Scott Bonesteel

Plymouth in 34 offered both an add on trunk and a trunk rack, even with dual sidemounts. My 34 PE came originally equipped with dual sidemounts and a trunk rack. One of these days I will paint the trunk I have for the rack and use it for long trips.

Confirming again, 39 Plymouth. The square headlights are a giveaway.

Your wheels are 17", twelve hole artillery wheels, often found on express/panels. The caps are the same as on the 16", ten hole artillery wheels for 35 and 36. The 34 caps will not fit these wheels as the attachment is totally different, spring clips are on the caps instead of being on the wheels like yours/35/36. See attached photos, showing front and back, the Mopar stamp found on the inside center, and a cap mounted on a 16", ten hole wheel.

Keep in mind that the truck hubcaps are different from the car hubcaps, 'Dodge' logo is different, has a band around the entire word. Will send you a photo if you want/need one to assist in your search.

On the cars that I have 'streetrodded', they were all cars that restorers had rejected because they were either 'too far gone' in the eyes of the restoration folks or were models that were not rare or that did not have that much appeal. Keeping in mind that my cars, if modified, are always 95% stock looking and are not 'chop it and shove a hemi in it' types, one thing I have ALWAYS done is make my modifications totally reversible and, accordingly, I have saved the original parts so that a future owner can bring the car back to totally stock if so desired. In addition, I have gone so far as to stamp parts with something like 'NON-ORIGINAL, INSTALLED 20__' so that a future owner knows what is original and what is not. (e.g., attached photo of a so-stamped, additional brace I added to the x-member of one of my 34s). While all of this does not make me a source of spare parts, I think I am doing my part to make sure that these cars are not butchered and are available for future restoration if deemed appropriate. We're all in this together folks... .

Thanks to dep5 for pointing out this exception. Neither of my two 'bibles' on 34 Plymouths, the March-April 1988 Plymouth Bulletin from the Plymouth Owners Club (at that point the '4&6 Cylinder Owners Club') nor the November 1976 WPC News, both of which are dedicated to the 1934 Plymouth, while pointing out the other distinctions of the PG models, point this out. Having found that picture (submitted in my prior post) of a coupe with the 'swing out' style windshield, I went to my various parts books. The September 1934 Plymouth Parts Manual lists the 'crank out' style windshield parts only as PE or PF, and there is a separate listing for the PG frame. In addition, there is a separate section of exclusively PG windshield parts and this includes the swing arms seen in the photo and on your frame as part #450196. Interestingly, all of the parts in this section are specifically listed as "parts not previously used on Plymouth cars." HOWEVER, when you check the Plymouth Master Parts List "for all Models Prior to 1934", published in 1934, you find that 450196 is the part number for the windshield swing arms for the PC and PD models, i.e., 1933. In addition, the later Plymouth Master Parts List for 1929-1939 lists the 450196 arm as fitting PC, PD and PG models. Learn something every day... . SMB

I believe that is an exception. The PG was released as a 'cheapo' 34 Plymouth. It had no glove box in the dash, no chrome headlights and also no independent front suspension (using instead a beam axle). I will look a little further but the attached purports to be a PG coupe and the swing out side windshield brackets can be seen in the photo. There were only coupes and 2-door sedans made (with a handful, I believe about 20) four-door sedans.

Like a lot of other things, it depends. The commercial sedan (what a lot of folks call a sedan delivery) has basically the same front sheet metal in 34 as it had in 33 and as the regular 33 sedans. Same with the pickups, what Dodge called an 'express'. Note, however, that the doors on the express were slightly different than the sedan and coupe door in that the upper rear corner of the door is rounded off while the non-commercial doors were squared off. On the non-commercial models, while the cars look very similar, there are huge, subtle differences between the 33s and the 34s, including the wheelbase (and, therefore, front fender length), slope of the front windshield and shape/slope of the front of the front doors, etc.

Does look like a 33 Plymouth or Dodge sedan windshield frame. Not 34 because those had a center, roll-out mechanism. Also looks like a sedan because the coupes are not that high. For example, on a 34 Plymouth, the sedan is 11 3/4" high at the center, while a coupe (measured on my 34 Dodge coupe) is only 10 3/4" high at the center. My 34 Dodge panel, which should be the same as a 33 sedan, measures about 11 3/4" to 12" high at the center (hard to get at it... .) Hope this helps.

I probably have taken care of my body about as well as I have taken care of my cars. They may not be perfect but I sure have had a lot of fun with both of them.

LOVE THAT BUICK. Have always liked 33-34 Buicks but I am not enough of a carpenter to take on a Buick of that vintage. Have to be satisfied with my 34 Mopars and their almost wood-free construction. Your post and mine sum up my sentiments exactly on the current limits on restorations imposed by the $$$ involved. Keep on driving and stop in if you ever get out San Diego way.

Very interesting thread about the top 1% of the top 1% of this hobby/business/passion. Restoration/material costs here in Southern California are similarly high and there is the same problem of trying to find someone who is willing (and knowledgeable enough) to 'do the job right'. (P.S., loved 60FlatTop's comment about black tie wraps being only for the 'high end jobs'). I have never thought about the hundreds of skinned knuckles or thousands of hours and dollars I have put into my couple of 34s, except on individual purchases of parts that made both me and my wife wince. It is sad that the economics make it largely unfeasible to bring back pre-war (and some post-war) cars to a high caliber of restoration unless one can do a large portion of the work themselves--and, amazingly, there remain the few that can still do so in their jam-packed two car garage. Certainly not PBeach level but that is, as described above repeatedly, another world. In my world, there is the 70's motto of some car publication which was 'Fun with Cars', the photos of one contributor to this forum showing him blasting around I believe Florida in an original finish 34 Buick convertible, and the conclusion that when I 'finish' my 34 PE convertible coupe I am going to do the same in primer and remnants of original paint.

I know a lot of 'wing nuts' but none of them are particularly decorative... . Good luck with your search.

And of course Mopar in the 30s called them 'Commercial Sedans'.

I believe the Olds story was that there were a handful of them built in the States and supplied to dealerships as opposed to the general public. I do recall seeing a photo of one once.

I have seen/owned a bunch of 34 PE Plymouths over the years and this one is as nice a one as I have seen in awhile. Looks to be 100% correct (battery shut off on the firewall is not original), right down to the upholstery pattern. These are great cars, all steel framed doors make the car very solid and quiet, the independent front suspension and center steering is a little complicated but works great. I am 6' 3", 255# and they have plenty of room in them. That mildly metallic color is original, they called them 'Polychromatic'. Nice.

Here is a photo taken from their website that was addressed in one of my posts back in September 2022.

That is a different outfit. House of Tops was/is specifically focused on making top wood for 33-34 Dodges and Plymouths, as well as the wood kits for the minimal amount of wood tacking strips for these otherwise mostly steel cars. Had a fairly extensive website with pictures of the products they offered. Thanks for the thought. SMB

Anyone know the status of this outfit? They were in Oregon and specialized in top wood for 30s Dodges and Plymouths. Had a website www.houseoftops.com which no longer seems to be active. I think it was called Frank's House of Tops. Need a top bow for my 34 PE convertible and I know he sold them. Thanks for any help you can provide.

I have had the same experience trying to buy a grade 8 bolt or two at Home Depot or Lowes. Local surplus store, 'Ks Supply' I could walk into and walk out with grade 8 bolts by the pound, which meant I had a whole handful for the cost of a single bolt at HD/Lowes. As above, that came with the added benefit that the next time I needed one they were already in my bolt cabinet.

Getting mixed signals here. I really don't give a hoot as to who (whom?) is organizing the thing, would give it a fair shot either way. HOWEVER, there is now a discrepancy between the original post/flyer with a May 4 date and the other ad listing May 4 and May 3. Is the 3rd just a 'move in' date? Which is it? Kinda would like to know before I schlepp all the way up from San Diego with some cash in my pocket to troll for mid-30's Mopar stuff.

The difference is that the 35 Dodge 'express' (i.e., pickup) had an 'early' style/first series up to about April of 35 that had the suicide doors found on the 33 HC and 34 KC models. The one in this topic is a 'second series' 35 with the non-suicide doors.

I will be there, need to fill the void left by the end of the 'Big 3' at QUALCOMM/Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego.

Again, looking only at what I have (34 Dodge) insofar as parts books, the 34 Dodge parts book does list metal sidemount covers for the DR and DS models but only in the 'Accessory' portion of the parts book. The welled fenders themselves are listed in the main parts listing with the remainder of the front fenders.

While my area of specialization is 34s, the sidemount hardware on the 35 is very similar. Note (from what I see in the picture) is the standard 'tire hold down' piece and it is not really shaped like the top of a tire (600-16 I believe on the 35). That is because it is shaped to fit the top of the metal covers. I have seen lots of 35 Dodge sales literature and I have never seen sidemounts shown without the covers. In fact, with the exception of coupes and some sedans, most had gone to enclosed trunks with space for the spare in the trunk. The only model I have ever seen in ads with sidemounts is the convertible coupe, and it shows covers in place. There is a 35 Dodge Parts book for sale on ebay right now.