1940 Deluxe D14 Plymouth Equivalents!

[Aaron Mac]

Hi everyone, I have recently purchased a 1940 Dodge Deluxe D14. It is in running condition but needs a little bit of TLC. I have read that they are very similar to the 1940 Plymouths and was wondering if anyone can confirm that parts on the Plymouth P9 and P10s would work on my dodge? Some things I need to fix are the steering kingpins, brake master cylinder, and some cosmetics such as knob switches. I ask this question because I seem to find a lot more of the plymouth parts than dodge! Let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

[Andydodge]

Aaron........welcome aboard from sunny south Grafton, Australia......I have an Australian 1940 D15 Dodge 4dr Sedan, which is essentially a 1940 Plymouth with 1940 Dodge s  grille, badges & RHD dash.........with Plymouth chassis/wheelbase,, fenders,headlights,taillights, bumpers & hood...........in the USA Dodge had both a D14 and D17 series, I think the D17 was the Special, the D14 was the Deluxe.........BUT both Dodge & Plymouth had essentially the same front suspension and brake system.......kingpins will certainly interchange from 1939 to 1954 for both Dodge & Plymouth, also upper & lower A arms, spindles and stub axles will swap between Dodge & Plymouth for each individual year ...........I am not 100% certain but think that the master cylinder is the same for both 1940 Dodge & Plymouth......dash knobs will be different although the actual switches maybe the same , instruments are different between the makes..........as far as I know the D14 and D17 use the standard Dodge wheelbase which is 2" longer than the P9/P10 1940 Plymouth AND also longer than my D15 Dodge.......D15's were also made in Canada and used the same setup essentially as my 1940 Dodge.........Plymouth chassis, wheelbase, fenders BUT Dodge grille,dash,badges etc ..............so a Canadian D15 "may" also offer some parts BUT not fenders etc............the extra 2" in wheelbase was accommodated by an extra 2" in the length of the front fenders..................got any pics of your car?........we all like pics........heres a pic of my car.........had it 50 yrs this month..........regards, Andy Douglas    

[Aaron Mac]

Hi Andy and thanks for the information! I'm just starting to scrounge the depths of the internet to find all of the necessary parts. Based off what you said it sounds like most of the mechanical parts (i.e. not body panels or emblems) will interchange between the dodge and plymouths. However, I did a bit more looking and apparently my car is a D16 (model number D16SPEC4DSED, Body # 2910, Paintcode 982, and Trim Code AMD). After more research it looks like this is equivalent to the Plymouth P10. Can you confirm this? Here is a photo of my old girl. She has a unique history being used as a racecar in Alberta in the 70s (it actually came with a few trophies!). Regarding parts, where would you recommend one looks? I see RockAuto has quite a few and then there is Ebay but the prices are outrageous!

[40phil41]

That is definitely not a D14. It is the Plymouth based Dodge that Andy described. Most mechanical items and the complete dash, tail lights and headlight rims are identical to the Plymouth's. I have both a 1941 D20 (Plymouth based Dodge) and a 1940 D14 (made in Windsor but almost identical to the US D14). Note that Canadian made cars all have 25 inch long blocks, unlike the 23 in. US blocks. Enjoy your car. 

 

p.s. there are a few Canadian parts sources but you have to really dig around to find them. I use Andy Bernbaum and Roberts in the US.

 

Phil

Edited October 1, 2021 by 40phil41

[Andydodge]

Aaron........other little differences that I can see between yours & mine are the front bumper which appears to be a D14/17 USA Dodge bumper with the "dip" in the centre...my cars front bumper is a Plymouth straight bumper, also the beltline chrome moldings appear to be "smooth" in profile, whereas my cars have 4 flutes along their length, also your car has the chrome/stainless windscreen molding, the Oz 1940 Mopars(Plymouth/Dodge,DeSoto and Chrysler) only had a rubber windscreen rubber....also note that your 1940 North American Dodge & all North american 1940 Mopars have concealed front door hinges, whereas Oz cars have a slightly different Oz made body shell with exposed door hinges and front 1/4 vents that pivot at an angle, whereas US one pivot in a vertical plane...................as for parts, you may have to look in Canada for body parts......although the front & rear fenders, hood & headlights are all 1940 US Plymouth, doors maybe the same also together with the trunk lid and the frame, suspension & wheelbase........grille & front grille sheetmetal maybe different to the US D14/17 cars......how does your grille attach to the car.........with screws from the front or as mine does via screws inserted from the radiator side after opening the hood and undoing that triangular plate panel in front of the radiator to gain access to the rear of the grille?............got a rear pic?.....heres one of mine, a distinctive shaped Oz 1940 trunk lid and 1940 Plymouth tailights( the 2 piece bumper is not stock, it originally had a single full width bumper) and 2 piece rear window different to the Nth American cars...............also I widened the rear fenders by 2" front to back yrs ago to cover the 15 x 10 mags..........andyd   

[40phil41]

Aaron, What you really need in order to determine parts interchangeability is this Canadian Mopar Parts book. I found this at the Barrie automotive flea market many years ago. Not cheap but invaluable.

 

Phil

 

[Andydodge]

Phil...........thats a book I'd like also..........I've never seen any Oz mopar parts book although they must have existed..........I have various USA parts books but they generally don't have any pics, the onlyy one with pics I have is a 36-42 USA Plymouth Master Parts Book & its great for the parts on mine that are Plymouth based.............andyd

[RobertKB]

Original poster is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan according to his profile. Therefore car is almost certainly Canadian built so very similar to a Plymouth except for Dodge trim. Engine would be the 25”. Parts book and a shop manual are most valuable!

[1950 Special Deluxe]

Welcome to the group.

I am also in Saskatoon.

I have a 1950 Dodge Special Deluxe.

I have a couple of manuals for it, they are invaluable.

Using the part numbers you can use the internet and cross reference a lot of parts.

Welcome again.

Edited October 3, 2021 by 1950 Special Deluxe
Correct spelling

[Aaron Mac]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your comments! It's so cool to hear from people all over the world and get their knowledge. Much appreciated!

Phil, I have been looking for parts in Canada but unfortunately we just do not have the demographic to sustain such a unique thing. I've been using RockAuto for several smaller things (plugs, gaskets, etc). It is pretty good since it has both the 1940 Dodge D14 and the 1940 Plymouth P10! I actually just found the exact parts book you've shown for $15 online (plus $30 shipping... man living in Saskatchewan can be costly haha). I like how the book shows the various years and if the part numbers are the same. This will make it so much easier to maintain!

Andy, I am astonished by your attention to detail on the differences between our cars (straight vs dipped bumper, chrome windshield trim, etc).  I'm fortunate that the body is all there (I think haha) and I shouldn't require any panels and should be able to fix/clean the few small rust spots quite easily. My grill is attached by screws going through the front (same as yours). I do not have a rear picture of the car readily available but I'll make sure I have one for my next post! Your back end is quite a bit different. Is the two piece bumper stock from a different year? Or is that a new/rat rod kind of piece? It looks very distinct, especially with the dual exhaust. 

 

1950SpecialDeluxe, do you know if there are other groups in Saskatoon for people with old cars like ours? I don't see too many of them kicking around but it would be awesome to meet other! Also, great pic in front of the Bes!

Edited October 7, 2021 by Aaron Mac

[Andydodge]

Aaron.......when I was getting stuck into my car in the early/mid 70's I bought another 3 1940 Oz dodges for parts and while they were all bog stock, one of them had these twin bumperettes made out of the original one piece bumper and it had a recessed number plate between the bumpers.......I didn't do the recessed plate thing but decided that the twin bumpers with the dual exhaust would look o/k so I used those bumpers....I still have a spare one piece bumper if ever I decide to change it ........as for my knowledge of the little details................lol..............I've had this car since september 1971 when i bought it originally to be a spare parts car as I had a 1940 Oz Dodge Coupe...see attached pic which is of MY 1940 Dodge Coupe taken before I bought it in 1970, I was 16 and as 16yr olds do I pulled it apart and realised I needed a few parts..........I bought the 4dr sedan 18months later but as I paid only $15 but it had 6 weeks rego, was complete down to the owners and workshop manual and hubcaps I decided to restore it but then decided to hot rod it & installed the 318 Poly etc ........

..........you ask about the "attention to detail".........when I first built the car you couldn't get 1/4 vent window rubber seals so I modified VW Beetle ones...they worked o/k for years but in the late 1990's I found that Andy Bernbaums had the correct 1940 Plymouth 1/4 vent rubbers so I ordered a pair...........they arrived promptly and it wasn't till I had them and compared them to my cars 1/4 vent pivots that I realised that the Oz cars 1/4 vents actually "pivot" in a different spot to the USA cars.........mine pivot at an angle whereas the US ones pivot vertically so the holes in the rubber were in a different spot.........I couldn't bring myself to cut up these nice new 1/4 vent rubbers so they sat on the shelf for a few years.........until when I bought the 1941 Plymouth Coupe in 2007 I found it needed 1/4 vent rubbers..............lol...........after getting these rubbers I studied more closely the pics I had of US cars and the doors are different........the most obvious thing being internal door hinges whereas the Oz cars use external door hinges............so yep there are lots of little differences between the cars...........regards, andyd 

[1950 Special Deluxe]

10 hours ago, Aaron Mac said:

 

 

1950SpecialDeluxe, do you know if there are other groups in Saskatoon for people with old cars like ours? I don't see too many of them kicking around but it would be awesome to meet other! Also, great pic in front of the Bes!

When I brought my car home (it was my wife’s Great Grandmother’ s car), I joined the 

Saskatoon Antique Auto Club.

The members are very friendly and helpful with good advice.

1 of the members is a Mopar guy and owns a small garage South of the city.

We meet at the Western Development Museum on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7 pm.

I will send my info to you using the message function on here and if you are interested we can meet up there.

Neil 

[keithb7]

@Aaron Mac welcome fellow Canuck. I am in BC. There are numerous Canadians on here. I got into old Mopars about 5 years ago. In that time I have been keeping an eye out for local used parts or cars. I've amassed more than I imagined I would.  Lots of engine, powertrain parts. I have spare nose cones (front rad enclosures) for both of my '38 cars. Some spare body parts, trim. Brakes axles, diffs (3 different ratios) complete trannies, carbs, complete engines...And much more. I keep what I can store. Steel recycle the rest.  Not long ago I paid $100 for a ton of parts. I pieced apart what I wanted. I recycled the rest. I got $88 for the scrap steel amount. Net cost $12 plus my time banging stuff apart.

 

Typical wear parts? You gotta pay the piper in many instances. Getting stuff from the USA. Try and keep a running list. Maximize your order, buying several things at once. Then 1 freight bill. One-sies, two-sies here and there, the freight costs will leave you wondering how you can afford to stay in this hobby. Be patient. Scour local classifieds.  If you can store stuff, buy low. 

[Aaron Mac]

Andy, here is a photo of the back side of my dodge. I think that's awesome that you've managed to keep you cars for decades. The more I look at our two cars the most differences I can see. Based of what you and Keith have mentioned it sounds like I will be better of buying a parts car (or two). Unfortunately I don't have the room for that right now but that will be the most cost effective moving forward. 

 

Keith, where do you look for these parts cars? Is it word of mouth or are you using a certain website (or maybe on here)? You're 100% correct that ordering in bulk is key but as I dig more and more into the car I find more things I need to fix and I just want to get this car in top shape as quickly as possible!

 

[Andydodge]

Aaron...best thing that I can suggest is to make a list of what parts you need then try to work out what cars have these parts, ie, your front & rear fenders, hood headlights and tailights are all 1940 USA Plymouth, however the Canadian 1940 Dodge as yours is also uses these parts...........things like most if not all the steering & suspension parts should be the same between 1940 Dodge & Plymouth and even some later parts will interchange........I've just imported a pair of reproduction 1940/41 Plymouth running boards which will fit my 1940 Oz Dodge as it has the same wheelbase as the USA 1940/41 Plymouth.......so make a list of what you need or would like and we'll see what we can suggest........also keep checking ebay............I do a search thru US ebay under 1940 Dodge every couple of weeks just to see whats available.........mostly not much or a heap of late model SUV crap that somehow gets listed under 1940 Dodge  but occasionally I have a win................

....................about 2 years ago I saw a listing for a 1940 Dodge Grille Crankhole Cover.......my car never came with its crank hole cover, in fact I had never seen one nor even knew that one existed till this particular one was listed on USA ebay............it was about $30 but with shipping that doubled and I was a little short of funds at that time........so I let it go...........anyway a few weeks later the damn thing is on ebay again........funds had improved, I bought it, think it ended up costing about $40-50 US and with postage to Oz it ended up being about $120.00Australian......BUT it is in perfect condition, fitted perfectly and is the ONLY one I know of here in Oz.......lol...........I also drilled a little hole in the rear of it and attached a piece of wire that goes to a hidden bolt.......even if it comes loose its not going anywhere............so my 1940 Dodge is a little more complete........lol...........so make a list and you never know where or when things may turn up............andyd 

[keithb7]

Aaron I have had luck obtaining leads through several sources.

 

I get my car out cruising a lot. Local unorganized weekly car meets. I’ve met a few guys there with old Mopar parts “out in the back behind their shed” sort of stuff. Been sitting for years.  People come up to me to talk about my old car. Leads appear. 
 

Join a local vintage car club. Members will learn of your keen interest in getting your old car fixed up. Stuff starts to be presented to you. Members offering parts and or cars. 
 

Go to regional car shows. Speak to the flathead Mopar guys. Network. Get to know them and their cars a little. Ask about spare parts or car leads. 
 

Keep en eye on Kijiji. Set up searches so you are notified when parts or cars are listed for sale. 
 

Keep a keen eye on regional Facebook market place ads. Again set up and search key words and get notifications. “Flathead” is a good key search word for finding old Mopars and parts. This source is a big one. Facebook is painful, but many sellers list cars and parts on there. 

When driving anywhere, keep looking. You’ll sometimes see them laying in waste beside a barn or parked in fields. Rotting. 
 

You’ll definitely find guys dreaming of big dollar signs. Trying to sell old Mopar cars and parts for big bucks. I’ll present offers to them, if they snap back sharply I just move on. They made tons and tons of these cars. There are many sitting in fields rotting.  
 

These Mopars are not early flathead Ford Coupes. There’s no need to pay through the nose for spare parts or cars. If you are patient…. If you are in a hurry, yes expect to spend a lot more. 

For encouragement here are a couple of  loads I brought home. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by keithb7