Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Ever see the end credits for Superbad?

THE OLDEST CAR I'VE EVER OWNED (YET)
I believe these pics were sent to me from the man on the street, Robin of Omaha. Somewhere under the BQE between Williamsburg and Greenpoint roosts the following XXX beauty:
This is a 1947 Dodge D24 Custom Town Sedan in what I think is Panama Sand. It is filthy and as a result has been festooned with penises. Somewhere out there is a person with a dirty mind and a dirtier finger, and for that I salute them!
Look at this big dumb mug.
This represents a slightly improved holdover from the pre-WWII years. From this angle we can see that the hood is hinged down the middle, with each side opening up like wings. The massive fenders are mostly separate from the body which would look ridiculously outdated within a couple years. Those big square turn signal lenses are made of thick glass with magnifying facets like those of a lighthouse light. These cars were 6 volt so the puny lights needed the extra help. 
There are no hubcaps on this side and even a donut on the back!
The Custom was the highest trim level of the D-24 series, with the Town Sedan being a specific body style. The easiest way to discern a Town Sedan is that the rear doors are hinged in the front whereas the other 4 door models had suicide doors in the rear. Another detail is that there is no rear quarter window behind the rear door which all other 4 doors had. Lastly the Town Sedan came on a wheelbase 18" longer than the others. Think of this as the modest mans limo.
The sheer amount of manhood somebody scribbled on this ride is incredible!
The trunk on this ride is so mighty that the spare tire stands upright to one side within. 
Looking good with wide white walls, hubcaps, and beauty rings on the driver's side! This beast is powered by the 230 inline 6 cylinder mated to a 3 speed standard transmission. A notable option for this era was the Fluid-Drive; a semi-automatic transmission where you didn't need the clutch to shift into 2nd or 3rd gears. If it were so equipped it would have Fluid-Drive in red script on the rear bumper.
Well that's where we'll leave this slumbering behemoth waiting for a bath.
The oldest car I ever owned was a 1947 Dodge. While driving through North Providence one day back in the '90s when I passed it sitting on a dirt lot with "$850 - runs" written on the windshield. I made my way to a pay phone (!) and dialed the number on the spot. The guy came down and it fired right up. After driving it around the lot a few times I went to the bank and gave him the 850. It was massive and handled like a dump truck but was equipped with Fluid Drive and was in really good condition actually. A few weeks into my brief ownership I lost the brakes completely on my way down a gentle hill (the pedal dropped to the floor like dropping a book on a table - NO brakes!). I slowly ran a red light on my way back to the friends driveway I was parking it at and managed to park it without issue. Realizing I was in over my head (in college without a garage or money) I sold it for what I paid for it to a local guy. They aren't worth much today but I still get nostalgic when I see one.

1 comment:

  1. This belongs to Kevin over at Harry's Auto Repair on Meeker. It has a small block Chevy in it, I believe pulled from an old Corvette. A few weeks ago it was cleaned up and now hangs out nearby on McGuinness and Newton in front of AllBoro Custom. Possibly it was sold to these guys.

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