29 Dodge & Plymouth body wood kits

[Guest brian]

Can anyone tell me if complete wood kits for 29 Dodge and Plymouth (I have one of each, both basket cases) are still available, and if so, where? Thanks for the help.

[Guest DodgeKCL]

Not for the Plymouth and I've never run across one for a '29 Dodge yet. I restored a 1929 Plymouth Model U some years back and did all the wood myself. I'm presently restoring a '35 Dodge truck and doing all the wood as well. I've never seen any kits for Chrysler products over the years just the off-brands like Ford and Chev. I'm up for any help and encouragement you might need. Let me know on the site or via e-mail.

[Guest brian]

KCL - thanks for the information and the offer of help. My Plymouth is a Canadian production Model U - I know it's Canadian because what's left of the wood has old-style Robertson screws in it. I can do the wood myself as I have a well-equipped wood shop, but there is so little original wood left, that I was looking for an easy way out, at least in terms of the completely missing pieces. The Dodge is not an immediate concern as it is in line behind the Plymouth.

I see you restored a Model U. Do you happen to remember what the upholstery material was?

You can contact me at brian@thermacoustic.com

[Guest DodgeKCL]

You would ask the one 'soft' question I don't really remember. I remember we put a kind of stiff velour on it because I couldn't afford a complete mohair job. But I've found out over the years that a '29U had a kind of cord/mohair upholstery. I finally ran across an original untouched '29U sedan and it had a kind of 'salt and pepper' dark brown vertical cord on the seats and a very short dark brown mohair on the doors. You're best to join the 'Plymouth Owners Club' and you'll get on the mailing list for their 'Plymouth Bulletin' a bi-monthly club mag. The club has technical advisors to help club members. They also have a very good net site at 'Plymouth Bulletin.com'. You don't have to be a club member to participate on line, just like this one. Go over to their site and you might get a better answer to your question. Good luck.

[Guest brian]

Thanks for the advice concerning the Plymouth Owners Club. I asked you the upholstery question because the 'basket case' I have still has a great deal of the upholstery left and it constitutes what seems to have been very good quality leather (black) on the seats with a type of cloth-backed material (also black) resembling leather on the door panels. The seat coverings are definitely in the correct style for the period, and I cannot understand why anyone would re-upholster a Plymouth with leather, so my assumption is it is original. No one I have contacted to date has been able to shed any light on this, and the only reasonable supposition I have heard is that it might be an export model that was never exported. I'll try the Plymouth club and see if I get any answers.

[Guest DodgeKCL]

That one I'll take a swag at (scientific wild [censored] guess). Leather was the covering on all open Plymouths and eventually could be optioned on the 1933 closed cars. I believe you're right in assuming that no one in their right mind would reupholster a sedan Plymouth in leather and it was most likely done at the factory level. BUT your comment on export cars rings true. All cars,closed and open,going to Great Britain were done in leather but it has always been my understanding it was done over there at the Kew Gardens plant outside London. For instance all Chrysler products going to the British Isles from Canada were sent over 'knocked down' and sans all electrics right down to the bulbs. Unlike our North American vehicles ALL British vehicles have been 12 volt Lucas,as far as I know. They were also required by law to have parking lights up on the top of the front fenders. But how you have a '29U closed car over here with leather seats is a quandry. Perhaps the 1929 Plymouth tech. advisor will have a final answer.