The street rod featured in this article is a modified 1924 Dodge Brothers Tourer with a heavily modified 1956 DeSoto Blown Hemi engine. Dodge Roadsters from the 1920's have been modified and customized into some of the most popular early hot rods on the track today. The exhaust pipes coming out of each side of the DeSoto hemi engine on our featured car adds to it's powerful look.
Early Hot Rodding
It's commonly believed that hot roddiing took off during the 1930's. Races were prevalent up and down the west coast and particularly on the dry lake beds north of Los Angeles.
The formula used was to buy a cheap roadster which was relatively light weight itself and then strip off anything you didn't absolutely need to make the car even lighter. This made for a perfect hot rod which you then you could modify or add a new engine to. An interesting side note is that it has been said that the term "hot rod" is really a contraction of the words "hot roadster" and goes back to the 1920's.
The Hemi Engines
A Hemi engine is an internal combustion engine where the roof of each cylinder chamber is of hemispherical form. This design it is said makes for a more efficient combustion chamber where less heat is lost to the head. Each piston can take two large valves. The piston crown is domed and protrudes out into the head.
The release of the first generation of Hemi headed V-8 engines by Chrysler set off the "horsepower wars" of the early 1950s that lasted into the early 1970s. Chrysler's new "hemi" that came out in 1951 was the first hemi placed in an American passenger car. DeSoto came out with their unique "hemi" in 1952. The horsepower wars lasted all the way until the federal government put out new emission regulations in 1971 that of course affected all American automakers.
The DeSoto Hemi V-8 engine seen in this article was enlarged for 1956 to 329.9 cubic inches from the 291 cid produced in 1955. The stock DeSoto Hemi in 1956 delivered 230 horsepower.
The 1956 engine had the same bore but the stroke was increased. The year 1956 also saw the adoption of the 12 volt electrical system. DeSoto named their Hemi engine the "Fire Dome". DeSoto Fire Dome engines were introduced in 1952.
Dodge Brothers and Chrysler
The Dodge brothers, Horace and John, had the reputation of building dependable automobiles. Their first car was produced in 1914 and unfortunately both brothers surprisingly died within one year of each other, just six years later, in 1920. There were rumors floating around at the time of John's death that he died from drinking prohibition liquor. The official cause of death however was certified as caused by pneumonia and influenza, aggravated by diabetes. Horace's death was ruled due to cirrhosis.
The company was kept together by both men's widows until it was purchased by Walter Chrysler in 1928. Chrysler actually purchased the company from Clarence Dillon of Dillon, Read, the investment bankers. It was said that the investment bankers pretty well drove the company into financial trouble, milking it for profits.
Dodge was facing some stiff competition during the 1920's from automakers selling good looking cars in the same price range and the sale to Chrysler made good sense. An excellent book about the Dodge Brothers and their cars and trucks is...The Dodge Brothers : The Men, the Motor Cars, and the Legacy by author Charles K. Hyde.
1924 Dodge Automobiles
It was January 1924 that the Dodge Brothers unveiled their 1924 models. The venue was the New York Auto Show.
Their were three separate bodies available for 1924. These were the Standard, Special and Custom bodies. The Special models had some good additions to them including windshield wipers, a nickel plated radiator and bumpers.
Below are links to additional Muscle Car Journal articles you may enjoy reading...
A 1949 Ford Anglia Custom Racer
A Blown 355 Cubic Inch Ford T-Bucket
The stock engine for the 1924 Dodge Brothers Tourer was an L-Head four cylinder 210 cubic inch power plant that delivered 35 horse power. The car's top speed was considered to be 50 MPH. The car's weight was about 2,500 lbs. It should be said that a 1924 Dodge Tourer frame was not originally built strong enough to hold the 56 DeSoto Hemi engine and modifications of this sort would require strengthening of the chassis with cross members. Suspension would also have to be modified with stronger springs.
The new car price in 1924 averaged around $1,300.
An excellent website with Dodge Brothers serial numbers and build dates is.....http://www.dodgebrothersclub.org/DB_Production_Dates.pdf
(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)
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| 1924 Dodge Brothers Hot Rod |
It's commonly believed that hot roddiing took off during the 1930's. Races were prevalent up and down the west coast and particularly on the dry lake beds north of Los Angeles.
The formula used was to buy a cheap roadster which was relatively light weight itself and then strip off anything you didn't absolutely need to make the car even lighter. This made for a perfect hot rod which you then you could modify or add a new engine to. An interesting side note is that it has been said that the term "hot rod" is really a contraction of the words "hot roadster" and goes back to the 1920's.
The Hemi Engines
A Hemi engine is an internal combustion engine where the roof of each cylinder chamber is of hemispherical form. This design it is said makes for a more efficient combustion chamber where less heat is lost to the head. Each piston can take two large valves. The piston crown is domed and protrudes out into the head.
The release of the first generation of Hemi headed V-8 engines by Chrysler set off the "horsepower wars" of the early 1950s that lasted into the early 1970s. Chrysler's new "hemi" that came out in 1951 was the first hemi placed in an American passenger car. DeSoto came out with their unique "hemi" in 1952. The horsepower wars lasted all the way until the federal government put out new emission regulations in 1971 that of course affected all American automakers.
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| Customized 24 Dodge Roadster |
The 1956 engine had the same bore but the stroke was increased. The year 1956 also saw the adoption of the 12 volt electrical system. DeSoto named their Hemi engine the "Fire Dome". DeSoto Fire Dome engines were introduced in 1952.
Dodge Brothers and Chrysler
The Dodge brothers, Horace and John, had the reputation of building dependable automobiles. Their first car was produced in 1914 and unfortunately both brothers surprisingly died within one year of each other, just six years later, in 1920. There were rumors floating around at the time of John's death that he died from drinking prohibition liquor. The official cause of death however was certified as caused by pneumonia and influenza, aggravated by diabetes. Horace's death was ruled due to cirrhosis.
The company was kept together by both men's widows until it was purchased by Walter Chrysler in 1928. Chrysler actually purchased the company from Clarence Dillon of Dillon, Read, the investment bankers. It was said that the investment bankers pretty well drove the company into financial trouble, milking it for profits.
Dodge was facing some stiff competition during the 1920's from automakers selling good looking cars in the same price range and the sale to Chrysler made good sense. An excellent book about the Dodge Brothers and their cars and trucks is...The Dodge Brothers : The Men, the Motor Cars, and the Legacy by author Charles K. Hyde.
 |
| A good look at the heavily modified 56 DeSoto Hemi |
It was January 1924 that the Dodge Brothers unveiled their 1924 models. The venue was the New York Auto Show.
Their were three separate bodies available for 1924. These were the Standard, Special and Custom bodies. The Special models had some good additions to them including windshield wipers, a nickel plated radiator and bumpers.
Below are links to additional Muscle Car Journal articles you may enjoy reading...
A 1949 Ford Anglia Custom Racer
A Blown 355 Cubic Inch Ford T-Bucket
The stock engine for the 1924 Dodge Brothers Tourer was an L-Head four cylinder 210 cubic inch power plant that delivered 35 horse power. The car's top speed was considered to be 50 MPH. The car's weight was about 2,500 lbs. It should be said that a 1924 Dodge Tourer frame was not originally built strong enough to hold the 56 DeSoto Hemi engine and modifications of this sort would require strengthening of the chassis with cross members. Suspension would also have to be modified with stronger springs.
The new car price in 1924 averaged around $1,300.
An excellent website with Dodge Brothers serial numbers and build dates is.....http://www.dodgebrothersclub.org/DB_Production_Dates.pdf
(Article and photos copyright Muscle Car Journal)
