TRAINDRIVA Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Gday America....and others...this is my first post. I'm the curious owner of a Plymouth P15 , a P15 far from its ancestral home!!...Located here in Australia (Queensland , about 70 miles from Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast )....and I have somewhat of a conundrum in front of me !! The P15s a right hand drive and has a strange body number...on the firewall it reads ........P15CS-2463...and on the body it has a seven digit number...9650587...so....I've always thought that the Americans were the same as us Aussies ( only armed LOL !! )..in other words helpful and friendly so if any of you P15/D24 fans have the scoop I'd be happy as a a pig in s.hit. Regards from this new Aussie member... Quote
windsor8 Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Goodday to you and welcome. I can't answer your question but I'm sure someone here can. Quote
Frank Elder Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 4 door sedan, or coupe, 2 door business coupe,or regular coupe....convertible? Quote
JerseyHarold Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Welcome aboard! I believe the running chassis and front-end sheetmetal was made in Canada and exported to Australia, and the body was built by Richards in Adelade. There are slight body contour and trim variations compared to US/Canadian market cars. Others probably have more info. Quote
TRAINDRIVA Posted February 25, 2009 Author Report Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks and thanks for the info..the cars a basic 4 door sedan and is so so sturdy and in remarkable condition for having sat for so long outdoors...a little rust in the boot and front floor but way way less than you'd expect...98 % of the trim is there as well...the body number then is something stamped on in Canada, America or in Aus ??? Quote
greg g Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 State side there are three numbers of interest. The serial number (usually found on a plate affixed to the front door pillar could be either side) the body number found on the tag ont he fire wall, and the Engine number which is stamped into the boss cast into the block above the generator just below the cylinder head, block interface. The bodies were made by Biggs manufacturing company and shipped partially assembled to the Plymouth assembly lines to be mated to the frames on the assembly lines. So the 7 digit number is more than likely the serial number. Here some states used that number for registration and titling purposes, some states used the engine number. The forum has several members from down under, hopefully they will chime in as it seems that there are severl permutations of export Plymouths. Some were made and shipped form Canada, some may have been shipped knocked down as assembled in Auatrailia. Quote
RobertKB Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Welcome to the forum. There was a recent picture on the forum of a four door P15 from down under. I couldn't find it but maybe someone else knows where it is hiding. I did notice that the trunk lid is a lot different than in Canada and the US. I believe electrics were different as well. If your car came from Canada it should have the 25" long block and if from the US the engine will be 23" long. One of the differences between US and Canadian Plymouths. Body shell likely made in Australia. We have quite a few Aussies on the forum so maybe they can chime in also. Quote
Andydodge Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Traindriva, gidday, I'm in sunny Sth Grafton NSW, I have a 1940 Dodge Sedan & 1941 Plymouth Coupe, your P15 would have been made by TJ Richards in Adelaide SA, as far as I know the 96 number is the overall 1946-48 P15 serial number that was allocated by either Nth America or Canada, think it would have been Canada, the other number, 2463 is more than likely the TJ Richards body or assembly number. Your car should have a 25" long engine, known in Oz as a "Kew", measure the length of the cylinder head, it should be 25"......I've had my dodge since 1971, the Plymouth since 2007.......theres pics of both on my shop website "About Us" page at www.scaleautomobilia.com.au call me there if you need info re parts etc......regards, Andy Douglas Quote
TRAINDRIVA Posted February 25, 2009 Author Report Posted February 25, 2009 Thanks Greg Rob and Andy....I'll look some more tomorrow and measure the aforementioned.....useful info all and appreciated.... Quote
TRAINDRIVA Posted February 25, 2009 Author Report Posted February 25, 2009 Could'nt wait !!..got the torch(flashlight) and checked...25" block...so Canadian and not an American import.....so who manufactured the 25" block and I'm wondering...did the Canadians make their own bodies to suit the chassis or did they truck them north from the USA and assemble.....I'll do some reading about Plymouth history 1940-50....thanks once again all... Quote
Don Coatney Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Actually both the Canadians and Americans made a long 25" block. The Canadians put this long block in all Mopars and the Americans reserved it for the upper class Desotos, and Crashlers as well as some larger Dodge trucks. Same basic engine block but many different bores and strokes. Welcome to the forum and can you post a picture of your car? Quote
Tony WestOZ Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 Welcome TRAINDRIVA, at this rate us Aussies will be taking over this site. (well maybe note) Anyway, 9650587 is a Canadian number. If had stayed in Canada it would have ended up a 47 Plymouth 6 (Special) Deluxe. It would have come to Australia as a rolling chassis and front cowl. Does it have a Richards tag on it. Engine should be a Canadian long block (25") 218.06 cu". There should be C stamped at the end of the engine number. Quote
RHDSP15C Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 Richards tag# 2463 was one of the last Plymouths made, probably 1948. Beware the only body parts that interchange are the front and rear fenders. Maybe the engine hood is the same as US models because it fits the Richards body very badly. The door handles are different. the glass is different and the inside trim was leather. The electrical system is the same. Electric wipers were standard.The gearshift used the prewar cable on first and reverse, usually it seizes and make reverse very hard to find. There is a company in Sydney that can still make this part. Quote
TRAINDRIVA Posted March 1, 2009 Author Report Posted March 1, 2009 Great !!...ty (again !) to all the respondents....I will post a picture as soon as I'm able...new camera cable required..lost during a recent move home from out in the aussie bush...I was looking along the strips , (engine hood )bonnet to door and noticed a large drop in the line ( of sight ) and remember thinking the strip had dropped and wolud require a re-alignment but it's now more likely it's the ill-fitting hood the member above referred to. To the Aussies on the forum I'd ask...do any have a notion as to how many P15s actually roam our roads ??,,,I would make an uneducated guess at around 20-30 aussie wide...I just don't remember seeing many although the way of it is I'll probably see heaps of them now that I own one lol.... Quote
B-Watson Posted March 1, 2009 Report Posted March 1, 2009 The P15s a right hand drive and has a strange body number...on the firewall it reads ........P15CS-2463...and on the body it has a seven digit number...9650587...so....I've always thought that the Americans were the same as us Aussies ( only armed LOL !! )..in other words helpful and friendly so if any of you P15/D24 fans have the scoop I'd be happy as a a pig in s.hit. Regards from this new Aussie member... The 9650587 is the car's serial number and is for a Canadian-built 1947 Plymouth DeLuxe, actually toward the end of the Canadian 1947 model year as the 1947 span was 9631186 to 9650874. Given the time to ship chassis by boat from Windsor, ON to Australia, and then have T.J. Richards build a body for it, it is perhaps not surprising Chrysler of Australia sold the car as a 1948 model. I know late 1948 Canadian model year cars were marketed as 1949 models in Australia. The engine is definitely a Canadian 25" block 218.1-cid flathead six given the engine number has a "C" in it along with an "S" for the series. The Australian 1948 Plymouth body is not quite the same as the North American Plymouth body as it was based on the 1939 Chrysler body. The windshield is higher than in N.A. and the A pillar and front vent wing is slanted more. The windows in the doors had more rounded corners than in N.A. while the trunk lid has a rounded bottom edge similar to the 1939 models. The front clip is similar to the North American models, but not quite. Quote
TRAINDRIVA Posted March 2, 2009 Author Report Posted March 2, 2009 Great stuff.....you guys have been so helpful and informative...I've been given plenty of info and it's made discussion with my friends a lot better...having the facts is way better than mere supposition..thanks...once it's made pretty again I'll bang some photos on the net.... Quote
Brendan D25 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Posted March 2, 2009 There you go, Mr. Watson again has the facts. Bill, you must have quite a library of Canadian auto literature. I noticed also that you contribute to another forum on Canadian Pontiacs. Way to go, Brendan. Quote
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