"From Father to Son: The 1964 Plymouth Savoy's Wild Drag Racing Journey!"
Charley Ogle grew up with the smell of gasoline and the roar of engines, thanks to his father's racing passion. Yet it wasn’t until Charley hit Drag Week in 2013 that he decided to turn the family’s 1964 Plymouth Savoy into a full-fledged drag-and-drive beast.
Fast forward to today, and the now 54-year-old Texan credits that fateful event, driving his 1971 Dodge Challenger, for igniting his current racing obsession. Charley has since become a familiar face at Drag Week events, showing up with his trusty Challenger from 2013 to 2018 and mixing things up at Rocky Mountain Race Week in 2019 and 2020. The Challenger is now his son's daily driver, proving the Ogle family's love for racing is truly hereditary. “He finished Sick Week in it last year,” Charley proudly shares.
The Ogle family's racing saga began long before Charley took the wheel. His parents bought a 1963 Dodge 440 2-door hardtop in 1970, Charley's first car. Summers were spent visiting an uncle in South Texas, always passing by a 1964 Plymouth Savoy in Blanco. The family would stop and try to buy it, only to be turned down repeatedly. Persistence paid off in 1987 when Charley's father finally snagged the car for $1,000. “Every corner had been hit. It was trashed,” Charley recalls of the neglected vehicle with nearly 2,000 miles on it.
Charley's father drove the Savoy before tackling its much-needed makeover. “We put a mild 440 in and drove it and played with it,” says Charley, reminiscing about the time spent with his dad. By the late '90s, a 426 wedge was dropped in, and the Savoy became a regular at bracket races and special events.
In 2010, Charley passed the Savoy torch to his nephew, Dillon, who promptly put his teenage mark on it. “I got it back from Dillon in 2018 and put it together as it sits now,” Charley says, grateful for the return of the beloved car. In just a year, he transformed the Savoy into a competitive drag-and-drive contender, though he admits no project car is ever truly finished.
Charley, always the thoughtful racer, made sure the Savoy’s roll cage didn’t sacrifice comfort or convenience. “I talked to the NHRA Division 4 chassis tech, Brent Groves, about building a cage that would cert to 8.50 but still have access to the back seat,” he explains. Gaylon Knowlton was brought in to construct the 10-point cage with swing-out accommodations. “I love the way it turned out,” Charley beams. “My son rode all of 2021 Rocky Mountain Race Week getting in and out with no problems.”
“I love the sentimental aspect that it’s been in our family for so long. I know Pop is looking down from heaven with a big smile as I race and drive it. – Charlie Ogle”
Sentiment runs deep for Charley. “I love that it’s been in our family for so long. I know Pop is looking down from heaven with a big smile as I race and drive it,” he says.
Under the hood, the Savoy sports an Indy Maxx aluminum block as its base, housing a 547 cubic-inch Mopar low-deck big block engine built by Jeff Spears at CrankShaft Balancing Services. The beast features a 4.5-inch bore and a 4.3-inch stroke, an Ohio crankshaft, custom Diamond pistons, and Molnar Technologies connecting rods. A Milodon oil pan with dual oil pumps and a Howards Cams solid roller camshaft keep things running smoothly.
Kerry Laminack at Laminack Racing Technologies worked his magic on the cylinder heads, installing titanium intake valves, stainless exhaust valves, and T&D rocker arms. The naturally aspirated engine boasts a 12:1 compression ratio, fed by twin 1,000 cfm 4150-style Mark Whitener Lightning Racing carburetors atop a Hogan sheet metal intake manifold and a Weldon A1000 fuel pump.
Ignition comes from an MSD coil system and Mopar Performance billet distributor with Accel ceramic plug wires and NGK spark plugs. Exhaust gasses exit through Tube Technologies headers and a 3-inch MagnaFlow exhaust.
For dual-purpose street and strip use, Charley equipped the Savoy with a Mopar 727 three-speed automatic transmission from Pro Trans Racing, B&M transmission cooler, A&A reverse manual valve body, Gear Vendors overdrive unit, and a Circle D Specialties torque converter with a 3,700 rpm stall speed. “An aluminum 3.5-inch driveshaft feeds into the Dana 60 rearend with 3.90 gears, Strange axles, and a Strange spool,” he details. Wilwood brakes up front and Strange Engineering stoppers in the rear, along with a Reilly MotorSports AlterKtion coilover system with Viking double-adjustable shocks and an AlterKtion tubular K-member, ensure the Savoy handles like a dream.
Charley kept aesthetic enhancements minimal, choosing a PPG light blue paint job by Smithie Body, Centerline wheels, and Mickey Thompson 275 drag radial rubber. Inside, the gray cloth upholstery complements the Procar by SCAT seats and Kirkey Bomber seats. Speed Hut gauges keep an eye on the car’s vital signs.
Charley’s favorite part of the car isn’t its impressive build—it’s the memories and family history. Running in Tom Bailey’s inaugural Sick Week in 2022, Charley clocked an average of 10.713 seconds at 134.06 mph in the 1/4-mile, with his best time at 10.21 seconds and fastest speed at 135.8 mph. Competing in the Big Block Naturally Aspirated categories, Charley’s ultimate goal is a 9-second average in a drag-and-drive event.
Stay tuned as Charley Ogle continues his high-octane family tradition, racing his way into the history books with the beloved 1964 Plymouth Savoy!
Vehicle Specifications
Car: 1964 Plymouth Savoy
Chassis: Dillon Ogle 10-Point Cage
Engine: Mopar 547″ Big Block
Heads: Laminack Racing Technologies
Crank: Ohio
Rods: Molnar Technologies
Pistons: Diamond
Cam: Howards Cams
Power Adder: Naturally-Aspirated
Transmission: Pro Trans Racing Mopar 727 Three-Speed Automatic
Converter: Circle D Specialties
Fuel Management: Twin 1,000 Cfm 4150-Style Mark Whitener Lightning Racing Carburetors
Rearend: Dana 60, Strange Engineering Axles
Suspension: Reilly Motorsports Alterktion Coilovers, Viking Double-Adjustable Front Shocks, Qa1 Double-Adjustable RearShocks, Calvert Racing Leaf Springs
Brakes: Wilwood (Front), Strange Engineering (Rear)
Wheels: Centerline
Tires: Mickey Thompson 205/75/15 Gt (Front), 275/60/15 Ss Radial (Rear)
Quickest E.T.: 10.21-Seconds
Fastest MPH: 135.80 Mph
Best 60-Foot: 1.51-Seconds
Author: Brittany Oglesby | Photographer: Brittany Oglesby | Event: Rocky Mountain Race Week 1.0 | Location: Tulsa Raceway Park Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jacobs, Ainsley. “Charley Ogle’s ’64 Plymouth Savoy Drags as Good as It Drives.” Dragzine, Dragline, 1 Nov. 2022, www.dragzine.com/features/car-features/charley-ogles-64-plymouth-savoy-drags-as-good-as-it-drives/.