new here with a '50 dodge business coupe

[derek_m]

hey guys, new here. my names derek and i'm outside of buffalo new york.

 

i have a 1950 dodge wayfarer business coupe. has some meadowbrook bits and pieces....230 flathead 6 with the 3 speed....which im still figuring out how to drive...haha.

 

i traded a ford project i was building for the car....im happy with the deal.

 

i got the car yesterday but have already started tinkering with it. i've swapped the 2" rear blocks with 3" blocks and pulled a couple leafs out of the rear leafpacks.

 

next i plan to relocate the spring pockets on the front control arms to lower the front...then ill decide if the back needs to change again at all.

 

still have a month or so before the weather is decent to start driving around so ill have to get it out and adjust the brakes and whatnot then....

 

ill have plenty of questions!!!

 

heres the car yesterday after getting it home:

 

 

 

 

and after i started changing the ride height today, this is with a couple leafs removed and 3" blocks in rear:

 

and this is the ford project i traded for the car:

 

[Lumpy]

Good trade....even if the Ford did have the flathead V8. Wish Mopar had made one.

 

I like the looks of the car. I'm also very glad you appreciate the flathead six. I love the one in my 1948 and wouldn't trade it for anything else. Well...maybe a Chrysler flathead straight eight!

 

How is the engine set up? Stock, dual carbs, ?? Any goodies under the hood?

 

Very nice car, enjoy!

 

ken.

[deathbound]

Welcome to the forum from sunny & dry So Cal. Dig your car a lot. I originally went the same route lowering the rear....stock springs w/3" blocks (without removing any leafs....yet), but didn't like the scrub line issues. I ordered & eventually installed 3" rear lowering springs from Posies & the car didn't quite sit as low as it did with the 75+ year old sagging springs with 3" blocks. I removed a couple leafs.....still not low enough (for MY taste), so I cut down the 3" blocks to 1" & installed them. Now it's where I want it. For the fronts, I went with custom made leaf springs (since my originals were no good) & after removing a couple leafs from them, it sits better....again, MY opinion. Oh yeah, glad you spell your name the right way....it's mine also!

Edited February 24, 2014 by deathbound

[derek_m]

Thanks guys.

Ken, the flathead sounds pretty cool straight piped through the lake pipes! From what I can tell the engine is pretty much stock. Single carb setup, stock manifolds. It runs pretty good, was rebuilt a few years ago. Car is still 6v setup.

Derek, awesome name! There is no other way to spell it haha. One thing I'm having a hard time with though is finding parts for these....any suggestions?

[BobT-47P15]

Derek....nice car.  O'Reilly Auto Parts, NAPA, and other  regular auto stores will probably have some few mechanical

parts like maybe fuel pumps and such.  E bay is a good source, although the prices have jumped in the past few

years.  There are still some decent buys on there.....just have to read the ads carefully.  Also places like Andy

Bernbaum, an advertiser on here, who specialize in old car parts.    Also buy a copy of Hemmings Motor News and

read thru their ads for services as well as parts for your brand.  You might make yourself a list and add to it as

other sources come to light.   

 

As  you may know by now.........the Wayfarer was Dodge's cheapest model in the years it was made.

But, they are cool.  If you have not purchased a Repair/Service Manual and a Parts Manual, you 

should do that real soon.  If you can't find original books, there should be reprints available.

Edited February 24, 2014 by BobT-47P15

[Frank Elder]

Good trade....even if the Ford did have the flathead V8. Wish Mopar had made one.

 

 

Why? Just curious.......

[Plymouthy Adams]

Chrysler did have the flathead V8...matter of fact they cast the last of the Ford flatheads v8's in the early 70's

[50desotocoupe]

Wow, looks like a very clean and complete car.  Score!!

[mrwrstory]

Very cool!  One of my faves.  Welcome.  And, keep the pics coming.

[Lumpy]

I just meant that the Ford truck would have been very cool, because it had the flathead 8. But I would rather have Dodge for sure. I was not disrespecting the Ford flathead V8. !!! 

 

Oh, and...nice interior. I'm jealous....Lumpy has no interior. !!!

 

I bet it does sound good. After trying three different mufflers, I've decided to run a straight pipe, no muffler, all the way out to the back.

 

ken.

Edited February 24, 2014 by Lumpy

[papajohn]

Derek-

 

Nice trade!  I have seen this car in person several times (I live in Orchard Park) and always thought it was pretty sharp.

 

I also have a dodge business coupe, 1949.  its still in project stage and I keep going back and forth on keeping it or selling it.  Mine also has the flat six but I picked up a T5 that i hope to put in it if I keep it. I also like them LOWWWW.....  Currently have 3" blocks, but not low enough. It may be the first car that I air bag (rear only).

 

 

[Daliant.]

Welcome aboard Derek

 

I've seen that car around before but I cant quite remember where or when, nice looking cruiser.

[Tim Keith]

I wish that one of my business coupes looked at good as that

[Losthope]

Really like that color combo on that car, some chrome trim rings and dog dish caps and youll be good to go! Looks like you did good on the trade.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Losthope

[kented]

Awesome! Color combo is pretty badass. More business coupes on the page is great.

[knuckleharley]

Chrysler did have the flathead V8...matter of fact they cast the last of the Ford flatheads v8's in the early 70's

Really? When was this,and what was it used in?

[Lumpy]

I wonder if the Chrysler castings did not crack between the valve seats? I used to work in a foundry, and we used to melt down engine blocks for iron/steel. A friend of mine needed a block for his '50 Ford, because the block was cracked between the valve seats, and the boss said he could come out and get one. Boy, we had to look at a couple of dozen blocks before we found one without the cracks.

 

Just an off topic thoght. Sorry.

 

k.

[derek_m]

Thank you everyone! Papajohn, I am in Pendleton about 30 minutes north of you. That car looks like its in pretty good shape.

Thanks for the input guys. I'll have plenty of questions as I spend more time working on the car

[Dan Hiebert]

Welcome to the forum!  We live "across the street" from each other - I live in Wheatfield. 

[doctor dirt]

Welcome to the forum, I think you did a great trade for a great looking 3 window coupe. I am bias as hell!!!

 

Meant ask this a vfew months ago to anyone upstate New York areas, theres a 49 or 50 business coupe in a garage up in that area with a 413cu.in and a 727 trans. that is owned by a nice woman who's husband built two coupes one for each of them. He passed away and his coupe was being rewired and a few other needs he was working on when he passed. Does anyone know of this 413 Coupe For Sale, I spoke to her and I think she was hoping for 8 grand at the time. About 7 months back!

 

sorry to high jack your thread Dereck, I know it was on craigslist back then, any ideas?

 

 

 

ps that Maroon color looks great on your coupe hahaha..........Doc

Edited February 27, 2014 by doctor dirt

[fstfish66]

love it  very  kool, nice looking  interior,,

[southbound dee]

I put 3" blocks on my ride and it seem like the shocks where almost bottomed out and the drive shaft was almost touching the tunnel. Did you have any issues like this? And what size tires do you have?