Dodge Coupe --- What To Do??? ---

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Those make cool rods.
You got money?*
You could cut the roof off and make a channeled roadster, or not.
You don't have any running gear so change all that to Ford front axle stuff because there's actual parts available for them, and whatever comes along in the rear.
Put a Red Ram engine in it if you can find and afford one, or any Mopar V8, or any V8 that comes along that works and has a good transmission that works.
Find a V8 Mopar compact from the 60's and swap the whole drivetrain in it.
Don't paint the wheels red.

Anyone got a picture of that Dodge hotrod that was in Hotrod in the '60's?
I think it was Candy Blue?




*(Billy Crystal's best line from "Princess Bride")

 

We just chopped one last week. They look good chopped. I can post pictures on Sat when it comes back to my shop for its chassis.

 

make it a roadster,

go on craigs list in the free section and look for cars that run but need "to get off there property".

You'll find a very good donor car. strip the rear axle, driveline and motor. Now all you gotta do is find a front axle, brakes, etc.

 

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Well I donno of any donor cars around here, but I know that the Swap at Bandimeres is on the 24 of september. ya might be able to find somethin there.

 

please do not make a roadster oout of that car

 

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I'd definatly roadsterize it. i think it'd look sick with no top.

get a ford front axle and a early 60's 9" rear (ease of parts) and a nice little poly motor for power (gotta have SOME dodge in it ) keep the stock frame if you can, i really dig that look

 

Well heres what im doing with my 27 T find your self an old early 80"s model f100 or f150 use the entire drive train. C6 and 300 in most autos or 300 and 4speed most came with a 9 inch and the truck its self is really cheap. Im going with the 300 and a 4speed.

Now it will be low geared but you change that really easily with a 9 inch. and that 300 is all but indstrcitable not only that it would be inline engine not your typical V8 nothing wrong with them just that i dont think theres one you could drop in there that no ones seen or would be really impressed by and reliability is always a concern for me. I wnat to drive not spend 3 months looking for parts but i also dont want no run of the mill Chevy either. And since Cliford 6=8 makes all the things i want for the motor its good choice for me anyways.

So thats my 2Cents for what its worth.

 

nice buy - but what year is it?

The reason I ask is that I've been given a yet to be picked up 1924-25 dodge chassis, and I was wondering if its the same as yours.

how deep are the rails, they look about 4 1/2"?

What to do - a six is good - maybe a slant 6, or an Aussie Hemi six - up to 300 hp stock

Cheers

 

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Actually I lost all my pictures when my computer took a dump awhile back. But before i sold it to fund another project we were planning on cutting somewhere in the neighborhood of 11" out of the roof my '23. It left us with about 6-7" of windshield.

Reworking the roof is a piece of cake they are just flat steel, no compound curves to deal with. A '29 Model A visor fits like a glove if you feel the need for a visor. If that's a '23 grill shell (or probably though about a '25 or 6) a '29 A radiator fits as well.

If you clip the frame horns off at the top of the hump built in for the axle then extend it with some tubeing to just in front of the radiator you can hang a suicide mount out there and use a ford axle and cross leaf. This give you a natural 3" or so Z in your chassis so you could even use a stock Model A axle and still get it right down in the dirt.

Can't tell you what to use for a mill, but I might lean towards a Poly 318 or maybe a later 360 MOPAR. The 360s are pretty easy to come by and cheap to build in the whole scheme of things. They make good torque stock so you wouldn't have to be too extreme and with the little coupe it would just fly.

 

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if i ownded that , depending on budget, if not a ton of money to spend (=hemi!), i would probally go with an 318 or 360 mopar engine, and probally fordlike ibeam in front and a chrysler 8 3/4" rear end..

a hemi would be coolest, but you could always get one later on anyhow , there are to few sb mopars in hotrods, cool engines with atleast some cool intakes and valvecovers etc to get... and quite easy to find parts, just think of all the old dodge vans etc with 318 sbm engines..

 

Easiest way - go find a 318 powered car thats rear wheel drive. Dirt cheap, will make decent power without a problem, and stone reliable. The reason you want the 318 is because it will have the 904/998/999 trans which is physically much smaller than the 727 and still stout enough for most small blocks with just a shift kit. Most 360's will come from trucks and have a 727 behind them. They are also more expensive.

Take everything out, throw away the smog stuff. I am talking, engine, trans, rear end and anything else you can use. If you find a 85-88 cop car diplomat you are set. They are great donors.

Take the engine and buy a gasket complete felpro gasket kit for it. The gaskets are notorious for drying out and leaking. Then, get a 340 timing chain, 1968-70 340 intake, and old style non smog distributor. Pull the intake off and toss it. Replace the valve seals using the rope trick. Pull the balancer (check for slippage), water pump, and timing cover and replace the timing chain with the 340 unit. Clean everything up as nice as you can while its apart inside and out. Pull the oil pan and replace the gasket and clean all gunk out in there also. Shoot the engine in your favourite color (red is good - it will look like an early 340) and button it back up. I would strongly suggest finding a set of cast aluminum valve covers because the stock ones are notorius or leaks. The old Wiend ones seems to be everywhere and cheap. Top it with a cheap Edelbrock, or Carter AFB, or small holley. Use the stock exhaust manifolds if possible. Paint em' white with high heat manifold paint for an old timey look. You should have about 200hp on tap with the desmogged 318 and it will still ron on 87 octane with no problems. You will be able to beat on the motor without worries...318s are nearly impossible to kill.

Take the trans - hopefully its a non lockup 904 or 998 and throw a transgo shift kit into it. If it worked before, its now done.

Take the rear and bolt it into the chassis however you plan on doing it.

 

That's a funny little car with a bit odd proportions. The trunk is looong, at least it looks like that on the photos.

• Chop it (4 inches?), shorten the trunk (and the frame ofcourse) and channel it a couple of inches.
• Mopar engine (hemi if you got the money), otherwise; a really mean smallblock would be cool. Manual trans and 8,75 rear axle.
• Dropped I-beam in the front (polished?) for that forward tilt stance.
• Color? I'd go with flat lime green metallic paintjob with a white roof top and white frame.
• Wheels: Chrome reverse or Radirs. Tires: Cheater slicks in the rear and Firestone whitewalls in the front.
• White upholstery on the seat.

Man, it's easy to tell others what to do with their cars when you don't have to actually DO the job or pay for the parts!

 

Damn right!

I'd definatly whack it into a roadster, and whack the windshield about 4 inches. A little white convertible top would be cool, as long as it had that right slope to the back, even if it was a lift off job.

Mopar power would be extra points!

 

bring it to my house so we can knock 6" out of the top. Flat steel over that (it would be cool as hell to louver the roof). I can come by complete front ends pretty cheap. just build you own frame like I did with my roadster. The get the Speedway motors catalog and start buing all the crap you need.

 

Simple, cheap and cool - you sound like me! Heres a few i came across, not exactly your midel, but gives an idea of how simple or extreme you could go... I too would leave the top on, but I like to drive in the winter and the rain!

 

I like the red one as far as being simple... but what's with the tailpipe? couldn/t they have thought that one out a little better?

 

Yes... my photochopping skills suck, but it was fun!!
HOW'S THIS?

 

You have a semi straight axle front with leaf springs - I say Gasser it, grill shell moon tank on the front horns - definitely go Mopar in the drivetrain area, plenty of power for that little car.

 

in same boat as you my 25 Dodge coupe body is begging for a frame & looks like i will make one for it as its too narror for a model A frame

 

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Racer Rick's got the right direction on the drivetrain -- keep it Mopar in whatever guise fits your budget. A 318 donor car would solve the whole problem.
Now understand -- I LOVE ROADSTERS -- I'm building one out in my garage right now. But that picture you posted screams for a "Big Window" treatment ala the '56 F-100s. Wrap some smoked Lexan around the rear of that cabin and you've got a one-off, if ever there was one.
I also love the talk of the louvered roof, but keep in mind that louvers require an under-pan if you run in the rain.
The rest of my personal preferences would be to keep as much of the stock Dodge as you could (grille shell, etc). The front suspension seems to call for a suicide with quarter elipticals to pay homage to the original Dodge setup. Whatever you decide, save the original pieces and plan for updates every five years or so -- I think this one is one you're gonna keep for a long, long while.

 

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