Dodge vs. Plymouth convertible/ the feeling of it

[Thomba48]

Well,

 

with all your wonderful insights and good information I began to realise: My next car shall be a Mopar again. There is just something very good looking, almost homey about these cars. That might sound awfully weired. But this is how it feels to me.

 

Now, budget allowing one day I might be rather interested in the convertible option. Always has been a dream of mine. I know, not really practical etc. etc. But then I don't need a practical car. I want fun. (I must have to add: I have never seen a convertible Plymouth/ Dodge in person :-()

 

Talking about fun here are my questions - sorry for the shear amount :-)

• Are both models - as a matter of fact Dodge convertibles seem to be even more rare - equal in regard to the inside seating space?
• Is there actually enough space in the back seats for someone to sit - at least for a while?
• I have noticed, the Dodge 48 model has two rear seat windows. The Plymouth does not. Now, with a kid sitting in the back it feels to me that that window would be a good thing to have. Does it actually make a difference in keeping the wind slightly controlled?
• I am tall, with 6.3 not too tall though. There is plenty of space in my current Plymouth, although the windscreen could certainly be a big higher :-) Now with the convertible being closed, would there be enough head room space for me? Is the windscreen even lower than in the business coupe? How would it feel driving opened up - would my head be covered by the windscreen?
• If I was to move up towards a 49/ 50 model would those cars be somehow bigger, more spacious etc.?

 

 I certainly do not expect for one person to answer all these questions at once. But maybe over time I can get a clearer picture. 

 

 

Thanks upfront.

 

 

 

 

 

Thom

Edited October 31, 2014 by Thomba48

[Young Ed]

I have spent much time riding in the back of a 51 ply convert plus Dads 63 Falcon 63 Valiant and 69 Sport fury verts. The back seat is ok for short distances on all of them but the pure nature of a convert is that you lose a lot of back seat space to make room for the top mechanism. I don't know of any converts from any make that have a shorter trunk lid so the room for the top has to come from somewhere. As for your height Dad is 6'5" and has no trouble in his 51. I believe you will also find the visability for driving better in the post 49 models that have bigger/more windows.

Edited November 1, 2014 by Young Ed

[B-Watson]

The Plymouth body is smaller than the Dodge.  The Dodge-DeSoto-Chrysler body was about 3" longer firewall to rear axle and 3" wider between B pillars than the Plymouth body. 

 

The Plymouth body was first introduced in 1940 and had a front and rear seat but no rear quarter windows on the convertible.   The Dodge-DeSoto-Chrysler body was introduced for 1941 and the convertible had rear quarter windows.

 

The two bodies look very similar but next to nothing interchanges between the two.  One of the downfalls of styling different bodies with similar styling is the buying public see the larger cars as just being a bigger version of the smaller and cannot tell the cheap one from the more expensive.  GM used different styling on their three bodies (A, B and C) and the public could tell which models were the more expensive and larger ones.  One of the reasons Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler lost market share in the 1940's - Dodge especially as it outsold Pontiac in the 1930's.

[captden29]

headroom is not a problem. walter p Chrysler had all the cars built in that era to accommodate a man with a hat on. you can see this in many of the period ads. I am 6'2 and I have plenty of headroom in my 1954 Windsor. capt den

[Thomba48]

Would that also be true in a convertible?

[BobT-47P15]

I would suggest a later model than the P15.  They only have about 6 inches of leg room between front and rear seats

(or at least mine does).   When I slide the front seat forward, it gets to a certain point, then my stomach hits the bottom

of the steering wheel.   A slimmer person might gain another inch or two of space.     

 

[B-Watson]

Walter P Chrysler stepped down as president of the Chrysler Corporation in 1935 and was replaced by Kaufman Thuma (KT) Keller.  KT was not a tall man, but he believed that millions of Americans wore hats, even in their cars.  He also believed lots of farmers purchased Chrysler products and used them to haul produce to town, in particular milk cans.

 

So, the story goes that when car designs were being finalized KT would walk into the styling studio, hat in hand and milk cans in tow.  He would sit in the mock up of the car wearing his hat  and bounce around.  The stylists in the room would stand there, fingers crossed, that his hat would not touch the roof.  For if his hat did, the roof had to be raised. 

 

He would then take a milk can, put it in the trunk and close the lid.  If it closed, as was well.  If the lid did not close, the trunk had to be enlarged, and the case of the 1949 and up models that meant raising the trunk lid. 

 

KT retired as president in 1950, and thereafter Chrysler styling turned a new corner. 

[Niel Hoback]

Makes me wanna rush out and put milk cans in my trunk!

[Andydodge]

Or milk in my hat...........oops........will go sit in my corner again.............lol.....andyd

[Thomba48]

Having seen the space in a P15 thanks to Bob. How would that look in a P19? Does anyone have one and can issue a photo?

Thanks

[DJ194950]

http://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/1946-1959/plymouth-1950.html

 

Try this link lots of info on Plymouths/Dodges etc. by year models, styles.

 

Might help your comparisons your looking for. 

 

DJ

[Thomba48]

Thanks DJ