38 dodge Alick's 1938 Dodge

[sidevalvepete]

Hi All from New Zealand. First post but a several times browser. Thought I should make myself known. I am a 60+ year old dairy farmer from nz. I have been the owner of a 1938 Dodge D9 sedan since buying it off my grandfather Alick in 1981. He had bought it new in 1938 and decided to stop driving and tender the vehicle so he wouldn't be tempted to change his mind. It was drivable, which I enjoyed for a couple of years and then started a what has come to be 35 year project of putting it back to a pretty new condition. It sat around in bits for many years as marriage, family, cows, farming and numerous interrelated projects all came before my old car disease. A restart to the project began in earnest in 2006 when I pulled out the detached and disassembled body from my workshop and took it to a friend who had a small local garage and panel shop. We agreed that his old timer panel man would start and continue the panel repairs when he had quiet periods and I had a few dollars spare. Fast forward nearly 15 years and here we are. At times it sat with no progress as his business ebbed and flowed and the same with my and my wife's farming business. It has ended up a bigger project than I ever imagined but I have enjoyed the ride. Heaps of time sourcing parts here and overseas and meeting lots of old car folks in the process. It will be a complete rebuild but not concours at all. I have tried to keep it period correct as much as possible but haven't gone to the extent of original bolts,nuts etc. Also the export D9 didn't have two taillights, a radio,  a clock or two wipers. It was a pretty basic car. I have found these items and restored them all to give it a little more detail. Started the rebuilt motor for the first time since disassembly many years ago last September. Great moment!!! Hope to be finished in a month or two......thought that a few times over the years though. Lockdown has slowed things too.  Anyway, just thought I should make myself known. Hope you are all doing ok in this current situation. Best wishes to the old car folks out there.

[P15-D24]

Welcome to the site!

[Andydodge]

Pete, welcome aboard, these guys know their stuff.........pics........we all love pics..............regards, andyd

[RobertKB]

Welcome. Great looking car. We all love pictures so a few more would be appreciated! ?

[DJK]

Welcome, looks great.

[sidevalvepete]

A few more pics. First one shows me picking the car up from Grandad Alick in 1981. He was 84 and I was 22. I look way more like him now. The others show 1980s to nearly now. Have lots of pics. If anyone wants specific details I could see if I have relevant photos etc.

[John Reddie]

Hello and welcome. Great looking Dodge and a rare flat back too. Thanks for posting the photos.

John R

[Stargrinder]

Beautiful car.  I know you are proud of what it has become.

[Worden18]

Welcome! And awesome car/story.  Please keep us updated ?

[sidevalvepete]

Wondering if anyone has seen or has available for sale one of these taillight lenses. Original part no. 670632 from the 1938 Parts Book. Would also fit the Plymouth of 1937-38. It is glass and half red, half yellow ie: operates indicators from the taillights. Genuine option for 1938! I have one lens as pictured and would love another.  Have put ad in classifieds.

The D9 Dodge is smaller than the D8. Same as the Plymouth of that year but with all the Dodge trim. Of course for New Zealand, this one is right hand drive. Which means push button starter on dash, not foot operated like the left hand drive vehicle. This also meant it was a problem fitting a period heater and radio at the same time. Ended up having to rebound the gear stick to stop it hitting the heater when in reverse and 2nd gear.

[sidevalvepete]

Should have read " rebend the gear stick ", not rebound

[keithb7]

Great car! Welcome to the forum. Your car is very similar to my 38 Plymouth. Your new paint looks fantastic. I've love to see some more pics of how it looks today from the front and side angles. Any interior and engine bay photos as it sits, assembled, would also satisfy many of us here. Heck, any photos at all! Anything you want to share with and tell us about will due just fine. Thanks for joining us here. - Keith

[sidevalvepete]

[sidevalvepete]

Recent pics when fitting for gap adjustment before final paint on some front panels. Also found a clock which have fitted to glovebox door. Will take some more of interior

[Merle Coggins]

17 hours ago, sidevalvepete said:

The D9 Dodge is smaller than the D8. Same as the Plymouth of that year but with all the Dodge trim. 

 

14 hours ago, keithb7 said:

 Your car is very similar to my 38 Plymouth. 

 

So, apparently this is another case of a re-branded Plymouth for the export market? Like the D25's (a.k.a re-branded P15's)

[1949 Wraith]

20 hours ago, sidevalvepete said:

Wondering if anyone has seen or has available for sale one of these taillight lenses. Original part no. 670632 from the 1938 Parts Book. Would also fit the Plymouth of 1937-38. It is glass and half red, half yellow ie: operates indicators from the taillights. Genuine option for 1938! I have one lens as pictured and would love another.  Have put ad in classifieds.

The D9 Dodge is smaller than the D8. Same as the Plymouth of that year but with all the Dodge trim. Of course for New Zealand, this one is right hand drive. Which means push button starter on dash, not foot operated like the left hand drive vehicle. This also meant it was a problem fitting a period heater and radio at the same time. Ended up having to rebound the gear stick to stop it hitting the heater when in reverse and 2nd gear.

I have the 1938 Canadian D10. Mine originally only came with the single rear light. I was able to find the matching light and lense and base on Ebay.

[sidevalvepete]

I suppose you could say that. The D9 seems to share the Plymouth body. It has the same wheelbase so that also applies to the chassis. It doesn't have the split front door windows like the D8. It does have the same nose cone and all the badges and also the front guards/lights as well as rear lights. Also has the D8 interior trim and dash assembly.

But then this also applies right across the Chrysler Corporation vehicles.  Chrysler shares many of the same parts with Plymouth, Dodge and DeSoto. Let alone the different versions around left and right hand drive over all their product lines. According to engine and body numbers this vehicle was made in the United States,  not Canada. It cost Alick £449 in 1938. The equivalent of about US$899.00.

[sidevalvepete]

No car in the pic but it was a real nice autumn morning anyway. This is where Alick was born in 1897 and lived until retirement in town in 1955 - save for three years on the Western Front during WW1.

[sidevalvepete]

[Andydodge]

Pete........thats some real nice woodgraining......whoever did that did a fine job.......as for the yanks commenting about the variations that mother mopar inflicted on the non US market, my 1940 Oz assembled & made Dodge is a classic case............Plymouth chassis, Oz made body shell in the Plymouth vein with Plymouth fenders, hood, head & tailights, bumpers & steering wheel but Dodge badges, grille and dash and other odds & sods........as far as I'm concerned its a Dodge as yours is......nice body colour also..........andyd    

[sidevalvepete]

Some pics of the interior. Have started to install the period heater/defroster, Philco radio and glovebox door clock. Wiring loom still to come. Heater still needs it's bright trim refitted and knobs also. Pressure tested the core and had to put new bearing in fan and upgrade the perished wiring. Radio was bought including the control head off ebay about five years ago and I had a local vintage radio enthusiast  restore it. Was intact but missing some valves and needed replacement capacitors and some other components that I am not up to skill-wise. Radio is  back to original and only AM.  Putting in a hidden FM radio/CD player that can operate off bluetooth separately wired with hidden antenna that is completely separate from the six volt radio. Pictures to come.

Have nickel plated the interior brightware and chrome plated the exterior. Radio and heater a tight fit on the right hand drive vehicle.  Also woodgrained the ashtray in back of front seat and all of the garnish mouldings. Seats are in cowhide leather as close to original color as could be matched. This car had the leather option from new. The paint was matched as close as possible to a couple of pieces of body that revealed original paint when disassembled. It had a metallic sheen to it as seen in the picture of the partly dismantled radiator surround. More original paint was found in the underside of the cowl vent. Have kept it 6 volt. Also added and plumbed a modern oil filter seen near the fuel pump.

Upholstery done by local craftsman. Also carburetor rebuild. I live in a small community in a country of 5 million but there are some really great old car enthusiasts and craftsmen. One guy specializes in resigning hubcaps, another does beautiful reglassing of the badge emblems. I have met some great people in this long journey.

Still a little bit more to paint around the front clip and the wiring loom and also the front end chrome. Will post more pictures when more is done.

 

[Worden18]

Your restore is absolutely fantastic!  And fascinating.  I'm always amazed at what levels of work people are capable of.  What an inspiration!  Great work ?

[Go Fleiter]

simply beautiful!

The car and the story!

Greetings from Düsseldorf!

Go

[tub1]

wow what a wonderful restoration job , I hope you use the car lots when its done

[sidevalvepete]

The car was purchased new on 31st October 1938 from Newton King Ltd, the local Chrysler dealership. It cost NZ£449.0.0 - that's the equivalent of about US$898 and probably included some registration fees. I haven't found the original receipt etc but it may turn up in heaps of Grandfather's papers still on the property. I do have the original insurance company policy dated the same day recording the purchase price and vehicle identification numbers which confirm that it still has the original engine.

Serial number from tag on door pillar is 3926960 and the engine number is

DP6262847.  So I presume it is the P6 motor with the D stamped in front to signify it as a Dodge allocated powertrain. I have read that there are Chrysler Corporation Build Cards out there somewhere that can give specific information about individual vehicles. Does anyone know how to access these?

This week I hope to go to the local electroplaters and pick up some grille pieces. Will post some pics if this eventuates.