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1938


Guest Gman53

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Guest Gman53

I am new to this forum and have a lot of questions,  I just found and bought two cars out of a barn  , one is a 1938 dodge bothers business coupe and the other one is a 1948 plymouth club coupe  , I am not sure what they are worth or how rare they are but they was so beautiful and untouched I had to buy them  , I am wanting to know the history on them , who or where can I go to find out more about them  

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Serial number tag will be on the door hinge post. Passenger side for pre-WW2, driver side for post-WW2. Serial numbers were issued by model and assembly plant so a straight forward lookup will get you where they were built and about how far through the model year.

 

You can also send the serial numbers, proof of vehicle ownership and some money to the Chrysler Historical Collection and get copies of the “build card” for each. Information on the card varies over the years, but it should at least give you information about the configuration of the car when it left the factory, the date it was built, etc. Mine also lists the dealer my car was shipped to.

 

Edit: Typically Mopars of that era are not highly valued despite being, in my opinion, very nice cars that drive extremely well. So the market value will not be very high. Certainly less than a Ford or Chevrolet of the same year, body style and condition.

 

Chrysler got some pretty good mechanical designs early on and then kept them for many, many years. The result is that an amazing number of your repair and service parts are still available at your better local auto supply stores, though they may have to order them in from the warehouse for you. The tough items are trim as that was often one year only stuff and there is not enough demand for people to reproduce it. So a mechanically rough old Dodge or Plymouth with all of the trim items in good shape would be more valuable to me than one with a good drivetrain and missing or damage trim.

Edited by ply33 (see edit history)
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Guest Gman53

On the fire wall it has a plate that has  ( D8 8468 BC )  and a larger one above it but cant read it . 

Here are some more pictures . the 48 plymouth 

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Wow, she really cleaned up nicely.  Wish you luck getting them running and driving again.  

 

In regards to getting them running.  My suggestions, based on experience. 

 

See if the engine will turn over by hand to make sure it is not seized.  Take out the plugs and spray in a lubricant to protect the rings/piston walls, anything will do, WD40 is fine, then attempt to turn by hand.  If it turns, put in some new spark plugs and wires.

 

Drain all the old fuel out of the gas tank.  Peer inside through the filler to see if you can determine if there is rust inside.  If rust, remove the tank and have it professionally cleaned, the cost is usually less than $200.

 

Clean the carb.  In most cases there is old crusty gas in the bottom of the float chamber.

 

Drain the oil, and drop the pan.  Dollars to donuts there is a lot of gunk in the bottom of the pan that do draining will get it all out.  You do not want that gunk to get picked up and pushed through the engine.  Fill with 30wt, non detergent oil.  Change the filter if you engine has one.

 

Put in a new battery.  Turn on the power and make sure there is no electrical smoke coming from anywhere.  Turn to ignition and hit the starter button or pedal.  Do short cranks until it has fuel up to the carb.  

 

Good luck.  Keep us posted.

 

 

 

 

Edited by unimogjohn (see edit history)
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Guest Gman53

I have changed plugs and rebuilt carb and emptying the tank  tonight. She cranks over good. Just has bad fuel . 

Will try to re-fire tomorrow after I empty tank. They say there's a drain plug for tank ?  I see a weird plug in the middle of tank does it just unscrew or is there s I me trick 

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13 minutes ago, Gman53 said:

I have changed plugs and rebuilt carb and emptying the tank  tonight. She cranks over good. Just has bad fuel . 

Will try to re-fire tomorrow after I empty tank. They say there's a drain plug for tank ?  I see a weird plug in the middle of tank does it just unscrew or is there s I me trick 

If I was doing what you are doing, I would remove the gas tank and be certain it is cleaned and sealed inside prior to trying to get the car running. Chances are, you would just be pumping crud from the bottom of the tank for a while if you don't clean the tank. I would not try to remove the plug unless it has been lubricated for a few days. Then, when you actually try to take it out, try to tighten it slightly before unscrewing. That can sometimes help in breaking the rusty scale from around the drain plug.

     MAN, that '38 is a cutie!! I would also look for a couple of original wheels and caps as those Kelsey Hayes wires really do not belong there....unless you have two more.

Edited by keiser31 (see edit history)
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Guest Gman53

I think I need to empty before I pull it. If I don't bad Gas will go everywhere.  Main feed line is at the left lower side and when I loosen it that's when gas will start coming out. Guess I'll have to find a big container to hold a have tank. Well that's what the gas gauge reads. Lol. 

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We have a '38 Chrysler Royal convertible coupe in the family; it is very similar to your Dodge. The Chrysler has an overdrive which makes it a really good car on the highway. It steers easily and runs smoothly. It belongs to my brother, who inherited it from our father, who bought it in the late 1970s.

 

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Guest Gman53

Well I got the 48 plymouth club coupe running  , I drove it up and down the street . I am know just cleaning it up 

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Guest Gman53

It runs real smooth , I am getting a little smoke now , I think because I added fuel treatment to clean out carbon out of cylinders 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Gman53

Spinney , Its running great now , Fuel treatment was making it smoke a little because it was burning out the carbon build up .

Seafoam  really works great I use it in all my stuff . Now Im getting ready to put 48 for sell in about a week , i am doing the brakes now and next i start on the 1938 . I am looking for the sheet metal below the trunk, thats the only peace that needs replacing and does any one know if it is possible to match the old scuffed and fadded paint , I really want to leave the car paint the way it is . 

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  • 3 months later...
On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2016 at 11:03 PM, Gman53 said:

What is the best way to lower front end on my 1938 dodge business coupe .  

I want to keep my original front axle 

Put smaller diameter tires on the front? Or raise the back, it will make the front look lower. ;)

 

Seriously, I assume it has a straight axle with two leaf springs? You could de-arc the springs, but then you might be hitting the bump stops a lot.

Edited by r1lark (see edit history)
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Eh? Handle a little better? Please explain the thinking.

 

You might try larger wheels with lower profile tyres so they don't flex so much! Wider tyres won't help coz the steering will be very heavy at parking speeds.

 

The only handling these cars of the '30s had were window and door handles.  ;)

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The tires on the front are smaller then the rear . the handling part is I was hoping when or if I can lower about one inch it will change the king pin inclination will change just enough to make steering better when driving over 35 mph .  and yes I have checked and adjusted tie rod ends and gear box . I know this is my first 30's 

Dodge , learning a lot  , I have built a lot of vw's , I do like the old original look but want to make it ride , steer a little better  , this was my last vw I built and look forward on building the 38 to original just the front and inch lower

 

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