Projects Only 15 First Hot Rod Build

Hi everyone I'm 14 and a few months ago bought my first hot rod a 49 plymouth 2 door coupe. It doesn't have an engine or transmission. I have very little knowledge about working on cars but plan to learn as I go . So far I haven't done to much work as it's crammed in our small garage.
Any tips hints or criticisms will be greatly appreciated as I progress through this build
here is a pic of when I got it

 

This picture brings a whole new meaning to "project car". But It could be much worse. After grinding away bondo and removing riveted on "patch panels" its like dude wheres my car

 

Find the p-15/d-24 forum. They can help a lot for these cars.

Get a MIG welder and learn to weld. If you can learn rust repair on this car it will be a skill that will last the rest of your life. DON'T half-ass it (like I did at your age) since the rust will come through again. As the old saying goes, "ask me how I know .

What sort of motor are you anticipating? Remember that gas is expensive and you can often get the stock motor for these cars (Flathead Mopar 6) for cheap. There are steering box fit issues - not insurmountable - with small block V8s and big blocks are much harder.

 

Plymouths like yours have a lot of potential. They were largely overlooked in the past but are becoming more popular. Search this website and you will find a lot of information … although some of it is contradictory: I put a small block Chevy V8 in my '49 but small block Mopar V8s apparently fit more easily. Any V8 installation will require modification of the transmission crossmember. But, as someone else mentioned above, the original 218 or 230 Plymouth/Dodge flathead six will, of course, fit perfectly; and it really is a great engine (I have ’51 and ’52 Plymouths with stock engines) with pretty good potential for a street rod. Sticking with a hopped-up stock engine also will avoid needing to change the driveshaft universal joints (the stock Detroit ball-and-trunion joints work very well but repair parts are very expensive and they cannot be mixed with conventional Spicer u-joints in the same application). Most HAMB members will advise you to modify the front shock absorber mounts (which only control suspension travel, letting the sway bars handle nearly all the side-to-side movement). Personally, I disagree, but you should read the previous discussions and decide for yourself. Good luck.

 

It's hard to see in the pic but the trans crossmember has already been cut out buy the previous owner

 

Crossmember is easy to fab. Use search, the 40-54s are pretty much the same as far as mods is concerned.

 

This is real advice the same I got when I bought my first old Mope....buy a shop manual and a parts manual for your 49, it will help familiarize you with the car no matter how much you modify it.

I think you have a 2 door sedan though, the coupes are fastbacks.

 

Since the transmission crossmember has already been cut, does it already have modified engine mounts, too? If so, that might give you an idea which way to go with your project.<O</O

 

Your 49 Plymouth rocks....don't be afraid to ask questions because there is a wealth of knowledge on this board that boggles the mind. We were all young once....(yeah...even me..!)

 

That old paint job is awesome! I think you should try to preserve it.

You can probably score a complete drivetrain out of an older junkyard/Craigslist RAM 1500 for short money. That could get you set up with a 318, 727 trans, and a rear end that's easy to get parts and brakes for.

 

I made my first actual repair. I patched a 1/2 rust hole in the trunk floor. I thought this would be a good place to start as it won't show later.

 

Go to my albums my 52 had to have the whole floor redone. its a nice car take your time and learn as you go. a 318 will ft easy and you can see from my album how to do the cross member. remember be safe its the most importent part of your build ! you have alot of great builders on this page. we live for helpping the younger rodders. welcome to the craft of rods and customs.

 

Love these '49-'52 Plymouths! I have a '52 myself, and have been running through the usual gamut of easy and cheap mods - shock relocation, Cavalier rack & pinion, Cherokee sway bar, Explorer disc brakes, 318, etc. Here's my build thread...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=762258

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good to see a youngin in the sport of old cars ! i grew up driving and dating and other things in the back seat of a 49 plymouth ! neat old cars and if you look around here a lot you will get tons of ideas, have fun and remember its only metal, if you dont like what you did, grind it off and re-weld new shit on ! haha

 

Cool project , hope you have heat up there!

 

I have had several Mopars from '49 thru '53......Plymouth, Dodge and Chrysler. Among them have been 3 or 4 '49 Plymouths. The one I have owned for 19 years is a 2 door Club Coupe just like yours. It has a 230 inch Dodge and 3 speed w/OD. Makes a good highway car with the overdrive.

You have many choices of power plant ....from stock flathead six, especially a Chrysler 265 six from '52 thru '54 models, Slant Six, small block Mopar as others have suggested and of course the smal block Chevy. For simple, economical yet decent performance you might also consider a Chevy six from '63 up.....a 230 or 250 with either an aluminum Powerglide, turbo 350 or TH2004R would be inexpensive to purchase, easy to install and give good performance in a car of that weight.

Whatever you decide, Welcome and best wishes as you proceed with your project.

 

I'll echo some of the others...buy a service/parts manual so you can see how the thing was put together.
I will also suggest that you try to avoid the urge to 'buy stuff' until you figure out what stuff you actually need. There are many builders that do most of the sheetmetal repair prior to turning wrenches.

Dig through the threads of many project cars currently in progress for ideas and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Yes, join up at www.p15-d24.com

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No engine, trans, floor, or crossmember? And we are only starting the list of things that need to be fixed.

I say back away now before it is too late. That is a parts car. Save yourself a world of work and money, and buy a better one.

You could buy a good car for way less than it will cost to fix that heap, and you will have a better car right away.

 

It is great to see some "young blood" starting out in traditional hot rodding rather than spending time on a planned obsolete modern tin car. I built a 49 Plymouth back in 58 - - and I was fourteen too! Don't try to go to complex with your first project - it can easily get discouraging. I'd stick with a flathead six. They look great with an aluminum head, and make music that nobody hears much these days. Swapping in any V8 might get a little too complicated for a first project. Get a manual for the car. Learn to weld and get a cheap Mig welder.
Dick J

 

If I was doing it having no engine/tranny/crossmember is a + because the OEM ones would get tossed anyway. Where he'd have to find a drivetrain he might as well get an 70-80 Mopar van or Pick up with the rear sump set up & go for it. Probably easier than finding a clapped out flathead 6 to go backward with.

 

Interesting build to follow.

Keep up the great work. Jimbo

 

I used a wire wheel to remove about 5 pounds of tar mixed with nails from the edge of the trunk floor. underneath I found galvanized sheet metal riveted on to cover rust holes. I'm going to try to fix all of the "rust repair" the correct way.

 

Don't let the naysayers discourage you. That is a perfect project to get your feet wet on hot rodding. Yeah, the floors are gone, but it seems people get terrified of that right away. Floor pans are cheap, it's the work involved that makes it expensive. If you go about it methodically, take your time to do it right and get the new floors in, you've tackled the hard, messy part and got it out of the way. Then comes the fun parts - mods, engine, body, interior, etc. You could do a flathead six, but since they're already gone, why not step it up to the V8? They're cheaper, lighter, fit in perfectly, more powerful, easier to find parts for, easy to work on, and can be found everywhere for dirt cheap. The smallblock Mopars fit in these like they're meant to be there.

 

The whole bottom edge of the trunk lid was rusted away. A few hours later I had the corner fixed.

 

After Shot. It will Need some filler but better then a gaping rust hole

 

After reading through this I went out with a pick and started poking rusty spots back there. I'm amazed how little rust my floor has. There are some small holes, which I believe were filled in when the rear apron was removed. This car took a light hit in the back at some time. You can see minor damage to my rear cross member.

 

The right fender is in need of help. the left seems slightly better

 

Awesome man!! Keep it up!! My first car was a 49 ply 4 door. Was a great ride. Keep posting ur improvements and always ask questions

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Some of you might have already seen my posts in another thread but I got a 1970 318 out of a fury with 20k torn apart for a REALLY good deal off craigslist. The guy threw in the original mint radiator and 904 torqflight , an engine stand, driveshaft, diplomat parts engine, the fury wiring harness, a set of street rod style cragars , three carbs, and permission to come get any other parts I might need from the fury or a 75 dodge truck he had. Needless to say I'm really excited to start working on the engine tomorrow

 

Awesome score! Get what you can and sort it out as you go!