I own a 1933 Dodge Sedan that I want to put a different front suspension on. Wondering if a '33 Dodge sedan frame is the same as a '34 Dodge sedan frame. I bought the car with a Mustang II front end and no fenders, I now want to mount fenders but the existing front end is mounted a few inches too far forward to clear the fenders properly. I'm looking to replace the front end with a subframe setup to accept a Mustang II suspension. I found a subframe for a '34 but it doesn't list a '33. I wonder if they are the same. Any info in this regard is appreciated. Thanks.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->
There is three or four different body series and wheel bases for 33' and 34' Dodge and Plymouth. You need to find out if you have a PE,PD,PC or PF( I think I got those right).
try http://www.progressiveautomotive.com/street.htm you will need to know what wheel base car you have, early 1933 Dodge was 111 1/4" is commonly called Short wheel base, late 1933 was 115" Long wheel base. here's another link http://www.alstonracing.com/Gallery/Dodge/index.html this is a LWB car and another http://www.hotrodhardware.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=749/prd749.htm any photos?
Someone correct me, but I think 34 Dodges had IFS for that one year. Like every one else said the lare long and short wheelbases in those years and the length diffrence is about 3" longer in the the area between the front cowl and the the front wheels. Are you looking to keep and IFS or go to a dual leaf original with the double dip tube axle? Someone had an axle for sale here in classifieds. You can check to see what model you have by looking at the serial number. I'm particular to Plymouths but try the owner of this site http://www.ply33.com/ maybe the links will point you in the right direction. BTW my suggestion if its a clean installation of the MII just keep it and find the long wheelbase fenders for it. There is LWB hood on craigslist. If you definately need to change the front suspension just mock the thing up with an Ford I beam or the original dual leafs. There posts about ways on here, just do a ton of searches for 1932, 1933, 1934 dodge or plymouths. Not everyones is going to be helpful as these are oddball cars and parts are hens teeth. Keep your eye on the auction site too.
my 34 dodge has independant too, trying to work with it instad of changing out but..... also looking for a set of headlight stands for 34 anyone????
You can always use the Mustang ll setup that you have and modify the frame to make it work with what you have. Finding different sheet metal to fit can take time and money. Cutting and welding can be done pretty cheap if you can do it yourself. If the Mustang ll you have is in good shape I'd keep that before spending the money on a Fat Man setup. The factory setup is made much better than the aftermarket option if it's installed correctly. I know some people say good things about Fat Man but we are far from happy with it. For one it's not cheap at all. At the time when we bought ours, ten years ago, it was like the all out best thing to get. So we got it and installed it on our 34 Dodge coupe. Wish we would've kept messing with the original Mustang ll we were going to use, or just gave up on independent suspension and went with a straight axle. For what a frame stub costs from Fat Man you can buy almost everything brand new to have a 40 Ford style straight axle setup. If we had it all to do over again this would be the way we'd go. The 40 Ford axle is what I went with for my 29 Essex coupe and am happier with that than the Fat Man setup with the 34 Dodge. The Fat Man suspesion doesn't incorporate bump stops into the front suspesion. So to keep the suspension from bottoming out they use a heavier spring rate for the coil overs. We hit a pot hole a month ago and bottomed out the left front. Bent the lower shock mount, and it bent both lower and upper shock mount bolts, and broke the top bearing and snap ring of the coil over. Plus when you recieve the frame stub there are two pieces that still need to be welded to the crossmember. Your lower A-arm bolts will run through these pieces once you weld them on, but the way it's designed it's a single shear on the bolt. This area is in need of an additional gusset or else you will see problems. We added this piece when building ours and adding that part has been covered on here in additional threads. With the heavier spring rate you also sacrifice the quality of ride. Might not matter if you hardly ever drive the car and do short runs. Not that great of you like to drive it, have fun, and go for long cruises. I like driving my stuff and the roads here in South Dakota just plain suck. The aftermarket suspension like Fat Man just is not designed to handle the abuse. People can argue to death about what's right or wrong. I know what I have and what I like the most.
I put a M-II in my 33 coupe recently. You can see some pictures here on hamb under "33 Dodge Coupe Build" If you need measurements, I can give you some. I used a JW Garage kit. As one respondent said, why not cut out the set up you have and move it?
know them well plydo everytime you call they dont answer the phone , moved on to better suppliers, thanks anyways..
34 Dodge was indeed independent suspension. I have 2 of them. Used a 34 DB frame and cut off the front suspension and added front frame with buggy spring and tube axle on my 33 Plymouth PD coupe.
My buddy has a 33 Plymoth coupe with a Hemi and an IFS. He also has a 33 Dodge pickup with a Hemi and a straight axle. There`s only 300 pounds difference between the two. He says the pickup rides much better.
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