1938 Dodge truck questions

Hey guys, bought a 1938 Dodge pickup, have a couple questions, hoping someone can answer or perhaps have parts they would sell. I have the headlight buckets, ID of the bucket is just under 8", while the OD is roughly 8.25", would love to convert to a 7" bulb for better availability and so forth, any kits or trim rings to neck it down?, seen a frenching kit, but not listed for the truck, only the car.
Also, the outside door handles are missing, the drivers door has just one hole for the handle, but the passengers side has a hole below the handle hole for a lock cylinder, (which is still there but no key), did the drivers handle have a key in it?, anybody have a set that wanna sell?

I have most of the mechanicals ready, 8.75 rear, Must II rack with disc brakes, 408 engine, RPM heads, auto trans, Calvert bars and springs, just got new glass for the cab. Been getting things from DCM like seals, body pads etc.
All help is appreciated, thanks!

No driver's side lock. That was the norm back then,

As for the headlight adapters, ask these guys.

When I got my 51 I took the locks out, went to my local locksmith and had him make keys for all my locks. Trunk, doors, glove box, two sets for $65.

Thanks, I will contact them for fitment, I would like to be able to lock the drivers door, so may have get creative, or perhaps someone already has a idea there.

The oldest Dodge truck I've dealt with was a 39, and I don't know how much stuff interchanges between those years, but the 39 cab was what was used for all Dodge military trucks up to the 1968 model year. That means there are a lot of parts available for the 39-47 cabs. www.vintagepowerwagons.com could be your best friend They have a lot of parts remanufactured to original specs.

Those parts include locking door handles. The keys fit into the handle itself and you can then lock both sides. Unfortunately, you have to lock each door from the outside each time, I got a set for my 39 and was able to get a pair with matching key locks. That options seems to be more available just after a fresh batch is run, so its kind of hit or miss on the matching locks. Another point about the locking handles is that they do not disable the ability to lock the door from inside. If the doors are locked from the inside, the door handle locks do not have the ability to unlock the doors.

There were aftermarket sealed beam conversion kits available for 35-38 commercial trucks (pickups, sedan deliveries, etc.) which consisted of the headlight rings and mounts . My 37' had them. They're not too difficult to find at swap meets or sites that cater to these trucks.

Yeah, from what I have found out and been told, the '39-'47 parts are not interchangeable to the earlier trucks, and even some parts for those are year specific, the search continues, haha.

You probably won't find a kit specifically for a 1938 Dodge pickup, but you can use universal trim rings or adapters for the headlight conversion. They're common in shops that specialize in classic car restoration. As for your door handles, it's typical in these old models for only the passenger door to have a lock cylinder. The driver's side usually just had a simple handle without a key.

I always suggest looking for second-hand parts and equipment. It's cost-effective, but you've got to pick the right seller. For instance, I snagged a Big Tex 14OA-20 from Boom and Bucket for about $6,000, and it's been a solid purchase. They might not have what you need for your Dodge, but they're knowledgeable and might point you in the right direction or recommend someone who can help.

The driver side outside door lock was not even a factory option on a Dodge truck until around 52. The handles with the locks that are available for the 39-47 and the early 50s only lock the handle movement and use a square shaft. Those are very similar to the lockable Ford door handles for the 28-30 Ford model As, but with a different screw plate to hold them to the doors. The Ford pair are cheap, the Dodge handles with keys are 4x the money. For the record, the Ford one turn the handle 90 degrees, they worked but looked really bad.

The Dodge driver door can be locked and unlocked with the inside handle. The available door handles with the keys only lock the handle itself. If the door is locked with the inside handle, the handle with the key will not unlock the door. You either have to figure out a way to disable the inside door lock, or get into the habit of just locking and unlocking the handle.

The next option is to put an electric key fob locks on the doors, not sure you could do that with the OEM latches.

The headlights are easy compared to he door locks.

I actually lucked out and found a set of NOS outside door handles, as well as the inside door handles NOS before that, I found a place that offers a kit to French the headlights uses a 7" bulb, so probably go that direction with the lights.
I finished the engine, 408, RPM heads, have a set of Dakota shorty headers, 750 Holley, Weiand intake, 727 freshened, still need a 10" convertor. I am hoping to get the motor/trans sit in the chassis, weld in the mounts, then my buddy can start the body work on the cab, doors etc, (luckily doesn't need alot).

DCM Classics.

https://dcmclassics.com/

any chance to get a picture of those outside door handles with a tape measure close to 'em ?
TIA if possible !

Sure, will do after work today, post them tomorrow.

Here's a couple pics of the outside door handles for the truck,

thank you sir !

You're welcome, if you happen to know of any passenger side rear fenders or the Dodge dash emblem, please let me know.

i will do so.
i was surfing the bag yesterday, and i thought i saw a 38 emblem, but i'm not sure it was for the dash or the grille shell.
you might want to check if you haven't checked there lately.
as to the rear fenders, how many years were they the same ?
perhaps 37-40 ?

1935, 1936, 1937 & 1938 are the same for all Dodge and Plymouth "commercial" models (pickups, sedan deliveries, etc.)

if i'm not mistaken, the early build 35's with the suicide doors used the 34 handles, then switched to the 35 handles when the doors were switched to the regular opening method.

[I did nor know that the 35 fender and sedan delivery fenders were the same, I will keep my eyes out for those now as well, thank you. I found a dash emblem, should be here tomorrow, along with the windshield crank and mechanism, knocking my list down, lol.





quote=earlymopar]1935, 1936, 1937 & 1938 are the same for all Dodge and Plymouth "commercial" models (pickups, sedan deliveries, etc.) [/quote]