Projects How to set up a 1937 Plymouth panel correctly.

Hi all
My last thread was pulled, I kinda broke all the sites rules although not intentionally.

So like to rest.

Open to input to the best way to set up a period specific hot rod using the 37 panel body in an open wheel style.
Your intitled to your opinion no mater what it is even if you think there was never a panel to run in the 40’s or 50’s at all.

The research I have done says most hot rods were old fords. Some web sites say they were all open wheel, but that’s not really true from the old b&w I have seen. Most say rims of the day were wire wheels Detroit steel style or factory steel. That due to shortages during ww2 you see a lot of white wall tires and even some motor cycle tires up front and dirt track tires in use.

I have see photos of a lot of roadster, 3 windows, and some coupes set up open wheel.
I have only found one photo of a panel with out fenders on wire wheels that dose appear to be in a period correct 40’s or 50’s salt flats bild.

I have seen old photos of cars with chopped tops some old coupes and 3 window cars.

Is chopping a top considered period correct?

Is chaneling the body to drop around the frame ever considered to be period correct?

On a front perillel leaf car or truck, I was under the impression that lowering the car , can be done by having the front axle bent to preserve the factory look. Although this is probably not period correct as no one offered this service until modern day?
Buying a lowering spring is a good option but also not really period correct or were they available in the 40 & 50’s?
Guys may have de arched springs with a torch?

I have read
Removing leafs plates from springs was done , or moving the axle above the above the leaf spring was also done?

I’d think guys may have played with the shackles to adjust ride height?

On a rear leaf spring car / truck that has the axle placed by the factory above the leaf springs.
The only two options seem to have been adding a block or flipping the schacles?

Were any other methods of adjusting ride height used?

 

Welcome to the hot rod hobby. Don't think that you will find much of anything regarding open wheel '37 Plymouth panels because this body style does not really work with this concept. The gold standard on hiboys is the '32 Ford. Look at a picture of one in a side profile. The front axle is located in front of the engine and that is the case for just about every car produced before 1935. In 1935 Chrysler came up with the Airflow which changed everything as far as to where the engine is located. After this , the engines were moved further forward over the front axle. This improved ride quality and gave more interior room for the passengers and there was no turning back. Compare a '32 Ford's engine location with that of a Corvette. In both cases, the engine is behind the front axle location. A hot rod has this basic quality - aesthetics of a sports car, even if it is a tudor sedan. When you take the fenders off a fat fendered car, it just looks like there are pieces missing. Would I ever consider going fenderless on my avatar? Not a hope. On my T coupe? OH YES!

 

Sounds ligit to me. where you didn't mention the engine I assume something O/T. Wouldn't take a torch to the springs.

 

You seem to be a sensible person, but just new to the hobby. You have come to the right place! Spend some time on this site and get a feel for things. There is a huge amount of information that is directly related to the questions you are asking and lots of people who are willing to help. All you need to do is don’t take yourself too seriously and continue to ask good questions. What was done back in the day will be different depending on whether you are talking about hot rods or customs, the specific time period and even geographic location. Your Plymouth would not have been hotrod material in the early days but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a cool ride. I would forget about an open wheel setup as it would not be the right vintage or type of vehicle for that treatment. In any case, the swoopy fenders are cool, in my opinion.

Do a search for dago-ed or dropped axles and you will see that this was indeed done back in the day.


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Ya that’s why I have kinda been spinning on this one. I know where there is a 23 Buick
Also found a doctor coupe and 27 roadster. But looks more like a bucket then a roadster.

 

If you already have the panel truck, check out the panel truck and sedan delivery threads. They look really good just stock bodied with a bit of lowering. Much more practical than a hiboy. If you have your heart set on having something open wheeled, I suggest that you keep on looking. Cars from the 20's have fewer parts available and have a lot of wood in their bodies. Probably not near as nice as the touring that you sent the picture of. The Hamb is good for all sorts of inspiration. Good luck.

 

Do you own a 1937 Plymouth Sedan Delivery, or are you thinking about buying one?

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I own one

 

Seems like there are a lot of panels set up a gassers

 

Those are a lot smaller wheel base, and have a shorter rear body section then your panel. Also note that all have fenders, though many of the fenders have been cut down a bit.

I think we need a good clean side view of your panel, then the Photoshop guys can create a few images. With clean side view pictures, there is an "The ultimate Photoshop" thread on this site where they guys will get busy on making an image that may be already in your head. They are pretty good at telling you what they did with the pictures (that will need to be done in steel) to get the image. You could do the same thing with several pictures and cut them up and piece them together until you find something you like. Its much easier to cut up pictures then to cut up steel as you experiment looking for the "right" look. Once you have a picture you can hold in your hand, its a little easier to reproduce that as a steel copy. You will have a direction to work towards, and you have an idea what needs to be done it accomplish it. Some people have the ability to create perfect metal sculptures from images in their minds, but for most of us, that often doesn't work out too well. Gene

 

Just to clarify...you have a panel correct? Not a sedan delivery. Did plymouth make both in that year? Sedan deliveries are based off cars..Panels are based off trucks.

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Here’s a tread on this site taking about Thames panel truck gassers
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/thames-panel-truck-gassers.1018345/

 

If that is true, my 1937 Plymouth would be a panel. But the door in the rear is a single door, not a double door. The Chassis is identical to my Plymouth Truck...

There is some confusion experienced by me in regards to the true definition of what exactly I own... LOL

Sorry, I didn't mean to steal the thread here. Just trying to figure out what my Plymouth truly is...

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From what I read it’s is a panel truck cuz it sits on the same frame as the pt50 pick up and used the same front clip as the truck and not the car.

The 33 Willis is a popular gasser and is advertised as a panel van panel truck and sedan dilivery.

 

I don't always know what was cool, but my uncle had a 37 Plymouth coupe with the front fenders and hood removed in 1954, and I thought it was cool.

 

Panel ..single door or not. As mentioned above. It's a truck chassis. Heres some info on the odd ball stuff dodge and plymouth did. https://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/delivery-and-commercial-sedans.html

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Doesn’t look like a factory front end

 

by Jim Benjaminson • part of Plymouth Commercial Vehicles

Plymouth entered the light duty truck market in 1937 with four body styles built on a truck chassis shared with Dodge. Dubbed the PT series (for Plymouth Truck), body types included the Express (pickup), a cab-and-chassis (with full length running boards and rear fenders), Commercial Sedan (sedan delivery), and wood body station wagon. The panel delivery would remain on the truck chassis for two years, the wagon for just one.

 

Thanks for the research... I know about the commercial cars and the pickups. But this vehicle has me scratching my head.... LOL

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Someone bolted a GM front end under it. I have lots of spare parts to put this back to original, but then should I? IDK what to do with it...

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Classiccarjack, I would have to channel that bad boy down enough to cover the frame, and then cover up that front suspension. (Coming from a guy with full independent front suspension hanging out for all to see on my current project.) LOL!

As a side note, I finally got my truck project far enough along I've sent the paper work down state. Now I am waiting for them to send me the title so I can get plates and drive it. Gene

 

Well a gasser was set up like a truck front suspension with leaf springs and a front axle

I have found photos of both panel trucks and sedan diliverys were both run down tracks in the 40’ thro 70’s set up as gassers. I have not found a 37 Plymouth set up as a gasser.
I have found photos of a lot of fenderless panels set up as rat rods. I didn’t find any old photos of panels run fender less.

I shuld probably just cut the back off the truck and build a woody. Lol

 

Your truck looks clean. If my truck was not so very rusted I’d probably set it up the way yours is put a v8 in her and a little better rear end and call it a day.
It was a lower production number truck so a restoration can be worth it if it’s worth it to you as a restoration. There were gasser panel trucks but they were mostly two kinds of panel / sedan dilivary in pre 1936 body styles

Be for 1940 it’s hard to tell the difrence between the two sedan dilivery and panel truck. They both look more like trucks then cars in the 30’s and look more like model a two 4 doors with the windows and doors welded shut in the 20’s. There were cars with parallel leaf in the 20’s and befor. And the wheel base of the truck was moved around as well as cab and engine position. The early Plymouth trucks were more car like and Plymouth made both changes to the chassis to move the cab forward and visually to make it look les like the cars they sold in 39


The truck I have is rusted. It probably has to go ratrod. I won’t document the build here it’s not the right site for that. But who knows some of them gasser panels are bad.

 

I'd love to have an old plymPlym or Dodge panel. Rusty or not. I just think they're so cool.

 

Thank you Larry. I added sheet metal to the project. It is more complete now. I am not sure which way to go. If anyone out there offered me a fair offer on it, I may take it. I really want to focus on my PT57. But then these panels are so rare.... Sigh

Not sure what I am going to do here. But they sure look awesome!

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You seem to be pushing an unstated point with this.
Just to clarify, the lightest, smallest and as a result usually also the cheapest bodies where used for race cars. On the salt/lakes and at the strip. Anglia/Thames and Willys were about and small and light as possible. The NHRA even had to make a wheelbase concession to allow the use of Anglias.

What you have doesn't fit into this framework. A Plymouth panel truck is not gasser - as in 1960's race car - material.

On the other hand, do whatever turns you on, but around here, things are about respecting the reality of pre 1965 as best we can.

 

Not a
Plymouth but some ideas.