First Project: Dash Board Sheetmetal

 The dash was actually in pretty good shape.

Several holes were drilled under the original radio control head area. The size lead me to believe they were probably for toggle switches. I believe this car did not originally come with a radio because there was no evidence of antenna mounting holes on the cowl and a radio delete cover bearing the Plymouth logo was in the pile of parts that came with the car. You can see in the photo above a light spot on the dash where the delete cover was covering the radio control holes and the two mounting holes for it on each side of where the frequency indicator would have been.

After sand blasting the dash I welded up all of the unwanted holes and ground them smooth. It took very little hammer and dolly work to get everything back to it's original shape. The three large holes I left untouched in the photo above are for the windshield regulator (top center), the cigarette lighter and ashtray (bottom left and right) which I would later use for air conditioning vents.

Title Transfer and Registration

Before I invested any time or money in the car I wanted to assure the car was legally recognized as my property. I did not want to invest then later find out there was a problem with title transfer so the day after I brought the car home I took the paperwork to my local Department of Motor Vehicles (DNV). Sure enough there was a problem; the car had not been registered for so long that it had fallen out of the State database. This meant I would need to have the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) verified by the Highway Patrol before the title I had in my possession could be considered valid and the car could once again be registered in the State database.  I found out there was only one Officer in my area that did VIN verifications. He was located in a neighboring town so I made an appointment with the Officer and arranged to take that day off from work. I loaded the car back on the trailer and transported it to the Highway Patrol office where the inspection facility was located. After I arrived I was instructed to park behind a gated area and leave my truck, trailer and Plymouth and come back in two and a half hours. When I returned the Officer told me the numbers checked out ok and gave me a signed inspection form. The following day I returned to the DMV and successfully transferred and registered the Plymouth in my name. 

These photos show some features on my car which are different than most 1937 Plymouths. The Banjo steering wheel and Dash controls. From left to right the dash controls operated the Headlights, Throttle, Ignition Switch, Choke and Panel Lights.

This photo is from the internet and shows the common configuration of steering wheel type and dash controls. 

My car came with a Banjo steering wheel and contoured drawer type pull-push dash controls as seen in this internet photo. This is the only example I have personally seen and it appears European due to the right hand drive configuration of the driver’s position.

This is a photo of the steering wheel which came with my car (I still have this steering wheel and horn control/button). The one in the internet photo above is brown, mine is black and mine does not have the Plymouth logo on the horn button...it is plain smooth black.

 Here is a photo of the dash controls which came with my car. The Headlight drawer/handle and switch were missing from the sale (I sold these on ebay for a very respectable price).

Original Interior Panels

 Firewall panel and insulation

 Both layers of firewall panel

 Closeup of firewall insulation material.

 Sunvisor

 "B" pillar panel

 Rear dash panel. This car was also equipped with a rear window shade.

 Front kick panels

 Right rear side panel

 Left rear side panel

 Rear seat arm rests left and right

 Backside of arm rests left and right

Closeup of rear seat armrest showing metal support brackets and mounting hooks

 Back side of door panel

 Front side left door panel

Initial inventory of parts at home. At this point it is a guess as to what is and is not there

 Various Interior and exterior trim parts

 Headlight housings

 Nice original grill and center molding. One of the surround moldings can also be seen in this photo lying on the blanket. I was fortunate to get both of these moldings in good condition, they are very rare and almost impossible to replace.

 Trunk lid

 Windshield and garnish molding 

 Window garnish moldings

Rear License plate light housing

As you can see the car was truly a basket case. I did get front and rear seats and all of the interior panels but were still in the bed of my truck when these photos were taken. 

First morning home after long haul from purchase point

The next morning when I got home.

When I arrived at the body shop to inspect the car the body and paint work did appear to have been complete for some time because the car was covered with months of dust and some superficial overspray. The seller told me the car had been at this body shop for several years. From what I remember being told, the body shop had agreed to work on the car during slow times to keep the labor rates down. The car had been completely disassembled except for the running gear. All of the body parts were only being held together with a minimum number of fasteners and were hand tightened at best. When I asked to see the missing parts I was told they were down the street in a storage facility. When I arrived at the storage facility the parts were basically in several piles mixed in with other belongings. Nothing was packaged, containerized or labeled… I take that back, there was a coffee can full of nuts, bolts and other small gizmos. I began pulling parts out of piles and corners and setting them outside. As I did I was mentally reassembling the car in an effort to account for the pieces I would need to reassemble the car. I was really disappointed the seller did not prepare for selling the car better than this but when all was said and done I was for the most part satisfied with the inventory of parts. When I returned to the body shop with a pickup full of parts I was surprised to see the guys at the shop had tightened a few of the body bolts to help get me down the road. We loaded the car on my trailer, swapped paper and I headed home. 

After searching the internet and auto publications for several months I was unable to find any good candidates for my project until I came across this car. At first I discounted it because it was a Plymouth but the ad said body and paint work were complete, the engine was rebuilt, new tires, brakes and the price was right so I contacted the seller. After engaging in conversation and looking at these photos I began considering purchasing the car. I thought to myself I could change the hood, radiator shell, grill and emblems and convert it into a mock/pseudo Dodge. The car was located several hundred miles away so I asked the seller to commit to holding the car for me until I could come later that week. 

A little more background; I had been searching for a 1937 Dodge with the intention of transplanting an early (first Generation) 392 HEMI into it. My thought was to keep the car and engine maker the same (older Dodge vehicle with newer Dodge HEMI). I decided on the two door sedan over the coupe because of the added passenger capability but was not open to the four door option due to the traditional street rod styling I was going for. I decided on the 1937 year because of the awesome-to-me double D shaped rear windows and the humpback trunk of the touring sedans. 1937 was also the first year of the solid metal roof (no more canvas and wood insert) and it was also the last year of the crank out windshield. In addition the grills were full length top to bottom whereas the ’38 models were shortened at the bottom to accommodate a “bulbous chin” which did not feel proportionate to me. All in all I love the 1930’s Art Deco period for Chrysler products but I feel 1937 was the year it all came together for the era. 

This next series of photos I received from the seller after we established contact in May of 2004. 

The Touring Two Door Sedan weighed 2,840 pounds, the MSRP was $650. All four plants (Detroit, Los Angeles, Evansville, and Windsor) were able to produce a total of 111,099 two door Touring Sedans.

I would like to learn more about the history of this ‘37 Plymouth if anyone recognizes it.

According to these photographs my best guess is the original color of this car was Gunmetal Grey with Broadcloth interior trim. The photos also show there were no front windows or windshield to protect the interior from the elements.

The big promotion for the 1937 year models was the “safety styled” instrument panel and door handles designed to not snag clothes. For safety and comfort there was a hidden blower unit with ducts for defroster vents. On the engineering front the big news was “airplane style” shock absorbers for the Plymouth and an all steel top. The rubberized fabric roof insert is now a thing of the past.

According to data found at http://www.ply33.com/Models/P4/ the serial number (VIN) tells me the car was assembled at the Detroit, Michigan plant and the production of 1937 Plymouth models began on September 10, 1936 and ended on August 30, 1937

At the time I purchased the car the seller gave to me a document package along with these old photographs. Among the documents was a California vehicle registration form that showed this 1937 Plymouth had once been owned by a person residing in Petaluma, California from 1974 until 1985. 

The person I purchased the car from took these photos at the time they purchased the car in 1995. They told me the car was purchased from a friend and their intention was to restore the car back to factory original specifications but with variations from original in body color and interior fabrics. Sadly they ran into personal problems and now wanted to sell the car. 1937 Plymouth.

I guess the best place to begin is before I purchased the car. These photos were taken in Sonoma, California circa 1995 by the person I purchased the car from. 1937 Plymouth.

1937 Plymouth Restomod project I started in 2004 and finished in 2008