Absolutely - in the 1950s and into the early 60's you'd see these old timers still putting along merrily. If you lived in the Rust Belt as we did in Michigan, some of those older cars were literally held together with baling wire, perforated metal strapping with sheet metal screws, coat hanger wire welding jobs, patched with screen wire and Bondo, or sheet tin and Bondo and given a "Patented Miracle Diamond Gloss Paint Job" for the low- low price of $39.95 at any Earl Schibe paint shop!" WOW! Sign me up.....
Thank you Steve , for covering some of the mechanical firsts , of Dodge 🙏 I still don't think , the Dodge Brothers get enough credit for their , manufacturing & engineering contributions .
For some weird reason, this installment's title, "More Ford for '41" just doesn't seem appropriate to me. Is it just me? But seriously, another great junkyard crawl. I really like the ones where you go back to the earlier cars, say, before 1955 when things really started to get modern quickly. I'm sure that '41 Ford will turn up some day and/or today's edition will be changed to something about an old goat or something else witty. Keep up the great work! (On a side note, how about an update on any recent model work? I'm an avid model builder too, so I like to see what other guys are doing and maybe borrow an idea or technique that I haven't used before.)
Yes, both Dodge brothers died too young, which led to them being somewhat overlooked. Their hard partying reputations probably didn't help. You need to live long enough to put these things well into the past to become a respectable legend. 😁🤔
@ Robert Borella At One Time, The Dodge Brothers Were Building Parts For Ford Cars. Later On, Walter P. Chrysler Bought Dodge In 1928, And Retained The Dodge Name And That Line Of Vehicles, Because Of Their Customer Loyalty.
I do like these old Chrysler products! Some years ago, while rebuilding a couple old L head (also called a flathead) six cylinder Plymouths I found some extra letters in the engine serial number. An 'A' designated the engine had a "special standard" overbore of .020. If there was a 'B' it meant the rod and main journals were ground .010 under. Evidently, if there were some flaws in the parts or mistakes made while machining, the factory just took off more stock! They weren't scrapping anything if it could be saved! 😁
I had a couple friends that worked at the Chrysler mound road engine plant in the late 70s. It was an extremely common thing to have engines built with different bores and bearings. I forget exactly how they were identified. The ones that were built to spec would go in the higher line cars, the ones that were built with different bore or bearings would go into the cheap cars like the volare and Aspen.
@ Burt Henry Chrysler Made STANDARD SIZE Pistons Bores And Crank Cuts On Their Engines When Leaving The Factory. Since Their Flathead Was Manufactured For Over 3O-Years, The Engines That You Discovered Being Bored Out And Having Crank Cuts Most Likely ALREADY HAD Undergone A Previous Machining Job. It Was COMMON For Wearing Out Engines Of The 1930's To Get An Engine Machining Job After 50K Or 70K Miles. Especially During The WWII Years, When New Cars Weren't Available, And Engine Rebuilds We're More Affordable Back Then. Removing Heads And Grinding Valves On Flathead Engines Was Commonplace. Even In The 1980's Local Machine Shops Would Still Rebuild Your Engine And Put Markings On Their Work As To What Oversize Piston Or Under Cut Crank Their Work Had Done On It. Where As Today, Rebuilt Engines Come From Jasper Or Other Companies That Provide Warranty Exchanges For Your Old Engine, (Which Is Much Smarter, Less Hassle And QUICKER), That Auto Repair Shops Often Rely Upon. Screwing Around With Boring Out Blocks And Cutting Cranks To Different Sizes IS NOT What A Manufacturer Would Be Wasting Time Doing At A Factory...
@@davemckolanis4683 Maybe or maybe not. When I saw the extra letters my 1956 Motors Manual said this was how the FACTORY (Chrysler, DeSoto, etc.) marked the blocks and cranks for the 6 cyl. I looked it up again yesterday before I quoted it. Were these factory replacement blocks/engines or original equipment? I don't know for sure. But back then I can certainly see them reworking a block or crank on a separate line at the factory. Other manufacturers would use a star or other symbol in the engine serial number to denote a non-standard size.
More great educational content. Floyd Clymer’s book on the Model T Fords was published in 1955, year before I was born, but is still a very useful reference for owners and restorers. The suicide door Mopars continued until the “box on box” re-style of the late 40s. I have a 53 Cranbrook which includes many more modern features along with older ones, like the cowl vent
I'd love to have a car from this era. I know I'll never be able to afford one. But if I could find a decent body to build up as a custom. That's definitely something I can do
I was born in 1947 so these were still around, but not many of them, when I started driving in 1963. My first car was a 1950 Ford 2-door sedan and was considered old in '63. Thanks, Steve, for talking about cars from different time periods.
Thank you as always. A side note - locking gas caps were quite popular in the 40s. Gas rationing caused some people to siphon gas. Locking caps solved that problem. ~ Chuck
Actually the gas tanks back in those days had a plug on the bottom of the tank for draining the tank so siphoning may or may not have been a problem....
@@jonathankountz7097 You’ve stumped me. I’m not as familiar with other makes, but the Fords of the 30s and early 40s did not have such a feature I’ve ever seen. What makes did?
@@charlesdalton985 Drain Plugs At The Bottom Of Auto Gas Tanks, Was To Eliminate Any Water, Contaminants Or Dirt That Would Settle At The Bottom Of The Tanks. Because Back In The 30's And 40's, Some Gas Stations Didn't Have Final Filters On Their Older Gas Station Pumps. Think Back Of The Ancient Tower Type Glass Gas Topped Pumps. Where The Attendant HAND PUPPED The Gas Out Of The Tank In The Ground, Up Into The Glass Container At The Top Of The Tall Reservoir. And Then Gravity Flowed Down A Hose Into The Car Gas Tank Filler Neck. Clean Quality Gasoline Back 80-Years Ago Was NOT A Guarantee. Even Today, Lawn Mowers Stop Running Because Of Dirty Gasoline Winding Up In The Fuel System...
Always entertaining and chock full of facts! You and Shane really make awesome presentations!!!! Thank you both for working so hard and constantly bringing new videos!!
The caption is talking about a video for a Ford, but this is a Dodge video. LOL. My parents had a 1941 Plymouth that we had from 1978 to 1988 until my dad passed. We bought it for $550 out of the local paper. It was a barely running hooptie in primer with another half of a car in parts for the asking price. Over the course of time, we cleaned it up, had it painted, redid the interior and enjoyed it every summer. My dad took my grandparents to the church in 1985 for their 50th wedding anniversary. When my dad passed, his older brother in TX got the car and had it painted a Ford burgundy color and fixed it up some more. He enjoyed it for several years and then gave it to his son for a time. Eventually, the car got sold and a local couple in TX who owns the local paper bought it and at last call, still has it. The nickname of the car was "The General" because it was built around the time of WWII, and it was always reliable and had an imposing look to it, being massive compared to other cars of the 1970s. It was kept in my grandparents garage in the winter (which is now my workshop garage). Chryslers of this vintage were built in either Hamtramck, MI (aka Dodge Main or Factory Zero. It closed in 1980 and GM's Hamtramck, MI assembly is on part of that site now), Evansville, IN (closed in 1959 when production was transferred to St. Louis, MO (Fenton), which closed in 2009), Los Angeles, CA (Maywood, closed in 1971) or Windsor, Ontario Canada (still operating today under Stellantis). Did you intend to release a Ford video instead of this one or is the caption just incorrect?
I always appreciate the added literature! And marking it up is fine by me, also. I marked up my textbooks plenty in college. Looking at the two cuties at the 4:40 mark in their 1934 DeSoto Airflow is great, what a piece of Americana. Hubba, Hubba!
One thing to kinda highlight, since you didn't have the interstates yet, these cars ran about a 3.73 gear or steeper. Makes that 87 Horse Power plenty usable around town, just a limited top cruising speed.
@@junkman7426 One of my slave cylinders let loose as I was having to suddenly decelerate from 60 to a 20 mph exit ramp. Yanked the wheel right out of my hands!
@junkman7426 Those REALLY HEAVY All Steel Cars With Standard Transmissions And Frames Under Them From The 30's To The 50's, NEEDED Lower Rear End Gear Ratios To Power Those Cars Along. My 1950 Mercury Came With A 3.91 Rear End Ratio, To Drag That Heavy Car Along. But The Average Speed Limit Back Then On Those Narrower, Windy And Hilly Roads In My Area Was 45 To 50mph. So To Keep The Engine Running COOLER At Continual HIGHER Speeds With 30% LOWER RPM's; An Overdrive Is A True Benefit To Have On Those Older Vehicles Indeed...
To think of a time when radios were optional is difficult for Americans in this day and age. First, no radio at all, then optional or add-on aftermarket later, all AM, then FM, briefly record players. 8-track, cassette tapes, and later CDs changed the game, for the first time you chose the music! Now, in my mid-40s, I'm spoiled by SiriusXM. Just got a 2007 Ford Focus with AM/FM/CD and keep the radio off. No satellite radio, and not even an auxiliary input to stream from my phone. Preposterous! Younger generations are used to Bluetooth and manufacturer-specific apps to stream their favorite playlist through what are often premium sound systems (compared to pre-2000s cars).
Even A HEATER Was An Optional Feature Back In The 1930's For A Lot Of Cars. It Was The Depression Years And You Could Buy A NEW Ford Or Plymouth Coupe For Less Than $1,000...
That's a beautiful steering wheel and I'm always impressed by a real glass taillight lens and a car I don't have to bend over and touch my toes to get in and out of. Sinatra might have already been with Tommy Dorsey by 1940 but I'm more of an Ivie Anderson with Ellington or Jimmy Rushing with Basie kind of guy. But I do remember listening to Gabriel Heeter and H V Kaltenborn on the radio of dad's new 1956 Chevy 150 Handyman wagon back then. One of them opened their broadcast by booming - "GOOD EVENING MR AND MRS AMERICA AND ALL THE SHIPS AT SEA!"...or something like that. I don't think everyone had a tv set in 1956 so radio was still hanging in there. I bet this Dodge was still on the road in '56. Had yet to turn into a Ford.
Back then Chrysler was known for their well engineered cars. My dad bought a used '40 Sedan in early '42 for $500 from a friend who was drafted. It was the first decent car he owned. Three months later , Dad was drafted also & spent the next 39 months in the South Pacific. My mother used the Dodge to get around & was a "Rosie the riveter" at the DeSoto plant in Detroit. In '49 Dad traded in the Dodge for a new '50 Hawaiian Bronze Ford Sedan. The Dodge had served our family well.
In about 1960 When I was a little kid, sometimes I didn't get the the back door closed all the way on our 51' Cadillac I would ask can I open the door to re-close it & my mom always said yes, well my dad bought an old Studebaker for a work car & the same thing happened, when I asked if I could re-latch it my mom very quickly said NO! We will pull over. She told me the door could (from the wind) have broken or been plastered against the quarter panel if I was lucky, if not it could've taken me with it & she said THAT is why they are called SUICIDE DOORS I'm almost 70 and I will never forget my mom's wise words
Great stuff Steve ! Another great history lesson. My mom listened to President Roosevelt's famous " a day that will live in infamy " speech on the family radio in the living room 1941 like so many others i suppose, but thats what these era cars remind me of... Thanks fir sharing
That is right, they weren't about speed and developed horsepower, they were about high torque and a broad power band. You could slow down to 10MPH in high gear and pull away without strain. In spite of low HP they have no problem keeping up with city traffic and cruising at 50 - 55 MPH. By no means a race car but lots of fun and easy to drive for every day use.
@@mrdanforth3744 Even Though Your Comment Is MONTHS OLD Already, Either You Haven't Ever Driven One Of Those Older Cars, Or You FORGOT How Much They Are Significantly Different Than Driving A Car Of Today. I Have A HEAVY 1950 Mercury That Is Like Driving A TANK. REALLY Hard To Steer With NO Power Assist When Making A Sharp Turn From A Stop, And Just About Needing BOTH FEET On The Brake Pedal To Get It To Stop. Even With The Front Disk Brakes That Are Installed On It. YES It Can Pull A Steep Hill In 2nd Gear, And From Some Stop Signs. But NOT As Nice As You Seem To Imagine...
@@davemckolanis4683 Your car was not that hard to drive when new. Suggest you get the front end checked over, worn parts replaced, get an alignment, new shocks or, fill the old shocks with oil if they are the refillable type. Have the wheels trued and balanced, and pump up the tires to 32PSI. Others have done this and their car was transformed. Suggest you also have the brakes checked. They may not be as good as the latest disc brakes but should be a lot better than you describe.If you have disc brakes you need power brakes too. Discs have no self energizing action and on a heavy car will not work effectively without power assist. You could also do a compression test and tuneup. Old cars require more service and repair than modern cars, but the work is usually easier and cheaper.
@@mrdanforth3744 You've GOT TO BE KIDDING. I Spent Over A YEAR Finishing The Restoration Of My Mercury, With A Beefed Up, Bored Out And Came Up Flathead, And ALL NEW Suspension Parts. Having It Professionally Electronically Aligned With ME Sitting IN THE CAR To Compensate For Any Weight Variance. REMOVING The Lowering Blocks That The Previous Owner Installed On It To Eliminate The "BUMP STEER", (That You Probably Don't Even Know What That Is); And Having NEW Disk Brakes On The Front With A NEW Dual Master Cylinder And Portioning Valve Installed. NEW Brake Hoses And Wheel Cylinders And Shoes On The Rear. I WANTED It To Drive More Like An "OLD CAR" With Some Modern Updating Features, Instead Of The POWER EVERYTHING That A Lot Of Old Classic Car Owners Want To Make Them Driving Like Today's Cars. My Older Sister Remembers Driving My Father's 1951 Mercury In The Mid 50's When SHE First Started Driving, And Said It Was A CHORE Trying To Drive His Car. I Even Restored And Updated The 1938 Plymouth Coupe I Got From My Grandfather Back In The 1970's, And It Drove Like An OLD TRUCK. OBVIOUSLY You're In DREAM LAND About Those Old Cars Indeed...
As an owner of a 1941 Special Deluxe Plymouth Business Coupe, I appreciate the attention given to MoPars of this era. Underated with superior engineering in comparison to Ford and GM, specifically the IFS being standard on my lowly Plymouth model.
Dodge had more of an impact on the auto industry than people really know, and the lack of recognition from Ford people isn't right, in my opinion. Love what you do man thanks
You are the BEST barrr none the BEST So Educated and (again) MAGSNIFECENT.... Just AWESOME I'm 68 and never met anybody like you and the VAST knowledge and CLASS 😀🚞🚌🛻🚛🚛🚜
I remember the Custom 880 l had on the center of the steering wheel was Dodge 50th anniversary, and l thought that was an old vehicle back in the 80's when I had it.
Mr. B. Here ! Good evening Steve ! Am in your neck of the wood Lancaster Mass, Kimball’s try 70 Friday night car show ! Will catch your show case in Am ! 👍👍🚗🚗🛣️🛣️
great episode Steve, I really like the 1939 40 cars you show us, so interesting. That one looks savable with some new sheet metal in the boot floor and some new wiring, a worth while project.
I always loved the steering wheels on those early cars and the dash 😮Today’s are so bland, ditto for suv’s. You drive behind them and they all look the same
Hi Steve, great video on this 'Ford' Ram 😅. This car reminds of the same story I told before about when I was a kid and was given one of these to 'pretend' to drive it but it was probably a 45ish, tho and not a 41 Ford Ram😂 Once I got the flat 6 to break loose. Someone would sit on the passenger fender and operate the throttle because the gas pedal was rusted off. We eventually run a rod that was crudely attached to the carb that stuck through the dash, and we had ourselves a hand throttle. But like I was saying before, we would take turns straddling the fender like riding a horse, and you talk about some teamwork and trust happening there. Steve, you mentioned a good portion of the video about factory installed radios, and now today they're talks of taking out AM on the factory radio. I see Ford has stepped up and announced they're keeping AM in their 2024 vehicles. I'm sure there's more. I'm sure many of us never use the AM frequency option, but this is, in my opinion, not a great idea at all. They took away our true free over the air tv signals and went digital. Sure, the picture quality is awesome, but if it's digital, it's not reliable in a natural disaster the same for AM. I'm no radio expert, but I believe the FM signal has been digitized, but I'm probably wrong, and it won't be the 1st time or the last time. 😬 Write your gov rep and demand they keep AM in modern cars. I'm heading west this weekend it looks like rain all weekend here in the Carolinas. I was supposed to attend a Bluegrass folk festival celebrating the life of Tony Rice here in NC but I've scored passes to Dark Star Jubilee 2023 in Ohio. Hopefully, the rains will have moved on by Mon because on the 30th, Dead&Co will be in Charlotte and Raleigh, and up the east coast, we go! Thanks for what you do Master Magnante 😇 Have a blessed day everyone 🤙🏼Namaste 🙏🏼
@Sam Holdsworth Hi Mr Holdsworth 👋🏼 Ford changes direction and will keep AM radio in its 2024 vehicles Some automakers are removing AM from electric cars. Ford's CEO says he "got the signal" about AM's importance to the emergency alert system. Ford EV's will get a software update to bring AM back. I copied this from of all places NPR news article. Thanks for commenting 🤙🏼Namaste 🙏🏼
Hi Steve, In reference to your Toronado episode I was watching some old Mannix episodes and in se1 ep4 he was driving a Toronado convertable while trying to save the daughter of a Nazi war criminal. Otherwise good job on your channel keep up the good work 👍 Oh in an unrelated note a very young Neil Diamond made an appearance that was a nice surprise
These vacuum tubes radio mostly used 6V6 beam tetrode vacuum tubes still manufactured today used in Hi-Fi and guitar amplifiers. The first 6 mean these tubes run on a 6 volts heater, the car battery of the day. The high voltage was achieved with the help of a vibrator which converts the Dc to AC with a noticeable noise.
gr8 story Steve and can you find any 1st gen Dakota and how they became the world first Mid-Size pick-up for 1987 while the Ford Ranger and the Chevy S-10 were Compact size pick-up at the same time.
They allowed for better reflector and lens design for more "lumens" with the 6-volt system plus the service life was longer than the previous glass bulb in the headlight unit. Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
Hey Steve. Love the videos! Been watching for about a year now. I used to be heavily involved in dealing parts for old Fords back in the 80s and 90s. I recently acquired a collection of NOS sheetmetal for some of these cars and I was wondering where a good place to market some of it might be. I picked up a copy of Hemmings Motor News only to find out it doesn't really seem to be what it was back then. Any of you guys out there have any ideas? Thanks!
Hello Iowa599, the coil is indeed fitted into a sleeve set into the firewall. This mounting system was supposed to mount the coil rigidly to prevent vibrations from harming the internal windings. That said, by 1950, most every coil I've seen in an old car is floating in mod air on a metal strap bracket. Not sure why it was suddenly OK to mount them like this. Life's mysteries boggle the mind! Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
It was an anti-theft design. The end of the coil had an armored flexible cable that ran to the ignition switch. This protected the coil feed wire inside it and made it tougher to 'hot wire' the car. All Chrysler products of this era had this feature.
@@burthenry7740 I was just researching that! All I had found was 1935-1958 Chevy mounted the coil to the side of the engine, which ruled out vibration & heat as reasons. Anti-theft makes sense, these old cars were really easy to drive without keys!
Funny how this size and shape vehicle have come back into style. The current SUV, CUV, are similar because people want to easily enter and exit their vehicles, and sit up higher. While the "Longer, Lower, Wider" styling had a good run starting in the late 1950's it had its time in the sun. That said, I'm still not buying an SUV, or a CUV. And I never owned a minivan. One of the last holdouts.😉
I never liked the trend toward smaller wheels in the 1950s and 60s. My giant ‘66 Bel Air had 14” wheels! One reason I admired the original Beetle was its 15” wheels, when all other small cars in the ‘70s had 13s.
It isn't strictly true to say Dodge never went the Airflow route. They confined their Airflow models to trucks which made for an appreciative (albeit limited) audience. Airlines liked having streamlined tankers and service vehicles to park next to obviously streamlined aircraft.
The first use of the North American Mountain Goat [the Ram] was in 1932, not 1934. It was used as a radiator cap/mascot in 1932 & '33 on passenger models as well as being available, at extra cost, on the 1933 HC & '34 KC commercial car models. Yes, I have one for my 1932 Dodge DL & another on my 1933 DP models. Independent front suspension was introduced in the 1934 Dodge DR & DS models as well as 1934 Plymouth PE & PF passenger models. The so called "Ford" wheel bolt pattern [5 x 4-1/2"] was also introduced on Dodge & Plymouth models in 1933 & used continuously ever after. So why is it called the "Ford' bolt pattern? Edit, on review I found some typo errors, now rectified & added clarification to some detail.
Same bolt pattern was used by Ford, Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto, Chrysler, Studebaker, Kaiser, Frazer, Toyota and possibly others. Ford wasn't even the first, they had a "wide 5" bolt pattern up to 1938 or 39.
@@mrdanforth3744 The 'wide 5' pattern on Ford models ran from 1936 to 1939. You are correct with the list of cars that also used the 5 x 4-1/2" pattern, but almost all of them after 1933. [Not too sure about the timeline for Studebaker]
I love it when Steve talks about these 1930s and 40s cars I think they're super cool
I agree Chuck!
Yes they are.
These cars need a voice also. 👍
I agree
As a kid in the early 70's, i only had eves for old cars.
Cars like these were still on the road when I was little. Hard to believe now!
Damn, you’re dusty then!😂
Yup, they were still daily drivers and beaters when I was a little kid
Absolutely - in the 1950s and into the early 60's you'd see these old timers still putting along merrily. If you lived in the Rust Belt as we did in Michigan, some of those older cars were literally held together with baling wire, perforated metal strapping with sheet metal screws, coat hanger wire welding jobs, patched with screen wire and Bondo, or sheet tin and Bondo and given a "Patented Miracle Diamond Gloss Paint Job" for the low- low price of $39.95 at any Earl Schibe paint shop!" WOW! Sign me up.....
Thank you Steve , for covering some of the mechanical firsts , of Dodge 🙏
I still don't think , the Dodge Brothers get enough credit for their , manufacturing & engineering contributions .
Which is why I still call em Dodge Rams
For some weird reason, this installment's title, "More Ford for '41" just doesn't seem appropriate to me. Is it just me?
But seriously, another great junkyard crawl. I really like the ones where you go back to the earlier cars, say, before 1955 when things really started to get modern quickly. I'm sure that '41 Ford will turn up some day and/or today's edition will be changed to something about an old goat or something else witty. Keep up the great work!
(On a side note, how about an update on any recent model work? I'm an avid model builder too, so I like to see what other guys are doing and maybe borrow an idea or technique that I haven't used before.)
Yes, both Dodge brothers died too young, which led to them being somewhat overlooked. Their hard partying reputations probably didn't help. You need to live long enough to put these things well into the past to become a respectable legend. 😁🤔
@ Robert Borella At One Time, The Dodge Brothers Were Building Parts For Ford Cars. Later On, Walter P. Chrysler Bought Dodge In 1928, And Retained The Dodge Name And That Line Of Vehicles, Because Of Their Customer Loyalty.
I do like these old Chrysler products! Some years ago, while rebuilding a couple old L head (also called a flathead) six cylinder Plymouths I found some extra letters in the engine serial number. An 'A' designated the engine had a "special standard" overbore of .020. If there was a 'B' it meant the rod and main journals were ground .010 under. Evidently, if there were some flaws in the parts or mistakes made while machining, the factory just took off more stock! They weren't scrapping anything if it could be saved! 😁
I had a couple friends that worked at the Chrysler mound road engine plant in the late 70s. It was an extremely common thing to have engines built with different bores and bearings. I forget exactly how they were identified. The ones that were built to spec would go in the higher line cars, the ones that were built with different bore or bearings would go into the cheap cars like the volare and Aspen.
@@garyszewc3339 Those poor Aspens and Volares, they just couldn't catch a break!
@ Burt Henry Chrysler Made STANDARD SIZE Pistons Bores And Crank Cuts On Their Engines When Leaving The Factory. Since Their Flathead Was Manufactured For Over 3O-Years, The Engines That You Discovered Being Bored Out And Having Crank Cuts Most Likely ALREADY HAD Undergone A Previous Machining Job. It Was COMMON For Wearing Out Engines Of The 1930's To Get An Engine Machining Job After 50K Or 70K Miles. Especially During The WWII Years, When New Cars Weren't Available, And Engine Rebuilds We're More Affordable Back Then. Removing Heads And Grinding Valves On Flathead Engines Was Commonplace. Even In The 1980's Local Machine Shops Would Still Rebuild Your Engine And Put Markings On Their Work As To What Oversize Piston Or Under Cut Crank Their Work Had Done On It. Where As Today, Rebuilt Engines Come From Jasper Or Other Companies That Provide Warranty Exchanges For Your Old Engine, (Which Is Much Smarter, Less Hassle And QUICKER), That Auto Repair Shops Often Rely Upon. Screwing Around With Boring Out Blocks And Cutting Cranks To Different Sizes IS NOT What A Manufacturer Would Be Wasting Time Doing At A Factory...
@@davemckolanis4683 Maybe or maybe not. When I saw the extra letters my 1956 Motors Manual said this was how the FACTORY (Chrysler, DeSoto, etc.) marked the blocks and cranks for the 6 cyl. I looked it up again yesterday before I quoted it. Were these factory replacement blocks/engines or original equipment? I don't know for sure. But back then I can certainly see them reworking a block or crank on a separate line at the factory. Other manufacturers would use a star or other symbol in the engine serial number to denote a non-standard size.
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
More great educational content. Floyd Clymer’s book on the Model T Fords was published in 1955, year before I was born, but is still a very useful reference for owners and restorers. The suicide door Mopars continued until the “box on box” re-style of the late 40s. I have a 53 Cranbrook which includes many more modern features along with older ones, like the cowl vent
I'd love to have a car from this era. I know I'll never be able to afford one. But if I could find a decent body to build up as a custom. That's definitely something I can do
I know that many people don't like the cars of the 1940s, but I have always had a soft spot for them.
Cool to see a 1940s relic wedged in with a 2000s era model. A mish mosh of Americana
I remember as a kid riding on my Dad's lap and watching that speedometer change colors as he let me hold the steering wheel.
51 olds 88 video would be nice. Love you Steve!
I was born in 1947 so these were still around, but not many of them, when I started driving in 1963. My first car was a 1950 Ford 2-door sedan and was considered old in '63. Thanks, Steve, for talking about cars from different time periods.
Thank you as always. A side note - locking gas caps were quite popular in the 40s. Gas rationing caused some people to siphon gas. Locking caps solved that problem. ~ Chuck
Actually the gas tanks back in those days had a plug on the bottom of the tank for draining the tank so siphoning may or may not have been a problem....
@@jonathankountz7097 You’ve stumped me. I’m not as familiar with other makes, but the Fords of the 30s and early 40s did not have such a feature I’ve ever seen. What makes did?
General Motors cars and Chrysler, Nash , and Studebaker
@@jonathankountz7097 Thank you. Learned something today, appreciate you taking the time to help.
@@charlesdalton985 Drain Plugs At The Bottom Of Auto Gas Tanks, Was To Eliminate Any Water, Contaminants Or Dirt That Would Settle At The Bottom Of The Tanks. Because Back In The 30's And 40's, Some Gas Stations Didn't Have Final Filters On Their Older Gas Station Pumps. Think Back Of The Ancient Tower Type Glass Gas Topped Pumps. Where The Attendant HAND PUPPED The Gas Out Of The Tank In The Ground, Up Into The Glass Container At The Top Of The Tall Reservoir. And Then Gravity Flowed Down A Hose Into The Car Gas Tank Filler Neck. Clean Quality Gasoline Back 80-Years Ago Was NOT A Guarantee. Even Today, Lawn Mowers Stop Running Because Of Dirty Gasoline Winding Up In The Fuel System...
Always entertaining and chock full of facts! You and Shane really make awesome presentations!!!! Thank you both for working so hard and constantly bringing new videos!!
That's a pretty cool looking car there Steve. Looks like a decent base for a cool custom build.
The caption is talking about a video for a Ford, but this is a Dodge video. LOL. My parents had a 1941 Plymouth that we had from 1978 to 1988 until my dad passed. We bought it for $550 out of the local paper. It was a barely running hooptie in primer with another half of a car in parts for the asking price. Over the course of time, we cleaned it up, had it painted, redid the interior and enjoyed it every summer. My dad took my grandparents to the church in 1985 for their 50th wedding anniversary. When my dad passed, his older brother in TX got the car and had it painted a Ford burgundy color and fixed it up some more. He enjoyed it for several years and then gave it to his son for a time. Eventually, the car got sold and a local couple in TX who owns the local paper bought it and at last call, still has it.
The nickname of the car was "The General" because it was built around the time of WWII, and it was always reliable and had an imposing look to it, being massive compared to other cars of the 1970s. It was kept in my grandparents garage in the winter (which is now my workshop garage). Chryslers of this vintage were built in either Hamtramck, MI (aka Dodge Main or Factory Zero. It closed in 1980 and GM's Hamtramck, MI assembly is on part of that site now), Evansville, IN (closed in 1959 when production was transferred to St. Louis, MO (Fenton), which closed in 2009), Los Angeles, CA (Maywood, closed in 1971) or Windsor, Ontario Canada (still operating today under Stellantis).
Did you intend to release a Ford video instead of this one or is the caption just incorrect?
I always appreciate the added literature! And marking it up is fine by me, also. I marked up my textbooks plenty in college. Looking at the two cuties at the 4:40 mark in their 1934 DeSoto Airflow is great, what a piece of Americana. Hubba, Hubba!
One thing to kinda highlight, since you didn't have the interstates yet, these cars ran about a 3.73 gear or steeper. Makes that 87 Horse Power plenty usable around town, just a limited top cruising speed.
Yeah, you need to add an overdrive to most pre 1950’s cars if you’re going to be putting in a lot of interstate miles.
@@seed_drill7135 yep. And if you running 60mph+ and your old drum brakes fade on a hard stop, some bigger drums or disc brakes is a good idea.
@@junkman7426 One of my slave cylinders let loose as I was having to suddenly decelerate from 60 to a 20 mph exit ramp. Yanked the wheel right out of my hands!
@junkman7426 Those REALLY HEAVY All Steel Cars With Standard Transmissions And Frames Under Them From The 30's To The 50's, NEEDED Lower Rear End Gear Ratios To Power Those Cars Along. My 1950 Mercury Came With A 3.91 Rear End Ratio, To Drag That Heavy Car Along. But The Average Speed Limit Back Then On Those Narrower, Windy And Hilly Roads In My Area Was 45 To 50mph. So To Keep The Engine Running COOLER At Continual HIGHER Speeds With 30% LOWER RPM's; An Overdrive Is A True Benefit To Have On Those Older Vehicles Indeed...
Luv these oldsters....
To think of a time when radios were optional is difficult for Americans in this day and age. First, no radio at all, then optional or add-on aftermarket later, all AM, then FM, briefly record players. 8-track, cassette tapes, and later CDs changed the game, for the first time you chose the music!
Now, in my mid-40s, I'm spoiled by SiriusXM. Just got a 2007 Ford Focus with AM/FM/CD and keep the radio off. No satellite radio, and not even an auxiliary input to stream from my phone. Preposterous! Younger generations are used to Bluetooth and manufacturer-specific apps to stream their favorite playlist through what are often premium sound systems (compared to pre-2000s cars).
Even A HEATER Was An Optional Feature Back In The 1930's For A Lot Of Cars. It Was The Depression Years And You Could Buy A NEW Ford Or Plymouth Coupe For Less Than $1,000...
Thanks Steve, I too love the 30 and 40’s and early 50’s cars
That's a beautiful steering wheel and I'm always impressed by a real glass taillight lens and a car I don't have to bend over and touch my toes to get in and out of. Sinatra might have already been with Tommy Dorsey by 1940 but I'm more of an Ivie Anderson with Ellington or Jimmy Rushing with Basie kind of guy. But I do remember listening to Gabriel Heeter and H V Kaltenborn on the radio of dad's new 1956 Chevy 150 Handyman wagon back then. One of them opened their broadcast by booming - "GOOD EVENING MR AND MRS AMERICA AND ALL THE SHIPS AT SEA!"...or something like that. I don't think everyone had a tv set in 1956 so radio was still hanging in there. I bet this Dodge was still on the road in '56. Had yet to turn into a Ford.
So good so great is Steve's review's.
Back then Chrysler was known for their well engineered cars. My dad bought a used '40 Sedan in early '42 for $500 from a friend who was drafted. It was the first decent car he owned. Three months later , Dad was drafted also & spent the next 39 months in the South Pacific. My mother used the Dodge to get around & was a "Rosie the riveter" at the DeSoto plant in Detroit. In '49 Dad traded in the Dodge for a new '50 Hawaiian Bronze Ford Sedan. The Dodge had served our family well.
I would bet the Dodge was much BETTER than the Ford!
In about 1960 When I was a little kid, sometimes I didn't get the the back door closed all the way on our 51' Cadillac I would ask can I open the door to re-close it & my mom always said yes, well my dad bought an old Studebaker for a work car & the same thing happened, when I asked if I could re-latch it my mom very quickly said NO! We will pull over. She told me the door could (from the wind) have broken or been plastered against the quarter panel if I was lucky, if not it could've taken me with it & she said THAT is why they are called SUICIDE DOORS I'm almost 70 and I will never forget my mom's wise words
Great video,the 40s were a tune of change, thumbs up
Mr. B. Here ! Steve these two vehicle’s together are very interesting to see them . 🚗🚗 thank you !
Great stuff Steve ! Another great history lesson. My mom listened to President Roosevelt's famous " a day that will live in infamy " speech on the family radio in the living room 1941 like so many others i suppose, but thats what these era cars remind me of...
Thanks fir sharing
Very good video!
The Charger Pacifica in front of the Dodge looks interesting! How automobiles changed in a relatively short time
Might only be 87 horses, but like my Dad often said (he'd been a garage mechanic starting in the mid 1930s) they were bigger horses. ;)
That is right, they weren't about speed and developed horsepower, they were about high torque and a broad power band. You could slow down to 10MPH in high gear and pull away without strain. In spite of low HP they have no problem keeping up with city traffic and cruising at 50 - 55 MPH. By no means a race car but lots of fun and easy to drive for every day use.
@@mrdanforth3744 Even Though Your Comment Is MONTHS OLD Already, Either You Haven't Ever Driven One Of Those Older Cars, Or You FORGOT How Much They Are Significantly Different Than Driving A Car Of Today. I Have A HEAVY 1950 Mercury That Is Like Driving A TANK. REALLY Hard To Steer With NO Power Assist When Making A Sharp Turn From A Stop, And Just About Needing BOTH FEET On The Brake Pedal To Get It To Stop. Even With The Front Disk Brakes That Are Installed On It. YES It Can Pull A Steep Hill In 2nd Gear, And From Some Stop Signs. But NOT As Nice As You Seem To Imagine...
@@davemckolanis4683 Your car was not that hard to drive when new. Suggest you get the front end checked over, worn parts replaced, get an alignment, new shocks or, fill the old shocks with oil if they are the refillable type. Have the wheels trued and balanced, and pump up the tires to 32PSI.
Others have done this and their car was transformed.
Suggest you also have the brakes checked. They may not be as good as the latest disc brakes but should be a lot better than you describe.If you have disc brakes you need power brakes too. Discs have no self energizing action and on a heavy car will not work effectively without power assist.
You could also do a compression test and tuneup.
Old cars require more service and repair than modern cars, but the work is usually easier and cheaper.
@@mrdanforth3744 You've GOT TO BE KIDDING. I Spent Over A YEAR Finishing The Restoration Of My Mercury, With A Beefed Up, Bored Out And Came Up Flathead, And ALL NEW Suspension Parts. Having It Professionally Electronically Aligned With ME Sitting IN THE CAR To Compensate For Any Weight Variance. REMOVING The Lowering Blocks That The Previous Owner Installed On It To Eliminate The "BUMP STEER", (That You Probably Don't Even Know What That Is); And Having NEW Disk Brakes On The Front With A NEW Dual Master Cylinder And Portioning Valve Installed. NEW Brake Hoses And Wheel Cylinders And Shoes On The Rear. I WANTED It To Drive More Like An "OLD CAR" With Some Modern Updating Features, Instead Of The POWER EVERYTHING That A Lot Of Old Classic Car Owners Want To Make Them Driving Like Today's Cars. My Older Sister Remembers Driving My Father's 1951 Mercury In The Mid 50's When SHE First Started Driving, And Said It Was A CHORE Trying To Drive His Car. I Even Restored And Updated The 1938 Plymouth Coupe I Got From My Grandfather Back In The 1970's, And It Drove Like An OLD TRUCK. OBVIOUSLY You're In DREAM LAND About Those Old Cars Indeed...
As an owner of a 1941 Special Deluxe Plymouth Business Coupe, I appreciate the attention given to MoPars of this era. Underated with superior engineering in comparison to Ford and GM, specifically the IFS being standard on my lowly Plymouth model.
Nice car. Would be neet to see one totally restored.
Excellent trip back in time today, thanks Steve!
Looks in decent shape for the age
Dodge had more of an impact on the auto industry than people really know, and the lack of recognition from Ford people isn't right, in my opinion. Love what you do man thanks
Great video Steve! Always interesting! 👍👍💯🇺🇸
Outstanding Steve! What a grand old car thanks a lot Steve!
You are the BEST barrr none the BEST So Educated and (again) MAGSNIFECENT.... Just AWESOME I'm 68 and never met anybody like you and the VAST knowledge and CLASS 😀🚞🚌🛻🚛🚛🚜
The best and hardest working guy on TH-cam!
Love this. Style. I think. Cold War motors. You tube. Has. One. Of. These. And. His. Friend. Has. One. Restored. Thanks
👍👍🇨🇦
Morning Steve......
I wonder how many people thought sealed beam headlights were horrible... now we are back to bulbs in a reflector housing.
My dad had a 48 black Plymouth in 63 then a 55 black Plymouth in 65 with red trim love those cars .
Great content thank you
Back again! Gotta help Steve pay the bills!
I'd love to hear the sound of that running down the road from the inside.
Those flathead sixes are pretty quiet.
Good Morning Gents ! 🇺🇸
I remember the Custom 880 l had on the center of the steering wheel was Dodge 50th anniversary, and l thought that was an old vehicle back in the 80's when I had it.
Mr. B. Here ! Good evening Steve ! Am in your neck of the wood Lancaster Mass, Kimball’s try 70 Friday night car show ! Will catch your show case in Am ! 👍👍🚗🚗🛣️🛣️
Another great episode Steve!
I’m confused! Is it a Dodge or a Ford?
Is it a Fodge?
Or a Dord?😅
Dodge.
@@samholdsworth420 yes I know I was being a wise guy the title of the video says more Ford for 41!
Great video. Ihad one for a short time. Another interesting point is foot start, just above the gas pedal.
I'm about 50 minutes away here in Massachusetts on business. Definitely gonna try and swing by before I leave this week!
Thank you for the great episode
That old car still looks good I hope someone saves it 🙏
Safety bead was on my 39 Desoto.
great episode Steve, I really like the 1939 40 cars you show us, so interesting. That one looks savable with some new sheet metal in the boot floor and some new wiring, a worth while project.
Oh Steve, you missed one. The deer head in the trunk would have been funny.
Awesome video, as always
Thanks Steve , hope you are getting better!
An interesting looking dash and instrument cluster. It might not be fast with that flathead, but you had something to look at along the way.
Good work Steve!
Great series
I always loved the steering wheels on those early cars and the dash 😮Today’s are so bland, ditto for suv’s. You drive behind them and they all look the same
Great old car, with incredible history. I wanted to ask you how your project is going. An update would be awesome.
Hi Steve, great video on this 'Ford' Ram 😅. This car reminds of the same story I told before about when I was a kid and was given one of these to 'pretend' to drive it but it was probably a 45ish, tho and not a 41 Ford Ram😂 Once I got the flat 6 to break loose. Someone would sit on the passenger fender and operate the throttle because the gas pedal was rusted off. We eventually run a rod that was crudely attached to the carb that stuck through the dash, and we had ourselves a hand throttle. But like I was saying before, we would take turns straddling the fender like riding a horse, and you talk about some teamwork and trust happening there. Steve, you mentioned a good portion of the video about factory installed radios, and now today they're talks of taking out AM on the factory radio. I see Ford has stepped up and announced they're keeping AM in their 2024 vehicles. I'm sure there's more. I'm sure many of us never use the AM frequency option, but this is, in my opinion, not a great idea at all. They took away our true free over the air tv signals and went digital. Sure, the picture quality is awesome, but if it's digital, it's not reliable in a natural disaster the same for AM. I'm no radio expert, but I believe the FM signal has been digitized, but I'm probably wrong, and it won't be the 1st time or the last time. 😬 Write your gov rep and demand they keep AM in modern cars. I'm heading west this weekend it looks like rain all weekend here in the Carolinas. I was supposed to attend a Bluegrass folk festival celebrating the life of Tony Rice here in NC but I've scored passes to Dark Star Jubilee 2023 in Ohio. Hopefully, the rains will have moved on by Mon because on the 30th, Dead&Co will be in Charlotte and Raleigh, and up the east coast, we go! Thanks for what you do Master Magnante 😇 Have a blessed day everyone 🤙🏼Namaste 🙏🏼
I swear I just read that they were not going to have am radios in 24s
@Sam Holdsworth Hi Mr Holdsworth 👋🏼 Ford changes direction and will keep AM radio in its 2024 vehicles Some automakers are removing AM from electric cars. Ford's CEO says he "got the signal" about AM's importance to the emergency alert system. Ford EV's will get a software update to bring AM back. I copied this from of all places NPR news article. Thanks for commenting 🤙🏼Namaste 🙏🏼
@@chrisscearce 👍🙂
I’m still ticked that they stopped putting CD players in cars - and stay off of my lawn……..🤬
That is a cool story!
Parents today would freak out if kids did that ! Sounds like a great childhood!
As long as they close the trunk, it's probly safer for the kids in there than in the seatbelt-less cabin!
Hey Steve I must be up early I'm number 11 on your like thumbs up this morning lol have a good day
Give me a month and I'd be daily driving that thing! Will look the same, but be mechanically solid!
Great job sir
Hi Steve,
In reference to your Toronado episode I was watching some old Mannix episodes and in se1 ep4 he was driving a Toronado convertable while trying to save the daughter of a Nazi war criminal.
Otherwise good job on your channel keep up the good work 👍
Oh in an unrelated note a very young Neil Diamond made an appearance that was a nice surprise
Coldwarmotors has revived one just like this, it runs
in the 60s a car from the 40s looked damn old! in the 80s a car from the 60s looked damn old too! from the 90s onward they look all the same!
Except they're going back to ridiculous fins & styling cues....
Nice car Steve
So many thoughtful future proof features. Safety? Well..... You don't have to worry about dog bites or getting shanked.
Found On Road Dodge?
FoMoparCo
Mofode!
These vacuum tubes radio mostly used 6V6 beam tetrode vacuum tubes still manufactured today used in Hi-Fi and guitar amplifiers. The first 6 mean these tubes run on a 6 volts heater, the car battery of the day. The high voltage was achieved with the help of a vibrator which converts the Dc to AC with a noticeable noise.
Someone in Alberta, CA would love some parts from that!
Steve is the man
gr8 story Steve and can you find any 1st gen Dakota and how they became the world first Mid-Size pick-up for 1987 while the Ford Ranger and the Chevy S-10 were Compact size pick-up at the same time.
What sparked the idea of seals beam headlights?
They allowed for better reflector and lens design for more "lumens" with the 6-volt system plus the service life was longer than the previous glass bulb in the headlight unit. Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
This was exciting!
Enjoyed!!!
It would have to be a labor of love but that car could be restored
whooo hooo like number 351
where's the FORD?
Hey Steve. Love the videos! Been watching for about a year now. I used to be heavily involved in dealing parts for old Fords back in the 80s and 90s. I recently acquired a collection of NOS sheetmetal for some of these cars and I was wondering where a good place to market some of it might be. I picked up a copy of Hemmings Motor News only to find out it doesn't really seem to be what it was back then. Any of you guys out there have any ideas? Thanks!
That car would make for a fun project,
Room for six adults and suicide doors made entry into the backseats very easy.
Steve has obviously never had children - kids in the trunk is an EXCELLENT idea……..😐
Ah. A Latin lesson and car talk. Sweet!
I'm building a 1940 DeSoto now.
Plug wires look fresh
Where’s the ford?
I was wondering that myself! In the trunk maybe?
Was the coil pancake shaped, or recessed into the firewall?
Hello Iowa599, the coil is indeed fitted into a sleeve set into the firewall. This mounting system was supposed to mount the coil rigidly to prevent vibrations from harming the internal windings. That said, by 1950, most every coil I've seen in an old car is floating in mod air on a metal strap bracket. Not sure why it was suddenly OK to mount them like this. Life's mysteries boggle the mind! Thanks for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
It was an anti-theft design. The end of the coil had an armored flexible cable that ran to the ignition switch. This protected the coil feed wire inside it and made it tougher to 'hot wire' the car. All Chrysler products of this era had this feature.
@@burthenry7740 I was just researching that! All I had found was 1935-1958 Chevy mounted the coil to the side of the engine, which ruled out vibration & heat as reasons.
Anti-theft makes sense, these old cars were really easy to drive without keys!
Funny how this size and shape vehicle have come back into style. The current SUV, CUV, are similar because people want to easily enter and exit their vehicles, and sit up higher. While the "Longer, Lower, Wider" styling had a good run starting in the late 1950's it had its time in the sun. That said, I'm still not buying an SUV, or a CUV. And I never owned a minivan. One of the last holdouts.😉
The longer , lower, wider look fizzled out as the buyers got older, ache-ier, and wider!😉
I never liked the trend toward smaller wheels in the 1950s and 60s. My giant ‘66 Bel Air had 14” wheels! One reason I admired the original Beetle was its 15” wheels, when all other small cars in the ‘70s had 13s.
i love the look of smaller wheels with lots of rubber.
What year did Chrysler switch to opposite-direction wheel studs?
Don’t forget the war years when no cars were built. Extract them from the 30 year span to 1970
Cars got a cool interior. If it was closer I would frame swap it. Maybe make a ute out of it.
It isn't strictly true to say Dodge never went the Airflow route. They confined their Airflow models to trucks which made for an appreciative (albeit limited) audience. Airlines liked having streamlined tankers and service vehicles to park next to obviously streamlined aircraft.
The first use of the North American Mountain Goat [the Ram] was in 1932, not 1934. It was used as a radiator cap/mascot in 1932 & '33 on passenger models as well as being available, at extra cost, on the 1933 HC & '34 KC commercial car models. Yes, I have one for my 1932 Dodge DL & another on my 1933 DP models.
Independent front suspension was introduced in the 1934 Dodge DR & DS models as well as 1934 Plymouth PE & PF passenger models. The so called "Ford" wheel bolt pattern [5 x 4-1/2"] was also introduced on Dodge & Plymouth models in 1933 & used continuously ever after. So why is it called the "Ford' bolt pattern?
Edit, on review I found some typo errors, now rectified & added clarification to some detail.
Same bolt pattern was used by Ford, Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto, Chrysler, Studebaker, Kaiser, Frazer, Toyota and possibly others. Ford wasn't even the first, they had a "wide 5" bolt pattern up to 1938 or 39.
@@mrdanforth3744 The 'wide 5' pattern on Ford models ran from 1936 to 1939. You are correct with the list of cars that also used the 5 x 4-1/2" pattern, but almost all of them after 1933. [Not too sure about the timeline for Studebaker]