Solid Bones: 1940 Dodge Business Coupe
Classy old Business Coupes can often be difficult to find unrestored, or in worthwhile condition. Thankfully this 1940 Dodge is a solid builder for your next project. Although strangely green, this Business Coupe is fairly straight and rust free. This classic beauty is offered for $4,250! Check it out here on The H.A.M.B. out of Houston, Texas. Thanks Doug M for the awesome submission!
There is not much information offered about this old coupe, other than the fact that it is solid, and mostly complete. One great thing about this Dodge is the seller has a clean and clear title. Examining the photos reveals what looks to be an honest old Dodge, although there are no specifics about the drive-train, or that last time it was driven. Being in Texas, I would think there is some hope that the engine isn’t locked up.
With an almost psychedelic appearance, the worn layers of paint and primer have a rather interesting appearance. Overall the body seems very rust free minus a few areas with some superficial surface rust. The worst of the surface rust appears to be on the running boards, which appear solid, but suffer from a few bends. The driver rear fender has been bumped at some point, although the rest of the back end appears okay. Beyond that, the body appears very straight. The interior seems questionable as we get into the missing items list. The rear window, driver window and driver rear window are missing. Also the rear bumper, gas cap and fuel filler neck are missing as well. While we are on the “whats wrong” mind of thinking, the front passenger side windshield is de-laminating. Although a few items are missing, this Dodge is an awesome opportunity to build the Business Coupe of your dreams. What would you do with this Dodge, Restore, resto-mod, patina-rod, or other?
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Comments
Not sure how popular Dodge was with the “business coupe” set. In case some younger readers don’t know, the “business” coupe was generally the bottom of the line, and no back seat. Salespeople would load the car with samples or literature on a certain product, and these people would drive around, doing their thing. Most of these cars had a ton of miles, as you can imagine. It’s amazing this car survived at all, as most were pretty haggered or turned into gassers. Don’t see a lot of Dodge hot rods today, but if you like that sort of thing, it doesn’t get any better than this. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f3/43/f1/f343f126cd1dac89d69c6087145306da.jpg
I’ve seen a few dodge coupes that looked awesome in Restomods , as these old cars have to be put on new late model frames for starters..
I currently have a 39 Plymouth business coupe,, sold a 37 a few years back, and bought a 39 Dodge Business coupe around same time for parts but it turns out there are some differences between the Dodge and Plymouth.
It is interesting to me the lines on the fenders….. on my 39 Dodge they are quite different, short section aft of the wheel wells F& R, where on this they are much longer and higher up….. Makes me wonder if Ralph in the sheetmetal dept had a fetish for scallops, ribs and body lines and because he was second cousin to upper mgmt they indulged his quirks.
Mine are too far gone for resto,, so rat rods on modern chassis is the plan. Revolutionary concepts like power steering, actual brakes and better power trains.
$425 okay. But adding a zero which is worthless–I mean it is a zero after but added to the $425 makes this far from pristine old Dodge $4250.00 which blows what is left of my mind after seeing a 1956 Cadillac Limo, “well used” with again, zero refurb. or a detail for $100,000.00!
$425???? seriously? Where have you been living? Under a rock and who let you on the internet? While $4250 might be a tad high compared to other donor projects of similar vintage as I think most of the prewar stuff is undervalued,,I also dont think its totally out of line either. Its not like cool prewar iron grows on trees anymore.
I just dont get people whos general frame of reference is still locked into 1978. I mean I get it,,, See it all the time. A lady I used to work with is still fixated in 1982, Dresses like Stevie Nicks, drives a late 70s Toyota Supra and hasnt updated her wardrobe since the 1980s,, which ironically she is now IN fashion again,,
My dad had one of these and loved it…right up until it tried to have sex with a Brooklyn trolley car. Didn’t work out too well, so he bought a new 1948 Pontiac 4-door (blue as I recall, although memories are vague since my birth year was 1948). He hated the Pontiac, principally because the trunk leaked. The post-war cars were in such demand that many suffered from poor build quality. Following an idiosyncratic streak, he traded it on a 1951 Kaiser Traveler (in a rusty pink color…a new car with we call today ‘patina’). Those were among the first hatchbacks (I think both Kaiser and Fraser had them in the late 40’s/early 50’s). Interesting car for sure and striking in appearance with the widow’s peak windshield.The fancier Manhattans and Deluxes were really good-looking cars and very different from what the other designers were producing (good ole Dutch Darrin).
The stock slanted B-pillars give it a custom look I really like
Wow….how can I get what I can’t sell on Craigslist for over a year over to another site I don’t have to pay for either ?
Here’s a buddies running driver with 2×2’s and Fenton split for the money….
Lawrence,, talk to BF and feature it here, You never know. Id love to hear about it, I love the prewar coupes and baffled they dont go for more money. The last one I sold was for sale for a long time, and then the guy who bought was in a panic attack as he couldnt believe how cheap it was, so clearly these cars are not like Porsches, Corvettes or Chevelles in instant sales but I just think many of the prewar designs are just amazing. I have the same taste in Motorcycles, I own a lot of bikes but my favorites are the early rigid frames from the 30s to 50s, British and American bikes.
When you get to talking about prewar cars and stuff, look to European of those exotics of Bugatti’s and others..
1941 Dodge D19 6 passenger Coupe 360 cu 727 n 8 3/4 rr