BobT-47P15

A little background on the 51-52 Plymouth hardtops in case anyone is interested. 1951-1953 Plymouth Cranbrook BelvederePlymouth Cranbrook Belvedere Model years 1951-1953 Class Full-size car Body style 2-door hardtop [1] Engine 218 cu in (3.6 L) I6 Wheelbase 114.0 in (2,896 mm) Introduced on March 31, the 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook Belvedere arrived as a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouth's first vehicle of such design and was built in response to Chevrolet's Bel Air. That vehicle, the first two-door hardtop in the low-priced American market, was introduced in 1950 and ended that model year with great success. The Cranbook Belvedere was not a separate model. Rather, it was the specific name only used for the two-door hardtop version of the Cranbrook. Being built on that car's 118.5 in (3,010 mm) wheelbase gave the two-door Belvedere very favorable proportions. Powering the Belvedere was the familiar flathead straight-6 engine. Displacement was 217.8 in3 (3.6 L), the compression ratio was a relatively low 7.00:1, and output was 97 hp (72 kW) (SAE gross). First-year prices started at US$2,114. For 1952, Plymouth kept the Cranbrook Belvedere largely unchanged. The biggest alteration was to the color scheme; to further distinguish the top-level Belvedere from other Plymouths, the two toning now flowed from the roof over the beltline onto the trunk, which has been referred to as the "saddleback" treatment. Two Tone color schemes were Sable Bronze over Suede, Black over Mint Green, and Gray over Blue. Overdrive was made available as optional equipment in the 1952 Plymouth. In overdrive, the engine made three revolutions for each rear wheel revolution against four without overdrive. The engine was a complete carry over from 1951. Prices, however, did increase by about US$100 to $2,216. Production for 1951 and 1952 totalled 51,266 units, which was slightly better than a quarter of Chevrolet Bel Air and Ford Victoria production for that same period. There has never been a separate breakout for Plymouth production figures for the Korean War era years of 1951–52. The Belvedere remained a part of the Cranbrook series through 1953. For that year, all Plymouth models were completely restyled. Major style changes included a shorter 114 in (2,900 mm) wheelbase, a one-piece windshield, flush rear fenders, and a lower hood line. In April 1953, Plymouths received the Hy-Drive semi-automatic transmission. Again, Plymouth was behind the competition with Chevrolet having introduced the fully automatic Powerglide transmission in 1950, with Ford following the next year with its fully automatic Ford-O-Matic transmission. The engine was carried over from 1952 with the only enhancement being a slight increase in the compression ratio to 7.10:1, which yielded a rating of 100 hp (75 kW). The shorter wheelbase partly led to an overall stubby appearance that was panned by consumers and critics. Even with a reduced starting price of US$2,132, demand was rather low. A total of 35,185 1953 Belevederes were sold.

Your car probably did come with a front anti-sway bar......the 46-48 Plymouths have them. Re the whitewalls......it depends what width you like best. I personally prefer the approx 2 1/4 inch ones that really came out in the late 50s - early 60s. Some like the 4 inch "gangsterwalls". I bought Firestone bias ply reproductions from Coker, and am happy with them......none of them are very "cheap" any more. I first bought Coker's house brand whites.....but the brown from underneath kept bleeding thru the whitewall. Can be cleaned, but is a pain. Do not have that problem with the Firestone item. They have numerous types and brands to choose from. There are others around too. Diamondback has a very nice radial wide white. My Firestones:

A school teacher in my home town bought a new 59 Edsel sedan, and on one front fender the name was mis spelled.....it said "Desel".

Thanks for the pics, Fred. Always nice to see cars from another place. Funny thing......they have a certain resemblance to cars from right around here. Our grandson, age 17, went with me tonite to a monthly cruise-in at Webb City, MO. There were two (either 40 or 41) Plymouths - one a coupe with a V6 engine, the other a fourdoor with a V8. Hadn't seen either one before. The coupe owner, an older fellow such as myself, maybe just a bit older, even........said he has owned the car a few years, but this was the first time he's showed it. Grandson liked the souped up Mustangs, a Toyota Supra and the one lonely tuner car. He just moved up here from Florida a few months ago, so we get to see a lot more of him now. He likes driving grandma's 2006 Infiniti G35 fourdoor..........in fact we went out last nite and cruised Main St a few passes. (Grandpa has to go along since he only has his permit and a licensed adult driver is required.)

I would assume this fellow is charging reasonable prices for the entire car. We had a place in this area with many old cars that went out of business due to the owner's health. Bad part was, he offered to sell the complete yard, but nobody wanted to pay whatever his price was. So, he started selling complete cars for $100 or $150 and the entire contents of things like old school busses and truck box bodies for $100. There was a frenzy right at the last before the crushers were to arrive. Most old yards over the area have disappeared in the past 30 years.

They have one of those cabinets at the church kitchen to keep things warm. I don't know if commercial restaurant supply places ever take those in on a trade and sell used. Or if there is a used equipment seller in your area.....might be able to buy one of those units reasonable if desired. "Tim's Low Country Bake" place. (some things you boil, some you bake.)

Now, that's a true car nut's sort of house. Glad you got it. Progress is now being made on our new detached garage....should be about 24 x 32.....the floor was poured a couple days ago and framing should begin Monday. Supposed to end up with heat and air in it as well. Now, all I need is for Dale to finish the repairs on the convert.

Even that poor old shot-up P15 still appears to have a good set of windshield stainless trim. And probably some other things not showing that would be usable. I find that I look at pretty well scavenged cars much closer than in the past.........and there are often useful items on pretty rough looking cars.

We could use some of that rain here in sunny/hot (right at 100) southwest Missouri. Today the wind kicked up from the north, and our neighborhood looked like a dust storm.........since there is not much grass in yards due to the tornado last year. Thought it was going to rain a couple times - got just a very few tiny drops and that was it.

Welcome, Walt. Nice car with lots of possibilities. I think there were some different ways of hooking up the oil filter. You might send a picture of yours. There should be a string of numbers on a boss on the engine block below the distributor, starting with D24.....assuming this is the original engine. In many states, they used that number on a title instead of the one on the door jamb. The engine number is usually stamped into the frame, just a bit before the left rear wheel. Usually requires wire brushing to find that one. Far as I know this holds true for Dodges........I have a Plymouth and it works that way.

Depends upon what he wants regarding tires. If he will be judged by the P O C, he might want bias ply. If he wants a good looking and good driving radial, then Diamondback is supposed to be a good brand. http://www.dbtires.com/ And, they have this cross reference chart.......... TIRE SIZE CONVERSION TABLE 1950’s 1960’s Average Height 1970’s Average Height Modern Radial Average Height 750-14 775-14 26.8" *** F78-14 26.5" 205-75R14 26.1" 800-14 825-14 27.4" *** G78-14 27.2" 215-75R14 26.7" 640-15 735-15 26.5" *** E78-15 26.3" 185-80R15 26.7" 670-15 775-15 27.5" *** F78-15 27.4" 205-75R15 27" 710-15 815-15 28" *** G78-15 27.8" 215-75R15 27.6" 760-15 845-15 28.6"AA *** H78-15 28.3" 225-75R15 28" 800-15 900-15 29.5" *** L78-15 29.3" 235-75R15 29" Questions? Diamond Back Classics Help Line: 888-922-1642 Several persons have said they feel the 2.15 x 15 radial makes a good replacement for a 16" tire.

I have a 1950 Dodge engine sitting around. Several years ago, I ran it in the convert as a temporary motor to keep things going. It ran when it was removed.....but was making some odd noises.....so I consider it a core and it needs rebuilt. Probably $100 as is would be a fair price to someone who needs it. Think I paid $100 for the complete car with the engine in it. If you would like to try rebuilding an engine yourself, and are not yet a master mechanic, then that ole motor might be good practice material.

Ah yes.......the ol Airflow......probably a Chrysler. Kinda odd looking but rather neat cars. There's some older fella in this area who has a DeSoto Airflow, in pretty much original rundown condition. A survivor type. He brings it to cruise ins on occasion. I went looking for Airflow pictures and happened onto this.....a 1936 Chrysler Airstream - woody. Surely a faux woody. And a rod to boot. Sorta neat though. Or, you can street rod an Airflow......... or.......

What Bill said...........

Yep, a pretty good reference and instructional resource for dummies like me. I usually know the general principle but not always the details on how something works. And, those two small holes in the bottom of the reservoir were mentioned as being very important. I can't count the number of times those holes have been pointed out in posts for guys asking things about brakes not working correctly. Thanks for the link.

Saw two of the SSR pickups just this afternoon. They are cool looking....but not very practical.

or........how many friends can you smuggle into the drive-in movie in the big trunk?

Looks nice and shiny with nice whitewalls in the pictures. Evidently it needs work, per the seller. May be a decent buy.

Looks really good. How do t he arm rests attach to the door?

Don't know if it will help anyone at the present time, but am posting the chart as found on the net. Tire Conversion Chart, Old Sizes To Radial Size Old Size Letter Size 82 Series 80 Series 75 Series 70 Series 65 Series 60 Series 50 Series 6.00-14 155R14 175/70R14 185/65R14 6.45-14 155R14 175/70R14 185/65R14 6.50-14 175R14 185/75R14 195/75R14 215/60R14 6.95-14 175R14 185/75R14 195/75R14 215/60R14 7.00-14 E 185R14 195/75R14 205/75R14 225/60R14 245/50R14 7.35-14 E 185R14 195/75R14 205/75R14 225/60R14 245/50R14 7.50-14 F 195R14 205/75R14 215/70R14 235/60R14 7.75-14 F 195R14 205/75R14 215/70R14 235/60R14 8.00-14 G 205R14 215/75R14 225/70R14 245/60R14 265/50R14 8.25-14 G 205R14 215/75R14 225/70R14 245/60R14 265/50R14 8.50-14 H 215R14 225/75R14 8.55-14 H 215R14 225/75R14 9.00-14 J 225R14 9.50-14 L 6.00-15 B 165R15 165/80R15 185/70R15 195/65R15 205/60R15 225/50R15 6.50-15 C 175R15 195/70R15 205/65R15 215/60R15 6.70-15 F 195R15 205/75R15 215/70R15 235/60R15 6.85-15 C 175R15 195/70R15 205/65R15 215/60R15 7.10-15 G 205R15 215/75R15 225/70R15 235/65R15 245/60R15 265/50R15 7.35-15 E 185R15 195/75R15 205/70R15 215/65R15 225/60R15 7.60-15 H 215R15 225/75R15 235/70R15 255/60R15 275/50R15 7.75-15 F 195R15 205/75R15 215/70R15 235/60R15 8.00-15 J 225R15 225/75R15 235/70R15 265/60R15 8.20-15 K 8.85-15 J 225R15 225/75R15 235/70R15 265/60R15 9.00-15 K 9.15-15 L 235R15 235/75R15 255/70R15 275/60R15 295/50R15 9.15-15 N 305/50R15

The engine/trans should pop right into a P15 OK. Not sure if the drive shaft is the same, if you plan to use that. You'd have to measure. I've used a 1950 Dodge engine and a 57 Plymouth engine in my P15 with no problems.

Andy.......that picture thing is pretty dang clever. Don't know why I have never thought of it. I think a 46-48 Plymouth clock, with the black face, will fit a 42 Plym but would need to change to the copper colored face. Or, vice versa. But I doubt it would work in the older model. Has someone measured each item? The face of that clock looks looks like it would probably be for the year advertised. Overall size might be similar to the P15. The P15 clock does not have the number "6" at the bottom.....that area is where the stem goes into the clock. So---if any old mopar clock for sale has the 6, it's not for P15.

........

The P15 did have mat in front, horsehair (or whatever) type carpet in the rear. Quite a few years ago, I bought a new old stock rubber front mat still in the box at a swap meet. Installed it in the car and used it for several years. As it was old to start with, it began splitting in various places......so I finally replaced it with carpet. So now, matching carpet front and rear. There was also a rubber mat in the trunk....which eventually wore out. I had the upholstry shop do the trunk in maroon carpet same as the car..........but that's just my particular preference. Also covered the inside of the trunk with the same maroon vinyl as the door panels. Because I wanted it to be a little different and look good at shows when I opened the trunk to display period items. The car will probably never be judged by the P O C. I bought a roll of carpet at a wholesale supplier, based on how many feet the shop guy felt was needed. Then he cut and bound it as needed. Made a flap on the drivers side you can raise up to get to the master cylinder for checking and filling. That's pretty handy. If you want to use carpet and give the idea of a floor mat, I'd say use black. That way, it probably won't jump out as being different.

Here's a P15 seen at a car show in Belgium.....lots of patina.