When was the "Mopar" moniker spawned?

[67Dart273]

Just saw this old heater posted on C/L

Mopar Dodge Plymouth 1930 1940 Deluxe Heater - auto parts - by owner...

Mopar Dodge Plymouth 1930 1940 Deluxe Heater - $80 (Spokane Valley, WA.)

Pulled from a Willys Wagon (the early models didn’t come with heaters so folks swapped in whatever would fit, or whatever they had laying around). Stamped Mopar on the top, pretty cool piece for rat rod, repurposed center console, or put it in your Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth, or whatever rad ride your restoring.

80.00 takes it home!

 

[RustyRatRod]

'Ccordin to Wikipeeedia, it was first used in the 1920s and became its own brand in 1937. But you know how accurate "they" are so take it with a grain of sand......although that sounds "about right".

 

[HemiSSDart]

1937 is correct, though I recall it being mainstreamed for the 1938 model year...

 

[Demonracer]

It became it's own brand back then & was short for "Motor Parts", which at the time was the factory aftermarket parts for Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge & Desoto. Kind of like Autolite & Motorcraft is or/was to Ford, Lincoln & Mercury.

 

[67Dart273]

This one could easily be one of the first

On a side note, I used to have a stack of old propaganda magazines might have been "Ford times." They always were offering suggestions to dealers

One issue detailed how dealers could make money by removing, tagging, and storing heaters for customers over the summer months while draining, flushing and refilling the system with water

On an unrelated note, those publications TRASHED hydraulic brakes right up to the changeover, and then an issue AFTER that was promoting "the new simple, reliable Ford hydraulic brakes" AND that some older vehicles could be CONVERTED

(When I was very very young, I actually have ridden in two different Model A Fords, mechanical brakes.

 

[moparmat2000]

My dads model A has mechanical brakes. He is ok with them. I think they suck.

 

[Syleng1]

Hydraulic brakes had more leverage over mechanical. Just like air brakes have more leverage over Hydraulic. All about effort and efficiency I believe.
Sorry original poster- back to you!

 

[67Dart273]

Hydraulic brakes had more leverage over mechanical. Just like air brakes have more leverage over Hydraulic. All about effort and efficiency I believe.
Sorry original poster- back to you!

Actually that is not necessarily true. The big problem with mechanical brakes is keeping them adjusted and "equalized." There's no reason, "for short periods" that mech brakes can't have the same leverage as hydraulic.

But things like the 30's Ford cars used flex cables (like modern parking brakes) on the front wheels. THOSE must have been a rubber-band nightmare!!! The Model A's used rods, not cables.