jclars

Yeah, there's that, but also I realized there are a great deal of magnified views that take many pages to cover one circuit. That's good news for my eyesight. I also didn't expect color diagrams - that is super!

I got two manuals this week. A service manual for the Plymouth and a book of wiring diagrams for the Lexus. Shown in the middle is my Electric, Vacuum schematic book for The T-bird transplant into my 56 F100. Based on page count, are we really making progress with the EV? I can't imagine how many miles of plastic coated copper are represented in those pages, but I will guess it would equate to a few barrels of oil. Not to mention eventual recycling costs.

I got myself a 1950 Plymouth Service manual not necessarily for repair, but for the frame dimensions and disassembly instructions. Turns out the one page I found on a forum post was the P20 frame, just not labelled in the book precisely. From the looks of it and from me peering into the engine bay, it is looking more feasible for the Lexus engine with electric transmission to fit in its entirety without a lot of cutting. Now if I could find a dimensional of the 3.5L Lexus engine, as well as a floor pan schematic, I could cross and maybe do my own schematic showing the overlay. Peering into the Plymouth engine bay required removing the loose hood that sat on top - by myself. Do you know how heavy those things are? Yeah, you do. Well, actually it didn't seem too bad at the time, but using outstretched arms with the peak of the hood in my gut, my wrists took most of the dead weight. So I've had a cast on my RH since Saturday and got more pain relief yesterday when they doubled my dosage of strong anti-inflammatory drugs. (So that explains my numerous quick responses to various threads and maybe some weird answers. (Maybe. Friends would say that is a normal trait.) Thanks all for the entertainment while I mend! Not to mention some very useful info! I haven't been to the shop since Friday, except to access a certain fridge which houses further medicinal agents. I am being kicked out of the house this afternoon on wifes orders. With the extra pain relief, I might even feel like doing something other than computer stuff. John

Yeah, my sentiments too. But on the other hand 😬 there were 5 million Model A's built in three years. Price reflects that aspect I suppose. Some models like the coupe will demand more, but not much more. Ironically, they are only worth more by turning them into good quality hot rods. Marketplace demand. I now get more enjoyment out of watching this clip than I ever did from actually driving the car! (But it was a totally fun build lasting over 3 years.)

It was more the bone jarring ride of buggy springs under a '53 flathead (3x hp of original A engine) at speeds of modern traffic. I had cut away the package shelf to gain about 6" of leg room, so not bad there with 60's era MGB bucket seats (from an earlier MG restoration). I too used a F100 steering box and column including 3-on-tree shifter cast off from my F100 truck. Also the Dana rear end from that same source. I was trying to do it the old fashioned way by using vintage left overs from previous projects. It succeeded in that regard and was a very satisfying build. I knew it wasn't going to be comfortable and it didn't disappoint! Shhh! I had electronic ignition and electric fuel pump, sight unseen.

The ultimate truth being, as hobbyists, we get to play with the cars for awhile, then have to give them up as we downsize, maybe going to a place that has one parking space, if that. Or we become unable to drive them, and they are of no interest to the few who might still be interested. I recall my 2nd "last" car, as in "this is my last project" That was three cars ago counting my current Plymouth. I had always wanted to do a "traditional hotrod". The HAMB didn't put me off enough I guess. So I targeted a fenderless Model A coupe for a starting point. Do you know how hard it was to find a fenderless body as a starting point?? Well I started looking for a raggedy fender version, but really didn't want a bunch more body parts to store forever. I answered several adds for complete running Model A coupes that were maybe restored in the 80's. $6 to 8K. Not bad, but I couldn't pull the trigger on ripping apart someone's dream. I actually told one old fellow that as his son showed me the car. The fellow says "I don't give a sh@# what you do with it, I want it out of here!" I could see why, as it was now parked in his son's backyard under a tarp. Its last home. Eventually, I drove all the way to southern California to pick up just a body and some fake deuce coupe rails that went with it for half the price and no sheet metal to take up space! The ultimate truth revealed. The cars will outlast us, regardless of how they are put together. That is unless combustion engines get restricted...then we can own some expensive shop art. Now my hotrod resides in North Carolina because I feared that no younger generation would appreciate it if I held onto it. I enjoyed the attention it got, but man was it uncomfortable! (That's part of the deal too, as we age.)

Whoa! A business coupe gasser!

They didn't wait to see what engine was coming! As mentioned on another post herein and further confirmed by another forum member, The IRS and especially the Jaguar IFS were over the line. I couldn't stick around to see what they might say about the other things yet to come! (how about an ECU?) Apparently I was exceeding the parameters of what they considered a "traditional" hot rod. There was a bit of a bru-ha-ha over it, as the Jag XJ6 IFS was quite a popular swap out for leaf springs on the F series of Ford Pick-up. A couple of quick notches in the Jag sub frame and it slipped right onto the F100 frame. They relented and saved all the valuable how-to info on a sub forum. It was actually initiated by a hot rodder in New Zealand. Maybe that was their problem.

That 56 Ford F100 that got me kicked out of the HAMB? It has a 3.8L Super Charged V-6 from the Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe. Including automatic transmission and 8.8 IRS. Interior also took advantage of many super coupe conveniences. I added AC before my Rte 66 trip using the original compressor and a look-alike interior blower cabinet. It all ended up looking like factory. Almost.

Now that would be interesting. Would it fit? What model year? How about a Jaguar I-Pace at 400 HP and 513 lb-ft torque. I am seeing salvage ones going for $5000 - 7000. (0- 60 4.3 sec)

Hey! Get back home to my coop you!!! That chicken may be 80 years old and tough as nails.

The previous owner of my business coupe was legendary 70-80's Mopar sponsored S/S drag racer Dave Wren who lived close by and I never knew it! My car was one of two surviving business coupes he used as drivers and were available at his estate sale last year. His acreage was wall to wall Mopar cars without engines. Lots of cool muscle cars missing their hemi's. He stripped them for repair parts to enable on-he-spot repairs at the races. He was known to burn through them. His place was known as the Hemi Ranch and was featured in Car Craft magazine in 77. I tried to get one of his hemi's for this car, thinking it would be a nice tribute, but they were all torn down for parts. At least 30 of them. After I learned there were no catalog of engines for matching parts, and that i might have to chop up the car to make it fit anyway, i gave up the idea. His most famous drag car was the 1970 barracuda with 426 hemi. (Maybe 440?) In stock form it clocked at 6.3 seconds. I am sure Dave's car was faster, but i couldn't find his times. Fast forward - Electric drag cars are fast evolving, but I will be happy with a quick and comfy driver. The weight advantage of the BC should help ensure this. Just for fun:

I do have a history of keeping the patina on some of my modernizations. This truck for instance. All Thunderbird Super Coupe underneath except IFS is Jaguar XJ6. Interior and steering all Thunderbird. Encapsulated by an old truck body. Comfortable enough for a 6,000 mile road trip 2 years ago. I have already saved a website for a product to coat the Plymouth. Funny I had not heard of it before - Flood Penetrol.

I like that term RNR! Electro-mod! You are the originator and I will promote it! Am I able to edit my Title for this post? John Done! A new terminology is born! You saw it first right here folks!!

I wasn't certain I would do a build thread here until I saw Loren's recent post on Resto-Mods which more or less paved the way. We'll see just how far that grace extends! I have had this car for just over one year determining my direction before finishing my last project (situation normal per my wife). I think having something hanging around the shop and mulling possibilities helps it evolve into a fun project. My last project was a 1961 Volvo PV544 which sat out the required year while I determined its fate. It did not have the stock engine in it, but it was a sound car. I decided to go to the next wave of hot rodding - Electric conversion. Now mind you, I did not do this for green reasons, although that is a nice by-product. I did it for the performance I could get. Approx. twice the horsepower and torque of the original power plant. Let's just say it is quite spunky! I have always liked the business coupes from all the auto makers, so when a Plymouth showed up locally I snagged it. My first impression was the proportioning was perfect for another EV conversion. While finishing up the Volvo, I became aware that I could save a ton of money if I did a swap, rather than from scratch. I did a search for rear wheel drive and learned of someone in Ireland who had reverse engineered the gas engine out of the Lexus hybrid model. In other words, toss the gas engine, buy his $350 circuit board and you could run just the electric part of it. HOWEVER...that would lose the chance at a full 340 HP. So I decided to look for a complete donor vehicle. I totally lucked out at my first salvage auction, getting a running/driving 2007 Lexus GS450H (hybrid). I really didn't know what I got until it arrived at my doorstep on a car hauler. I was amazed it was a totally function vehicle! Just a little smooshed. I have been driving it on our rural roads and really want to transplant as many of its features as possible. Including the 0-60 in 5.2sec take-off. (The Lexus weighs in at 4,134 lb vs the P20 at 3,068 lb) Even by adding for the batteries, I think the final car will be less weight than the Lexus total. I finally got the Lexus on the lift today to check dimensions of various components, including IRS, and it appears it is all doable. I like to keep my builds as reversible as possible, so minimal cutting and chopping are envisioned. The V-6 should slip into the narrow frame at the engine bay from what I can see. Wheel bases are within 1.2" while track will be just inside the fenders. The Lexus uses the same wheel bolt pattern as the Plymouth, so the custom wheels are also in play. Let the fun begin! (Although I have a couple repairs required before rearranging my shop to get both vehicles adjacent to each other.) I think the first order of business will be to strip each vehicle down to determine where everything will go. This could take awhile... John

Thanks to Loren for e-mailing me pix of her salvaged frame. Much easier for me to envision how the potential donor engine might fit. With the info on the above service manual page, I was able to find a P-20 specific service manual which is now on its way! Hopefully it has the same dimension sheet in it. John

I just found this frame spec sheet on a post request for a P15 - with notes at bottom indicating it is applicable to P-17,-19 & -22 as well. Does anyone know if this is also similar dimensionally for the P20? Thanks, John P15 frame spec sheet.pdf

More space = more cars and parts. Exciting time for you! If it were me, I would probably be moving my tools in already!

A true survivor! Lot's of time spent to bring it back to life! Looking great!

Does anyone have a dimensional drawing for the frame on the 50 Plymouth Business Coupe? Thanks! John

Okay, time for full disclosure. To us humans it is technically 1 1/2 stories. But to it's inhabitants 80 years ago, it was two floors of wall to wall little bodies. Before my time, as I am sure it would have been shut down as a little house of horrors for poultry abuse. Better to let them roam loose outdoors with the coyotes, racoons and cougars. Not to steal the post, but It brings back memories of 16 years ago when I first got back to my pre-married, pre-parent hobby after a 30 year absence. I had the same excited feeling expressed by Kilgore! First pic shows my first venture back into the hobby. The second pic was taken today. The blue MG shown is what was the red one in the first pic. It came home to roost a month ago (so to speak) after ten years with my daughter. They are now in the parent mode and want it sold. Maybe I will get my money back after all?! Bob Riding - can you share what model light fixture you got from LED Light Source? All the halogen lights seen in my pic burned out, and now the ballasts are going on the more current 4 foot T-5 fixtures.

This one has surround sound too. Oh, and WiFi.

Wow! Thanks for this post Loren! I was just now revisiting this site with the intent of measuring the temperature for doing a resto-mod on my 50 Plymouth Business Coupe. In fact, if not for this thread, I probably would have posted a request for permission to establish a build thread for my project. I may still have to after you hear what I am up to. However, let me tell you that I usually try to make every build reversible. No major cutting that can't be repaired back to accept the original parts. That said, I have gotten such performance and comfort improvements from my builds, that I end up driving them more, and would never go back! Anyway, it seems as if there is a good mix of everyone here, and no need to visit posts you don't agree with I suppose. I just don't want to get into a build thread to be shown the back exit door. That happened on the HAMB when I took a 56 Ford F100 (purchased in pieces, no less) and started putting independent suspension on it. When I finally did a traditional hot rod (29 Model A coupe with flathead V8) I never rejoined their forum. (Not that I didn't take advantage of their knowledge base, mind you!) So with that all said, I will start a build thread for my 50 Plymouth at two sites. This one. And the DIYelectriccar forum. 😁 John

I would not still be doing projects at age 73.5 if it was not for my lift. I have a four post, as I converted a 2 story chicken coop with floors that varied in thickness. Where the rat holes were, it poured thicker. I added concrete pads and steel plates under the corner posts. But it has been a life extender! I have more projects than brains, but they keep what brain cells I have alive!! I feel your excitement! Good luck! John

Nice job. I like the updated wheels. From the small rust streak shown in back below the chrome trim piece, I think I've answered my own question - it is the original finish, buffed out? John