So I share shop space with my buddy for the last few years. Our stable of cars kept growing though due to life the ranks have been thinned. Shortly he will be down to a 1966 GMC that was his grandpa's and I will be down to my Model T that my grandpa built. What to do with all our free time? Well his dad has a stalled project (something like 15 years) so we want to do something with it. It is a 1941 Plymouth Four Door and we agree it is not the ideal gasser platform but hey it is free. Also we have a 1950 Chevy truck frame that is free from a buddy that bought an aftermarket frame so we allready have the straight axles and front clip figured out. Next he has his high school 4 bolt main 350 chevy and some old 10:1 pistons. Our preference would not to go belly button, but again free. We do have to buy a trans so we are thinking turbo 400 so we can easily swap to older BOP engines (Nailhead, 389-421 Pontiac, or 394 Olds for example). Finally when I go back to ND to pick up parts from my grandparents farm I am going to grab the 1962 Olds rear end that was in a 1955 Chevy gasser that never got finished and was given to one of my uncles friends (wish that had stayed in the family!). So other than a tunnel ram or cross ram, we are well on our way to a rolling project. Thinking Hurst Slicks and skinnys up front on steel wheels all around. Not sure on paint or anything else. Just stoked about the planning phase. Agreed that it isn't a reality until there are pictures so hoping we get out to his parents to pick it up as soon as possible!
Looking forward to this build. (and the pics of course!). By the sound of things, you have it already worked out in your head. Good luck with the gasser build.
Planning is the best part. Dosent cost much and anythings possible. I cant tell you how many ways and times I've spent my lotto winnings. Hopefully yours will result in a cool Gasser, while I still dream.
Man, I have to think there are better things to do with a big ole 41 Plymouth 4 Door than a Chevy powered fake Gasser. Maybe more of a "Bomb" low rider ????
Well lety me get my toungue out of my cheek and see if I can find a better way to word that. Nope hate to agree just fits. hey I have been meaning to ask, we have some mutual friends, you don't happen to know Larry from holleywood? yellow knuck apehanger? been that way for 40 or 50 years?
His Knuckles are Yellow - is it Jaundice? Oh and I stay away from Hollywood ~ I don't swing that way you know
Plymouth 4 door huh, probably going to go over about as good as this one... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=695268&highlight=buick+gasser
Well though not common, four doors were raced back in the day and occasionally race cars were made out of something not Ford, Chevy, Anglia, Willys, etc. Also every Wednesday in the summer in Portland there is a show at the local race track where you can run down the drag strip. Neither one of us have raced before so we are thinking a 350 and auto would be a good way to get some seat time without have to put to much cash outlay. Not planning on street freak stance or faux paint. Just a street car with a nose high front and meeting some of the race rules locally (Billetproof Drags) and see how things go. Just trying to rein us back onto topic!
I think it is a good idea, back in the early 60's here in Oregon, one of the fastest D/G cars was a black 40 Dodge 4 dr. The Plymouth body should be fairly light, and should be a fun, inexpensive car to build. We are lucky to have Portland International Raceway available to race on WED, Friday, and Sat nights and if you haven't raced before, it will be a great experience for you guys.
Maybe make it look like a plane jane "stock" 41 Plymouth 4 door on the outside, but make it bare bones, lighten it as much as possible on the inside, and race it. It would be a neat sleeper.
Well that leaves more for me then. Oh I meant to say, I was jaundice when I was born, or so they tell me, I really dont remember.
Well now its like a ball game, the pitcher aint never skert. So have we decided how high to lift this mud bogger yet?
Race cars, in my opinion, to be cool, must not only be fast, but LOOK cool doing it. Otherwise you'd be better off with a 5.0 Mustang; cheap to go fast.
Can't wait to see what the gasser looks like. Are pictures coming soon or are you still in the planning stage? Just wondering. Jimbo
As Samuel L Jackson once said "Don't just be HALF stupid, be all the way stupid!" Put the driver in the back seat and the engine under the dash. Open the front door to change plugs and all that... 41 Plymouth gasser makes about as much sense as a 51 Plymouth road race car! I'm laughing WITH you on this one...
I remember when Pro Street was in its death throws. Its always the same, just before one of these fads finally implodes, it scrapes the absolute bottom of the barrel. Remember tubbed, pastel teal '50 Buick roadmasters on the cover of Hot Rod? Cripes, you guys are gonna make me actually MISS custom vans! Insert vomit smilie here.
ok, a couple of things: I never understood why people get so fired up, but after reading a few comments (which weren't really that bad) I could feel my temp rising, but no matter as everyone has their opinion so to each his own. On here we rarely know about anyone's socio economic situation so maybe giving a little more benefit of the doubt from time to time? Check out my T page, I wish I could have gotten rid of the radials (or fiberglass body) immediately but life and money have a funny way of not always letting us have what we want. Do I wish I had the cash to buy exactly what I want? Of course. Do I wish my buddy's dad had a Willys or '32 Ford or anything other than a '41 Plymouth? Of course. Sure some can take even the most meager income and make amazing projects happen, sadly that has not been true for me. We could save for the next few years to build something really cool (still the plan) but for the time being we are going to take what we have on hand and build to the best of our ability, learn as much as possible, make it as traditional as possible (hard in some cases), make it is cool as possible (harder in many cases) and probably have some fun. Not too much cash outlay and still have something to drive. Maybe it won't even happen, who knows, but at least it was fun dreaming up what could be done with the parts we have on hand currently. Please don't mention selling parts to afford something better, check the going rate for a four door in an off brand! Or someone could buy some of my cars in the classified ads to help out! Anyway as soon as I have pictures of the car, or better yet, pictures of it in the shop they will be posted up and we will see where it goes. I believe his name is Don Moyer posted up requirements for gasser class so we will most likely follow that. Not too high for show, just high enough to help with weight transfer. Build our own 350 and see what we can wring out of it with hopefully some early 60s speed equipment. Probably steel wheels as they are cheap. Strip the interior for weight but be able to through in the back seat for a cruise night. Build our own headers, fender exit with possibly a full exhaust as well. Ok long enough post for one night!
Ahh fuck it, fordman1. Start the build, take pics and start a new build thread. Once it's real, maybe you'll get a little less bullshit from Major Hijack.
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