A little update.... I got the car home after a few issues with my shipper throwing a rod in Albuquerque... I finally had a chance to look at some things and inspect the 40. Yeah, I pretty much like it alot and cant wait to really get started on her. I started tonight with the DA and some 60 grit, removing a bunch of the surface rust that was covering the old girl. Short work. A little acetone and some elbow grease and I see original color- beautiful... I got the hook up and bought a really nice 360 that had a full fresh stock rebuild, and an explorer rear end (disc brakes) Now Im just looking to find a 904 Trans. The car is all the way stock and has been sitting for a very long time, so sitting in the drivers seat with the dingy windows and the musty smell is pretty damn cool. Enjoy the pic. Ill post some better ones tomorrow.
Great to see you got the car home, it's looking good from what I can see in the pic. Any surprises so far? I suppose you'll be putting those wheels on ebay very soon, won't you!
i will own one of these someday as well, right now i am just trying to get my 53 Cranbrook done, but with this car i'd say sled the hell of of it, the lines beg for some skirts and a chop.
SlmLrd, Getting it home in one piece is great, now that you started striping it down you will find some of the problem rust spots. Luckily, the Plymouth Doctor will have a lot of the body replacement parts that you will need. Knowing what I know now, it pays to get a solid car. Anyway you get what you get and rebuild from there. Good luck on the build. "The only surprises so far are good surprises!!", I like that alot!
That being said, and me buying this vehicle without looking at it .... I am stripping this thing down and noticing that there is virtually ZERO rot anywhere on the vehicle!! The bottom of the trunk lid is going to need to be repaired though as it is a problem spot. Let me tell you guys, the doors don't sag at all, all the body lines match up, the floors dont have a single hole in them and the bottom of the doors are as solid as they have ever been. I got lucky. Nothing has been removed from it and its all there and functional for the most part. (Motor is frozen) Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of work to do, but no major repairs that you would expect from a 71 year old car, and best of all, no rust bucket nightmares And I will post some better pics. I left my camera at work, so cell pics tonight.
SlmLrd, You got yourself a good one for sure...I own two and they all rust in the same places. You have saved yourself thousands in parts and labor. Lucky you! The trunk reveal is one of the first places to rot, and yours looks really good.
welcome to the club. Glad to see more of these being build. Not as common as all the 40 chevy and fords. We actually have to work to find parts. Adds to the fun and satisfaction.
I ordered my MII rack and air ride components last week and am in the process of building my motor/trans combo. (360/904) With no major rust or bodywork issues, Im going to lay it down, chop it and then start bodywork. Found a low mileage 99 Exploder rear end with discs and it is the exact width as the stock rear end and my WWWs are ready to go on my wheels. I have one full day a week and after work after everyone goes to sleep to work, so it's been slow going. Ill post some pics once the fun starts!
Its great to see your tackling this project in style. It appears you have the same problem I have: just not enough hours in a day! Keep us posted on the progress. And pics of course!
My trunklid has some rust out also.Must be a common thing on these cars.Looking forward to seeing your coupe one of these days.All of us mopar hamb members need to get our cars together at some car show someday like LA roadster show.What do you think? Exterminator
Why 904 instead of big brother 727 trans.? Going to be a fabulous car regardless, I've owned '48, '51, now '50 Plym. coupes. Love 'em all '40-'51.
Yep they all seem to rust in the same areas. I own two, a four door and a coupe. I like the Car Show Idea, it gives me further insentive to build on!
Great find! Congrats. Looks like you're off to a bitchin start. for whatever its worth I ran accross this build/chop, some good stuff in here you might wanna take a look at. It's of a 41. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=447814&highlight=41+chop
Yeah, lets me really enjoy the time I do get, even at 2am That would be awesome!! Im in! My 360 is a stock build, just a strong runner and reliable. The 904 is smaller, lighter, takes less HP to turn and is plenty strong for what I am doing with it. build it!!! Love that build, watched it unfold and that chop is really smooth. Great kustom!!
Still in gathering mode as far as parts go, and almost there. Hopefully will start air ride next week? Im looking for a replacement radiator (aluminum) to cool my 360. My original honeycomb style is in great condition, but think it may fall short of keeping a smallblock cool. Any suggestions?
I have had success going to the pomona swapmeet and picking up a new radiator from us radiator.If they don't have it there,they will make it for you.Price is cheaper but good quality.
Well, we finally started tearing into the 40 today, no surprises and only one frozen nut. Pretty dirty stuff, but its all there. I removed the stock engine (stuck) and took some parts off it to hold on to. Gonna be tossing it, and the stock rear axle/driveshaft. Finally some pics of where its at today. Will post more once things get fun. Damn, it was hot today.
Well, got the old clip removed and started with the new rails and mustang 2. So far, everything is going as planned, but will see once I fab motor/trans mounts. Didn't really notice until I got her up in the air, but my frame sits about an inch lower than the running boards. Getting this one to lay completely out is going to take some fiddling, but its going to be worth the extra effort. Will keep posting pics (even though they are cell phone pics) Enjoy.
Very nice! That is a nice clean looking small block - are you putting A/C in the car? just wondering how you tension the water pump belts.
please do not disparage mopars by comparing them to fords. The chyrsler engineering and design was superior to the fords of the era which were still on buggy springs with closed rears and still getting used to their hydraulic brakes. On the other hand people who are discovering Plymouths Dodges, Chryslers and Desotos and finding them to be a better value will just be confirming what was the case all along.
Damn, I kinda like that. Well said. Im new to Mopar stuff, but have always appreciated them. At the time, I was looking to buy a 40-41 Ford coupe and saw the Plymouth's body lines looked better. It was a no brainer.
Love your ride. I love the look and lines of the old Plymouth coupes. Hopefully I run into one for the right price at the right time. Keep posting the progress. Congrats bro
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