smleod

It has the semi-auto tranny. It had a clutch, but also has "R L N D" on the column. I am hoping to get the motor and power steering onto my 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe. I am selling the tranny because I don't need it. I am hoping that I will be able to get the engine operational so I can get it to fit. If not, I will just part it out and be done with it.

I bought it, well some of it. I cut it off just behind the tranny mount. It was surprisingly easy. Mostly because the body was so rusted that my saw just ate it up. Only took 2 hours. I am going to pull the head and see what I have. I really hope it was worth it. If it is not, you will all see some parts on the "For Sale" area, or at the Portland Swap Meet. I have already posted the tranny for sale on the appropriate forum... I hope. (I usually choose beer, but if the wife gives me wine, I wont whine) Enjoy the pics.

This car is in the greater Portland area. The yard will be scrapping it soon and I still haven't decided what to do. Is a seized 250 drivtrain worth grabbing?

Yeah, the body has a rough area or two. The floors are shot. I would not choose to bring this one back to life, but there is enough parts to help someone who needs them.

I know it has been a bit, but here is a sad little update. I bought 4 gallons of the sound deadening "Lizard Skin" for the interior and 2 gallons of the thermal stuff from "Lizard Skin". I did not do the doors or the trunk lid, but I did do the ceiling and up the firewall. I took out the dash to make this easier. I ran a little short on the sound deadening and will have to do the door and trunk lid later. Depending on how far down the resto rabbit hole I go, I may do the exterior underside to really give it the "luxury treatment" but time will tell. I did this late in the summer. The material went down really easy. I prepped everything the first day and cleaned it with a good cleaner. I used seam sealers and some rust stop "Por 15" where I felt it would help. I did this because if there are any problems later, it would create a nightmare to remove some of the material later to do panel repairs. It was hot out the next day so I kept the buckets of materials in the sun. I believe this really aided in the process as it was not too thick to work with. I used my large leaf blower to really get all the dust out. I had also used my compressor to get all the cracks and crevices clean. Coverage was easy to determine, and adjustments were minimal. I used Lizard Skins gun. I think we all are aware that the big roof on these cars really reverberate. The rest of the sheet metal is not much different. I did the curiosity testing before and after. The roof would echo before, and now it is DEAD. I have not been able to take it out and tell the difference on the road, as it is not to that stage yet. I am sure that this will really help with the noises that these old car create. This stuff was easy to install. So easy, I will be using it on everything from here on out, as long as I can afford it. But the way I figure it, "a penny today or a pound tomorrow" I have since put the car into storage as I will be changing professions this year. I need something that promotes family life. The car will get a little attention here and there as pennies emerge

Oh, I did it again and now I have questions. I went to the scrap yard today to get a light socket for the wife's van, and came across a 1953 DeSoto. It is a 4 door with a block # that shows it to be a taxi. Here is where I request some advise. I have a 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe. It is original. The engine runs great with the original 3 on the tree. I found an overdrive unit for it last year at the Portland Swap Meet that I will install when I get around to it. The DeSoto has the 25 inch 251 engine with the two speed tranny and power steering. I would be able to get this car cheap because it will be scrapped soon. I understand there will be some mods needed to get the 251 in the Plymouth 23" vs 25". Would I be able to keep my column shift tranny? I love that part of the old Plymouth. (I would probably sell the auto tranny) think I could get the powersteering system from the DeSoto into the Plymouth as well. Is this a common upgrade? The 251 has had the plugs removed so it has been exposed to the elements (it doesn't have a hood). This would not be my first engine rebuild, but it would be my first L6 rebuild. How easy are 251 parts to come by? After I have removed what I want, I would be selling the sheet metal and interior parts. Is there enough market out there for this style? I would just want to recoupe my expenses and this car really does have some good parts left (glass, doors, some interior, dash, etc.) I would bring it to the Portland swap meet and unload as much as possible. I want to make my Plymouth as easy to drive as possible while keeping the feel from that era. More power, easier steering etc. will come years down the road, but I think we can all agree that when you need parts like this they are rarely available and never cheap. The funny thing is that I never used the part for the wife's van. Thanks for any advice.

Thanks everyone. I must admit though, I have a history with cars. Some call it an addiction. In regards to classics I have had a couple old ford trucks, I helped my dad restore a 1938 dodge sedan and a 1938 dodge truck, and I also have a classic mini. AndyDodge, Thanks for the info. I can't image someone would field an inadequate system. It is the 'dad' in my I guess.

So after I got the rig home I took a quick inventory and what not. There is a lot of yellow. I know these were used as cabs, but this seems to be in too good of shape. I checked the fluids and decided to take it around the block a few times. As I did not have any glass in it the ride was a little windy but it calmed the gremlins in my toolbox that were tell me to make mods. I plan on keeping the L6 and “3 on the tree” but an overdrive is probably in its future. I dropped the oil pan a few days later. I had not run it at all. It was surprisingly clean. There was about ¾ of an inch of sludge. Not heavy tar. It was the consistency of gear lube. I also removed the oil pump siphon and clean it out. I decided not to use any liquid gasket when I reinstalled the pan as I will be doing this again shortly. I did use untrimmed cork gasket. I want to work on the brakes and then take it out at speed with some good detergent in it to really clean it out one last time. I did a compression test on the cylinders. (110-95-110-110-95-105) Looks good to me. . . and the owner’s manual. After I completed the oil, I started it up with a quick 40 lbs. of oil pressure, but the brake pedal was odd. I would press it and it would act normal, press harder like you would in an emergency stop, and it would creep down. I had a leak somewhere. I had an extra MC so I installed it. No luck. I tried to pull the rear drums but had to order the correct puller to get a good look. It turns out that not only my right rear cylinder was bad, but there was no return spring. Napa replacement cylinder. Still waiting on the spring. I took a look at the front, but don’t like the way they look. Out of adjustment by the wear pattern on the pads. I am aware that when these are in working order, they are adequate. However, I will be driving with my kids in the car. So I will upgrade to disc eventually. Question: I am leaning towards the Scarebird, but don’t like the idea of a single piston caliper. Anyone running these. Thoughts? I also just received 4 gallons of Lizard skin sound control and 2 gallons of the Temp Control. I hope to get some seam sealer down this week and spray this coming weekend. I will post pics and results of that.

Well, I have been lurking in the shadows long enough. I have decided to start this thread as a history of my early 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe build. A few months ago my dad was over for the holidays. I was a couple of beers into the evening and talking about classic cars. In my youthful exuberance, I decided to take a look at the dreaded Craig's List. At the top of the page was this early 1949 Plymouth. (I had no idea of the split year model) The beer made me send the guy an email. I went and looked at it a couple days later and decided I couldn't say no. Why might you ask? Well, $1,600 for a running rust free car with many upgrades and improvements is a no brainer. I drove it up onto the car trailer and took it home. It appears to be mostly complete. Missing a bumper and some little items here and there, no big deal. The engine is not the original. The block is stamped with "p20-55..." with a head that I believe is from the 50's. It has been updated with a 12 volt system and appropriate alternator. Electronic dizzy, rebuilt carb, and a refurbished gas tank. New brake lines, new fuel lines. Every time I get deeper into this I find more stuff that has been started on it. The floors have been replaced. I am not overly impressed with the work on the floors, but an ugly weld is easily hidden with interior. Believe it or not, but the frame has been completely repainted. That means the body has been off. It makes sense as there is no rust on the body and the underside and engine bay are in nice clean paint. I am married with 3 kids. I plan on making this a weekend driver for the family. I love the idea that in 30 years my kids will remember the drive to the movies in dad's old Plymouth better then the movie they watched. Road trips and fun in a car with character. More to follow...