I have been looking at another project, 1948 Plymouth. This one is a decent price but there are a few things that bug me. The drivers rear fender is smashed real good. and the front passenger has been cut. A)How bad can it be before it cant be brought back? Think those fenders can be fixed? B)The original motor / trans are there but claim to be rusted up. I have seen some pretty messy blocks on here. What is the point of no return for this - cracked? can the rust be cleaned out? What would be a fair price - with title?
Banging that fender out is not that hard... you'd be amazed once you start working on it. The thing as a whole looks pretty rough, but not "past the point of no return"... Just up to you as to how much work you want to put into it. It deserves to be saved.. but whether or not you're the person to do it is entirely up to you.
A whole lot worse have been saved, just look at some of the starting points on other project cars. The damage does not look too bad, but you may find it easier to replace the fender. Have you checked in with the guys at www.p15-d24.com to ask about parts? .
You are looking at a major restoration even before you get to hot rodding that Plymouth. The fenders, as has been mentioned, are the least of your worries. Plymouths are not easy cars to build properly...for more reasons than I care to go into. There are lots of threads here on the HAMB that talk about Plymouth build-ups. Read them all before you make your decision. Be aware also that the resale price of Plymouths is well below that of Fords, Chevys and other popular makes. Unless you have a great deal of rod-building experience, a lot of time and plenty of money to spend, take a pass on that car. If you absolutely have to have it, don't pay more than scrap value. Chances are you'll change your mind later on... Good luck!
Nice find. They are good little cars. Buy it and fix it up. You sound new at this. What a learning experience this will be. Let me know if i can help. Gary
Not really new to it, just the last one was quite as "rustic". I have brought a bike back from those depth and have been thru motors.
With everything now available today, why would it be difficult to build? I understand going to "original" or "total restoration" would pretty $$. but to take it to a Kustom / hotrod should be fair. few on here run motor-to-make, and tons of the cars have all sorts of different metal on them. I am looking at it as a decent start. This might all change when I go see it.
The key words in my response were "properly" and "resale value". And, as I mentioned, you can build anything if you throw enough experience, time and money at it. The specific problems are well documented in the HAMB threads you can find by using the "search" function. Keep in mind that, once you've spent the money to buy this car, it will become your project, not that of all the "keyboard experts" who respond to threads like yours here on the HAMB. You'll be on your own, so don't expect them to show up with knowledge, parts, labor or money to help you out. So, do your own research on Plymouth projects before you part with your mony. If you are realistic, the car you are looking at is going to be filled with problems...which is okay...as long as you go into the project with your eyes wide open. Good luck!
Pretty rough, but it is fixable. As said, price out (and find) every part that is missing. Take a real close look at the rockers and floor. Locked up Plymouth flattys can be rebuilt, but there seems to be a good running one for less any time I've looked. Seems like the 4 door sedans are most numerous, followed by the coupes. They are out there for sale, so once you have really priced out and looked over this car, compare it to what else is available.
Yes it is a cool looking body style. Yes it can be saved. Yes it sounds like you have enough experience to do it. However, being in Texas, can you find one in better shape? This one appears to be missing all the glass, its interior and the 2 pieces of sheet metal you mention that need replacing. Now add in the drivetrain. I would say this is a $200 to $300 car at best. I see these cars with running engines in a similar body condition but having an interior and glass for around $1000 often. Just my thoughts. As said above these cars are notorious for having rotted floors, rockers, body mounts and even door hinge mounts. Check it over real good to see what areas need the most expensive repairs. Good luck.
Your in Texas, it shouldn't be too hard to find a better starting point. I'm building a 48 Plymouth business coupe right now that started out just slightly worse condition then that one. I bought my car for scrap price, and I'm wondering if I should have held out for a better car. I have built, or been involved with building several of these 46-48 Plymouths. From the pictures I can see you will need to rebuild both the rockers and the sections behind both the doors, and I don't think I've ever seen one that didn't need floors pans from the frame to the doors on both sides, and usually they need the body mounts and bracing as well. Some body parts are available, but they are pricey, and I have heard complaints about the quality. Other then floor pans and rockers, no other body structure parts are available. I believe, also, the section behind the doors are going to be hand fabricated, are you capable? Your car is a Club Coupe so all the glass is flat except the rear window, you will want to locate that and price that rear glass out. The vent windows in the doors attach to the inner garnish molding, be sure those garnish moldings are in good shape, as well as all the other garnish moldings, they are specific to that body. If the motor is stuck, don't waste your time messing with it, if you really want a flat head 6, you can buy a real nice running example for less then a couple hundred and you won't even get started rebuilding that engine for less then a grand. The frame is boxed from the front cross member to the rear kick up at the rear axle, critters loved to build nests in them so they tend to rot out. My coupe is going on a Dodge Dakota frame, but many like the S-10 frames. If your frame is in good shape, suspension rebuild parts are available, as are replacement brakes or disc brake conversions. Can't and won't tell you if that car is worth rebuilding, but I can tell you if it was me, and I lived in Texas, I'd at least look around to see if a better starting point was around. That was a popular body style for Plymouths from 46-48 and one in better shape will still look as cool, maybe even better. After all that, here is a picture of mine and some progress pictures. Gene
These are cool cars and very much over-looked. I'm biased because I have a '46 Special Deluxe Business Coupe. Parts are actually plentiful. Unless you have your heart set on this one, I'd pass and look for a better one to start with. They're out there and don't command the prices of Chevys or Fords. Mine-
I have had several 40's and early 50's Mopars and have never really had that difficult of a time locating parts...keep your eyes open and you might find a better platform to start with...maybe you can negotiate a "parts car" price from the seller if you can locate another one...either way they make great cars and you don't see them everyday
A good in person review of the car would be the start. And like alot of guys said already -they are cheap. Once I started looking for around for the flathead motor, they started falling out of trees. I've picked up runners from $150 -$300. Even free. They are a tuff little motor,the 230/217 flathead dodge/plymouth... A good rule of thumb,in my adventures is this...pop off the water pump and check the integrity of the water distribution tube. If its rotted gone, I'd pass. Those tubes rust out and can be floating around or lodged in the water jacket. To insure all is killer, you'd break it down and take it to the machine shop for a full clean. But are yuh really gonna spend that much dough with out wanting to spend the money on a more powerful V8??? Its all your choice.
Good parts car for a couple hundred. I love these coupes and if you can look around there may be better ones to start with. The title is probably worth a hundy or more. Good Luck. ~Sololobo~
.........Well its your money and time........Hope you look around....thers a lot out there....and maybe one is in better shape........Sonetimes you'll better off starting off with a better body......guess thats why there is a lot of projects out there that never get done.......smart move......keep on looking.......
Go for it. These are great looking cars, much underrated in my opinion. Just make sure it's not too rusty, locate the parts required and get started. Bring along patience and money, and you'll be fine. Congrats and good luck!
just got one , kinda new to a total rebuild, needs new floors and bracing and rockers,but icknow that with all the knowledgable cats on here i can get it done.has original driveline .i have a line out on a running 230 the current 218 is not running can i sell this .
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