Projects 1940 Plymouth Coupe Build!

I am also building a 40 Plymouth coupe , what kind of disk brake set up did you use? I have a set up from scare bird going in soon. Also implanting a 440 between the fenders, this is my first street rod build any advice is appreciated

 

440 kool mopar in a mopar, wonder if you considered converting the steering to a rack and pinion ? that factory box may be tight with a 440 any pics of your 40 ply?

 

I second that request to see how the 440 fits in the 40. It would be a beast for sure!

 

This disc kit is from Rusty Hope. It puts everything back to a mopar bolt pattern. I bought it used from another HAMBer on here.

On another note, since it is going to be in the 40's and 50's this week I will be working on the coupe quite a bit. I already made one body mount and will be making a couple others as well. I am looking forward to not working on the frame anymore... this is probably the worst part of the whole job.

 

Where most of you can probably do better on a body mount I am proud of it. When I finish it I will be able to compare and they should be exactly similar minus the thickness of material and width. Today I hack into the large portion of the frame to get the metal replaced that goes behind the body mount. I am getting the metal from work for free.

 

Well that looks to be done, now I will grind the weld on the frame and make it look nicer this next pass around. I have been practicing and now can get a nice row of times on my welds. The only thing holding me back is that my hands cramp up and I cant hold the gun like that for very long.

I got some good metal from work in the scrap bin and was able to make this stuff. It turned out pretty nicely if you ask me, I am happy with it.

 

Nice welding Scott, looks good!

 

Your fabrication and welds look plenty strong, and able to handle the 392 when you find one!

 

Yeah, I wish By the time I am able to afford one gasoline will be a thing of the past.

Thanks Eric! Excuse the shitty looking welds around the plate; I am going to grind down the plate welds and do them again to make sure I have full penetration so that I know it is solid. It was nice to be able to finally work on something without it being close below zero temps outside too.

 

Great work on the chassis. These cars seem to become more and more popular with all the great build threads here.

 

Well the driver's side body mount is finished. Now to start back welding the patches and finishing all the stuff up on the inside. I will double up behind the large patches to make sure any support lost is brought back.







This is the passenger side. I may just shave the patches rivets off, remove it, weld up the frame rail in the severely pitted areas, grind, and put it back on.





Then I will add my 1/4 inch thick gussets to the upper and lower side of the sub frame.... Getting close!!!!

 

looks great,,

 

You're doing a nice job. That was a heckuva challenge to take on. Check to make sure the welds aren't drawing the chassis out of square or twisted.

 

Thanks guys, been trying to finish it up so I can pull the engine and tranny out of it to mount it in the new frame.

 

Here are some updated shots from last night:





I will work on putting another plate to help box in the drivers side frame rail since that is the weakest part of the frame now. I need to weld in my 1/4" thick plates for the upper and lower frame stub and then work on the body mount for the passenger side. Then I am going to remove the tranny cross member and make my own out of square tubing. I need to go pick up an engine hoist and stand as well.

 

Well I have been busting my hump during the "nicer" weather that we have been having. I need to finish welding the lower gusset on the drivers side, run a couple other quick beads, then flip the frame over and put a couple gussets on the top. Once that is completed then suspension goes on.

Here are some shots:

 

36DodgeRam here on the HAMB, his brother, and I went to the KYANA swap meet yesterday and I found some good loot for several vehicles. Most importantly I found a tranny cross member and a set of motor mounts for a SBC from Brookville. So I will still continue making progress on getting the rest of this stuff so I can get the body flopped over to the new frame.







This is for the Model T when I go to rewire it:



These are for the Apache so I have some tunes:



These are both for the T and the Plymouth that I got for dirt cheap:

 

Well I finished up under the front clip for now. The 1/4 inch gussets are welded in and ground down to look presentable, the tranny cross member and clutch bracket has been removed, rivets removed and the support member in between the rails welded and ground down. I now have the frame flipped on its side so I can quickly tackle the passenger side motor mount tonight.

 

i can almost hear it rumbeling,,,,

 

Looking good, Scott! That dirty floor is a sign of progress

I had plans to go to Detroit Autorama with some friends but missed out due to an unexpected family funeral... so I'm missing my car fix!

 

Nice scores and that frame looks great!

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Thanks Jason, I'll make sure the floor is extra filthy next time you come over if I need you to help bleed some brakes

That blows about the funeral, sorry dude.

Thanks n847!



Today I pick up some more welding gas and then I will be back onto tackling the body mount.

 

missed auto rama my self this year,,sorry to hear about ur family,,

 

1959apache, I pickup up 2 free vacuum brake kits at work last fall. Gave the cheaper model to my father. Actually works really well, it pushes the fluid from the wheels back to the master cylinder. Can also use it to pull the fluid to the calipers, but it seemed to work better the later. Remind me when the time comes.

1959apache & fstfish66, Thanks for your thoughts. It was the wife's grandmother. 94, lived on her own and still drove a car till the week she past... can't ask for much better than that!

Hey n847, What part of Dayton are you at? My wife's from Lake Lakengren community which is south of Eaton, OH. Our twin boys are due in May and are schedule to delivery at the Wright-Patterson Air Force base near Dayton.

 

Your 40 is looking good and makes me want to work on my 48 Plymouth S.D. 4 door. : ) But I'm having to work on my shop instead : (

 

Thanks camcb, working on the shop may have its perks as well

 

Well I finished up the sub frame and now am going to focus on the rear cross member that was previously damaged. Here are some shots of the finished product. I will also add a lower gusset plate under the front body mount on the drivers side to match the other side since the middle is a little thin there from blasting and rust.

Finishing up the passenger side body mount:







Finished welds that need to be ground down:





Finished product:




Here's a shot of my next step in the project after the rear cross member; cleaning up the leaf springs:

 

apache,,,question,,do you know what suspension your using ? is it 1940 stuff or 1941 thru 1956 ? im about to take mine apart, and have been told replacement parts for 1939 and 1940 are only available in NOS 1941 thur 56 is available in reproduction,, i do have a pair of 1941 and up upper A arms,, tring to decide what to do here,, and making tools to do the bushing install,,, what are your plans ? and if any one has any tips feel free to chime in,,,thanks in advance,,,

 

Well I found that the body wasn't bolted down at all, which is kind of scary, but will make the swap a lot easier.

Here's a shot with the front suspension on so I can figure out where to put my rack and pinion and motor/tranny mounts.

 

Mine is the '41 suspension. Not much of a difference in design between 40/41 but 36dodgeram here on the HAMB is my encyclopedia for this kind of stuff. He is the one to ask. He has done all of this before, I really haven't done a lot.