i'm hoping there are some people here that know a lot about the 40's Plymouths and can help me out. I'm working on one (don't know if you've seen my build thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399852 ) and there are a few things i've got questions about. when i bought the car it came with four front fenders. All of them fit, but one has a cooler shape (in my opinion) and is more flat on the top and slightly longer than the others. All four have the same lines on the sides which are unique to the '41 Plymouth. Maybe one type is for Coupe and the other for Sedan or something? the other thing i was wondering about is using a DeSoto grille. The one stylistic blemish on the car (again, just my opinion) is the grille, so I'm thinking about using one from a '40 DeSoto... they look like they use basically the same body as the Plymouth, but does anyone know if the grilles are close enough for the Desoto to fit? thanks in advance for any help
I can't answer about the fender, except that I've bought a couple "NOS" body parts for my '40, and they were NOT factory and didn't quite look/fit the same. It may be this.... As proven here many times, anything can fit anything given enough work. I doubt it will bolt-in, but with asome effort it sould work. That brings up the fender again. Could it be a Desoto fender? I haven't seen many Desotos (that cool hand luke thread had one), but maybe that would explain the difference.
Front fenders are the same on all 41 Plymouths all body styles. What is slightly longer? 1/4" or 2-3 inches?
not that much, 1/4" to 1/2" i'd say. i tried taking a picture earlier but i couldn't get them to come out so you could really see the difference, but you can kind of see the difference even though they're both kind of just hanging. The one on the drivers side is the longer one. It's also flatter on the top, taller in the front and is not quite as wide. Again, they're both definitely '41 Ply fenders because they have the three ribs on the bottom.
I'm not sure about the 40's, but '37 Plymouth coupe front fenders are a couple of inches longer than sedan fenders, maybe that's the difference with yours.
That is strange. The differences you mention are noticeable, but the one that really catches my eye is that lower leading edge. That's something I'd like to change on mine. To me, the sweep up and the hieght of the outer edge before it sweeps back is too high. I'd like to lower it a couple inches, like the one on the left of yours. http://www.oldcarandtruckpictures.com/Chrysler/ has a bunch of pictures. That's a tough curve to compare, because it changes in all three deminsions. This convert seems to be lower than the coupe, but they both align with the center of the bumper... I can't tell from the picture of yours, but does the left one have the reveal at the bottom?
yes, it does have the reveal. The markings in them are exactly the same, the only difference is the shape. Hopefully the flatter ones aren't convertible specific... that'd make it pretty hard for me to find another one.
The 1940 and 1941 Plymouth fenders are different, maybe you have one of each there as they both have the"speed lines"
that was my first thought, but the '41 fenders have three ribs near the bottom and 40's (like the one in your picture) don't. All mine have the ribs so they have to be '41...
btt so i don't have to join the P-15 board and have a bunch of geezers yell at me for building a custom
what i've been told that the parts from different plants were just a little different. my friends have old mopars in the 40's and 50's and one read a article how the parts from some of the plants wouldn't fit corectly with others. don't know if there was hand forming involved but that could be .
i doubt they were hand forming parts, but the different factories/different parts theory is the best i've heard yet. Hope it's not true though, that'll make it that much harder to find the fender i need.
I kinda like it. It would be like having a girl with one green eye and one blue eye. Soon every one will want their fenders like that!!
I have a 1940 plymouth p-10 deluxe the one on the right looks the same as mine I can take pics of it if you want.. dodge,chrysler , desoto are the same from the cowl back I was told..There are slight differences in fenders and grille but can be made to work...
dude there are some small differace with the dodge of the same era cool freckin car the desoto right on I want the same for my 40 d14 dodge vert so if ya get lots of grills for sodas i,m up for one by the looks of that car you can make the stuff fit cool car ,with the ply stuff its like p10 12 14 and 15 I think the 40 dodge fenders are even cooler, good luck cool car
I'll save you the trouble of registering on the p15 board. I'm an old geezer and will yell at you here. THE FOLKS ON THE P15 BOARD ARE PRETTY TOLERENT OF JUST ABOUT ANY OLD MOPARS, AND YOU JUST MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET SOME USEFULL INFORMATION THERE. Wow now I feel better. There are quite a few modified cars and trucks over there and quite a bit on knowledge to share. If you do show up over there, I WILL YELL AT YOU AGAIN, IF YOU FEEL IT NESSECARY!!!!!! OH AND BY THE WAY, the grille mounted on your car is a 41. The 40 model grille featured straight opening with squared off onthe ends. As shown below. And if you look carefully there is a very suble difference in teh headlamp trim ring at the bottom. One is rounded and the other is pointed. It would appear the drivers side fender is a 40 ad the pass side is a 41. To furthur complicate the issue there was a down market Road King line that was different. If you have the original engine, look for the engine number, its on the flat casting boss on the block at the drivers side front just above the gennerator and the head to block seam. It should start with p9, or P10. The 41 would be a P11. I HOPE THAT HELPS!!!!!
now that plym 46 mentioned it, the driver side fender has the same head on profile as my 40 dodge has. I actually like that grill. If you are serious about changing it maybe you should get the whole grill surround also and try to adapt it that way. later shawn
FWIW My 1941 P13 had the fenders like on your drivers side, but my new to me P11 has the fenders like your passenger side. I wonder if the Special Deluxe (P13) vrs the standard (P11) was the difference?
Sorry to dig up an old thread but did you ever find out if the 40 desoto nose will fit your 41 coupe? I'm wonderin if the desoto nose will fit a 41 chrysler royal.
Cory, his latest post is from April of 2011. I hope this catches his eye, but don't hold your breath!
In general in the Mopar world, Chrysler, DeSoto, and Dodge are not quite one thing, and Plymouth IS one thing.
Desoto dodge and Chrysler shared the same basic body shell for many years esp in the late thirties and fourties. It was not till the 50's that the Dodge shell was the same or similar to the Plymouth. Each marque had its own frontal treatment making the front panels specific to the badge yet if you had a complete front off say a Dodge it would fit at Desoto or a Chrysler 6. Chryler 8's had a longer chassis and therefore longer fronts to accomodate the straight 8 engine
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