Bob Riding

According to the 2019 Old Cars Price guide, in the condition you describe, it was valued at being $1,980 - $3,300. Not sure if a year of Covid lockdown has increased or decreased value.

very interesting info. Maybe a metallurgist in the group will weigh in?

I assume you didn't try to reinstall?

Came out pretty good. I was able to squeeze some grease into them with my new spring cover tool. No squeaks!

Excellent work. I like the color.

I think the stock look can't really be improved on, however "modern" upgrades can make it more enjoyable to drive. Things I have done to my 1940 Dodge and 1940 Plymouth wagon: radial tires front disc brakes turn signals dual carbs with dual exhaust RadioRad for modern tunes larger displacement flathead overdrive passenger side mirror upgraded rearend (from 4:10 to 3:73) HEI distributor front shock relocation Things that I plan to do on my current build (1952 Plymouth Suburban): 12 volt electrics Automatic transmission w OD Mopar V8 HEI distributor Ranger rearend with 3:73 and parking brake A/C Integrated music system w bluetooth (built into the stock dash ) multiple speakers lots of sound deadening and insulation air shocks for ride height adjustment electric wipers beefier sway bar front shock relocation The inside of the the '52 will look period correct. I plan to use original gauges, steering wheel, etc.

Decided to keep the gaiters (leaf spring covers) Purchased the spring cover lube tool on eBay, like Desoto39 suggested on eBay for $10. I'm cleaning them up and will be painting them black and silver (Mopar colors). The toughest part was pressing out the silent blocks - finally found my old ball joint press and with a little fabrication, was able to press them out. Success!

me too. Although the covers seem to be a thinner galvanized material, pretty flexible.

I found two holes on each cover- one on each side. I assume that the tool doesn't make the holes, but uses the factory locations. I will check on bBay. Thanks!

Makes sense. I wonder if they also function as spring clamps? I don't see any, unless they are underneath.

I'm working on the rear suspension and would like to keep the leaf spring covers, if possible. It also saves a boatload of work, disassembling , cleaning, repainting etc., if it's not really necessary. I'm replacing the silent block and bushings. The covers look to be in good shape - it's a CA car so minimal rust, but I've heard that over time the covers could trap water and cause squeaks, corrosion and other bad things. Thoughts?

Good question. I am using a rebuilt GM 200 4R, that I bought a few years ago to use with the P20 motor that I was planning to use in the Suburban. An all-Mopar build would have been cool, though. I also have the Wilcap adapter to connect the two. I know- it's a bit of a mixed marriage

Thanks for the suggestions. I think it's wise to set up the motor with the existing intake and either an Edelbrock or TQ carb and see how I like it. No need to spend the Christmas account down unnecessarily on go-fast gewgaws ...yet. I will post progress pictures. Next is to mock it up and install motor mounts.:)

Cool, but spendy...

I just scored a rebuilt small block Mopar 360 V8 for my '52 Suburban project. Sold the P20 to a fellow Plymouth owner who needed it for his woodie, so I can now concentrate on mocking up the engine, steering, etc. Since I am a novice regarding V8's and have only worked with flathead 6s for all my projects, I would appreciate the wisdom of our crowd. As a start, my brother-in-law, who used to have a car restoration business in Clovis, suggested replacing the stock cast-iron intake with an aluminum one and install a Holly or Weber 4bbl carb. I will not be racing the wagon- it's got 3:73 gears and the 360 has a mild cam, and will be mated up to a GM 2004R OD transmission, which should be good for cruising and ice cream runs with the grandkids. The engine was rebuilt to stock, except for the cam, so I should get approx 250hp. Thoughts?

Lots to ponder. Thanks for the expert advice!

Cool! So pop the axles off, and swap the gear cluster, new bearings and voila?

the woodie has 16" wheels, while the "52 has 15" wheels. Would that make up for the difference, or would it make it worse?

I'm upgrading my '52 Plymouth Suburban build with a Ranger rearend, mostly so that I will have a parking brake with the 2004R auto trans I'm installing. During all this downtime, I've been thinking about how to improve the drivability of my '40 Plymouth wagon. Currently it has a 4:10 rear end with a George Asche -installed overdrive on the stock three speed tranny. The overdrive works well and cuts in at about 25 miles an hour in second gear. The OD allows me to bring the vehicle up to about 70 mph with no problem. Sometimes I wonder how fast I need to go in a car made of toothpicks ?. I’m thinking of swapping the 4:10 in the wagon with a 3:73 gear set that I’m pulling out of the '52. Any thoughts on drivability? Would the OD and the higher gear ratio of the 3:73 gears allow me to shift later from a standing start or is it only high-end RPMs that are affected? How about hills?

Oh boy- you are missing quite a lot! Here are some pics from my '40 Plymouth.

Mike, Post some pictures so we can see what you are working with. My P10 woodie was a basket case, but I learned a lot and could now probably be the 1940 Plymouth woodie Advisor (if there was such a thing, LOL). Here are some pictures of my gas tank details. PM me and I can give you access to my Photobucket woodie album. Cheers Bob

I'll look tomorrow and PM you

Thanks. What is the shape of your wheel now? I may have a spare '51 or '52.

Here is my steering wheel for the P10 woodie. I used POR15 epoxy putty, which worked well. After primer and paint, you can't tell it wasn't a new wheel. That was 10 years ago and although some of the paint has rubbed off (wear marks) the cracks are still invisible. Don't know how crumbly your's is, which would mean this process might not work.

You may have some luck getting a wheel from Steve Rotholz -Globe Auto Parts. He is located in Selma CA. He loves NOS and stock parts and probably has 6,000 items at his warehouse. His phone is (559) 352-1407. Leave a message if you call. His eBay name is forthebeachonly. I was able to find a steering wheel for my 1954 Chrysler with almost no cracks for $50. He has a pile of steering wheels. 0D993AB8-10C8-4EE6-A69E-83AAD9E18A5B.heic