1948 Plymouth Deluxe help needed! (picts)

[Beatles65]

My great uncle has a 1948 Plymouth Deluxe Coupe that he is wanting to sell. The people who sold it to him said that the timing belt was broken. It turns out that the valves were stuck in the engine. Now the engine is stuck and all torn apart and he wants to sell it. The body is all straight and original and there is no damage that I could see. There is no rust on the body but the floor pans would need to be replaced. The glass is all good that I can tell. Also it would need new tires. The one downside to the car is the engine as it would take a lot to rebuild. Here are some photos, the car is sitting in a shed and all dirty.

What do you guys think I should offer him for it in this condition?

Also, does anyone have any info on these kind of cars?

How many where made?

Thanks for everything from Nebraska, Andrew.

Edited September 14, 2010 by Beatles65
error in sentence wording

[BobT-47P15]

Looks pretty good, what I can see of it. I see 3 accessories.....the sun

visor, a spot light and a fog or driving light in front of the grille.

How are the seats, floor mats and headliner?

Probably will need the gas tank cleaned out, the brakes re-done

with new wheel cylinders and maybe brake shoes. Might wash up

pretty good and possibly take some wax if paint is not too bad.

Regarding having info on that type car.......there is tons of it here on

this forum. One place to look is use the search feature at the top

right of the main screen, then type in a heading to look for.....like 1947

Plymouth, or P15 (that's the model number of these)......should produce

quite a few posts to look thru.

Check your P M box (private message) for a further thought....

Bob

Edited September 14, 2010 by BobT-47P15

[Beatles65]

Thanks for the info!! So the sunviser, spotlight and driving light are all factory options then?

The interior is torn and I am not sure on the floormates but I am guessing that they are non-existant as the floor pans will all have to be replaced because of the rust. Its hard to look at the car because it is in such a tight space. I was only able to get one door open. Also i have really only looked at the car 2 times as it is an hour away from me so I dont get to look at it all the time. I think that this car would be a great one to add to my collection and am really thinking about buying it.

[49 Dodge Dude]

Looks nice. I'd get it out of there before that roof collapses on top of it, though

[P-12 Tommy]

If it were me, I'd ask if he can help you roll it out to get a better look. BTW, welcome to the gang.

Tom

[53_Suburban]

Looks nice. I'd get it out of there before that roof collapses on top of it, though

You beat me to the roof collapse obversation

[Young Ed]

The building looks fine just some stuff in the raftors thats about to fall

[Beatles65]

Yea the building is fine, just lots of stuff in the rafters falling thats all. My great uncle has no desire to work on the car anymore. He also has a 1936 Plymouth 4 door sedan and it is a fine car it even has new paint. The sad thing is he is 80 and in poor health so he hasnt driven it since he got it back from the paint shop years ago. And another reason he hasnt driven it is he doesnt want to pay the $70 fee to license the car as an antique so its just sitting in his garage collecting dust.

But anyway the 1948 Plymouth Deluxe Coupe is safe in the place it is in now. I just have to see if I can buy it from him before it goes to auction as they are wanting to sell all there stuff and moving into town.

[BobT-47P15]

Oh, and just to clarify a point mentioned early on...."My great uncle has a 1948 Plymouth Deluxe Coupe that he is wanting to sell. The people who sold it to him said that the timing belt was broken."

These Plymouth engines have a timing chain.

Just tossing this out in case you're not very familiar with these

engines.

It might be easier and/or cheaper to try and find another complete,

running engine. There are some out there, but you have to do some

looking usually. Even a Dodge engine from the 40s or 50s will work

with a certain modification in attaching the flywheel. Chrysler and

DeSoto engines will NOT fit a Plymouth (without some modifications)

as they are two inches longer in size.

I see you have other vehicles, so I'm assuming you have some

background knowledge and experience with older cars. Therefore

you probably know where to look for a motor and other needed

items.

You asked how many of these Deluxe coupes were built, but I don't

know the answer.

Good luck with your decision and hopefully you will become another

satisfied Plymouth owner. It does sound as if time may be of the

essence.....don't delay if possible.

Edited September 15, 2010 by BobT-47P15

[austinsailor]

The sun visor, spotlight and driving light are aftermarket accessories, fairly common back then.

As someone mentioned, motors are around. Any Plymouth, Dodge or light truck 6 cylinder motor from around 1940 to 1955, maybe even later, should fit. They can be found from $100-$200 range on up, depending on condition, your luck, and your patience. You can most certainly find a running replacement cheaper than a rebuild, but then you won't be certain how good a motor you have or how long it will last.