BloodyKnuckles

Totally dig the bumpers. BloodyKnuckles

BloodyKnuckles

Thanks Jim. We worked our butts off. I can totally relate. I built a custom '51 Plymouth and drove the wheels off of it with the flathead 6, 6v and stock drivetrain and suspension. I put over 36,000 miles on it and heard the same thing as you. BloodyKnuckles

The front suspension is stock height. The rear has been lowered plus was loaded down with spare parts for the long trip. In the era that I'm shooting for, custom cars that were built were lowered in the rear and not the front. Most people don't follow early customs but I prefer the simplicity of that time. This car had a "hot rod" rake that I didn't care for at all. I'm a custom guy through and through. Level or lower in the rear for me. BloodyKnuckles

BloodyKnuckles

BloodyKnuckles

Great to meet you Moose finally after all these years! Well, with the help of my club brothers Jerm and Skeeter, we ended up painting the Plymouth 2 days before we left. The drive was smooth and issue free. Here is a few pics. BloodyKnuckles

Thanks Unc!!! BloodyKnuckles

So, I've been busy. The engine is mounted as is the transmission. I rebuilt and fabricated clutch and brake linkage. Installed different uprights with all new brakes. I'm on a mission. I've made my list of to do's. I'll post some progress pics tomorrow. BloodyKnuckles

Bruce, I'm sorry but I do not. Good luck on the search. I'll keep my eyes open for you. BloodyKnuckles

Marty, Most people think that I'm a bit strange that I wanted to remove the big V8 and discs but I would like to build this car as if the entire thing was built and customized in the 40's. As for the brakes, I choose to drive nothing but old vehicles daily. They all have primitive braking systems that have been completely gone through by me. I do not drive modern day cars with power brakes and ABS. My wife does and so she should. I'm not used to power brakes or discs for that matter so I drive my vehicles as responsible as I probably should. That's not to say that I haven't had my fair share of panic stops over the years but I am usually prepared for the actions my vehicles will take. Over the years, I have found that factory Mopar brakes are the absolute best brakes that were available through the advent of discs. With all that said, I absolutely know that discs are far superior to drums. In my situation, the drum brakes will be more than sufficient for my needs. Thank you Marty. BloodyKnuckles

So, here's a few updated pics of the Plymouth. I've repaired the v8 clearance holes in the front frame crossmember and stripped the paint from the firewall. I have plans to install the flathead 6 today. I also acquired full front factory drum brakes that are completely new and ready to bolt on. The disc brakes are coming off. More pics soon. BloodyKnuckles

http://www.customsbythesea.com/ BloodyKnuckles

A bit of an update. I've been on a mission to located proper engine for the time period and have settled on another flathead 6. I need to prepare the frame back to original before I can bolt it back in. I will run the original, floor shifted trans. Both have been rebuilt with very low miles since. Also, I have acquired the appropriate pedals for the brake, clutch and gas. I will install a dual master cylinder but am removing the discs and installing drums. I know these Mopars pretty well and have always been pleased with the performance of the original braking systems. So, the big thing is that I plan on making a 10 hour trip in October with my other Iron Lord club mates and friends to the Customs By The Sea in Wildwood NJ during the Race Of Gentlemen. This is a great goal for me. I work well under time constraints. I'm anticipating having it on the road and put some good miles on it before the trip. Quick artsy pick of the engine; BloodyKnuckles

Thanks buddy. The Overdrive Mopar A-833 was behind slant-6 mainly. So look for Dusters, Aspens, wagons, 1/2 ton trucks Ford also used a version and GM used both the Mopar bolt pattern and their own pattern, both called the MY6. Easy identifying is they are aluminum cased with a triangular bolt pattern for the side shifter to bolt on. Marty, I have it documented well with many pics. The OD unit is aluminum. I'm not aware of them producing a cast version but would love to know if they did. The rear axle has been changed out to a '59 Galaxy that has the axle emergency brake. I seriously considered another conversion to bolt on the trans brake. I still may. Thanks for the compliment. Trust me Don, that was the direction I contemplated the most. Thanks man! BloodyKnuckles

So, a bit of an update. I started disassembly of the front end to remove the Cadillac 500 to replace it temporarily with a Cadillac 425. After spending a few days swapping over parts I decided that all of this is a tremendous waste of time. I put it on hold to look for the appropriate engine. Well, today I just picked up the replacement. I chose to use another flathead 6. It's what I know. This one is a complete unit with the 3 speed trans and both have been rebuilt and are from a restored car. The displacement is a whopping 201 cubic inches of fire breathing power! Look out! One consideration I may make is the inclusion of an overdrive transmission. NO, I'm not using a T-5. While they are fantastic transmissions, there are many, many other options that I don't need to discuss here. I have chosen to use the trusty-dusty Mopar A-833. It's a 4 speed where 4th is .73 overdrive. I did this swap successfully in a '34 Plymouth that I used to own. It is a great transmission if you have an underpowered engine. 1st is low for ease of movement, 2nd is nice and close, there is a slight jump to 3rd but not too much and once you shift into 4th, the torquey little engines shine. Should be absolutely no problem to get 26-28 mpgs with this combination. Before the "new" engine goes in I am removing the front disc brake set up, master cylinder, all brackets and pedals. A good friend will end up with all of that and I'll receive his all stock set up that will include; all brackets, clutch pedal, brake pedal, fully functioning and rebuilt drums and backing plates with a dual master cylinder. All of this makes me very, very happy. So, as you can see, I have my work cut out for me for a bit. Progress..... BloodyKnuckles

Well, here I am a year later. I got this car and have not had the time nor the ambition to work on, what I feel will be, my dream. I've had a vision for many years on what kind of custom I would ideally want to build. I built and drove a '51 Plymouth as a very early 50's custom. What I caught myself doing was swaying heavily on late 40's styling but it's tough to go backwards with a 50's car. I've grown to love 30's-50's Mopars and I have always loved 39-42 Coupes. So when this one came about I was very excited. With this custom I would like it to appear as if it was completed in 1944. I would like it to be an understated yet classy car. With all of that said, here's what I picture the final product to be; 1.) Proper 40's era custom height, not laying frame or dragging bumpers. Most people would tend to think it will need lowered to follow current trends. Perfect for me. 2.) Black walls with a 2 piece, full wheel cover. Lyons or Flippers are an option but I do have a set of '41 Cadillac caps that I may modify to work with my idea. 3.) 1941 Buick Grill. I have a LaSalle and a '42 Buick grill but the '41 just seems right. 4.) Welded front fenders to eliminate unwanted seams. 5.) Removed running boards and molded rockers 6.) Front and Rear fenders will have the "ribs" removed but the top of the wheel opening "speed" line kept. 7.) '40 Mercury or '41 Studebaker taillights with another option being bumperette lights. 8.) The Car has been wedge chopped but if a metal roof will be kept, the front A pillars will be extended and the rest of the roof re-massaged. 9.) Possibly install a Chrysler 2 piece rear window from a late 30's coupe which I have. 10.) Ultimately, graft a convertible windshield header and latches and construct a padded Carson top. White, of course. 11.) Interior is tastefully done with a distressed dark brown tuck and roll and a black rubber floor 12.) Some chrome accents including garnish mouldings and dash items. 13.) Gloss black enamel paint. 14.) Buick Skirts. Items I'm kind of stuck on; 1.) Headlights. I have a few different sets of '40 Ford aftermarket "jeweled" bezels. Just not sold on anything just yet. 2.) Cat's Eye auxiliary lights mounted on the front bumper 3.) License plate placement 4.) Engine. I've had great luck with Mopar flathead 6 cylinders but I've already done that. I have seriously considered a Ford Flathead v-8, Cadillac Flathead v-8, Buick OHV straight 8. I do have a Desoto Hemi but it is from '53. Just a bit too new. So, there you go. I've got my work cut out for me and my fellow Iron Lords but there is enthusiasm to bring this thing to fruition. Any bit of vision, opinions, concerns are encouraged and greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read all of this. BloodyKnuckles

Wow Robin! This is really great! I think it's so cool to see these old Plymouths running hard. I will be over there for the next one, for sure! Thanks for the coverage. BloodyKnuckles

My old '51 Plymouth's 218 and my old '34 Plymouth's 201. BloodyKnuckles

I'll be in touch. BloodyKnuckles

Hahaha...Thanks buddy. BloodyKnuckles

Don, you're a "fungi"! BloodyKnuckles

You and Tim are correct. I just didn't expect to see this. I've been on hiatus for a while finishing up 2 other projects. I'm getting ready to get another on the road so I have the Plymouth bug again. Funny thing is, the car I'm about to have on the road was highly modified from the previous owner and I'm changing 90% of it. He'll probably feel the same. Haha...I doubt it. BloodyKnuckles

This is horribly sad. I sold this car against my gut instinct. I had a guy contact me to buy a car. I started to describe a 34 Plymouth that I was selling and he said that was the wrong car. I told him that was the only one I was selling. He asked about the 51 and I gave him all the details. He asked me how much, I said it was not for sale. He asked if I would send him pics and I did. He then bothered me for a few days after that and finally I decided to give him an "I don't want to sell it" price. He agreed to it and I could not believe that I am selling my car. He was a high end street rodder and I assured him that this car was primitive but he wanted something to "fit" his new style. He swore, the next time I would see it that it would be completed. I then hear a few months later that it's on Craigslist for $2000 less than I sold it to him for. He added glass, changed the headlight rings back to stock and reinstalled the factory grill and trim. Now I find this. Sad. It now doesn't even have a title! Crazy! I truly enjoyed everything about this car. I rebuilt and modified everything myself. Put over 36,000 miles on it. It was a piece of me. It was my mistake that I sold it. BTW...I sold it for just under $10,000 How it looked when I sold it; My car was not for everyone but it was built for me. BloodyKnuckles

Thanks guys. Don, that is a '47 Mercury coupe. It was slated to be my next custom but I found the '41. I was happy to have the Merc but I'm ecstatic now! The Merc is for sale now. BloodyKnuckles