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Hi there, I'm not much of a forum guy but wanted to share this because I think it's going to be a really exciting project on many levels.  I have been asked by a gentleman in Belgium to prepare his TJ Richards-bodied 1933 Dodge Roadster for the 2019 Peking to Paris Rally.  While remaining very original in appearance, it will be powered by a meticulously prepared 230, a T5 transmission, and a more modern rear axle to dependably concur the arduous 8,000+ mile trip.  Other than those three items the car will remain 100% period correct and unmodified in any way. Stay tuned, it going to be a bumpy ride, pun intended.

patrick_p2p.JPG

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In what ways is a " TJ Richards-bodied 1933 Dodge Roadster " any different that any other 33 Dodge roadster?

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Very nice car !

Do you know what the more modern rear axle installed was from ?  I have a 33 Plymouth sedan with a 4.37 rear gear ratio that I would like to replace with a better ratio for cruising that will work with the original wire wheels.  I tried a mid 50's Plymouth with a 3.9 ratio but the wire wheels don't work with the 50's brake drums.

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51 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

 

In what ways is a " TJ Richards-bodied 1933 Dodge Roadster " any different that any other 33 Dodge roadster?

 

Means the body was designed and built in Australia for running gear (and possibly front sheet metal) imported from North America.

 

Not sure on Dodge, but there were no North American built roadsters in 1933 for Plymouth. Only convertible coupes (roll up windows rather than side curtains, etc.).

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7 minutes ago, TodFitch said:

 

Means the body was designed and built in Australia for running gear (and possibly front sheet metal) imported from North America.

 

Not sure on Dodge, but there were no North American built roadsters in 1933 for Plymouth. Only convertible coupes (roll up windows rather than side curtains, etc.).

You mean Cabriolets,right?

 

IMHO,the 33-34 cabriolets were the only cars made prettier than the coupes. I can see why people cheerfully pay stupid money to own one. I'd own one,maybe even two,if I had stupid money to spend.

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51 minutes ago, Reg Evans said:

Very nice car !

Do you know what the more modern rear axle installed was from ?  I have a 33 Plymouth sedan with a 4.37 rear gear ratio that I would like to replace with a better ratio for cruising that will work with the original wire wheels.  I tried a mid 50's Plymouth with a 3.9 ratio but the wire wheels don't work with the 50's brake drums.

Reg,probably a stupid question,but is there some reason you can't use your original brake drums on a 50 rear?

 

BTW,my rustbucket 33 Plymouth coupe is sitting outside right now with more modern factory mopar steel wheels bolted to it. The guy I bought it from wanted to keep the wire wheels,so I sold them back to him.

 

AFAIK,all the brake drums are original on that car,and it had wire wheels on it when it was delivered.

Edited by knuckleharley
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1 hour ago, MoparMontana said:

Hi there, I'm not much of a forum guy but wanted to share this because I think it's going to be a really exciting project on many levels.  I have been asked by a gentleman in Belgium to prepare his TJ Richards-bodied 1933 Dodge Roadster for the 2019 Peking to Paris Rally.  While remaining very original in appearance, it will be powered by a meticulously prepared 230, a T5 transmission, and a more modern rear axle to dependably concur the arduous 8,000+ mile trip.  Other than those three items the car will remain 100% period correct and unmodified in any way. Stay tuned, it going to be a bumpy ride, pun intended.

patrick_p2p.JPG

was ther ever a change to bigger tire or rims there seems to be alot of space from the top of the rear wheels to the bottom of the rear fender well also for the front wheel. In the outback country roads not being paved maybe they chnage the tires for more clearance. i know the plymouths had the optional bigger rims for when they had to go into the back country roads here in the states.

 

Rich HArtung

Desoto1939@aol.com

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33 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

Reg,probably a stupid question,but is there some reason you can't use your original brake drums on a 50 rear?

 

BTW,my rustbucket 33 Plymouth coupe is sitting outside right now with more modern factory mopar steel wheels bolted to it. The guy I bought it from wanted to keep the wire wheels,so I sold them back to him.

 

AFAIK,all the brake drums are original on that car,and it had wire wheels on it when it was delivered.

 

Yes Knuckle, the reason I couldn't use the original drums on the later rear end was due to the fact that the '33 axles are smaller in diameter than the  mid 50's. :mad:

The profile of the original wheels is much different than the later wheels so that the wire wheels were not coming in contact with the later drums where the lug nut holes are. :(

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1 hour ago, knuckleharley said:

You mean Cabriolets,right?

 

IMHO,the 33-34 cabriolets were the only cars made prettier than the coupes. I can see why people cheerfully pay stupid money to own one. I'd own one,maybe even two,if I had stupid money to spend.

I suppose other companies may have marketed that body style as a cabriolet, but the Plymouth marketing literature called it a convertible coupe and I think Chrysler was pretty consistent across its various makes in regard to naming body styles.

 

More examples: The body style that Chevrolet (and the S.A.E.) called a "coach", Ford called a Tudor and Plymouth called a "two door sedan". And what the S.A.E. called a "sedan", Ford called a Fordor and Plymouth called a "four door sedan" (not sure what Chevy called that one).

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18 minutes ago, TodFitch said:

I suppose other companies may have marketed that body style as a cabriolet, but the Plymouth marketing literature called it a convertible coupe and I think Chrysler was pretty consistent across its various makes in regard to naming body styles.

 

 

Thanks for the correction. I called it a Cabriolet because every Mopar I have seen for sale with a canvas top and rollup windows was advertised as a Cabriolet.

 

Whatever you call them,they are beautiful.

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26 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

Thanks for the correction. I called it a Cabriolet because every Mopar I have seen for sale with a canvas top and rollup windows was advertised as a Cabriolet.

 

Whatever you call them,they are beautiful.

By my understanding, I have always considered a car with-

1. a convertible top

2. no roll up side windows 

3. a windshield that is not part of the cowl

a "roadster".

 

A convertible coupe, IMO, would have roll up windows and a fixed windshield frame like my '33 Chrysler CO6 convertible coupe.

IMG_20140102_130253409.jpg

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3 hours ago, knuckleharley said:

 

In what ways is a " TJ Richards-bodied 1933 Dodge Roadster " any different that any other 33 Dodge roadster?

TJ Richards was a body builder in Australia.  They built 1933 Dodge roadsters on 1933 Dodge 111" commercial (aka 1/2 ton pickup) chassis.

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6 minutes ago, MoparMontana said:

By my understanding, I have always considered a car with-

1. a convertible top

2. no roll up side windows 

3. a windshield that is not part of the cowl

a "roadster".

 

A convertible coupe, IMO, would have roll up windows and a fixed windshield frame like my '33 Chrysler CO6 convertible coupe.

IMG_20140102_130253409.jpg

That's right,rub it in. I guess that's an unrestored original,too?

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1 hour ago, Kevinb71 said:

Hey this looks like a really interesting buildup! Please keep us up to date. Is the picture his actual car that you will be modifying? I see the UK or other plates.

Yes, the actual car. It's an older photo. The gentleman who bought it stripped it to prep for the rally. We are actually receiving it disassembled.

 

 

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4 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

That's right,rub it in. I guess that's an unrestored original,too?

No rubbing.  Just trying to clarify.  My '33 is mostly original, including the paint.  When I bought it, it had a tired 40's 218.  I drove it for several year until the 218 gave up.  I put a fresh, high compression hopped up '54 265" L-6 and overdrive in it last winter, but other than that it is still stock.

Edited by MoparMontana
typos
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17 minutes ago, MoparMontana said:

TJ Richards was a body builder in Australia.  They built 1933 Dodge roadsters on 1933 Dodge 111" commercial (aka 1/2 ton pickup) chassis.

Once again I am proven wrong. I have just been assuming the pickup (1/4 or 1/2 ton in 33?) was build on the same chassis as the cars.

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6 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

I was informed long back that the true definition of the Cabriolet as first used in European cars was a convertible that also had an inner headliner that hid the folding mechanism completely from view.

Interesting.  I'll be doing some Goolging tonight... not that it really matters.

 

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3 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

Once again I am proven wrong. I have just been assuming the pickup (1/4 or 1/2 ton in 33?) was build on the same chassis as the cars.

Very similar with some very small changes. Learning more every day. We were surprised to find this weekend when looking at several chassis back to back that the frame rails of the longer wheelbase trucks were made from heavier gauge steel than the 1/2 tons.

cooper_trucks_p2p_winnett.jpg

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