My big fat Canadian intro post.

[Old Ray]

I’m not sure if it is required to do an intro but some forums get bent out of shape if you don’t so here it is.

 

I have been a car guy since my mother took me off pabulum and I started reading the little hot rod car magazines and then Tom McCall in Mechanics Illustrated. I took a mechanics apprenticeship after high school at the local Ford dealer then had my own shop for 4 years and one day in the winter I had a farmers one ton up on the hoist full of frozen cow poop, well it didn’t stay frozen for long, and as this brown cold water started running down my neck and I decided that this was a good time to look into other career opportunities. 

 

There where no auto parts store in town so I opened the first one and ran it for 22 years.  I am now retired and for something to do have a used book store open half days which leaves the other half for car building.

 

My shop truck project should be completed this summer and I should have a project to rationalize having it so I was considering rebuilding a 1953 Dodge wagon that I acquired many years ago, so I have started the research and development stage of the build. Only problem is that there is a lot of information to read on here and after 12 pages of lurking as a guest you have to wait a day before you can search as a guest again, so I signed up. Might be a short delay in actual construction as I was doing an ice cream truck for my Son’s Gelato store that was on hold and now I have to finish.

 

Interesting reading, if I have this right, that Canadian Dodges, at least the low costs ones, where actually Plymouths with Dodge front ends, weird. The wagon is branded Dodge front and rear with Savoy front fender badges; there is another wagon the same in Quebec so I am guessing it is a Canadian thing.

 

,

 

Shop truck

[adminstrator_p15d24ph]

Welcome to the forum, pretty sure we have other members in the BC area.

[Don Coatney]

Welcome aboard and thanks for the intro. The poop story gave me a good laugh....

[Merle Coggins]

I've had my share of crappy jobs, some very similar to that. I don't blame you for your career change.

Welcome to our "little" family.

[RobertKB]

Welcome to the best forum going. Lots of Canadians on the forum. I live in Lethbridge, Alberta, but there are forum members here from most provinces. Sounds like your Dodge will be an interesting build. The Canadian built Dodges were really Plymouths with a few Dodge parts thrown on to make them look a bit different. My '48 Dodge D25 Coupe and '51 Dodge D39 business coupe are both really Plymouths but with Dodge trim. Same dashes as well. I do have a '53 Plymouth also.

[T120]

Welcome to the forum,Ray.I also am in southern Alberta.Hope to make it over to the Columbia Classic Car Show out your way someday...

Maybe this will be the year

Edited February 4, 2013 by Ralph D25cpe

[BobT-47P15]

Welcome Ray.  Good intro.  We don't jump on a newbie with no intro here quite as hard as they do on the HAMB.

 

But, I think it's a good thing so everyone will know at least a little about new incoming members. 

Yes, I believe many U.S. Plymouth parts will fit your Dodge wagon.    

[B-Watson]

To help fill in a bit about the "Canadian" Dodges, they were also built in Detroit for export to Europe, Asia, South America, Africa, and Hawaii.  Chrysler of Canada also built these cars for export to various countries around the world.  Outside of Canada, the export Dodges were known as Dodge Kingsway. 

 

The 1953-54 "Canadian" Dodges used the same front end as the U.S. Dodge hardtops, convertibles and wagons, which were all on the same 114" wheelbase as the Plymouth and Canadian/Kingsway Dodge.  So that might help in the search front clip parts.  The rest of the car, with the exception of the engine, is the same as the Plymouth.  The Canadian Plymouth and Dodge used the 25" block flathead six and not the 23" as used in the U.S.

 

When the 1953 models were first introduced, the Canadian Plymouth and Dodge used a 218.1-cid flathead six.  (3-3/8" bore and 4-1/16" stroke).  In April, 1953, the stroke was increased to 4-1/4" for 228.0-cid.   The larger engine began at serial number 97,518,390 for the Crusader models (D43-1) and 98,060,370 for the Regent models (D43-2).   At about the same type, Dodge introduced the new D43-3 Mayfair series in sedan and hardtop models.  All D43-3 models used the 228.0-cid engine.

 

The "Savoy" name, by the way, was used on the upscale Suburban models from 1951 through 1953 in both Plymouth and Dodge 
 

[Old Ray]

Thank you everyone for your nice replies.

 

And thanks Bill for the information, I feel humbled by your knowledge, I know all the manufactures did some of this body parts swapping around between car lines but I had never seen a completely homogenized car rebranded as another one before.

 

I haven’t had much to do with Mopar products, other then owning in the early sixties a sweet 1956 Plymouth (black / turquoise) two door hardtop that someone (Reid Madson) had put a ’59 sport fury 318 (?) engine in.

 

As far as a Savoy being an “upscale” model; ......is that the same thing as a homeless person having a shopping cart and thinks he owns a condo?