37 Desoto slightly OT

[BeBop138]

I have a good buddy that is looking for any good body parts for a 37 Desoto 4 DR convertible. I sent him to the Desoto forum, but it doesn`t hurt to ask here................thanks.......Lee

[Young Ed]

With something that rare he better ask everywhere and anywhere.

[John Reddie]

According to the old timers car gallery, only 426 of these 4 door convertibles were made. I am sure that many parts from sedans and coupes are interchangeable but if your friend needs parts like a top frame or parts restricted to this particular model, it may be a challenge. Best of luck. This is a great rare care car:).

John R

[Andydodge]

The Standard Catalog of Chrysler lists 426 also.......I'd also suggest posting on the HAMB if not already done so........andyd

[BeBop138]

He did mention rear fenders and any NOS parts.......Lee

[B-Watson]

According to the old timers car gallery, only 426 of these 4 door convertibles were made. I am sure that many parts from sedans and coupes are interchangeable but if your friend needs parts like a top frame or parts restricted to this particular model, it may be a challenge. Best of luck. This is a great rare care car:).

John R

Actually, little is interchangable between the convertible sedan body and the other models. Chrysler Corporation's 4-door convertibles were literally engineered from scratch to produce a body stiff enough to survive without an upper structure for support. The front cowl and windshield was shared with the convertible coupe, while the front hood and fenders as well as the rear fenders were shared with the other models.

Chrysler and Briggs built the sedans and coupes for the four Mopar makes, but the 1937-39 convertibles were built by Murray. Doors, glass, and body sheet metal are unique to the convertible sedan. The one good thing is that all convertible sedans shared the same doors and sheet metal.

Murray built 1,866 convertible sedans in 1937 for Dodge (473), DeSoto (426), Chrysler Royal (652) and Chrysler Imperial (325), with another 510 for 1938. The convertible sedan was used again for 1939 with a new cowl and two-piece windshield (again shared with the convertible coupe) with a total of 400 built - 387 Plymouths and 13 export Plymouth-based Dodges. All 1937-39 convertible sedans were built in the U.S.

[RobertKB]

I once owned a very rough '37 Desoto sedan. I bought it because it had an overdrive transmission in it. Car was very rough but I still got a decent price when I sold it as they are hard to come by. A fellow bought it so he could combine it with another sedan he had to make one decent car.

Edited November 16, 2011 by RobertKB
Grammar

[Andydodge]

And just to upset the applecart............lol.........T J Richards the Chrysler body builders here in Oz built at least one 1939 Plymouth Roadster Ute....I had the remains of it, it used a set of windscreen posts & frame from the Oz 1936 Roadsters........and the other pic is my Oz factory built 1940 Dodge Coupe, these were based on a 4dr sedan & made up at the TJR factory........andyd

[Desotodav]

Andy, your photos look very similar to the coupe that I saw advertised as a 36 Desoto for something like $40k around here about 12-18 months ago.

Desotodav