Forest bound for who knows how long, this ’37 Dodge D5 sedan is relatively complete and holds some promise for the brave of heart. Needing either a complete restoration, or to be turned into a rat rod build, this Dodge could be a neat start for the $1,000 asking price. Take a look at it here on craigslist out of Sanford, Maine. Thanks to reader AMXBrian for sharing this prewar project!
So what do we have here? Well I would dare to say that the exterior is 85% complete lacking only a few of trim items. The entire exterior is covered in surface rust, but you can make out what looks to be black paint with burgundy primer. Originally powered by a 218 cubic inch flathead inline 6 it is unclear if the drive-train is still with this old Dodge, but it seems a possibility. The rear axle and wheels are in place, but the front wheels have been pulled off, so it is unclear if anything is missing from the front suspension.
From this angle you can spot some rot, along the rear apron and lower rear fender edge. Also you can see that the trunk lid hinges, the taillights, and the running boards are long gone. All of the glass is still in place, and the body seems rather straight with some alignment issues on the driver side rear fender. I am sure we are all curious as to what the rockers, floors, and frame look like on this Dodge, but hopefully someone can see the value in reviving this project either way. What would you do with this Prewar Dodge?
So, the owner will pay $1,000 to have this hauled?
4-door. Hard to find parts. Basket case. Unfortunately the love for pre-war cars is as faded as the paint on this one. Rat rod is a possibility I guess. But otherwise the owner will likely be taking scrap value and this will be restored into a 2020 Hyundai Sonata.
My mom found this one in a field and this is the after pic, I was surprised you could transform an old rust bucket like this
Spotlight on it old cop car?
Lots of old cars came with spotlights.
Pizza delivery???
If I had extra time and money and some wood working skills and equipment I would make a woodie wagon out of this, then with the left over rear end maybe make a teardrop type of trailer.
Build the tear drop! It’s far more practical than this rust collection.
A person might be surprised at how good of shape this car is in. I’ve seen a lot of jobs that appeared to be fairly solid but the body turned out to be chicken wire and bondo. I’ve seen cars looking like this one that had mostly surface rust and once cleared away a good solid car lurked underneath. Get this out, get it all cleaned up and in the shop. See where you are from there. Remember, it’s the journey….
I don’t know, it seems like a decent price and a good way to burn through some time having fun trying your hand at body and restoration work. I guess it depends on what sector of the hobby you enjoy. But if you like getting all dirty and sweaty repairing the near impossible then this would be an inexpensive way to have some fun. Granted it will never be worth very much but as long as you do al the work yourself then you won’t have much invested. And there are lots of ways to cut corners like blasting the bumpers and then painting them silver instead of chroming them. I kind of like it. Unfortunately I have no room for it in the garage
This is a great learning tool! Cars from this time were made with pure/clean steel, not mostly alloy & recycled scraps. Get the body good, just paint the bumpers so they can be straightened, then chromed later if you choose to. It would be the only one at Almost any kind of car show! In their day, this flat head 6 could hold it’s own with ALL but 8 cylinders cars. Great find, great unique project!! Good luck.
Sadly, there’s not a lot of love for old Dodges either pre war or post war. This will suck up some money and when you are done you will have a prewar Dodge sedan. Hmmmmmm…… at $300 maybe …. at $1000….no way..
Wait – you’re fine-tuning the price to within $700 but we don’t even know whether it has any floors left or if the powertrain is still in it?
If the body is pretty solid and the running gear is there, $1000 might be possible.
If not, then even $300 is never going to happen. Just the metalwork alone would take it out of the realm of the practical.
Nice yard art until you decide what else you might want to do with it .
I’d want to make a boat tailed roadster out of it. I’m good at working with wood and fiberglass. So I’d loose the body from the wind shield back I’d save the front doors and back fenders to include in the build. You could end up with a kind of chitty chitty bang bang car, like in the old Disney movie.