I Traced my '37 Coupes' HISTORY back DECADES! What a 88 year JOURNEY it took!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Here's some more info I should have included. Vernon R. sold the Coupe to John H. for $350. John H. sold it to Elizabeth H. for $650. Elizabeth H sold it to Mike D. for $1,000. Mike D. sold it to Ricky S. for $1,500 (I have the paperwork for this transaction). Ricky S. sold it to Flathead Terry for $????

[@painterboy454]

It was a very hot Tuesday in August the day your car was built. The temperature that day in Detroit was 94°F. Imagine what it was like for the workers on the assembly line that day inside the factory as the car was being built.

[@FlatheadTerry]

@@painterboy454 WoW! Great info painterboy.Thanks for that!

[@jonolson2057]

@FlatheadTerry I've got a old car aswell 67 chevelle and I did the same thing checking out it's past however I got it from the original owner so it wasn't as intense as yours

[@GereDJ2]

Very fun nostalgia. Amazing you were able to trace it back as far as you did. Sort of a family history.

[@northsonny]

OK, brace yourself for this one..... I lived in Compton just east of Amboy in the early 1950s(I'm 76 yrs old now). My dad was a mechanic for the Case tractor dealer and also work at a gas station north of town at what was called Four Corners (Hwy 51 & 30) .He would bring me along about the time I turned 6 yrs old in 1955, don't remember specific time or date. but some old guy used to bring his 37 Plymouth in for gas and my dad would comment on his "old" car still running and kind of laugh about it.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Oh my Gosh! Thank you very much Sonny for sharing that! That's amazing to hear. It adds to the Coupes' "History Puzzle" as I continue to collect info with your help which means a lot to me. My researching on this coupe going on even after I released this episode.

[@cratecruncher4974]

Nice detective work. That car is such a survivor to have gone "unimproved" through so many owners. I love original cars for their time machine effect. I've found that these survivors often come from being kept in one family for generations. It's a sentimental symbol that triggers strong memories with the prior owner so changes are avoided.

[@arthurcgans8198]

Nice detective work Terry!

[@FlatheadTerry]

@arthurcgans8198 Thanks Chris! Still stunned with what the research came up with.

[@T-41]

Family history research- for a car. Very cool! The black ‘37 coupe caught my eye. The are photos in a family album showing my dad changing a flat tire at the side of a country road on a black ‘37 Plymouth coupe my folks borrowed from my grandfather for their honeymoon trip in 1946. The car shows “just married “ on the doors - painted by my uncles.

[@FlatheadTerry]

That's so great story! Thanks for sharing. Was it in Illinois by chance?

[@T-41]

@ Ohio

[@nonelost1]

@@FlatheadTerry let’s see I bet you were thinking that it might possibly be the same car. I would’ve done the same thing. I have never seen a video quite like this one before. Oh there’s just one more thing, Colombo would’ve been proud of you!

[@MartsGarage]

Hi Terry. A very interesting piece of Carcheology. It's very impressive and not a little surprising the amount of info you were able to piece together. It's a lovely car. I've always liked if and watching the videos when you were working on it. All the best, Mart.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Hey Mart! How are you doing over there? Thank you and I enjoy watching yours too! Gearheads rule!

[@randyc8171]

Great discoveries. Wow, that car has had more owners than I have shoes.

[@JohnWhite-xc3md]

That is so cool! I can't believe that old dealership is still there!

[@waynemiracle8928]

This is possibly your best video! I just love your detective work. I tried doing the same thing you did but ran into a roadblock and I couldn’t figure a way through it. All of older Ford car records burned in the Ford Rotunda fire in 1962 I think.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Wayne! That's a bummer about your research, a unfortunate common result. I was very fortunate all the way thru this especially with "John H" (he's 82 years old!) who remembered all the details back to the early 60's when he drove it. It took working on this daily for months to get all this info chasing down people and leads. So amazing that it stayed in the same area for so long!

[@gabriella5311]

Awesome story. ❤❤❤p

[@stacymirba1433]

This is fascinating.

[@andreamills5852]

Amazing ! That's using your Columbo like skills .

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Andrea! I'm old enough to know who Columbo is?

[@Evansmustard]

man what a fun video!! This must have been a lot of work.

[@FlatheadTerry]

You know it! Tons of research and editing.

[@Patty_Oh_Fever]

I love automotive history. Thank you, Professor Terry.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Patty! I've never been called a "Professor" before!

[@marknelson5929]

What a great piece of detective work, well done and on a fine looking car. Whilst it doesn't compare to your cars age and history, last year I bought a 1967 MG I had owned in the 1980s. I found it purely by chance 4 sale on an online classic car site. It was on the other side of the country and had had four owners since I sold it in 1988. Aside from the seller, I've been able to speak to two of the previous owners and learn much of the cars time in their ownership. It has come full circle after 36 years.

[@FlatheadTerry]

That's awesome Mark! So cool to know its history.

[@ralphh.2200]

Well done...Thank you!

[@ericstruve8765]

Looks just like my '37 Desoto from high school in 1966. Amazing story, thanks! Mine was green and was so much fun to drive. It had overdrive and seemed pretty fast to me. I shared the car with my younger brother which didn't work out, so Dad sold it off. We both ended up buying our own VW buses, and that's another story.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Great to hear that you were able to experience a '37 Mopar! I would love Overdrive but with its 84 HP, I'm not sure it would help much.

[@joewolf4483]

What a cool video ... I have a 37 coupe that was a drag car ... I can trace it to about the late 60s and the different engines that was in it ... enjoyed your journey ...

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thats really cool Joe! If you have time, shoot some pictures over to [e-mail].

[@scottroc4451]

I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you

[@FriedAudio]

This was some wonderful detective work! What a great story!

[@holykingfish]

Amazing so many past owners were still around or nearly so. Thanks for sharing the car’s story. It was great.

[@MsStellaBoy]

Your video came up in my feed and I'm so happy it did. Really enjoyed the process. Very unique and enjoyable. Thanks!

[@FlatheadTerry]

@@MsStellaBoy I'm glad you enjoyed it (and took the time to write a nice comment!)😃

[@FlatheadTerry]

@@MsStellaBoy I'm glad you enjoyed it and glad you took the time to write a nice comment!

[@jimrobertson5931]

A great video. You have inspired me to trace the history of my 1969 MGB GT which I have owned since 2002. Should be a lot easier than the job you faced with such a classic car.

[@dspence8086]

Bravo, excellent work. What a story.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you!

[@LivingOnCash]

Very cool that you were able to trace it back that far. Amazing that all the previous owners actually remembered who they bought the car from. I think it would be really cool to drive the car to all the previous owners homes and take photos of the car in front of the houses.

[@FlatheadTerry]

I'm still stunned that I found these owners too! Very rewarding but I'm still researching it!

[@JStrike42]

This was fascinating. Thank you Terry.

[@smudry]

Great story. I used to have a 37 Buick about 30 years ago. I attempted to research it's history back in the early 80s but came to a dead end since it was purchased from a junk yard in the 70s by one of it's past owners. Very nice you were able to find out so much about yours.

[@ronfirth5198]

What a cool video!

[@sagewolf-lk7qc]

love this kind of thing that car has more value with the history.

[@petertornabeni602]

Thank you, this must have taken some time. I appreciate your work on this, inspiring !

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you Peter! Yes, this took several months of research and video editing but I continued to be amazed at what history I was finding on it.

[@matrox]

11:00 The Shell station no longer sells service...they sell snacks!🤣

[@studedude56]

Great history!

[@garypaul1033]

Great! Enjoyed the research you accomplished to find out the past. Would be interested to see a drive report by you on the vehicle once all the parts like shock absorbers and brakes are serviced to put it in swell operating condition, & your comments on how it rides and drives & shifts, etc. I tend to keep a lot of automotive records myself. Good to hear all your comments.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Great idea Gary! I do have some of your requests already in some of my posted episodes on this '37. Check them out on this Channel.

[@dancooper3806]

This is amazing. I tried to trace the history of my 64 Corvette in 1978 when I got it. The previous owner purchase from newspaper ad, did not remember where or who. Yiou are very fortunate.

[@KeithFinkFamilyFarm]

Fabulous! Excellent work on the research and the video. Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.

[@FlatheadTerry]

You Bet Keith! Thanks for the kind words!

[@commotoed]

Amazing, I always wonder about my car's past lives. I am only a caretaker until the next adventure.

[@ChristopherSass-sy2en]

The next owner of my 1985 Fiero will likely be one of my sons; however, they won't have any trouble tracing ownership because I purchased the car new on July 7, 1985. Great work tracing your car back to the 1950s. Very interesting video.

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

Must admit its cool to be able to trace that car line owner ship that far back and 62000 original miles thats impressive ive not seen another with under a hundred thousand miles still running and in as good of condition as that one is dmv could probably help you further trace the car back to its original owner

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Georgia! Unfortunately the DMV will only go back 5 years for privacy reasons.

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

@FlatheadTerry oh well ok .must be different rules in your state. Here in ga. ive had the dmv look up a previous owner of a vehicle (72 f100 )that at the time id owned for about 10 years getting closer to 20 years now

[@Mr.Fixerupper]

Great story and excellent detective work!! I wish I could find out some info on my 51 Studebaker, but I'm afraid that would be next to impossible. I live in Alabama and bought the car from an elderly man in Tomahawk, Wisconsin 12 years ago.

[@Jasona1976]

What an interesting and wonderful story. Best wishes!!

[@GrotrianSeiler]

Terrific video!

[@charlesharnois3684]

Nice old Plymouth, glad you're enjoying it just the way it is! They are original just once! I'm a Chrysler guy so I thoroughly enjoyed your video thanks!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Charles! It will remain un-restored, driven daily during the summer and turning heads!

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

Love this!

[@georgefrancis3067]

I always enjoy your videos thanks for your time and effort .

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you George! I appreciate it!

[@jonathantori7020]

Excellent excellent work

[@stevewuertz3598]

My granddad had one very similar to this when I was a kind in the late 50s/early 60s. It was his hauling stuff around car-a huge trunk was handy for nursery and hardware runs. I loved the deco lines-very new and foreign to me at that age. I often told him I wanted to buy it so I was disappointed when I found he had sold it about when I was 12 or so. I recall he said he got $125 for it. I didn't have $125 but I understood that was an obtainable # for a kid with a paper route

[@davidgold5961]

5:10 excellent video. Note, door jamb is spelled JAMB. Otherwise, I loved the video and the historical accuracy of the old maps and other documents.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Ooops! Thanks for that! I'm more of a mechanic than a writer!

[@FernandoChaves]

Amazing. Thank you.

[@odhutch5806]

Good story. Thanks.

[@fokkerd3red618]

That's amazing you were able to research it back that. I'm wondering if the family of the dealership, where the car was originally sold would have any old records of who originally bought the car. I'm sure you probably already thought of that.

[@FlatheadTerry]

I'm still researching its' history and will release a "Part 2" when I have collected more details. Thanks for the comment!

[@eugeniobondanjr]

Fantastic tracking job Terry! I did the same about my 51 Ford coupe and found 1st, 2nd and 3rd owners, now I’m the 4th!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks, it's great to hear your success story with your coupe!

[@caspaabriel4794]

Terry that was really fascinating. I'm in our local historical clubs, and have always had a luv of cars. Hence much enjoyment of your video. Thank you for sharing.

[@kimnorrgren9468]

❤ I love your Coupe Video History. Great Sherlock investigation. I start follow your channel.Best regards from Denmark

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you Kim from Denmark!

[@genespell4340]

I forgot. This is a truly great video.

[@Wooley689]

Great story this was.

[@johnmccarthy2268]

What a fascinating video!! Very well done! I’ve thought of doing something similar with my old 1970 Ford. Thanks for the great post!

[@BRIGGSMASTER63]

Beautiful old survivor. And excellent detective work to discover its history.

[@bobmarker6812]

You have a true treasure there!

[@MrXerxes415]

wow un believably compelling!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you!

[@53handyman]

Hi from France,fantastic investigation ! Thanks for sharing .

[@FlatheadTerry]

Hello France! Thank you!

[@proto1132]

This is amazing, what an incredible journey. It's crazy to think that any car has a story like this from that time period and they are all unique. It must have been great to talk to the previous owners and their families.

[@freddiecarr7602]

Great work!

[@mrfordman9999]

Outstanding! I wish i could do this with some of my cars ❤

[@jimleman1295]

Great tale, Flathead Terry. My first car in '69 was a '37 Plymouth four-door, a deep dark blue. I didn't know much about those cars at the time; I paid $400 for it. I later owned a couple of '46 P15 biz coupes and a '50 Plymouth four-door. I like this story very much...good detective work.

[@wurlitzex]

more videos like this please!!!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Would you like to see an episode on my 1945 Harley Davidson US Navy Motorcycle history?

[@jerryhouck2708]

Pretty cool! We did the same type of owner tracing with our 1965 Mustang convertible. And since our car was in "well used" shape we did a down to bare metal restoration and then took it back around to the previous owners and took them for rides. One owner was a college girl and then a preacher and then an older lady and last an older couple. I think that there might have been a high school boy in there too. It had been 4 different re-paints with 4 different colors. We went back to the original Ivy Green metallic from the white that it had when we got it. Your car is all original and that is very rare indeed any more so keep it that way, enjoy, and pass it on to the next care-taker.

[@Fabulousprofound168]

55 years of caring owners 🥹

[@RetrogradeThinker]

I enjoyed hearing and seeing the history. Your videos are always done well. I'm wondering if the state would release info about registration?

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you Retrograde! The privacy laws at all the States DMV's have all become very restrictive. I tried that path and they only go back 5 years.

[@dave3657]

This was fun. 👍🏻 I wish that I would have even thought about doing this on my 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe. I did drive it for a year straight as a daily driver, and it was totally stock.

[@miebrus79]

love the history. THanks for your efort

[@sprayguy67]

That was awesome 👏 I’ve been searching for years for a nova I regret selling back in 1986, wish I had your luck! Great job

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you Sprayguy! Ya, I was very lucky that it stayed in the same area and town for decades and the people remembered each other! I kick myself for selling my 1968 Camaro RS 4 Speed 327 back in the late '70's!

[@dr.detroit1514]

Great video! The only time I had anything to do with a truely antique car like that, was a room mate I had for a short time had a 1940 Olds. I did get a chance to drive it, flathead six, three on the tree. Unique experience.

[@Fabulousprofound168]

I didn’t even know there was a placed called Peru in Illinois until now 😮

[@brandonquinto4852]

Lovely video. Tempts me to do the same with my car.

[@thomasnowicki5844]

Great video, very interesting and informative. I think it illustrates one very important point which is probably true about most classic cars: Somewhere along the line one person owns them for many years, (in this case over four decades), during which time the car is stored and pampered. Before I watched the whole video I had a feeling there would be an owner like Mike D. in the ownership history somewhere. Thank goodness there was. Point is if the car had bounced from owner to owner during that time it probably wouldn't have survived. It's a lovely old coupe.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Totally agree! I've talked to Mike several times and he told me he used to drive it and eventually put it up on blocks. So glad he did too!

[@jonolson2057]

I love stuff like this I totally nerd out

[@rustedjunkgarage3316]

That's a great story, nice to find that much history. I have a 57 Chevy that has a pretty neat history too. 👍

[@Arthur-sz7uf]

So cool to be able to trace back so many years.! Thanks again for another great video...!

[@FlatheadTerry]

You bet Arthur!

[@mikecrawford6284]

Absolutely love this story...mike

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Mike!

[@jamesmooney8933]

You might have so luck checking bank records in Peru Illinois. In 1937, banks were local. So, a bank might have a record of a loan. Also, insurance companies in Peru might have insurance records

[@FlatheadTerry]

That’s a great idea! I will check into that and see if there’s any record.

[@jamesmooney8933]

@FlatheadTerry Then you can complete your video. Although, the banks may have went under, and the state archive might have the records

[@FlatheadTerry]

@@jamesmooney8933 Good idea. I was on the Illinois Archive site which had limited online documents. However, they have many paper documentation located in some of the State Universities that I haven't gotten to yet.

[@jamesmooney8933]

@FlatheadTerry You may get lucky. I just thought of something. A lot of documents have been digitized. Like Newspapers. If you search for 36 Plymouth in the local papers. Then a want ad for your car might appear. Also, wills, you car might have been part of a will. I suggest going to a library and find a librarian that specializes in genealogy. Good Luck.

[@michaelmacpherson-wm6mh]

well that was fun!

[@franciscojosepellegrino2553]

Great researche, congrats

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you Francisco!

[@sbgoutlaw]

Great story.

[@larrycrane2843]

You are a true researcher! Nice work

[@charlesb7019]

The thing I love about old cars - imagining their past owners and trips they have made.

[@1950specialdeluxe]

Great story. We can’t get build records for our Dodges in Canada. My 1950 Dodge I got from my Father in Law who got it from his uncle. He got it from his Mother. She bought it in 1952 from a dealer in Kindersley, Saskatchewan. Apparently the dealers wife drove it for 2 years and then it was sold as new. My wife is the 4th generation owner. Completely original.

[@FlatheadTerry]

That's awesome to have the history going back that far back! (Bummer to hear that you can't get Build Records up there.)

[@robertbuchholz2812]

Wonderful story and well told! I would love to see a detailed report on condition of car.

[@FlatheadTerry]

@robertbuchholz2812 Thank you! Look on my KZbin Channel. I have an episode showing its complete condition along with many other episodes on it.

[@rickloera9468]

That is an amazing history lesson on your car. I love stories like this.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thanks Rick!

[@MrBrendog67rat]

Terry, that is very Kool! I have a 36 Ford Pickup, i talked to the Orignal owners son , he told me the story His Dad was a House Painter and used it for work, he bought it used in 1937 from the local ford dealer! Dont ever restor your car it tells a story the way it is!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you Brendog and thats so cool that you know your history! I see your pick up on your channel!

[@oldclassiccarUK]

That was really interesting. I'm in the UK, I remember years ago someone telling me that it was possible to get original build records from Chrysler, then later I heard that they'd stopped providing that service. I like to research the history of my own cars too, I wonder if there are any build records for '40 and '47 Dodge trucks still available? Thanks for putting the video together.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you! Stephanie was very helpful and did respond to my email inquires. She's a volunteer which I greatly appreciate. It did take about 5 months to send me my build sheet, but was well worth it of course. Send her an email!! You never know what she'll find!

[@dysnomia-anarchia]

I always thought people should keep a service history book and list of owners in every cars glove box. The book would be just as or more fascinating than the car... Put it in a ziplock bag so it's water proof to survive in a junk yard abandoned for decades.

[@FlatheadTerry]

Awesome idea!!

[@bortsimons7457]

Amazing

[@JonnyHolms]

This is absolutely great 👍..thank you and I just subscribed 😊

[@FlatheadTerry]

You Bet! and Thanks for subscribing!

[@1960totnes]

Fantastic detective work, nicely filmed. Thanks for sharing!!

[@FlatheadTerry]

Thank you! I appreciate it. How it inspires others to try to find their rides history.

[@1960totnes]

@FlatheadTerry I've long wanted a Plymouth coupe like yours, but recent unfortunate life changes mean that it's unlikely that I ever will. So I enjoy ones like yours instead! Keep up the good work.

[@brucerodbro7188]

Great story. Thanks. That was fun. I owned a 48 Chevy, a 40 Buick, and a 31 model A and often wondered about their history.

[@GeraldWood-ig9rw]

My falcon road train from Lorain Ohio to Charlotte north Carolina 😊

[@1956model1]

Great detective work! We've all probably wondered about some past or present car in our lifetime. And I've often wondered what happened to vehicles I've passed along to new owners. Did they care for them with love? Or did they just use them up and scrap them when they were done? In my 68 years, I've had some interesting cars (at least to me). Now my mind is racing imagining where they all are. 🤔

[@titagonzales9927]

Siempre me gusto el Plymouth 37 coupe ,como la usada en el 🎥 alta sierra con el gran. Bogart.👍

[@golfbravowhiskey8669]

Here's a little pro tip, if you're looking for old photos of businesses or gas stations around small little towns like that And you can't find anything, go to the local school and ask for old high school annuals. Those old gas stations really promoted schools and it was free advertising back in those days and they generally have a photo of the old station saying best wishes seniors 1950 or whatever In my little town of 600 people really the only photos around the back of those days were in the old school annuals