Jump to content

My First Car -- P15 1947 Plymouth Deluxe


NickPickToo
Go to solution Solved by kbuhagiar,

Recommended Posts

Progress is slow lately with school.  Also, last weekend we took some time to go to Cedar point.  None the less, some important parts starting to arrive.   We went to the source to pick up new springs and we are lucky to be so close and avoid shipping.

 

 

IMG_0354.jpg

IMG_0355.jpg

IMG_0356.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dad was also able to snag a gantry crane, an engine stand and a cherry picker off Craig's List.  All from some guy who's wife said she was tired of seeing the stuff in the garage.  It comes out of my budget until we can sell it later, but Dad seems to really like the crane.  Received some front suspension parts we ordered from Kanter and sourced a front grill and some missing fender trim from a forum member (Thanks Ken!).   

 

 

IMG_0358.jpg

IMG_0359.jpg

IMG_0372.jpg

 

Edited by NickPickToo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Body still on frame this weekend but we made progress on other things.  We were able to get the dash broken down and now have all the interior metal ready for blasting and a fresh coat. Found the original color of the dash.  It was a fake wood like finish that was a greenish, brownish grey and a really nice clear glaze.   Too bad it was painted over with the grey because it would have been sweet even with a little crackly patina here or there.   Im going to redo in a rose gold, almost coper finish.  I'll post after pics of when its done.

 

 

IMG_0373.jpg

IMG_0374.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

stainless will not be magnetic.....or substantially less magnetic..(stainless is a generic term for metal having a minimum chromium content...higher the chromium the less magnetic it will be)   what you have pictured is chromed...the metal across the dash is chrome plated on the P15

 

when was the last time anyone has seen one of the above items new in box.....been 20 minutes for me....lol  Was gathering some clips and misc sundries for an upcoming maintenance event and it was stored in same locale as the hardware and door handles...my exterior handles are now stainless steel variety donated from another Mopar car....happy to be losing the pitted chromed pot metal..

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No magic, but you can use an inconspicuous exposed area to try different solvents and paint strippers. Look for something that would not ruin the original paint, and then try it on overpainted spot. Along with Home Depot paint strippers, try mineral spirits, acetone, carbon tetrachloride. Quicklime or caustic soda work well on a variety of paints.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The wood grain is said to be "patterned" after a type of African wood called Sapele.  I got a few scrap pieces of it from an area wood shop, and it seems to me that the wood grain on these parts is most like a quartersawn piece of the real wood.  There has been a lot of discussion regarding how it was done in the factory, but no one seems to know for sure.  (Which is rather amazing, really, as it is not all that long ago that it was still done.)  One view is that it was some type of transfer film, that was possibly placed on the surface of water, then the piece was either raised up out of the water from under it, or lowered into the water.  Another idea is that it was applied to the metal before it was shaped, but that seems unlikely to me. 

 

Mine has also been painted over (some ghastly brown color), with a brush.  Slopped all over the edges of the chrome pieces, and on the plastic nameplate on the dash.  I tried to wet sand the other paint off with very fine sand paper, but there is actually very little of the wood grain left in the areas which would have been exposed to the sun.  (My car spent its whole life in Oklahoma, so a LOT of hot sun.)

 

I have tried to collect photos of cars which seem to still be original, but don't have enough to be able to determine if the grain patterns are identical from one vehicle to another.  I don't even know if they all used this same color combination, and if there were variations, would it have been according to which factory it was built in, etc.

Edited by Eneto-55
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Eneto-55 said:

The wood grain is said to be "patterned" after a type of African wood called Sapele.  I got a few scrap pieces of it from an area wood shop, and it seems to me that the wood grain on these parts is most like a quartersawn piece of the real wood.  There has been a lot of discussion regarding how it was done in the factory, but no one seems to know for sure.  (Which is rather amazing, really, as it is not all that long ago that it was still done.)  One view is that it was some type of transfer film, that was possibly placed on the surface of water, then the piece was either raised up out of the water from under it, or lowered into the water.  Another idea is that it was applied to the metal before it was shaped, but that seems unlikely to me. 

 

Mine has also been painted over (some ghastly brown color), with a brush.  Slopped all over the edges of the chrome pieces, and on the plastic nameplate on the dash.  I tried to wet sand the other paint off with very fine sand paper, but there is actually very little of the wood grain left in the areas which would have been exposed to the sun.  (My car spent its whole life in Oklahoma, so a LOT of hot sun.)

 

I have tried to collect photos of cars which seem to still be original, but don't have enough to be able to determine if the grain patterns are identical from one vehicle to another.  I don't even know if they all used this same color combination, and if there were variations, would it have been according to which factory it was built in, etc.

Wow. That makes me want to put the time into saving it now.  I was just telling dad that there was no way I could find the time and still be ready when I am driving.  If we can't save the whole dash, maybe we can save a portion of it  as a tribute.  Also no risk in trying to save it because I was going to strip it down and repaint anyway.

Edited by NickPickToo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nick - if it cannot be saved, this is what restorers do to get the original look (or close):

 

1. There are shops that can paint wood grain on your panels. A good shop has patterns for different makes and years and does pretty close reproduction. These services are expensive (hundreds of dollars).

2. You can try woodgraining yourself using typographer's rubber ink. This technique allows as many trials and errors as you need to achieve acceptable result.

3. There are vinyl wood grain veneers with adhesive backing that can be applied over curved surfaces. 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...

Nick.....the dash looks great.......a good tip is to paint the back of the dash a light colour or just leave in undercoat  as it is much easier to see what you are doing if chasing wires etc........andyd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, casper50 said:

Nick was the chrome parts done also?

The chrome parts for the dash were powder coated rather than re chromed. real re chroming doesn't fit into the budget.   The team at the powder coating shop advised me not to powder coat chrome color on any of the exterior parts (doesn't seem to hold up well in the weather) but that it may hold up better on the interior parts.  We'll see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn.  No one rechromes in Alaska.  I was hoping to use that color on some bumpers for the 55 Pontiac wagon.  Sending that stuff to the lower 48 and then paying to get it rechromed and returned is out.  What color is it by the way?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use