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1938 or 1939 dodge coupe


Guest hotrodchic

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Guest hotrodchic

hi, i'm new and wondering if anyone can help me?

i have a 1938 dodge coupe the ownership says 38 and the numbers match,

but it looks like a 39, help!!!!

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Guest hotrodchic

the number on the door post matches the ownership, which has 38, and

the car is still all original. the last time it seen the road was 1961. it sat for

over 20 years till i got it . is there any place that i can look to verfiy that it

a 39 or 38?? cause as far as the numbers go its a 38. i was told by a 39

owner that it is an american 38. he said that dodge put out 39's in 38. i

don't know if this helps, but here's a couple more pics to show that it is still

all original, the flames were just for halloween decorations it has never been

redone.

i know i sound crazy but i appreciate any feedback

thanks for your time

rose

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What is the serial number on the body and the serial number of the motor (located on the forward side of the block under the head. These should help determine the year. Some cars were titled in year sold and not the model year.

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The 1939 Dodge was introduced in Oct. 1938. Many states still registered cars based on the calander year rather than the production series at that time, as the practice of fall introductions was still relatively new.

Plus street rods are often titled as whatever the builder said it was at the title office. If you go around checking street rod web sites you'll notice about 1 in 20 have the year of manufacure wrong, and about 1 in 2-300 don't even have the correct original manufacturer on the title. In other words in the street rod hobby it's a relatively common thing to have a 1938 Terraplane titled as a 1939 Chevy that it in no way resembles. Hupmobiles are titled as Hudsons about 1/2 the time!

The year on a car's title is by no means the last word on what a car is, especially for a street rod. If you post the serial number here, and it hasn't been changed or tampered with, then it can be matched against the proper records.

Here are 2 examples of correctly identified Dodge street rods to compare to your car:

1938 Dodge street rod: Jay Leno's Garage - 1938 Dodge Business Coupe

1939 Dodge street rod: http://www.sellmyride.com/Dodge/Dodge-coupe-479.html

Edited by Dave@Moon (see edit history)
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Guest hotrodchic

on the ownership it says vin #9418888 that's the # on the door post, and i'll check the one around the engine, but it's dark, i'll try to take some photos of the tags tomorrow .

The 1939 Dodge was introduced in Oct. 1938. Many states still registered cars based on the calander year rather than the production series at that time, as the practice of fall introductions was still relatively new.

ps. so it could be possible that mine is a 39 but it came out early making

it just a 38 on paper???

this is great info, you guys are GREAT!!!!!

thanks a bunch

rose

Edited by hotrodchic (see edit history)
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on the ownership it says vin #9418888 that's the # on the door post, and i'll check the one around the engine, but it's dark, i'll try to take some photos of the tags tomorrow .

The 1939 Dodge was introduced in Oct. 1938. Many states still registered cars based on the calander year rather than the production series at that time, as the practice of fall introductions was still relatively new.

ps. so it could be possible that mine is a 39 but it came out early making

it just a 38 on paper???

this is great info, you guys are GREAT!!!!!

thanks a bunch

rose

Yes, that could be it exactly. For a "build sheet" you can go to the Chrysler Museum website and they will send you an exact copy if you send them the serial number on the door post and $45.00. It will tell you who ordered it and when it was built and what colors/trim it came with.

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The pictures above are for the D12 & 13 not the D11. The serial number based on Chrysler data is a D11 which was built in Canada and the US.

Well o.k.....it could be Canadian, but if the guy will be searching for parts, he will have to go with 1939 Dodge parts, not 1938.

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The 1939 Dodge was introduced in Oct. 1938. Many states still registered cars based on the calander year rather than the production series at that time, as the practice of fall introductions was still relatively new.

Plus street rods are often titled as whatever the builder said it was at the title office. If you go around checking street rod web sites you'll notice about 1 in 20 have the year of manufacure wrong, and about 1 in 2-300 don't even have the correct original manufacturer on the title. In other words in the street rod hobby it's a relatively common thing to have a 1938 Terraplane titled as a 1939 Chevy that it in no way resembles. Hupmobiles are titled as Hudsons about 1/2 the time!

The year on a car's title is by no means the last word on what a car is, especially for a street rod. If you post the serial number here, and it hasn't been changed or tampered with, then it can be matched against the proper records.

479.html

The car is clearly not a street rod. Just an old stocker with some flames painted on it, as he stated, for Halloween.

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Guest hotrodchic

on the engine the # is D11c3348 on the door post was #9418888 that number

is on the ownership, i also found a tag located on the firewall with model # D11CPE, body #100, and paint code 1525, trim code amh. i not sure if these are all

correct cause some of the #'s are hard to see.

photo #1 engine block

photo #2 firewall

photo #3 door pilar

does any of these #'s help??

thanks again

rose

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