Hot Rods 1938 Plymouth Sitting In Garage Since 1988

So, I was making a little stone parking spot for a customer last Thursday. When I finished the job, the neighbor came out of his garage and asked me for my card. I walked over to him, and mid sentence, as I saw inside the garage, I said “what is THAT?”

He told me that he’d bought the car in 1988 and was never able to do anything with it. Last inspected in ‘84. The car hadn’t moved an inch since it was rolled into his garage in ‘88.

Very early in the conversation he told me that he was ready to let it go and gave me a price. Of course, being in PA, the first thing I asked is “do you have the title?”. “Yes”. “Is it in your name?”. “Yes”.

I was supposed to be finishing up
With my customer, but was totally side tracked by the car. I told him that I had to get back to what I was doing, could I get his number?

Over the next couple of days I tried to find a time when we were both available. I looked at it Sunday, transferred the title and had it towed home yesterday.

It appears to me that it had a life as a hot rod prior to being torn back apart in the ‘80s. Someone then grafted, what the guy I bought it from said is a 1st Gen Camaro front clip. I know…

However, the car came with an Oldsmobile steering column, and what I believe to be Olds dual headlights. so I’m not sure. I need to find some pictures.

They molded the rear fenders into the body, sunk in some ‘59 Cadillac tail lights, started to weld the front fenders and grill together, then stopped working on the car.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the car, but I thought you guys might enjoy the photos of it coming out of that garage for the first time in decades.

 

So, when I got it home I immediately took all of the parts out to see what I did and did not have. Then put it up on the lift and spent the rest of the day staring at it…

The guy told me he thought it had a 9” Ford in it. Turns out it’s a Chrysler 8 3/4”.

I’m not in love with how they grafted the front clip in. Actually, I hate it. The car itself is very rust free. The only filler I see is where they did the bodywork on the back, and started on the one piece front.

 

Congrats and bring it on...it obviously spent time around go fast...and it's in pretty darn good shape for a rustbelter...have fun with it...

 

Thank you. It is in surprisingly good shape. Rust wise

 

The front fenders were marked to be cut out for these dual headlights that came with the car. I believe they’re early ‘70s Oldsmobile headlights, but I could be wrong.

And the Oldsmobile steering column. These two things make me wonder if it’s an Olds front clip. Makes sense, one donor car, but who knows?

 

1st gen Camaro clip is similar to Nova/Omega/Apollo/Ventura into the 70s, but that column looks like big car to me with the shift indicator like that.

 

WOW..... Great find, and enjoy

 

Cool car, I can see why you don't like the stack O shit frame graft.

 

Cool find! Looks to be very solid. Make a great family cruiser. Was the previous owner saving used oil!?

 

Thank you. Honestly, if I keep the car, that’ll most likely get cut out anyway, so I guess it’s not THAT important to identify it.

Thank you sir

That’s the perfect description. I keep thinking that I could just cut it out and Do a solid axle car. But that seems a bit silly, since it was already a solid axle car once.

I don’t know. It’ll be a few weeks before I have time to mess with it. I’ll have to formulate a plan. I might just pass it along to the next guy to do whatever he wants to do with it.

Either way, it was fun getting it out of that garage, and hunting around for all of the parts.

And I got this Great Wall hanger out of the deal at least

 

Ha! I’m not sure. I was wondering the same thing, but I didn’t ask.

 

Yet another Plymouth saved!

 

Solid car. Just a shame on the clip and the tail lights but all are not terribly difficult to correct.

 

I have a 38 Dodge that is original bodywise but someone put a MII front end in it a long time ago. It was done better than what you've found, so I left it, but upgraded to bigger brakes from the 9" rotors it had. I don't hate the taillight treatment on your car, but the inset license plate kinda bugs me. Unless you were going far out custom car, I wouldn't pursue the canted headlights.

Regardless, have fun with it and keep posting if you decide to build it out.

 

Yeah, I’ve been keeping an eye out for something to do this Winter. I’ve been away from the hobby for a very long time. I was into off-roading for a while. That’s when I bought my first welder and learned how to use it. Then recently OBS Ford Powerstrokes.

But my Father is sick now. I grew up in the garage with him. We made an apartment for my parents at our house. I figured this car, or possibly a different one, will be a good way to get him out of the house. He can’t really do any work any longer, but he does enjoy being in the garage with me. And he loved looking at, and bringing the ‘38 home. Just to see him light up over a project car again for a day, was worth every penny paid for this one.

There he is drinking his one beer for the day.


And one from 20 years ago



That car was a just ‘28 / ‘29 cowl when we started. He bought an aftermarket frame somewhere, I don’t remember now. I found an Edsel with an E475 in it. We swapped it and the auto trans into the A. We found a rusted out old piece of a Studebaker pickup bed and used the 18”, if I remember correctly, of it that was good for this project.

I remember catching flack on here because people didn’t like the body we, mostly he at that point, built. But damn, those are the best memories of my life. And I thought it came out alright for a couple of NH hillbillies.

 

Thank you.

I for sure would prefer it were a Mustang II setup. At least if it were done as bad as this is, the original frame rails would still be intact. Mostly anyway.

I don’t mind the tail lights personally. I don’t like the recessed plate, electric antenna hole, or modern fuel filler door molded in. And I definitely have no plans to use those headlights. I’m just glad they didn’t cut the holes.

When I originally looked at the car, I thought I might just put a drivetrain in it and run it as is for a while. But once I put it in the air and saw that front clip well, it kind of took the wind out of my sails TBH.

 

I found out that the front clip is indeed from a 1st Gen Camaro, or whatever other GM cars used the same one. They seem readily available. So cutting the one that’s in there out, and doing a better job, is realistic.

 

It's yours now. Build it like YOU want it!

 

I think you both did a great job on the pickup. Nothing better than projects like that with your dad!

 

For sure. Just thinking out loud here.

Thank you sir. That is a fact.

 

741 is the good 8 3/4” rearend with the larger pinion.

 

Well, that’s something at least.

 

In a 650 plus horse power #3300 lb car running 9.90 in the 1/4 with stock axles. We never broke one.

 

741 rear is the small pinion 1 3/8ths,,,,,742 is the next larger which some like the best due to no crush sleeve and it is 1 3/4 quarters,,,, 489 is the one with the larger pinion size at 1 7/8ths.... For street running they are all okay....

 

Yeah, Google confirms this. Either way, if I do anything with this car, too much power will not be a concern… lol

 

Reinforce the frame splice and put it together. A mild small block & auto would make a great driver ride you could enjoy for years without dumping stupid money into it.

 

Glad they didnt cut the holes for those headlights. Not a fan of the tail lights either or the recessed license plate mount. That being said it looks real solid.Leave the body alone and I either find another frame or repair the mounting of the sub and go forward.Could be a real cool driver.

 

Like @gene-koning said, just go over the frame splice, and finish up the car with/for your Dad. It's a pretty solid car, should be able to get it driving down the road pretty easily. No real rust or major body work to do.

 

That clip looks like it is glued in to me but I could be wrong. I know would not trust that poor job

 

Yeah, the front clip is uuggggly, and the first thing I'd replace. I'd say there are plenty of better options.