Like other companies after the Second World War, Chrysler’s Dodge Division was forbidden from working on car designs during hostilities, so the 1946 cars were virtually the same as 1942 with very few changes. The same flathead 230 cubic inch six powered them, losing 3 horsepower (down to 102) compared to 1942. The higher priced Custom four door traditionally had been the best seller and this carried over for 1946 with a retail price starting at $1,389.

The lower priced Dodge Deluxe cars were sold in three styles: business coupe, two-door sedan and four-door sedan. Prices officially started at $1,299 (or $1,339 for the four-door).

The 1947 Dodges continued on mostly unchanged because demand for new cars in postwar America was so high that carmakers were able to sell anything as fast as they built it. Dodge managed to churn out more cars in 1947 than 1946 with an estimated 243,000 cars (about 50 percent more than 1946).

The 1948 and very early 1949 cars were again essentially unchanged. The biggest difference once again was higher prices, with the minimum price business coupe increasing from $1,347 in 1947 to $1,587 in 1948. Oddly, there was no price increase for the very early, unchanged 1949 cars.