Look up chopping my 54 savoy. That yeti did a hell of a good job on that car of his. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Chevybuild 015_w by chopolds posted Jul 16, 2014 at 11:47 PM Here's one I did a long time ago, pics pop up on the HAMB here once in a while. It's also the one with the small block Chevy mentioned earlier in the thread, as well as a Camaro subframe. This was mostly due to building the car for Ken on a budget. Now he's driven the car back and forth to Nebraska several times as well as all over the place going to car shows, like last year's TRJ show. Ken's been practicing metalworking and welding, including lead work, that I've been teaching him, and it getting to be quite the master at it! He is now finishing up re-chopping the rear of the car, to get more taper in the roofline, as well as diminishing the catwalk, and lengthening the trunk lid to make up for it. TONS of work, and he keeps at it!
chopolds, Very interesting build. I snapped this one at TRJ show. Dig the Packard grille. Ed Sloan's Barris built '53 hardtop was one of few chopped Mopars in the Golden Age of customs. To my eye, they sure missed on the side trim. It was being cloned by a HAMB'er, but I haven't seen any updates in quite a while. 54HyDrive, Some guys make it look easy. Don't be fooled. Inspiration is good, but the work is hard dirty, and expensive. You may hear about guys that build their cars for peanuts, but that doesn't cover the tools, or the skills. Now get to work making it a driver, and keep the dream. All the lessons you learn are quite valuable, when you're young enough to benefit from them.
Thanks, "Mo! Kenny ripped into it right after the TRJ show. He is very meticulous and radical metalworking takes lots of time to do it right, he's not just MIGing it all up and filling it. It is also very difficult to drop the rear another inch. That, and I personally like a 50's roof dropped straight down, so I didn't encounter quite as much trouble getting the rear window right. The lower, outer corners begin to dip too much with that much of a cut, and we played around with window placement for a LONG time before getting a good compromise of laydown angle, vs pushing it forward, vs. catwalk length, and area under the window. Lots of reshaping transitions of sheet metal to match the new window placement, as well. And then extending the trunk lid! Ouch. Kenny's going to be a master welder when he gets done with all those seams! He's also going to raise up the opening of the front windshield, a'la Matranga Merc, to get rid of the thickness of the sheet metal when viewed from the front. 54Hydrive, keep plugging away. If you do decide to cut the roof, do your homework, and really study amount of chop, angle of glass, B pillar angle, etc. It's easy to chop a car, but tough to get it to look natural!
Anyone know where I can check the vin number and body number Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
you don't have a vin they weren't invented when your car was built........there should be a serial number tag on the driverside forward door jamb...if that's missing, some states register by engine serial number, also your serial number should be stamped on the frame....somewhere.
To the Plymouth company your car is a P25 model. Engine number should start with P25 and maybe serial number as well. Engine number is on the left side of the block, at the top, near the front. Behind the generator, up next to the head. It is stamped on a raised pad on the block. You can tell from the serial number where the car was made. First number: 13506001 - Detroit Michigan ........................25163001 - Los Angeles California ........................20658001 - Evansville Indiana ........................25590001 - San Leandro California
The serial number tag on the front of the door post should look like the 1st picture. You should also have a builders plate on the left side of the firewall (2nd picture) unless they were removed. Mine is a '53 but the locations should be the same.
Anyone know where I can get the tail lights or where they sell reproduction parts??? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Most obvious comment is EBay. Not knowing where you are...but there's a guy that shows up @ the Moultrie, Ga swap meet with a boat load of tail light & turn signal lenses. Maybe someone in your area does the same.
Thanks ... I'm in Orange County California .. I got someone in the works already I appreciate your response Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
So I took the driveshaft out now. Can anybody tell me what type of rear axle and driveshaft they swapped in ?? What would be the best fit ? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Check with"Butch's Cool Stuff" for engine mounts and other needs to install a SBC in your Plymouth. www.butchscoolstuff.com for his on line catalog.
Well the drive shaft is the last thing you should be worried about. You're going to have to have one made to the dimensions dictated by your engine/trans combo and the rear you decide on. The placement of where you mount your engine and then the trans you choose is a major factor. Next would be the rear. After those are mounted then it is just a matter of taking a measurement between the two with the correct amount of play to determine the proper length driveshaft. As for which rear to use is up to you. You ned a rear that will fit under and in your wheel wells. There are many options, but again, what is in your budget? First off you kinda have to decide what wheels and tires you are going to run because the rim/wheel offset/backspacing can affect the amount of space you have for a rear. Example: a narrow rear with a rim with not much backspace. Or a wider rear with a rim with a lot of backspacing. You have to know what you are gonna use. I would take measurements of your stock rear axle from outer face of drum to outer face of drum. Stay pretty close to that number. ( I used an 80 camaro rear 62.5" wide but had to get a rim with as much backspacing as possible so I didn't rub) I think that is on the wide side. I don't remeber the original width but I bet a rear somewhere around 59" - 60" wide would be ideal. I know an S-10 rear is like 54" wide but I feel that is too narrow and makes the wheel look too sunken in. Take a measurement, I am curious to know what the actual track is.... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I don't know what exact rear axle you need. Measure the width at the brake drums and go junkyard shopping. I would look at Jeep axles from the 90s and small Dodge and Ford pickups, they are the most common rear wheel drives and should be close to the right width. Chrysler 5th Avenue rear drive sedans were the last rear drive Chrysler cars and they went out after 1988. These all should have the right wheel bolt pattern, 5 bolts on a 4 1/2" circle. You want to be able to use your stock wheels, or at least have the rear match the front. You will probably need to relocate the spring mounts. Summit sells new mounts, you have to cut the old ones off with a grinder and have new ones welded on. Or weld them on yourself if you have an arc welder.
you haven't mentioned sub framing it, so I'll assume OEM front end. To match bolt patterns front & rear....The 65-7 (or so) C body axle is a direct bolt in on many Mopars 41-60(@ least). With a spring perch relocation E body, Duster, 71-3 Mustang/Cougar, 70s Ranchero should fit. Back to the front, you can relocate the upper shock mounts & do a disc brake conversion on it.
Find a Volare/Aspen donor and you'll have all you need for a drivetrain, and easy to rebuild and replacement parts. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
C body is the big Dodge Monaco and Chrysler New Yorker class of car. I find it hard to believe one of those is narrow enough to fit under a 54 Plymouth. Also the last C body was made in 1978, 34 years ago. Not many left in junk yards these days.
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