1938 Dodge 2dr Sedan... New Project

Hey guys. I am not new to mopars... but I am new to Mopars from the 30's. I am also new to this section of the moparts message boards. I just traded a parts car '69 barracuda for this '38 Dodge 2dr sedan. I have always wanted an old hot rod... but never thought I would be able to score a deal on a Mopar hot rod.

Anyways, I plan on building this car into a 50s/60s era hot rod. I have a 318/904 that I could use, but an early hemi would be nice too. I started looking around on ebay and other internet sites and MAN!! there isn't much out there for these cars! haha. Oh well. Here are a few pictures. The body may appear "rough" to some, but I'm not worried about that. Tell me what you think. I do need a decklid... Anybody got one??

Justin
"CirnDog"

Looks like a great project, good luck with it. Here is a post on my 38 Plymouth I picked up a couple of weeks ago. Its a business coupe and will be a 5.7 late mod hemi.

LAWFISH
https://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/show...e=0#Post4426306

here ya go !

LAWFISH

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raKM5FMLv3M

congrats on your new old car
that looks like a great start for your rod project

are you planing on a newer style frontend?
I like the mustang II frontend in these cars.
the 318/904 will work just fine in that car.
an 8 3/4 rearend from a B body fits great too.
I am sure you can find a trunk lid for it.
if you need any info just ask, I'll see if I can help you out, I have done a few of these cars over the years.
there are a few guys here that have done some 30's mopars as well that I am sure can help out too.
Good luck with the new car Ron...

Sweet project!
A small block will fit, the hemi will be more work, but great visually.
Lots of great guys here, ask around before making any big decisions or choosing suppliers.
Any ideas on what you want as a finished product?

great project ! it is a LOT better than my humpback was when i got it ! and it looks like ya got a can of wd40 in the deal too....

30's Dodges are made of "unobtainium"

Friend of mine has had his 1930 Dodge Coupe for over a decade. Still doesnt have all the right parts for it.

Here is a Plymouth , but it is a great motivator.

Here is a great motivator, but it is a Plymouth.

Looks like a great starting point to me.

Words of advice are to have a vision of what you want your finished car to look like. Pick your style and figure out what you are going to use the car for, the field is wide open with street rods. You can build it anyway you want, but it is far cheaper to have a vision to work towards. Changing direction with street rods can add expences up pretty fast (they can be expensive enough as it is). Nice thing about a street rod is they don't have to be real expensive. With some abilities, careful parts selection, a little luck, and some good friends helping out you can build a decent driver in the $5,000 range.

Look around, get some ideas. www.carnut.com has many pictures to look over to give some direction, or you can ask Ron, he has a few million pictures covering nearly any Mopar ever built. Gene

i have a 53,000 mile 270 dodge hemi duel exhaust 4-bbl factory power pac .runs very good.?????

That is way cool. Keep us updated on your progress.

Hey guys. Thanks for all of the great comments. As bad as I hate it, it will probably be a while before I can get started on the '38. I am backed up with other work right now. I am doing a 100 point restoration on a '70 Superbird 440 6 pak 4spd car for a client. I also have my '69 Charger and '69 Bee that will be restored. But don't worry... temptation will probably push the '38 right in with the two '69 muscle cars.

As for the car itself, the car does need some work. Both doors practically fall off when you open them. The doors appear to be solid along with the door frame. The hinges are what is rusted. I plan on mounting a set of hidden suicide hinges. So that will fix that problem. When building this car, I plan to stay on a pretty low budget. I plan on using many used parts along some parts that I already have laying around here. I do plan on using a Mustang II front end along with one of the 8 3/4 rear ends that I have here. Most of this car will be very simple, yet very unique. As of now, there are no plans to chop the top. I think it has a nice roofline as it is. I will more than likely go with a traditional flamed paint job over black. Like I said, I want to go with a 50s/60s theme.

Just wondering. Do these cars usually come with 14 leafs on either side of the rearend? If not, do you think it could have been a moor runner in the day? Thanks again!

Justin
"CornDog"

Keep the pics coming. I still know where a 36 DODGE body is, $1200 out west but its a business coupe!

Dave

To me it looks great as is! Id do a 318/904 and drive the pee out of it!

Great project, here is how my 35 stroker turned out and it's a daily driver! Runs 12's in the quarter with the air on!

Quote:

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Great project, here is how my 35 stroker turned out and it's a daily driver! Runs 12's in the quarter with the air on!

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MUST SHOW MANY MANY MANY MORE PICS- WE ARE CURIOUS .

LAWFISH