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Project Alter-K-Tion II (1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe)


addicted2dunes

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I put a link in our tech archives " front suspension upgrade" about a method to use later model A frames with ball joint spindles and adapters in the lower A arms for the lower ball joint. Hot Rodders Bulletin Board has a simular article by a different group doing a 40s Olds. You do not have to cut the frame off that way. Fatman makes a stub that you cut your frame off and graft his stub on. Bill Story here on the forum is doing a 48 P-15 using a kit from a national vendor but he cut the spring pockets out of the frame and plated the sides to install it. Tim Adams here on the forum has done several P-15s using a Dakota front frame section. I think Bill Story forgot his pass word and re applied under mrwrstory as he was gone for a while when he built his award wining 56 Ford Station wagon. Several have used narrowed Camaro or Nova clips.

Edited by james curl
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Re that other car......it looks like a 37/38 Olds..........nice shiney paint would look nice, lol........andyd

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The other option is to leave the stock frame, and up grade to disc brakes (several adapter kits are out there) Charlie Ackers of this forum makes and brackets ad puts a kit together to add of the shelf stuff, Don C is just at the beginings of putting different front shock locations to his P15. Jim Yergin did the same to his 41 Plymouth woodie.

You can check out post from those fellows.

There is stuff out there to make the stock engine look pretty and run good. Most people would stay if your are goig to swap to stick with MOPAR 318, 340, with a 5speed, torqueflyte or AOD.

Folks have also put rack and pinion steering using cavalier center steer racks. If you leave the stock steering, most folks that swap in V8 find that an offset to the pass side of a couple inches or so, to provide clearece between exhaust and steering box.

Take a while to look at the information on the main p15 d24 page (http://www40.addr.com/~merc583/mopar/framesets/welcomeframeset.html) lots of info about parts and mechanical systems. And mechanically your car is nearly identical to the 46-49's. Use the search function on the forum as lots of things you are considering have been dealt with before.

Check with member Bloodyknuckles or search his posts, as he has a chopped coupe and has dealt with glass issues, and other things involved with a chopped car.

Looks like you are starting with a nice solid car. Good luck.

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Best way to go is to go thru the original suspension bushes & pins, dropped spindles, disc brakes, swap coil springs & sway bar for some a little stronger, relocate upper shock mount to the chassis & cavalier rack & pinion.........then go hunt some corvettes.........lol...........seriously tho' a front frame swap is a lot of work and what I've mentioned above is more accessable & doable to the average guy than a frame swap........and the above stuff will probably get more brownie points from us mopar manics as well......I've got some of this stuff on both of these.......andyd

post-1938-13585361685622_thumb.jpg

post-1938-13585361686007_thumb.jpg

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Also you don't need to convert to balljoints, the mopar front end with new bushes is fine, also check ebay, Andy Bernbaum, Roberts Motors etc for these parts, get yourself a workshop manual.....mopar front end parts are essentially the same 42-56 so its also worth checking ebay under these other years..........regards, andyd

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Everything you need to rebuild the original suspension is available and not that expensive. It's a pretty beefy suspension, as good or better than a clip IMHO, without the work. Get a front shock relocation bracket from OldDaddy as well.

The chassis is pretty beefy as well, so you'll never run into any issues there that would require a frame swap.

I rebuilt mine on my 49 Chrysler a while ago. Easy and looks good, if you like, there are brackets available for Rack and Pinion and a couple of threads here on the installation of a kit bracket and a homemade bracket.

Before

FrontSusp_FrameBare.jpg

After

FullFrontalB4Springs.jpg

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So my thoughts are as is:

Fatman Fab 3" Drop Uprights

Cavalier Power Steering Rack & Pinion

RustyHope.com Disc Brake Kit? Or other?

I read the whole Wiki article but that is towards the Oldsmobile and Pontiac mostly, so I'm a little confused, do I still do all the same stuff on the Plymouth? Do I need to convert to ball joint A-arms? If so what do I do? Do I use the 58 Olds arms?

So lost, sorry guys.....

Save your self a lot of headaches, money and maybe an unfinished project for sale on ebay.....forget the clip the MII or fatman uprights!

All you really need is a shock relocation kit/disc brake kit/ and a modern rear to do what you want. Put some two inch blocks on the back and cut a coil in the front if you must lower it:)and drive to your hearts content.

Ps. A stock 360 has more than enough grunt to scoot around and will be dead on reliable...:D

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Hi. Interesting project.

I see by the firewall the car was maroon when new.

Evidently changed to blue at a later date.

Do you ever visit over on the H A M B ???? Those guys are always

bagging and gettin that frame down on the ground? We'll be

interested to see how you progress.

Someone may need that Sisson choke on the manifold, and perhaps

the complete manifold. Has it been split, or still stock?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Nice job! glad to see the biscuit mounts, makes for a real simple solution to the mount problem. I have all the bag parts for my 50 but have not had time to get around to doing it. i have the notch kit but don't think it will need it as their is a lot of room when it is on the ground. Did you 4 bar the back? keep up the progress on it, looking good!

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Re the welded upper A arms, they look great but did you know that MOOG did have solid cast steel upper A arms that don't have the "internal" channel look of the stock style arms, these Moog arms would fit all years up to 1956 Plymouth ........I have a set of the Moog arms on my 1940 Dodge Sedan, all the original(1941-56) bushes fit these Moog parts so that might be something to consider.......like the work you are doing on the car, tho' shiney paint........lol.....o/k I'll stop........lol.......regards, andyd

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