Projects What can you do with this 1939 Dodge 4door?

I would suggest going with the resto rod style. HRP

 

Norrland...you asked for some pics of the 'ol Brown Turd......have attached a couple, its got a 318 Poly/cast iron torqueflite, 4 wheel discs, rack & pinion, stock body with 2" widened rear fenders, Chrysler Mahogany Metallic ...basically like this since 1975.......and yep it ain't a red 32 Frod......lol........Andy Douglas.

 

Looking real good. Was offered a 1940 2door coupe the other day. Looked real sweet. To bad it was all original drivetrain.

 

personally, I would prefer a stock coupe to a four door, but these things sometimes depend on timing, supply and demand, finances, and the all important spouse’s opinion………… ………

I don’t ever regret buying a four door even though some don’t consider it a hot rod.
In fact one of NZ’s most well known hot rodders, referred to it as “ just a neat old car”.
To me that is what it is, and I enjoy it as it is.

 

Listen to what @andydodge is saying. Get rid of the wire wheels and visor and maybe change the color and drive it.
It doesn't always need to look like a Ford. Nothing wrong with that.

Dave

 

All 4 doors should be converted to two doors...

 

Or 3 doors.

 

Well.....I did start out with a coupe, a 1940 Oz built Dodge Coupe that was factory made from 4dr sedans......this one pictured(in the "Dodge Story") was in fact my car, at 16 I bought it in 1969 for $40, pulled it apart then bought the 4dr I still have in 1971 for $15, started to restore it then decided to hotrod it in 1973 with the Poly installed in August 1973 & its been downhill ever since......lol.......andyd.

 

The -only- way to build that is to finish the “lowrider bomb” job that has already been started. Taildragger with skirts and wide whites. Keep the visor. Keep any existing trim, including stock grille. Subtle repaint in anything other than red or brown. A now deceased friend had a ‘36 Dodge sedan. Purple with 14/15 80s billet wheels. When the billets got swapped for 15” Cragar wires? Car was “noice”.

 

2 door conversion. Shortened up about a foot, you could fuse the rear half of the 1/4 windows into the side window opening. Would have the look of a late 30's Australian "Sloper".

 

Thats really a sweet idea. Could be really cool

 

something like this………for anyone who is unfamiliar with the “sloper”.

 

Seen pictures of Slopers on the famous internet on both Ford and Chevys. Did all the american brands have slopers?

 

Norrland.....Nope.......the US brands had 2 door Sedans, generally tho' not always using the standard size/length body shell as the 4dr sedans and mostly using a longer door which may or may not have also been used in the Coupe body shell........here in Australia GM used what was called a "Sloper" in Chev from 1935-1940, Pontiac from 1936-1940, Oldsmobile 1936-1940, Buick 1936-1939 and Vauxhall 1938-1940 Ford 1939-1940 and Mopar on Dodge, DeSoto and Plymouth 1937-1938..........Ford used the same two sedan door that the 39 USA Tudor used with a much more angled rear roof line as the Yellow car pictured shows........GM used one body style in 35/36 then another style 37/38 and finally another style in 1939/40 ..............and Mopar/T J Richards only in 1937/38 used a body style that was like a USA 2 Door Sedan with a vertical centre pillar but with a "humped" but more angular rear roof above the rear seat.........TJ Richards in Oz for 1939 made BOTH 3 Window and 5 Window Coupes for Dodge & Plymouth, the 3w being much more common, but no 2dr sedans in 1939 and only 4 door Sedans & 5 Window Coupes in 1940 for both Dodge & Plymouth........I am unaware of any 1939 or 1940 DeSoto or Chrysler Coupes tho 4dr Sedans were built in all 4 brands in 1939 & 1940 .Andy Douglas

 

thanks for that very informative post.
I know nothing about slopers, except that they look great as hot rods !
The one above is only the second one that I’ve ever seen.

 

Clem, the Dodge/DeSoto & Plymouth Slopers are probably the rarest then the various GM makes, Ford in 39/40 would be the most common, GM had the same basic sloper body 35/36 then the same basic sloper body 37/38 with the last 2 years being 39/40.....WW2 put paid to really anything after 1940 tho there were Oz car sales into 1941 but no Slopers only 4dr sedans and various commercial stuff like Ute conversions. There were a few cars sold apparently that were US deliveries that were redirected from Singapore to Australia after Pearl Harbout but as Oz was at war from September 1939, Oz civilian car production appears to have virtually stopped by early or mid 1941.....I own an Oz made 1940 Dodge Sedan & have pulled apart another 5 1940 Dodge sedans & a couple of Oz Dodge coupes over the yrs but have only seen 2 1941 Plymouth Sedans, 2 1941 Plymouth Woodys, a 1942 Dodge Sedan and 2 1942 Plymouth Convertibles plus a 1942 Ford Woody.......1941/42 cars of any brandd are not common at all....lol.....andyd

 

Cut off the top and make a 4 Dr Tub

 

Jeez!

 

1939 Dodge Sedan to station wagon with a lowered rake

Hello,

I like to draw lowered hot rods in a cool rake stance. It does not matter, most cars need a rake of sorts to give it a look of intimidation or “Here’s coming at you” stance…

So, what can you do with this Dodge Sedan?

Well, if one does not like a sedan, make custom two door station wagon.

Jnaki

You have a long road ahead, if you choose to continue with your choice. But, for sure, you will have one nice custom hot rod... Now, the motor/driveline is your choice, but a simple SBC motor will give you all of the power necessary to cruise short distances or long road trips...YRMV

A lowered rake stance is necessary to compensate for the long nose. I tried to draw a sedan, but the roofline just did not make a nice hot rod. Plus, I like a station wagon for multiple purposes.

 

Keep the four doors, use a mopar drivetrain

 

It has a Mopar drivetrain already. 360 and a 904

 

Perfect! Drive it.

Dave

 

What’s “not to like” with a front end with this grille and headlights.
Definitely custom low rider material with some body mods!