Where is it now: Leroy French's 1949 Plymouth 4dr Custom

Anyone know anything about the car? Color? Sold? Trashed? Hiding in a garage in San Fran, CA?

 

i have no idea but nice car...

 

You are as bad as me. Get to work on the 53!!! Hahaha

That is a sweet car though.

 

Ehh...not for me. Just curious

 

I love a well chopped 4 door, thats a sweet one!

 

Now THAT is a nice car Of course I am biased.

 

Neat piece. Although not visible in this photo,I like how the tailights were done. I've thought about doing the tailights on my 51 in the same way. Can any of you photoshoppers turn this into a hardtop? Just curious how it would look.

 

Because ALL Plymouths are worth TIME and MONEY

 

Nice Ride.... Very pretty...

 

Good answer !

 

ummm...we're doing one right now. thanks for telling me we're wasting our time.

hate to tell you but our plymouth gets just as much looks, if not more looks, at a cruise or show than some of the highly restored and expensive cars frequently at the events. Why? i can't really answer that. Maybe its because they're never seen anymore and its something different.

Just because you're not restoring or driving a 2 door shoebox,coupe,bel air, roadster, etc does not mean the car is any less worthy or that you;re wasting your time. i think its quite pitiful you would feel such a way

 

That is by far the BEST CHOP EVER on a 4 door!!!!!!!!!

BB

 

this might be a little bit far fetched but there is a Leroy French who is an underwater award winning photographer who is out of SC but i think he might've been based in San Fran or northern california at one time but i'm not positive. maybe related?

I found another website that said he began diving in 1955 in northern california. I think i found him!!!!

here is the excerpt from the article:

Leroy French began diving in 1955 in Northern California. He started developing underwater photgraphy equipment in 1957 and has since become one of the most experienced photographers in the trade.

I have sent him an email and hopefully we will know where the car ended up

 

hard top and door post removed

 

If I remember I think Leroy's father owned a Mopar dealership in San Fran, CA

 

welderxx- i read that too. ill try googling multiple times again. unfortunately if i dont have his father's full name; it might be hard to track it down.

 

Ok I have heard back from Leroy:

It was, in fact, his car! We are currently exchanging emails and this is what i have gathered so far:

It took a year to complete and was quite the project at the time. He said it started off as Metallic Blue (was prob this color in the photo posted) and was then changed to Candy-apple Red.

Ill post more info as i gather it. maybe leroy will join the HAMB and fill us in on his car

 

Interesting that all the lemmings get confused & concerned whenever anyone wanders too far from the herd.

 

Here's a chopped 4 door '49 Plymmie my son now owns. It was built by Fred Romo and chopped by Rick Schnell, sometime in the 70's.

 

i think a guy on redding cl has had a chopped four door 49 on and off for the last few months i'll try and find it.

 

That thing looks great! Kinda makes me wanna do mine....

 

i can't find the add but i did take a pic with my camera phone. it's a 51 tho not the same car.

 

I remember seeing that car on the cover of either Car Craft or Rod&Custom around 1955 or 56.I thought it was purple but I could be wrong.Beautiful work on a rarely(at the time)customized car.I could be wrong but I think it had the 6 cylinder engine with a high compression head and dual carbs.I have R&C back to 55;I'll see if I can find the article.

 

Awesome.

I'm not normally a Plymouth 4-door kinda guy, but this thing's got the look.

I'm looking forward to any more information you folks dig up.

 

I find that slab sided ford you like to be not worth my time....and I could buy 2 decent plymouths, maybe three for what somebody wants for a shoebox50.

 

Jon Wright chopped a 1936 Plymouth 4 door and called it Bojangles, it was featured in Street Rodder. It was an awesome looking car, two tone, black fenders and emerald green body with chrome wires and a slant six.

 

Amen to that, Bob!!!

 

I have always lusted after this car as well !

 

My dad, the other LeRoy French chose to customize the four door for two reasons, number one, his Dad who used to own the J E French Co which was a SF Bay Area Chrysler Plymouth dealership group gave him the car, so that was the only car he had to customize but more importantly, he wanted four doors for haulin' around his friends, so for him it wasn't a waste of money anymore than someone would think customizing their two door car is a waste. The Picture at the beginning of the thread is the car sitting in front of George Barris' house in SoCal.

 

If anyone needs some questions answered, ask away. I have been planning to re-create the car since I can't find out what happened to it either. I've got some additional pictures somewhere as well as a copy of the Rod and Custom that goes into some detail.