Vehicle Description
The 1938 Dodge D8 was a car that dared to be different. With
better-integrated headlights than a Chevy and a more thoughtful
sedan body design than a Ford, it has a distinctive appearance
that's rare today. This one lets you show off that distinction
quite well with upgrades to the motor, suspension, and five-speed
that make this classic a better cruiser.
This is a cool car for many of us. It has an incognito kind of
style that starts with the paint. The black has a mature style. It
still looks quite complete out on the streets, but there is a
definite aged-in style when people look up close. So there are
going to be some people out there who just assume you are driving
an 85-year-old survivor! And when a car has the appearance of
history, people often take some extra time to appreciate the
details. Curvy fenders, full running boards, and an integrated
trunk back style are all pure 1930s cool. Plus, the brightwork is
quite distinct. The grille uses horizontal slats and a waterfall
center to funnel all your attention to the Dodge logo at the top
center. There's also a trim line that starts at this grille and
runs the full body until it tapers off in the trunk line. The whole
package is very complete, and so you could always use this as a
base for a respray/restoration. But we already like how this one is
presented. It's very vintage with just the right hints of an
upgraded cruiser in little details like the maroon rally-style
wheels and the dual polished exhaust tips.
We love the look of suicide doors on a sedan. It lets you open up
fully and show it off to the world. And since this one also has a
practical side, it gives everyone good access to the spacious and
comfy interior. The front seats were updated to well-bolstered
high-back buckets borrowed from a late-model car. The side panels
and rear bench are reupholstered in a similar comfy cloth to the
front to give the whole car a very uniform feeling. The atmosphere
inside lies to stay vintage, but there are nice details, like the
working heater, thick rubber floor mats, front seatbelts, and the
maroon on the door tops and dash that coordinate with the wheels.
And while the gauges and steering wheel are vintage and likely
stock, the pattern on the shifter is certainly something much more
advanced.
Under the hood is an interesting setup. Dodge/Chrysler used its
flathead inline-six both before and after WWII. So the motor seen
here it's the correct style, but we're told it's actually a
later/larger 1950s 230 cubic-inch flathead-six. We're also told it
has been rebuilt and bored .30 over. It certainly runs like a
strong powerhouse and we do love the other touches of hot rod
upgrades, like the dual arbs and split manifold for a true dual
exhaust. It's all about making this classic Dodge a smooth cruiser,
and you even have handy updates like a 12-volt electric system and
an alternator. The transmission has been upgraded to a GM
five-speed unit to give you good radio for power and the ease of
synchromesh. Plus, the upgraded tubular A-arm front end, power
steering, power brakes, and front discs make for quite a solid
driver.
There's a lot of fun that can be had with a pre-war Dodge that
looks so authentic on the outside but has taken the right steps
beneath the skin to be quite a nice cruiser. Call today!!!
