Projects Soldiers Joy, A pre 40`s Custom.

Here is a picture of a 32 Packard. It has a smooth top similar to what Carsons are like. I personally like seeing the outlines of the bows of a convertible top. I have always liked the golf club bag door in the side of the rear quarter. Might have to add this feature. My body does have a hole in that section. I did buy some chrome 33 Plymouth headlight stands and a convertible rear window frame in the last couple months. . I seem to be finding all the hard to find items first. Which isn`t all that bad.

 

I agree with your regarding seeing the top bows. Padded tops have never quite done it for me. The golf-bag door sounds like a nice touch. Not sure if that would have been passe in the '40s, though?

 

This is a pre 40`s build.

 

Remember Ernie. He turned 101 the 27 of December. And to celebrate his birthday. He went flying with a fellow pilot. Since his stroke, he can`t fly solo. But he did do the take off and landing as well as all the flying by himself. Here is a pic of a 33 dash as well as one out of a 34. I prefer the 34 one. So I will be removing one from the parts sedan I have. Also, here is a pic of a 47 Olds dash I covered with the stick on wood grain I did for a customer. I will be doing this on my car as well. Also need to find some garnish moldings that I can adapt to my doors, also with the woodgrain effect. I have since found a Olds steering wheel on the HAMB to replace the one shown. I found a place that does the wood grain effects by dipping it(Hydro-graphics?) this past week from a customer who I installed a headliner in an 69 Olds 442 for.

 

One of my good friends was looking for a good set of front fenders for his 33 Plymouth. He has a set of dual sidemounts that came with the car, but he wanted to run standard fenders. He had a couple sets of not so good fenders but, he felt the convertible deserved better. So he tried for a year to find a good workable set but to no avail. So he had a set made from scratch. They turned out better than excepted. So then I found a long wheelbase 34 4-dr for cheaper than what a couple of hand made fenders cost. It took me telling him about the car more than a few times. He eventually decided to buy it. I have been doing jobs for him for awhile at no cost for parts that I need. He has a few. I think this will make a good starting point. Fenders, hood, frame and a grille shell. The (factory) independent front suspension is going away in favor of a 32 Plymouth straight axle. A Plymouth curvy axle is used a lot, but it looks to modern and would be seen. The car will keep the stock front end hight`th. He also insists on a Dakota 8 3/4 rear axle which he also has. It is the right length. It won`t be seen since the car will be lowered in the rear. Currently looking for a workable motor, more on that later.

 

Here is another pic of a Duesy. Found it again in the May issue of Motor Trend--1951. Why tell everybody the design aspect of the build? Because, I enjoy following build threads on the HAMB. But then they throw a curve ball which changes the overall style and ruins it for me. Like putting bucket seats in a roadster because it`s comfortable. Ect……. I know, it`s their car and they can do as they please. But I`m a traditionalist. I like continental kits, bubble and cruzier skirts, and dual quad headlights and all the other things they did back then. But that time period was after the magazines spread the Custom car craze for all to see. After 1940. Headlights and tail-lights. Still looking for them. No rush, not cheap items for what I`m after.

 

Okay, I found the power train I was after. Back in the late 70`s my dad put a straight 6 Chevy in his 55 Chevy 1st series pick up. It had a split manifold and those pipes sounded great. But everybody says they do sound good, but the straight 6 Mopar sounds O SO much better. I have heard this for years. So that's what I`m using. I found a motor out of a 51 Plymouth wagon, soon to be a panel gasser. So I get all the drive line all the way to the rear end. It`s in a shed but 10 inches of snow means it`ll have to sit a while longer before I can snag it. My dad with the late Bob McMillan. Our go to mechanic back then.

 

@Bob K Here is an article from Rod and Custom. It took me awhile, but I did find this article. I would see him at a few shows every year. He somehow remembered me and was the first to say hi. From then on, I would stop and chat for a short bit. A hell of an ambassador to the HAMB community and will be missed. For those of you who don`t know, he put 200,000 miles on his straight 6 in 10 years.

 

I found this article in the August issue of Hot Rod from 1951 a few years ago. A good read. Not all Dodge, Chrysler, Desoto and Plymouth motors are the same. I was told otherwise.

 

Was able to pick up a complete 51 Flat 6, a rear end and a tranny for 200 bucks. My go to welder found it for me. It might end up being a boat anchor but it will be a good parts motor for a mock up. My mechanic wants to see if he can get it to run later on. Also, my good friend Norm made a road trip to acquire a set of seats out of a 34 Ford 4-dr seadan from @hotrod_tommy A fellow Iowan we see often. Found them listed on the HAMB. Will make a good donner seat. Might have to widen it because the Plymouth might be a bit wider. Scanner problems or I`d post a pic. Put some finishing touches on a customers 53 Plymouth convertible this past Tuesday at his shop. Gonna work on some later model bucket seats for a 33 Plymouth sedan this coming week for another customer. Always somthin old to work on here.

 

Bummer, I wanted that seat Tommy had but he wouldn't answer my PM. You must have beat me to it. If you change your mind please give me a call. My bro was interested in the rear springs if you aren't going to use them.

 

The only thing I was gonna use was the front seat main frame. I will not be using any of the spring mechanisms. That includes the front and rear. So I guess it`s his.

 

I'll let him know. Put our names on any springs you don't want from old Fords. Maybe we can meet up somewhere this summer. Des Moines, or Greenfield. Thanks.

 

When I first joined the HAMB, Alchemy (Didn`t know him at all) reached out and gave me a few (and then some)boxes of old Car magazines dating back to the early 50`s. I had a bunch, but he filled in some holes in my collection. Thanks again. So today I delivered a couple seats for a 33 Plymouth sedan that I redid. He saved a few bucks off his bill when he gave me a set of 34 Plymouth Deluxe headlights and stands( not an easy item to find). I told him I was looking for a set, which he found for me. They are far from perfect but were affordable. Like I said earlier, I`ve been finding all the hard to find parts first. Which is good. I had been gathering bits and pieces for 36 Ford headlights but think the 34`s will flow much better. Then he tells me, when I`m have time. He wants me to put a top on his 34 Plymouth Coach and Chassis convertible. I said it might be awhile, I have a bit of work already lined up. Been putting extra hours in the shop cause it`s been kinda hecktick around here. Am planning on buying a new Printer/scanner so I can post pic`s again.

 

I measured the 34 Ford seat frame I got to see how it was going to fit, seems pretty close to the Plymouth size. So no widening of it. But I am gonna cut an hole so I can have access behind the seat. Need to find an old trunk lid prop. See pic below. Also found another Deluxe headlight right here on the HAMB. Was able to eye ball my good friends genuine 33 Plymouth Convertible this past Monday. He`s slowly plugging away on it.

 

Went with the family to California on a trip and saw this pic at the Peterson Museum. It`s Clark Gable and his Duesy. The 34 Ford seat doesn't fit to bad in the body. You just never know what is hiding in all those storage bays.

 

Ernie turned 102 the 27th of December. They had a get together for him at the airport. Cleaned up my rear window frame and headlights I got awhile back. Would post pic`s, but scanner isn`t cooperating. No progress being made. Got a kid in collage ($$$) now. Seems like the storage unit is getting fuller and fuller. When operating a business from home, space is always a premium. Been trying to organize a bit to make more room. I live in a town of 5000 and the closest Wal-Mart is 30 miles away. The Metro area is 45 miles away so it`s good to have an inventory on hand for hard to get items.

 

I feel like @The37Kid shuffleing shit around to make room. For a project going nowhere. But I got a surprise today. My dad said to bring it down to his shop to work on. I said are you sure. He said yes. I`m thinking I should make the move slowly. He likes a clean organized shop so I`ll bring a shelving unit to keep everything organized. And a heavy work table and the X-coupe body. To start out with. Time to shuffle more stuff around. In a good way. Here`s my first car I bought when I was 16. And the transformation it`s had. The 2nd pic is when I was 17. The 3rd was 22 years ago. It needs another slight transformation. There never done.

 

Got the body moved to dad`s shop. Got chance to look it over real good. There isn`t a lick of rust on it anywhere. A few dents, but no rust. Need to start working on it, but with no heat and 6 degrees out, it will have to wait. Now I can`t get the new scanner to work. EEEERRRR. I started this thread 3 years ago. Patience young grasshopper.

 

Two hands better than one Jim. If there is a weekend where you want to get some work done, let me know as much ahead of time and I'll do my best to chip in where needed.

 

Or I could give you my old chrome pieces and you can polish them up with tinfoil. Inside joke. Thanks for the offer. I might have to take you up on that. You do have a good eye and know your ins and outs with car parts. Got some news today, Gonna be a Paul Bear Monday for Tommy the Van Man. He painted my car 24 years ago. Gonna miss him. Along with a few others that have passed this past month.

 

It got in the upper 30`s today. So I cleaned out the inside of the body. I found 7 brooms but the dust pan along with the brush were hiding in 2 different places in dad`s shop. Okay, I found a little rust along the rear of the wheel wells. Measured up a couple pieces for the floor. Was gonna cut them out today, (but instead, did some more straightening out of things in my warehouse-- basement). Need to do this outside as not to make a mess of either shop. There`s a coat of snow and ice on the ground. Someone is coming by Wednesday, so hopefully I can post pic`s again that I don`t already have scanned.

 

Another testament for the Flathead six from the late Gary `Goodguy` Meadors.

 

Was at Pete and Jakes last year and noticed this. And you thought The California Kid was a Hot Rod. I see it as a taildragger.

 

Memorial Day today. Not much progress on the car. Most people are on lock down due to The Corona Virus. Been very, very busy in the shop. Found another 34 Deluxe headlight from a guy on the HAMB and gonna head south west of here next week to get a trunk lid from the same guy. Taking a trailer as he has other stuff too. Thanks to @54delray a buddy hauled home a 34 Dodge sedan body. Talked to a guy I`ve known for a long time about his 33 Convertible project. He priced it, a bit more than I`d like to spend, out of my budget for a basket case. But it does have the removeable windshield frame and the top bows. It`s about twice what I paid for a set of hearing aids. But I can hear much better now. Would post some pic`s but The photo center at our local grocery store is shut down due to the virus.

 

I almost bought this 34 playboy roadster back some years ago{2001} while visiting our daughter in Clarion Pa. The guy wanted $18,000.00 for it. I had a long talk with my self as we had very little time & was leaving for the nationals in
"L"ville & had a 32 roadster on my mind. It was a complete running car with the golf bag door. We were driving the 57 bird.

 

So a 350 + mile one way trip with a couple other guys. I have a decklid. A friend of mine bought a trailer load of 33-34 stuff from the same guy. A good day was had. Next on the list is some 35 Ford parts.

 

Proof. Plus the stuff in the back of the pick-up.

 

I started this thread 3 years ago today. So here is the first build picture. The seat. As I stated before, the back will flip up like the one pictured. It`s all derusted and welded up and sitting in the body. I narrowed the back up a bit so it would fit better.

 

It was an enjoyable day today as I got to work all day on a stock 31 Chevy coupe. Here`s a pic of a 40 Ford seat I did a few years ago. It also has a flip up seat back. I did away with the spring units and used foam instead. Seat design will be different. And I did put some floors in it as well. This is traditional, so wood it will be.