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My First Car -- P15 1947 Plymouth Deluxe


NickPickToo
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19 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

The good thing about paint colors is that it is easy to change them.

 

True, if I change my mind fast enough it washes off easy with lacquer thinner.. Wouldn't be the first time. I had myself talked into painting it a '70s light green metallic once but came to my senses before I bought the paint. If I ever get to retire maybe it'll get finished. If not it won't matter.. I'm gonna leave more than one unfinished project behind... ?

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8 minutes ago, MackTheFinger said:

 

 

 If I ever get to retire maybe it'll get finished. If not it won't matter.. I'm gonna leave more than one unfinished project behind... ?

If it doesn't work out that way,you ain't doing it right.

 

The good news is the unfinished projects are cars that have been saved instead of crushed or parted out,and there is somebody out there looking for each and every one of them as their dream car.

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2 hours ago, knuckleharley said:

If it doesn't work out that way,you ain't doing it right.

 

The good news is the unfinished projects are cars that have been saved instead of crushed or parted out,and there is somebody out there looking for each and every one of them as their dream car.

 

 

Couldn't agree more.. They're all our dream cars, even the ones others think are junk. Young Nick's starting out well.. and with a pretty darn nice car! ?

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Update. Slow going these past several weeks because of school and the cold.  Dad tried to use the project as a reason to set up a some sort of furnace or stove in the garage but mom is not buying it.  We are trying to get the body out for sandblasting but weather and road conditions not cooperating.  Down to two color choices now. Either kenwood green or Charlotte ivory.   We ordered some aresole samples. Dad likes two tone but I’m not buying that.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/22/2018 at 6:24 PM, NickPickToo said:

Hey Guys

 

Taking drivers ed right now and while I'm really excited about driving soon, I wasn't feeling any of the newer model cars that I would likely be able to afford as a fist car.  Where did all the style go after the cars of the 40's and the 50's.  I asked my parents if I could put the budget into a real car:  curves, character and charisma.   My mom said I needed to write a proposal with a timeline and budget.  My dad agreed to give me some help and advice.  He was a mechanic in the Marine Corps.  He can get just about any old motor running, but he can't weld or anything like that..  

 

We found 47 Deluxe 2 door sedan, flathead six, three on the tree, VIN indicates Detroit steel.  Body looks smooth with no sign of patches.  The frame is straight with some surface rust but nothing too bad.  Floor and floor brackets look like they will need attention for sure.  There are some decisions to make that I could really use some help with.  Safety and drivability are important because this will be my first car and my primary car.

 

Engine runs and sounds great so sticking with the flathead, but is the three-speed transmission good enough for highways these days -- should I upgrade the transmission -- if so, what are the best option?

 

The suspension is very loose and all drum breaks.  Cant afford a custom chassie, but cant tell if rebuilding the suspension and upgrading to disk breaks is less expensive than just welding in a new suspension (MII).  We would have to hire the welding.  Which direction is most cost effective but still safe?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Nicholas.

For your front end the price of doing a disk conversion or rebuilding the drums is almost the same. I would look at disk with a new master cylinder. As far as steering junkyard a cent float RNP I pulled mine from a 98 Corsica but there’s cavaliers from the early 90s that have the same rack. 

 

Also. Once you get her running save your money and plan on a small block swap. You’ll pay more up front but as for as maintenance and repairs you could stop off anywhere and get parts for a SBC

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Hey guys  The Plymouth Doctor does make house calls so long as your close enough for a quick drive down.  Turnaround on the parts we needed were quick and we drove up to his place to pick up.  Mr. Brandon is a very nice and knowledgable about plymouths.  His real specialty is the 30's but he has front clips, bodies and various parts at his place from the 30's through the 50's.  A real cool visit.

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About to send the body out for sandblasting so we ordered a spray can (Vintage Paints) of charlotte ivory and one of kenwood green to do a test blotch.  Charlotte ivory wins hands down for my build.  Creamy tone with a high shine that goes well with the interior colors we already picked.  This is after just one coat from a spray can so I can't wait to see how it will look at the end with several polished coats.  Also, it matches well the sand color on the seats and has got my imagination going on some cool variations to the exterior trim color, but we will see.

 

Not gonna lie,  kenwood green looked sweet as well. I can literally see myself in the reflection off the darker color with only one coat.  But it also shows every blemish and scratch just as clearly so I agree with those that advised to go with a lighter color. 

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Just say no to SBC it's a bad thing. 

I just read this whole thread for the first time, you and your father are doing a fine job on the sedan. Love the color choice and you will too.

As a former Sailor in Uncle Sam's Canoe club I can appreciate the military ethics for cleanliness and doing the job right the first time that your Dad has installed in you. If you have time to lean you got time to clean.....ask your Dad if he ever participated in Buffer Rodeo When he went through 1st Looey division....lol.

Now there is a real decision coming up and it can make or break the look of your car.....what color are you going to paint your rims, Wheat, charlotte, harvest gold....?

Full hubcaps, baby moons with trim rings, just moons, aftermarket rims, chrome smoothies? Then black walls, or wide whites....raised white letters....reproduction polys or modern radials.....you've got some thinking to do.

PS class 2 or 3 leak, bag and tag parts, and get me a yard of flight line, cleaning up all FOD in your work area says your Dad  was in Marine Aviation to me.

 

Edited by Frank Elder
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8 hours ago, Frank Elder said:

PS class 2 or 3 leak, bag and tag parts, and get me a yard of flight line, cleaning up all FOD in your work area says your Dad  was in Marine Aviation to me.

 

Frank.  You were close, I was just down the road from the airbase.  I was a diesel mech with 3rd FSG MTM most of my time in and then the 9th Eng during the first gulf war.  We shared jokes with the guys on Futima (thus the flight line reference)  I tried to use the muffler baring joke, but some wise guy went and created one for kicks.  Yes, we road the buffers on field days.  Also fondly remembered bull in the ring Navy vs. Marines on floats -- the sailors were smart enough to hold those on day two or three after port when we didn't have our sea legs -- of course we got killed. 

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Back from sand blasting.  I was worried that we would get back swiss cheese, but it came back better than expected.  We knew the floor was gong to need a lot of attention and new we can see the rocker panels will need attention too but otherwise not so bad.

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Honestly Nick it looks much worse than it is.  Iv'e seen, owned and fixed worse.  It was my first time doing it as well.  You'll do fine.  One piece at a time and measure measure measure before cutting.  Also, weld in bracing to keep it square when removing metal.

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Hey there.  Just joined the forum and started following this build.  Reminds me of how myself and some of my buddies grew up; working on vehicles after school. Tho I never really got the opportunity to rebuild a car as ti.es were a little different.  Around here dads quite often left for work for months at a time so that parental support was absent in that regard.  I recently bought a 1948 P15 which has led me to this site and from what I've seen here thus far I am quite thrilled to be here.

I am honestly excited for the "nick" team on this build.  I know 1st hand that alot of kids Nick's age are literally GLUED to a PS4 or XBOX.  Which is their choice but if there are no future restorers of old vehicles on the rise then as we older guys fade away so will the past. 

As for the car it doesn't look bad at all for 70 odd years d.  Its obvious at this point, according to the brazed in patch and ripples on the firewall, that there may have been a slight T BONE accident at one time.  No big deal but because of that a bit of extra measuring of the body and frame for squareness may be warranted.  Might not be an issue there but with all the nice work you guys intend to do with your build then it's just one easy reassurance.  

I am rooting g for you and hope that this project comes out exactly as desired. 

Attached is a link to my 1st thread and a pic of my car.  I love showing it off lol!

 

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Nick, 

I did the same as you. Look at my photos in my profile.

A word of advice, don't rush. You will regret it later. The floors took me three or four months and just weekends.

 

I'm at the body work stage after putting the body back on the frame, watch Eastwood videos if you don't know about fillers. These cars have a ton of curves, so they show everything.

 

Keep the updated photos coming.

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Question?   We are tearing down the front end for a rebuild.  We are about to order a disc break conversion kit but there is a warning on every kit to measure the spindle carefully.  Where should I take the measurement?

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Never mind last question.  I found this on rusty hope: "The standard kits will only fit spindles with a 1.250 or 1.375 OD where the inner bearing fits and a .750 OD where the outer bearing fits."   I am sure there is similar information on other kits too.

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Question:   Thinking about using a metal glue (like JB weld) to place patches over smaller holes on the frame as we rebuild the chassis.  Only smaller holes and only out of sight holes.  

 

How do do these products hold up over time and what brands have you had most experience and success with.  Also what gage sheet metal would you recommend for patch in this type of approach?

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are these holes part of the frame for accessories or trammel points for frame gauging?  or....are these holes that are part of deterioration and needs be address in a professional manner....fi the first, let a sleeping dog lie, no one sees these and if trammel point are useful....if the latter, what value is safety to you and your investment...

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1 hour ago, Plymouthy Adams said:

are these holes part of the frame for accessories or trammel points for frame gauging?  or....are these holes that are part of deterioration and needs be address in a professional manner....fi the first, let a sleeping dog lie, no one sees these and if trammel point are useful....if the latter, what value is safety to you and your investment...

This would be the later but not in a structurally important location.  But in a place that if not addressed would eventually expand to be too big for a patch and structurally important.   

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