1937 business coupe engine options

[high sierra]

New to the forum. Thinking about buying a 1937 coupe. Did they only come with the inline 6 or were 8's available. If so how does it effect what I should pay. What is the on the market as far as reproduction parts; body panels, mechanicals, etc. Thanks, Larry

[keiser31]

1937 Dodge Brothers came only with an inline flathead six. Without photos or description, we can not say what you should give for it. Some parts are available for it.

[jpage]

Engine and most mechanical parts are usually readily available along with much literature and manuals to give much needed info. Some parts will interchange with earlier year Plymouth and Dodge cars but body parts and interiors are almost non-existent. There are some parts houses that sell hand made body panels, but from my experience they are extremely expensive and usually don't fit worth a hoot. Interior supplies are available from different sources but you'll have to have an upholster stitch one up for you using your old patterns. There is a certain challenge of restoring these older WPC cars but that's what makes it fun. Best source for parts is to buy a parts car and advertise for parts here ,on this forum, in club magazines or Ebay as a last resort.

[countrytravler]

Coupe parts from the doors back are scarce. Front end are the same with some int parts. The one your looking at on Ebay? We have some parts for the 37 and others. Good luck.

Edited November 14, 2014 by countrytravler (see edit history)

[ply33]

Engine and most mechanical parts are usually readily available along with much literature and manuals to give much needed info. Some parts will interchange with earlier year Plymouth and Dodge cars but body parts and interiors are almost non-existent. There are some parts houses that sell hand made body panels, but from my experience they are extremely expensive and usually don't fit worth a hoot. Interior supplies are available from different sources but you'll have to have an upholster stitch one up for you using your old patterns. There is a certain challenge of restoring these older WPC cars but that's what makes it fun. Best source for parts is to buy a parts car and advertise for parts here ,on this forum, in club magazines or Ebay as a last resort.

I heartily concur with this. I can get an amazing variety of mechanical parts for my ’33 Plymouth at my local better auto supply store. There were improvements made from year to year but basically the L-6 engines used in Dodge and Plymouth cars are very similar from ’33 (or ’35 depending on how you look at it) until ’59. And variants of those engines were built into the early ’70s for industrial applications.

But body and trim parts are usually a one year item with insufficient demand for modern reproductions to be made.

The end result is I’d much rather start with a Plymouth, Dodge, DeSoto or Chrysler that was complete and in decent shape with respect to body and trim but was a total wreck mechanically than to start with one with good mechanicals but missing some impossible to find trim piece.

[high sierra]

I don't want to go through again what I just did with my 61 impala. 62 and on have more part selections. I had to scrounge around and pay top dollar for missing parts. Thanks for the help.

[cpwalter]

There are more parts available for older cars than some of the later model cars due to the parts return policy instituted by Chrysler in the 50's. In the old days if a dealer bought a part it was his until he sold it at retail. So a lot survived the dumpster and scrap policies of the manufacturers. There may be some, few, parts that will be difficult to find but from my experience looking for 1938 Dodge parts I would not be at all concerned about finding parts for a 37 Dodge Coupe. Look on eBay, you see them everyday and flea markets still have them. 37 and 38 parts in a lot of cases are shared by Dodge, De Soto, Plymouth, and Chrysler. Plus there are still parts cars out there. If you are not buying a total wreck, have at it and get into the hunt. The best part of this hobby is the hunt for those parts that your car will need. As you know, it takes you to interesting places and you meet some interesting people, you gain much knowledge about your car, you improve your detective skills, you have more fun during the hunt than you could possibly imagine, and lastly the adrenalin rush you get when you find the part is euphoric. I am sure you experienced these working on your 61 Impala even if you had to pay a premium for some of the parts. Toughest parts for the 37 will be the trunk lid if you need it and anything that needs to be replaced that is unique to 37 which aren't many. There is a real nice grill emblem on eBay right now for that car which is one of the few high dollar parts you may need. Not much chrome on a 37. That is a big savings over your 61. They are easy to work on, lots of help is available here and at the Dodge Brothers Club, reasonably priced parts unlike the 61 and a cool car when you get done. Send me a private message to discuss further if interested. Hey, if you like the car and are up to the challenge of fixing her up, go ahead and buy it. You can never go wrong buying a coupe. End of sermon!

[high sierra]

Cpwalter, I agree the hunt is a rush. Just an update, decided not to buy the car. Have to many toys; 61 impala, 66 gto, guitar, and pedal steel. Believe it or not, my wife was actually supportive about buying the 37. Maybe in the future.

The coupe I was going to buy looks like a very complete running original in primer, a clean slate. Not cheap, but pay now or pay later. I can pass along info on this car for someone else to enjoy. Pm me.