I know I am a diehard Chevy lover and no I have not gone over to the dark side. Two of my best friends Ron Podsiadly from San Diego and Rick Miller here in Rochester have always made me appreciate a good Mopar. Hell, back in the 80's I started building a 34 Dodge kingcab pickup. Ron liked the cab design so much he traded me a 37 Chevy coupe and then went on to turn the cab into a 1 ton car hauler that he used when he and his family moved west. Back in the 70's Rick had been the go to guy and the one who was always there to help everyone else out. My kids and now my grand kids call him "Uncle Rick". We still tease him about taking 17 years to build a 29 Dodge Sedan. The 29 is ready for some upgrades but Rick has not stopped driving it since he put it on the road around 1990. Several years ago Rick came to me with a 33 Plymouth coupe (or should I say parts of a 33 Plymouth) that he aquired and thought might make a nice rod some day. Little by little he got more parts (not easy to find 33 Plymouth parts) and we started making the piles of metal take shape. He did find a complete frame. Thank God because I only saw about two remaining body mount holes in the body and fortunately the frame gave us the all important push and correct dimensions to get this body back into one piece and mount it on the frame. Here are a few pictures to share. We have had a some people tell us we are nuts, but I have seen worse projects turn into some amazing rides. I guess you just got to have some vision and if you like the way it turns out then that is all that matters. Will try to add more pictures as we move forward with this project.
Looks like a lot of work but you are doing a great job.can't wait to see more pictures.I hope you have the rumble lid.
4/1/12 Got a lot done on the car today. Used 1" square tubing to reinforce the body line where the original roof had been removed. At this body line there are curves in two directions which took some time getting my tubing bent for the proper fit. A second curved section was added and both tie into the old door frame. I covered the tubular structure with metal to provide a smooth surface for the top to be mounted. I bent the square tubing by making a series of cuts and forming it on a curved pattern. This allows for some additional adjustment before welding. Also added triagulated support from one of the body reinforcements to the tubular floor frame I made. This structure made a huge difference. The body is now very rigid. I can probably start working on the hinges for the doors soon. Put the top back on again before I went home. All my measurment marks lined up making the fit look good.
Our time is limited each week but we have been makeing progress. Finally got the hidden hinges installed and the doors hung. We plan a slight modification for the fuel tank filler. It will now be located in a recessed panel behind the license plate. Rick is ordering 50 Pontiac taillights which should complete a nice clean look on the back of the car. Last week we got the cowl positioned for the last time and finished welding it to the rest of the body. Yesterday Rick got his engine and tranny connected so we set it in place and will now be able to start designing the tranny tunnel and maybe work on getting a floor installed.
Finally figured out our dimensions for the windshield. The entire top of the windshield frame is missing so I had to get creative in designing something that will go with the body. We are limited on the fancy metal shaping tools. Sometimes you just have to find the right shapes or get creative making your own. I save everything and was lucky enough to fine a piece of metal that had a similar angle allowing me to duplicate the angles around the windshield. Next will be to form the shape around the outside of the pillars. I repaired a rusted out dash trim piece that was given to us. Turned out to be the correct piece for the car. The metal trunk deck is still a challenge. A lot of inner structure repair and shaping the outer skin to fit. We do have a fiberglass lid but If I can get the metal one repaired, I know Rick will like it. Rick has been in contact with another HAMB member and they are working a deal on some fender braces and a steel hood. Still a few more design issues to work out. Hopefully we will get some ideas and continue to be motivated when we make our annual trip to the Detroit Autorama in a couple of months.
I think it is safe to say that I was able to save the original metal truck deck so we won't have to use the glass one. Rebuilt the underside and had to re-skin a good portion of the top side. We got the lid mounted on the hinges and the fit is looking good. It took a lot of hours and I had to walk away from it a few times but the end result was worth it. Gas rams work great. Now we have to decide on what latch we should use. Rick hooked up with another HAMB member who shipped us a very nice complete steel hood and fender brackets. A little cutting and fitting today and they will work just fine. The car still has a glass grille shell and fenders but we keep looking in case we come across some affordable steel parts. Rick brought some sheet metal for the floor. We may start with the trunk area and move forward.
3/24/13 Finally got some of the floor in. Rick selected 16g steel which is proving to make a very solid floor. Drilled and plug welded to the cross braces and around all edges. Hell when were done maybe this 33 will float. We are working our way toward the front of the car. Still some additional bracing and design of a tranny tunnel in our future. Very happy with being able to save the original steel trunk lid. The car was a rumble seat car but we chose to reverse the opening to make it open like a trunk. The flea market and cruising season is coming up so we will be checking for more ideas and deals for this build.
love how your trunk area turned out. maybe when your cruising around you might be heading down south? lol like kentucky? drink a couple cold beers and throw around some bs. and maybe sell me some parts
The car is coming along great. You have the talent and determination to make it all work. Lot of Old Chevys have been saved with 1X1 square tube. Miss seeing your old avatar................. Jeff
They are typical fiberglass..needs some tweeking ,but yes they work..when you don't have the sheet metal only other option. Bought it all online either ebay or just google for fiberglas companys .
Finished all the welding on the floor. Looks like there will be some nice leg room in this ride. Rick started putting some primer on the inside floor and has some finish completed on the underside. We made a filler panel for the dash and cut two holes for his gages. It looked too plain for me so I used the glove box door which has the same shape to form a couple of oval rings out of some old steel brake line. I welded one around the gages and the second one around the glove box door. When these are finished out it should give the dash a little bit of nice detail. Rick plans this car to be a driver so he is not into a lot of shiny bling. We found a nice set of 15" Mopar Police car rims and modified them to accept a later model Dodge Challenger center. A little paint, some nice trim rings and he has a great set of easy to keep clean wheels. Today he started taking the fairly new looking springs apart to reduce the amount of leafs. This and if necessary some lowering blocks should get the car to the desired ride height. A lot of fitting for things like the column, gages, switches, pedals and the top have been finalized and hopefully will make final assembly go smoothly. We still have a long way to go but every new task accomplished helps keep the motivation fresh.
Great work Ray and Rick, it's really coming along nicely keep the pics coming. Ron... Ray,Rick, I found an old picture of the car from my garage a long time ago...
Even then the top had been cut off and welded back on .I guess it was intended too be removed from the start
That was over at your house on Springtree. It is a shame that after it left you, someone cut it up in pieces. Sure would have been an easier build if Rick had it with all the parts intact. Well now it is being reinCARnated and will once again be enjoyed. We removed some spring leafs yesterday to play with the ride height.
Rick and Ray I just noticed something, the body is a 34 not a 33. the cowl vent is larger on the 34 than the 33. and the dash is different also. Ron...
yes I know...I like the look of the 33 better so all the fenders, hood and grille are set up as a 33,including the frame. Wasn't Eva's sedan also a 34 with the 33 front end ??
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