B-Watson

The correct number should be 7 638 157 - seven digits in total. Serial numbers for the U.S.-built Chrysler Royal (C28S) started at 7625001 and ended at 7657487. When he finds the number stamped on the chassis, the 7638157 number will be confirmed.

Should also point out the engine number should be on the left side of the frame. Cars with leaf springs up front had the number stamped either on the top or the side of the frame just by the left front spring's rear hanger. Models with coil springs had the number somwhere between that location on the frame and the front axle. In the 1950's the serial number was stamped on the right side of the frame just around the front hangar for the right rear leaf spring. Some have been found on the side of the frame facing the curb while a few have found it stamped on top of the frame when they removed the body. With unibody construction, as the cars no longer had a chassis frame the serial number was no stamped on the car. During the 1968 model year things changed and cars had to have the VIN, or at least partial VIN, stamped on the body, engine and transmission.

The "serial number" sounds as if it is the body number which is on a tag attached to the firewall. The chassis number (VIN and serial number amount to the same in North America) was stamped on a plate attached to the right front door hinge post from 1931 through mid-1946. It is also stamped on the chassis, right side top, just behind the front axle, if memory serves. Or just ahead of it. Another Australian member had an Australian 1940 Royal sedan with imported chassis and body by by Richards. And that was where he found the chassis number on his car.

Did some research. Ned Nickles, the man who came up with Ventiports and the Riviera hardtop, did not become a Buick stylist until after WW II. Also, the car he installed his ports with lights was his own personal 1948 Buick. Harlow Curtice, head of Buick, liked the idea of the portholes, but nixed the lights. Curtice also like the hardtop roof which came after the porthole incident. So it would be rather difficult to adopt portholes for 1940 when they weren't dreamt up until 1948. Anybody ever looked at the sides of the hood on a 1935 Plymouth DeLuxe?

It appears the writer (in the Wikipedia Buick entry) does not know what he is talking about. The portholes did not appear until 1949. Compare any 1949 to 1957 Buick with the 1941 model and you will understand what portholes are. Check with Buick. They will tell you 1949 and were called "Ventiports". The 1940-41 Buick used chrome to cover up the side hood vents, a common feature back in that era. Check the sides of the hoods on 1939 or 1940 DeSoto, 1940 LaSalle, 1940 Packard or a 1940 Pontiac. The internet is a great source of information, and sadly, also a great source of MISinformation.

I suspect the VW Golf assembly line is closer to the Chevrolet line speed. The models being produced in this plant sell in the thousands, and not hundreds of thousands as Chevrolet did. One thing is most noticeable - lots of light. Every section is well lit with both outdoor and indoor light. The Chevrolet factory appears to be a dungeon in comparison.

Your 1942 Dodge had chrome trim so it was built during the 1941 calendar year and is not a blackout model. What is stamped right after "D23" on your body plate? The nameplates on the side of the car look like "Special DeLuxe" (D23C) but the car does not have trim around the windshield nor the rear quarter windows frames. The DeLuxe was D23S. Your car is the 305th D23x 4-door sedan built and the 1084 paint code is for black. Chrysler of Canada used lacquer paint before WWII and did not adopt enamel paint until 1946. In the U.S. Plymouth adopted enamel paint during 1935 (except LA, which was 1940) while Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler it was 1939. Serial numbers for 1942 Canadian-built D23 Dodges ran from 9 681 161 through to 9 687 621 with the switch to black out at 9 685 817. Thus Chrysler of Canada built a total of 6,461 D23 models with 4,657 non-black out and 1,804 black out models built. Canadian D23S and D23C models did not have separate serial number sequences as they did in the U.S. The D23 was also built at the Plymouth plant in Detroit for export : D23S : 3 942 701 to 3 942 888 (188) Blackout started at 3 942 879 (79) D23C : 4 415 601 to 4 416 604 (1,003) Blackout started at 4 416 190 (590) The engine, if original, is a 218.0-cid 25" block flathead six. The 218 was used in Canada on Plymouth and Plymouth-based Dodges from 1940 through mid-1953 plus Dodge and Fargo ½-ton trucks. The engine number prefix should be "D23-" You car is bascially Plymouth, except for the nameplates, emblems, hood ornament and grille. Canadian Plymouths and Dodges were offered as business coupe, club coupe, 2-door sedan and 4-door sedan. The town sedan, convertible and station wagon were not built in Canada.

The first automotive application for the torque converter lockup was Packard's Ultramatic in 1949 followed by Studebaker's Automatic (built by Detroit Gear Division of Borg-Warner) in 1950. Both transmissions were dropped by 1957 although the DG transmission was used in Europe for many years. Chrysler's TC lock-up of 1978 was next. As pointed out, Chrysler's first torque converter appeared for 1951 as Fluid Torque Drive and it did not have lock-up. Plymouth's Hy-Drive was essentially FTD hooked up to a manual transmission instead of the 4-speed semi-automatic. When it comes to acceleration a torque converter beats a fluid coupling any time due to the torque multiplication. Both Chrysler's semi-automatic and GM's Hydramatic were 4-speed units while all the other transmissions using a torque converter were two or three speed with two of them being a one-speed when in Drive. (And contrary to what one "expert" in Hemmings Classic Car wrote, Buick's Dynaflow did not have a kick-down to low gear for use as a passing gear. In Drive it was truly a one speed.)

When determing the model year of an engine, only the stamped engine number is of any use. The casting numbers for the block may have been used over a number of years. So, P6*I69536* means the engine is a 1938 Plymouth engine, 201.3-cid 23" block, 3.125" bore and 4.375" stroke. 1938 Plymouth Business Six was model P7 and the DeLuxe series was P8. An industrial engine number usually started with IND.

First, why do you think the engine was built in Kew. Second, are you sure the engine is D6 and not D5. Also, Kew engines usually had KEW as part of the engine number. Kew engines were the same as the engines built in the U.S. and Canada. The D6 was a Plymouth-based Dodge that used Plymouth engines. The D6 is a 1937 model based on the P4 and used P4 engines. Have never heard of a D6 with an engine stamped D6 and not P4. The numeric sequence after the D6 shows it to be an American engine and not a Kew unit. The numbers are too high for Kew. The Canadian engine plant did not open until 1938 and prior to that engines were imported from Detroit. Thus pre-1938 Canadian-built Plymouths and Dodges used 23 inch blocks. The P4 (D6) used a 3.125 inche bore while the Dodge D5 used a 3.25 inch block. Both engines used a 4.375 inch stroke, by the way, which gave the D6-P4 engines 201.3-cid while the D5 was 217.8-cid. These engines were very popular with the 217.8 engine used into the 1950s. The D6 was built in the U.S. as well as Canada, both using Detroit-built engines. The Canadian D6 was basically a Plymouth P3 with a Dodge nose. The U.S. export D6 offered all Plymouth body styles in one series. Canadians could get a Dodge equivalent of the Plymouth P4 DeLuxe, the Canada-only Dodge D7 DeLuxe Six. The U.S. market Dodge D5 was also built in Canada as the Custom Six, D5 engine and all.

That it was. But all tooling was Australian and not American. Interesting how well the 1955-56 fenders fit the 1953-54 body!

No, Chrysler did not send any tools and dies to Brazil for the P15. Chrysler did not own a plant in Brazil until the 1960`s. The was a distributor there but that would have been a basic assembly operation of exported CKD units - no body building facilities. Chrysler had plant in Venezuela and Argentina, but both were assembly plants with no body building facilities. The first time Chrysler shipped tooling for cars to another country was the Simca Vedette to Brazil in 1963, Ford flathead V8 and all. Later in the 1960`s A body tooling appeared in a number of South American countries. Kaiser-Willys sent Kaiser tooling to Argentina and the Willys Aero and Wagon to Brazil after they were finished with the vehicles in North America. The Australian 1957-63 Chrysler Royal with its 1953 styling was also not based on tooling sent from the U.S. but on tooling done in Australia for bodies for the Australian market.

Chrysler Engineering and Chrysler marketing people were at odds when it came to model years. In the late 1920's Chrysler Engineering set the model years to roughly correspond to the calendar year. Pontiac, Studebaker, Paige / Graham-Paige, Pierce-Arrow and others followed Chrysler. However, the rest of the industry followed the model year scheme that began in the Victorian era with its social season - new models introduced in the fall. Thus the marketing people would declare that as of a certain date the cars built were now models of the new model year. In the late 1920's for Chrysler, Pontiac and Graham-Paige that change came around July 1st. The Model U Plymouth was introduced in the spring of 1929 as a 1929 model model, and on July 1st became a 1930 model (so-called first-series 1930). Pontiac did the same - the 6-28 series was introduced at the end of 1927 as a (2nd series) 1928 model and on July 1st became the 1st series 1929 model. With the B series Mopar models they became 1949 models on December 1, 1948, according to the marketing people. According to the Engineering Department, through, they were 1948 models right through to the end of production during the first / second week of February 1949. In Canada, production of the B series models ended around Christmas, 1948. Sales of the 1946-48 models in Canada were so slow the plant sat idle until the new, true, 1949 models started coming off the line in late February, 1949. If you want proof of the start of the 1949 model year, you will need to acquire a copy of the used car guides published by NADA, Blue Book, Branham's, etc. All Chrysler Corporation serial number guides follow the model years as laid out by Engineering. Chrysler Corporation used letters for its model years / series. Letters used were A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, P, R, S, T and V. The A years were 1924-25, 1942, 1965 and 1981. Combined years were 1924-25, 1946-48 and 1951-52. The only exception to the above was the 1960 Valiant which was series Q, not P. It was also car line X, and not V.

The Plymouth-based Dodge was built in the U.S. for export markets from 1936 through 1959. All U.S. Plymouth-based Dodges were built at the Plymouth plant on Lynch Road in Detroit and were offered in the same models as the Plymouth. They also used the short block flathead six - same engine as in the Plymouth. Chrysler of Canada did not build all the Plymouth models in Canada - no utility sedans, no woodie wagons, nor convertibles from 1937 through 1962. Dodge Mayfair convertibles were all built in the U.S. to U.S. specifications. Thus the 6-cylinder models used the short block engine, later V8 models used 318 V8 engine and not 313 as in Canada, and all paint colours were as offered in the U.S. Canadian Chryco cars used different colours than in the U.S. prior to 1965. The Plymouth-based DeSoto was built in the U.S. from 1937 through 1959 and in Canada from 1939 through 1959 with the exception of 1955. All were built for export. Model offerings, interiors, engines and colours were the same as the Plymouth in each country. 1937-1957 DeSoto export models placed an "S" in front of the model number. Thus the 1946-48 DeSoto Diplomat was model SP15. 1958 and 1959 Diplomats were car line F while the Dodge Kingsway and Canadian Dodge were car line E.

This one is not a limousine but an 8-passenger sedan. There is no partition with roll down glass divider behind the front seat. Limousines also had key locks on the rear doors keyed different from the front doors. In 1950 Chrysler built 763 Windsor and 375 Royal 8-passenger sedans.

A 1953 Chrysler New Yorker 331 hemi with A/C. (Chrome vent on the top of the rear fender.)

Although American-built DeSotos used the 251 from 1951 through 1954, Canadian-built DeSotos used the 251 in 1951 and the 265 engine from 1952 through 1954 (Custom sedan and club coupe in 1952 and Powermaster sedan and hardtop in 1953-54).

So much for my memory! It is a 1939 as the 1937-38 models had vents down the side of the hood. The yellow coupe is a 1937 and the sedan is a 1939 Overland, introduced after the initial 1939 models (actually, leftover 1938 models).

It's a late 1930's Willys, either 1937 or 1938. The 1939 and 1940 models had trim on the side of the hood with taillamps flush with the body. 1941 and 1942 models had the windshield wipers mounted on the cowl. Cars with vacuum dual wipers either had a single motor with cables controlling both wipers hidden from view or a motor for each wiper. Willys cars, though, had a motor on one wiper and an external arm controlling the other wiper. The 1937-38 Willys 77 had a 100" wheelbase and used a 134.2-cid flathead four. The engine was first introduced on the 1926 Whippet and was used on the Jeep through to 1967.

The 1946-48 DeSoto S-11S DeLuxe 2-door sedan (12,751 built) used a one-piece rear quarter window glass which was shared with the 1946-48 D-24S Dodge DeLuxe 2-door sedan, of which 81,399 were built. The rare one is the 1946-48 DeSoto S-11C Custom 2-door sedan which had an opening quarter vent and a smaller roll down glass (1,600). This style was also used by Chrysler Royal (1,117), Windsor (4,034), Saratoga (155) and New Yorker 545). Dodge did not offer a 2-door sedan in the Custom series.

The DeSoto Suburban was actually a 9 seater. The rear seat folded down for access from the trunk but instead of the usual two jump seats behind the driver's seats DeSoto installed a full-size seat. Actually, the middle seat was the same as the front seat and could be moved forward to increase the storage area.

P9 2DR SED : 1940 Plymouth Roadking 2-door sedan BODY #11 : 11th P9 2DR SED built (1,895 in total built at Windsor) PAINT CODE 976 : Gunmetal Metallic (dark grey) TRIM CODE AKF : Unfortunately I do not have info on Canadian trim codes before 1949. Canadian codes were letters while U.S. were numbers. In 1940 Canadian Plymouths were done in broadcloth or mohair.

Vacuum wipers were standard on Canadian-built Plymouths, Dodges and DeSotos with electric wipers optional. Electric units were standard on Chrysler. The horns, arm rests, and sun visor were all optional, either from the factory or installed by the dealer. What is on your body tag?

The Canadian-built 1940 Plymouth came in three series - P9 Roadking, P10 DeLuxe and P10S Custom. You can tell a Canadian model by the serial number (starts with 9) and the body tag on the firewall (Model No, Body No, Paint Code, Trim Code) The base Roadking came with one-piece glass in the front doors and no vent wings front and rear. It also had one windshield wiper, one sun visor (all on the driver`s side), one horn. and no arm rests on the front door. The DeLuxe added a second windshield wiper, front door vent wings, rear quarter ventilators, oil filter, and sway eliminator. The Custom added a second sun visor, a second horn, driver`s door arm rest, horn ring, ash receivers and a cigar lighter. The Canadian Dodge equivalents were D14 Kingsway, D15 DeLuxe and D15S DeLuxe Special. The line-up in 1941 was intially the same at the beginning of the model year, but mid-year a Roadking Special and Kingsway Special were added.