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Oz Production Figures 1949-1952


Andydodge

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I have a copy of Gavin Farmers Oz Chrysler history title " Great Ideas in Motion" which covers the history of Chrysler in Australia particularly from WW2 thru to the end of Chrysler production in 1981.  Chrysler as a brand was not sold nor imported by T J Richards who were the body builders/assemblers till Chrysler Australia was formed in June 1951, tho' apparently at least 12 1946/7/8 Chrysler Windsor 4 dr sedans( in the mid 70's I owned one of these Windsors that had 2 sets of spare taillights which accounted for at least 3 of these vehicles) were imported for federal government use and no doubt a small number of privately imported vehicles also came into the country, however in the period 1949-52 only 4 door Plymouth based cars were sold, with various Plymouth/Dodge & De Soto grilles, badges and moldings.........from Gavin Farmers book the following production figures are listed

Plymouth P18S/P20S                   1949                  40

                                                      1950               2395

                                                      1951                 160

                P23S                              1951              1356

                                                       1952              1321

Dodge D32S/D36S                         1949                 36

                                                        1950              2130

                                                        1951                201

              D40S                                 1951             1092

                                                        1952              1254

Desoto SP18S/SP20S                     1949                 19

                                                         1950               391

                                                          1951                52

           SP23S                                    1951              210

                                                           1952             276

 

Note that as mentioned these were ALL 4 Door Sedans, no 2drs, coupes or convertibles.......there were some Hearses listed however it is not known whether they were made from 4 dr sedans or imported wagons. Also NO Utes are listed in the above years as these did not become relisted till the 1953 models. Also the use of BOTH the USA 23" engine and Canadian Sourced 25" engine depended on what gearbox was chosen, ie, a 3 speed manual got you the 23" engine but the choice of an Overdrive or Powerflite automatic resulted in the 25" due to its extra torque.........hope this answers some questions re the Oz market....Andy Douglas  

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           

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 hello Andy with all this info on these cars do you know of any 49 or 50 dodges or plymouths for sale at the moment I have a hankering for one but I want a driver regards scott

Edited by tub1
missed a bit
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Scott, nope, have you tried John Goldsmith who started the 1940 Plymouth Water tube thread?.......he also lives in Tassie...........also might be worth checking Oz Rodders and the Victorian & SA Chrysler clubs...........also have you thought about chasing up one in the USA..........49-51 models are not that popular to be honest and you may find something like a 2door sedan/coupe or similar for a reasonable price.............andyd 

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john only lives around the road from me I will have to ask him , our dollar atm is no good plus freight etc and I just want a old many door , however you build numbers are not looking good for getting a 49 there is a bloke here with a 49 for sale but its rough and he thinks its a 1932 other brand the price he wants

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Have you gotten quotes for possible shipping? Leaving West coast. Lots of fair priced USA cars to choose from. Thought I just saw someone mention they were awaiting delivery, $2,000 to Europe, all taxes/dues included.

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Andy, I have a 1940 C25. TJR body on a C25 Windsor chassis. From the Chrysler records about 160 bare chassis left the USA factorys in 1940, but there's no break down on lhd vs rhd. I only know of two others in Australia. One was for sale in Melbourne about 8 years ago and one is in an old photo of a guy in Maroochydore in the 50s. I wish I had the cash to have bought the Melbourne one. It was originally an embassy car in pretty good condition apparently. Eddie Ford who publishes Restored Cars magazine has never seen one in the forty years he's been in the game, so it's a rare beast. I'd like to know how rare..

Rick 

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Ricky, the 1940 Chrysler C25W Windsor 4 DOOR SEDAN RHD Export figures show 794 vehicles out of a total of 1046 C25W Export Windsor vehicles, however there is also a separate listing for Knock Down Units in which there were C25W Windsor RHD Export vehicles listed showing 234 four door vehicles out of 420 KDU in total.........it specifically states that the KDU figures are included in the total.........does this make sense?................the problem is, does your vehicle and indeed mine in the relevant 1940 Dodge figures I have  come from the standard "export" figures or from the KDU figures, your guess is as good as mine..............lol........andyd    

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The units shipped to Australia were chassis not built up body CKD units, if the car has an Australian made body.   The CKD units for sedans, etc. would have their bodies and all the parts stuffed in a huge wooden box and shipped to the firm that ordered it.  Final assembly would have taken place in the country the box was shipped to.  

In the report you are quoting from for the 1940 Chrysler, 794 were export RHD sedan models.  Of that 794, 234 were KD units, cars in pieces stuffed in wooden crates. The remaining 560 RHD sedans were built up models, everything painted, assembled and trimmed.    

However, the Australian cars with T J. Richards bodies were built on chassis units shipped to Australia.  144 Windsor RHD chassis units were built and shipped for the 1940 model year and some were shipped to Australia,.  Some chassis units were shipped CKD, again, all the pieces shipped in a box.  Of the 144 RHD chassis built, all were shipped CKD.  I suspect that not all the required pieces were shipped as the customer would purchase parts from local suppliers.  Brakes, radiators, wiring, hoses, for example, may be supplied by the company purchasing the CKD units as it may be cheaper - no import duties on locally supplied parts for starters.

Similarly, from the Dodge figures 249 RHD standard chassis units for model D14 (Luxuryliner Custom in the US and Custom Six in Canada) were built and all were shipped CKD.  And 1,010 D15 chassis (based on the Plymouth P9) were shipped CKD.  Model D16, based on the Plymouth P10, was a Canada-only model.  The D15 was the Kingsway in Canada and D16 the DeLuxe while the D17 was a US-only series (Luxuryliner DeLuxe) and not built in Canada. 

Also, the RHD units were not LHD units converted to RHD, they were built at the factory as RHD.  Even the bare chassis frames back then were unique RHD units.  Same with steering, suspension, brakes, and clutch parts,  And all parts were listed in the parts books.   
 

 

 

 

 

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  • 11 months later...

Hi all,

I have an early 1933 Dodge Six with TJ Richards body, I want to prepare to compete in the 2019 Peking to Paris rally, the world's most demanding transcontinental motor challenge - 7610 miles across the globe.

Does anybody know the production numbers on this model? 

All information is wellcome. E.g. 17" wheels vs 16" on US versions?

We're looking to make a RHD to LHD conversion and to put a T5 gearbox in it.

Can anybody tell me if this export version has a standard Dodge chassis? I'm told some are on Plymouth chassis apperently.

The windshield frame is much lower than a US version. Is this typical TJR? Are there pictures of similar roadsters? My windshield is in bad condition and I think they have messed around with the wiper installation.

Thanks!

 

My 1933 Dodge Six.jpg

US & Australian Dodge Six.jpg

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Patrick, nice to hear from you again.........I am a member of The Chrysler Restorers Club of Australia and it maybe worthwhile contacting them, the club website is www.chryslerclub.org.au Adam McKenzie is the current president of the club and his email is president@chryslerclub.org.au , you could also contact Les Sonter from the club who I have known for 30yrs on lasonter@hotmail.com............make sure to mention my name to them as that may help......lol...........btw I have a 1933/34 Dodge radiator mascot that was on a 34 Dodge my grandfather owned in the 1950's, unfortunately the attachment point for the actual radiator cap had corroded so he replaced it but kept the cap and gave it to me 40yrs ago............anyway try the Chrysler club here in Oz............regards, Andy Douglas 

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Hi Patrick. You’ll need to find the chassis number stamped on it to be be sure what it was when it left the USA. I don’t know where it would be on yours, but mine is on the front rhs in front of the suspension. TJR had their own designs that were slightly different to overseas. I think this was because TJR had a limited number of suppliers to choose from, and had used mass produced items such as your windscreen pillars that may have also been on Aussie built Chevs.

Nice car BTW...

Rick

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The only Dodges before WW II that used Plymouth chassis were the Dodge models based on the Plymouth, generally referred to as "Plodges".

Given that, in 1933 the Dodge DP Six and Canadian DQ Six went into production in November, 1932 with a 111¼" wheelbase.   On April 5, 1933 the DP adopted a 115" wheelbase (starting at serial number 3,594,423 in the US and 9,400,160 in Canada, engine number DP-17794).   RHD chassis used the same serial number sequences as LHD chassis.   Plymouth began production of new PD series on the Dodge 111¼" wheelbase chassis in April 1933.   

The DQ remained on the 111¼" chassis.  The DQ used the DP engine (3-1/8" bore, 4-3/8" stroke, 201.3-cid).   All 1933 Plymouths, including the PD, used an engine with a 3-1/8" bore, 4-1/8" stroke, 189.8-cid.

The extra length on the DP with a 115" wheelbase was ahead of the cowl.  Thus the hood is longer and the radiator and radiator shell are different.

DP serial numbers at Detroit started at 3,579,001 and ended at 3,678,655.

Windsor had three sequences - 9,549,925 to 9,550,000, then 9,400,001 to 9,401,388.   The serial numbers changed after 9,550,000 as 9,550,001 to 9,550,300 numbers were used on model DC.  The third sequence was used on CKD units - 9,445,001 to 9,445,360.

Dodge DQ sequence started at 9,452,951 and ended at 9,455,705.   Production numbers for the Dodge DQ were included in the DP numbers,    Thomas McPherson in his "The Dodge Story"  states that 1933 DQ production came to 2,556 in 1933 with an additional 6 in 1934.  DQ production came to an end in December, 1933 so I suspect Mr. McPherson was using shipment figures and not production.  The two are not the same, although the totals should be.   DQ serial number sequence shows 2,755 built.  With Mr. McPherson reporting 2,556 shipped in 1933 and 6 in 1934, the remaining 193 would have been shipped in 1932.

DP serial number should be stamped on the frame under right front fender.   Suspect it is the same location as Ricky Luke stated.   North American-built bodies had the serial number stamped on a plate attached to the right front hinge pillar. 

 

Edited by B-Watson
typos
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  • 1 month later...

Ausie, welcome aboard.......dunno how to confirm yours as being 1 of the 40 other than if its a P18, RHD, TJ Richards bodied, 4 dr sedan then I'd assume it to be one of the 40.................I just realised that my original post has the P18 & P20 listings on the same line.....thats a typo by ME as the P20 is the 1950 models, what the "S" after each model number refers to I have no idea also as these figures were copied from those in Gavin Farmers book.........the listings in the 1946-1953 Oz Chrysler Australia Factory Workshop Manual for Dodge, Plymouth and DeSoto do NOT have the "S" after the model number............does any of this help.....lol..........btw where are you?.............got a pic of the car?...........regards, andyd

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Well.there you go.....the body tag does indeed have the "S" after P18.............strange that the Oz factory workshop manual just lists the 1949 Plymouth as a P18, no "S" is mentioned.........good to learn something..............and the ribbed bumper bars confirm visually to me that that is indeed a 1949 Plymouth.....those bumpers could be worth as much as the rest of the car to someone building a custom car...............lol.....shame about the flat black.........lol...............andyd 

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You guys sure you havn't started up the Chrysler plant again, seems to be a few turning up down there............lol.............andyd

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