cheap. A Max Wedge-style hood scoop will hint at the Savoy’s potency. In keeping with the factory racer look, the interior will be ultraspartan, with the only obvious option being a heater. (It is Manitoba, after all.) In the interest of safe cruising, Watsko will be converting the Fade-OMatic front drums to disc binders. Any other required parts will be easily sourced through Watsko’s membership in the Manitoba Mopar Association. Watsko credits the understanding of his wife Shawna and daughters Ashley and Maegan for his ability to create his Mopars. “Your family plays a big part in it,” he said. As he works to complete “His,” there’s a potent “Hers” waiting in the wings — a 1967 Dodge Coronet R/T with a 440 mill that was sold new at the long-defunct Century Motors. Speaking of sold, the four-door Savoy was had for a mere $250 three years ago, and the rotten two-door took $1,200 out of the coffers. Since base-model twodoor sedans from Ford and Chevy used identical wheelbases and similar body lines with four-doors, this new formula from Professor Watsko is sure to be accepted among his fellow muscle academics. Class dismissed. What’s your project? E-mail Michael Clark today. michaelclark@mts.net