While a student at Norwich University, a classmate of mine, “Bud” Hooper, had a nice old 33 Dodge Coupe that he had used primarily to get from his home in Hoosick Falls, NY to Northfield Vermont.
As we neared graduation in 1958 I was in the market for an inexpensive car. When Bud mentioned he was getting a new car for graduation and was selling the Dodge I bought it for $300. That at the time was a lot for a car that old but the car had only 5400 miles on it and ran well. I had almost $300 in graduation gifts from various aunts and uncles, borrowed the balance from my father and had my “wheels”.
Before reporting for active duty in the Army I worked in Cambridge, MA at a supersonic wind tunnel and took graduate courses at MIT and also courted my wife to be, who was a senior at Wellesley College.
My active duty station was at Fort Belvoir VA. The old Dodge made the trip from Middlebury to Fort Belvoir many times. Driving time was thirteen hours as this was before interstate highways and much of the trip was down old US Route #1.
After completing my active duty we were married and lived in Georgia, Vermont. Four children had fun playing in it while it was up on blocks with about 75,000 miles on it.
I planned to restore the Dodge but working and traveling as a mechanical engineer for various companies postponed that for about 40 years. Restoration started in 2005 at White Rock Sports in Bristol with “Eli” Elithorpe.
The 33 Dodge is the only car I have had that I have “feelings’’ for. It has always served me well and I think looks great. All other cars were just an expensive necessity.
Gary wanted me to tell a funny story about the car, like my wife giving me a tow to start a dead battery and tearing off the front bumper. But I am not going there! We have been happily married for 55 years and hope to make it to 56!!
Editor’s notes…
As the editor I feel this “story” is a very important learning tool for the old-car-crowd and needs to be told. I have also observed that Pat & Bill’s union is very strong (they are a wonderful couple) and can surly weather this tale of the day the bumper came off the Dodge.
One day when the Mraz 33 needed a tow Bill explained to his wife Pat what is needed when towing a vehicle . As he mentions above, he is an engineer, so I am certain his explanation was very thorough. And, from what I understand, Pat did exactly what she was told. You are to start out pulling very slowly then speed up. That is what Pat did… all before the chain got-tight. So, when the chain became tight Pat was in the “speed-up” mode and the bumper came off. Ooops!
I hope this does not ruin my chances of getting the inside story in future feature stories and I hope the Mraz family is still speaking to me.
There were over 106,000 Dodges built in 1933 and 9500 of them were business coupes like Bill and Pat’s. Of the options available the Mraz coupe has front and rear bumpers (most of the time…), a heater and a rear-view mirror. Other options available but not on this car were dual sidemount spare tires, metal sidemount cover, chrome sidemount trim bands, rear spare metal cover, radio, clock, cigar lighter, radio antenna, trunk rack, spotlight, outside rearview mirrors, dual trumpet horns, dual taillights, dual windshield wipers and a license plate frame.
The DP series Dodge was new for 1933 with it’s 6 cylinder engine and offered two wheel base sizes.. 111.3 inch & 115 inch. The DP line was not offered in 1934 when the company changed to series DR, DS and DRXX.
This info came from “American Cars Catalog”
