Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Hello everyone. I am new to the forum from Pgh, Pa. I just bought my first 50's car. It only took me until I am 50 years old to own one. I bought a 1952 Plymouth Camridge. Or Cranbrook? I know, thats horrible. I can't tell which one it is. It does run, but needs the braking system repaired, I was told bad Master Cylinder. Not a bad looking car for me to start out on. Have owned a lot of Beetles for many years, and an old Valiant. But this car just makes me smile. Here's a few photos, and don't laugh! I just got it..... All the bumpers, grille, all the chrome are in boxes. So I did get everything, unless there are a few small little things missing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 The lack of stainless around the windshield would point to a Cambridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) The lack of stainless around the windshield would point to a Cambridge. Oh okay! Thank you! I didn't know the dfifferences bewteen them. I will have to look. But I don't think there is any trim for around it. I so thankful to finally have an ol Mopar. I have wanted one forever. Says the car weighs about 3100 lbs. on some specs places online. I honestly didn't think it was that light. I figure it would be much heavier. Edited March 21, 2015 by Tony724 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niel Hoback Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Has it been converted to 12 volts, or is that just the handiest battery that was laying around? I didn't see a resistor in the wire to the distributor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Keith Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Looks like a good start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) Has it been converted to 12 volts, or is that just the handiest battery that was laying around? I didn't see a resistor in the wire to the distributor. It is still 6 volt. The guy only had a 12 volt battery laying around for a quick run on it. I am going to keep it 6 volt. Should there be a resistor wire to the dizzy? Sorry for the dumb question. Here's a vid "link below" of the motor running that was taken before purchasing it. http://vid1345.photobucket.com/albums/p667/panzer701/Engine/vid_20141108_133749_zps2s0hhl24.mp4 Edited March 21, 2015 by Tony724 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Looks like a good start! Thank you very much!! I am excited about doing this car. I am sure it will be my last one. Pretty sure.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Looking at the door edges and firewall, it appears this car was maroon (or dark red) when new. Don't know what that color was called. Appears pretty straight..........if so, that's very good. These cars are pretty simple and easy to work on.........eventually you should purchase a Service/Repair manual and a factory parts manual......those go a long way to explaining many things on these vehicles. Many parts and related items for these cars can be found on eBay.......certain things you may want to watch for a while to determine if the price is "reasonable". Some things you just gotta pay.............. Anyway....nice car, keep us posted on your progress and have fun. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbound Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Congratulations & welcome to the forum. Looks like a good start, whichever direction you take it.....stock, mild custom, or????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Oh.......re that battery.........you DO know these cars are positive ground don't you??? And, when you get a round tuit...........you might wish to replace those battery cables with some new heavier ones that are at least "single O" gauge........should help with the starting situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51cambridge Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Welcome,hope you have as much fun as i do with my 51 Cambridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyHarold Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Welcome to the forum. 'You picked a great car with the '52 Plymouth (I'm slightly biased because I own one myself!). Your car is a Cranbrook based on the horn ring, Mayflower clock-delete plate above the ashtray, and wheelcovers. Your windshield gasket was probably replaced at one point so there is no stainless surround anymore,. The sure-fire way to tell what model you have is by VIN or by the body number plate screwed to the firewall. If the first three digits are '102' you've got a Cambridge, if '106' it's a Cranbrook. I hope you have lots of fun with the car. Don''t hesitate to post any questions you may have. The knowledge base here is tremendous. Harold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconvan Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Great looking car, welcome to the forum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46Ply Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 Nice car! Engine sounds good. I'll be watching for progress reports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) Looking at the door edges and firewall, it appears this car was maroon (or dark red) when new. Don't know what that color was called. Appears pretty straight..........if so, that's very good. These cars are pretty simple and easy to work on.........eventually you should purchase a Service/Repair manual and a factory parts manual......those go a long way to explaining many things on these vehicles. Many parts and related items for these cars can be found on eBay.......certain things you may want to watch for a while to determine if the price is "reasonable". Some things you just gotta pay.............. Anyway....nice car, keep us posted on your progress and have fun. Bob Thank you Bob! Yes, it does look somewhat Maroon to me too. But I am slightly color blond. So I couldn't tell. Is there a specific manaul that you prefer? Thanks again! Congratulations & welcome to the forum. Looks like a good start, whichever direction you take it.....stock, mild custom, or????? Thank you, I appreciate that! I would like to stay stock for the most part. I wanted to lower it slightly. But I really hate to modify the car. I really like it. Oh.......re that battery.........you DO know these cars are positive ground don't you??? And, when you get a round tuit...........you might wish to replace those battery cables with some new heavier ones that are at least "single O" gauge........should help with the starting situation. I did see that. The guy had apparently swapped it around when he started it with the 12 volt battery. I am ordering a new 6 volt battery for it, then hooking the cables up properly. Positive to ground! Does places like advance that the thicker cables? I don't have much local to me here. i never noticed thicker cables when i was in there. My one that goes to the solenoid right now, which should not, is really thick. but it is old! Welcome,hope you have as much fun as i do with my 51 Cambridge. Thank you very much!!! Welcome to the forum. 'You picked a great car with the '52 Plymouth (I'm slightly biased because I own one myself!). Your car is a Cranbrook based on the horn ring, Mayflower clock-delete plate above the ashtray, and wheelcovers. Your windshield gasket was probably replaced at one point so there is no stainless surround anymore,. The sure-fire way to tell what model you have is by VIN or by the body number plate screwed to the firewall. If the first three digits are '102' you've got a Cambridge, if '106' it's a Cranbrook. I hope you have lots of fun with the car. Don''t hesitate to post any questions you may have. The knowledge base here is tremendous. Harold I did snap a quick photo with my phone, a little fuzzy, but it says on the firewall tag. "102". But then I have no clock and the horn ring is different as you said? I dunno. But I guess it is a Cambridge. I really like this car. I cannot wait to start working on it. Great looking car, welcome to the forum! Thanks Falcon, I appreciate the welcome! Nice car! Engine sounds good. I'll be watching for progress reports. Thank you 46Ply. I am going to start shortly. And will always take before and after photos. Better use my home camera. my phone camera didn't do good with the above body tag photo. I will borrow my wifes camera for progress photos. Edited March 21, 2015 by Tony724 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 as a note of caution..it appears your upper grille opening trim is in excellent condition..please remove and safely store this item till you are ready for final hit the road condition..these are easily dinked and are not so easily repaired when dinked in certain spots..fender trim on these cars are also a preminum..if yours are nice..do take great care to protect them till again, ready for the road...rear belt line corners are also an item that is often missing. due to rusting studs over the years..fi yours are nice ..you are head of the game..if not nice studs..repair with newly silver solder units..again..hard item to find and replace later...those cars got a face only a mother could love...and this mother owns two of them... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 as a note of caution..it appears your upper grille opening trim is in excellent condition..please remove and safely store this item till you are ready for final hit the road condition..these are easily dinked and are not so easily repaired when dinked in certain spots..fender trim on these cars are also a preminum..if yours are nice..do take great care to protect them till again, ready for the road...rear belt line corners are also an item that is often missing. due to rusting studs over the years..fi yours are nice ..you are head of the game..if not nice studs..repair with newly silver solder units..again..hard item to find and replace later...those cars got a face only a mother could love...and this mother owns two of them... I don't know what rear belt line corners are? I am sorry. I have owned many cars over the years, but this is my first 50's car. I am removing th rest of the chrome. I have all of it in the garage. It is all nice. But the bumpers will need re chromed. I have a chromer near me. The only thing he was missing was the Cambridge logo for the fender. Otherwise, I do have everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 everything..does this include a forward section fo the beltline that is part of the lower front windshield? Beltline is the trim that mounts just below the door glass...and circles the entire car like a BELT..the rear corners are the pieces that join the rear glass surround to the belt..these are notorious for rusting attachment studs. the front may or may not have glass surround and can still have the forward belt pieces.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 everything..does this include a forward section fo the beltline that is part of the lower front windshield? Beltline is the trim that mounts just below the door glass...and circles the entire car like a BELT..the rear corners are the pieces that join the rear glass surround to the belt..these are notorious for rusting attachment studs. the front may or may not have glass surround and can still have the forward belt pieces.. I will go through all the parts today, there so many pieces of chrome uop the garage. He said everything is there, for expect the cambridge logos. Of course, that doesn't mean he was being honest. I am sorry for the dumbness on my part. I had may cars over the years, but never one from the 50's, so I am new to this part of the car world. I will snap some photos of the chrome, if I can;t make them out. Thanks for helping me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyHarold Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 " ....did snap a quick photo with my phone, a little fuzzy, but it says on the firewall tag. "102". But then I have no clock and the horn ring is different as you said? I dunno. But I guess it is a Cambridge. I really like this car. I cannot wait to start working on it." The Cambridge came with dog-dish hubcaps and a horn button as standard equipment so yours has some upgrades. The 'Vehicle Number' on the driver's door post should begin with '15...' for a Detroit-built Cambridge. The Detroit Cranbrooks (sounds like an imaginary baseball team...) would be either '12...' or '13...'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 (edited) I just snapped a photo of the door post tag. It's a 15. Also, I see the ashtray is screwed shut? I dunno. Kinda odd. Third photo, from lifting the carpet. He said the master is pad. I see a hole for the master cap, fill spot. Thats a strange looking one unless it is just me not being use to these older cars. I only paid 1300 bucks for the car, and it does run and move, and shift. But does needs the brakes repaired as he stated, the pedal goes to the floor. . Edited March 21, 2015 by Tony724 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 ashtray is not screw shut..this is how the broken off handle would have attached... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted March 21, 2015 Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 I wonder if the 52 cambridge got updated to the horn ring? That is a much plainer horn button than dads 51 cranbrook. His has a red sunburst looking pattern around the ship. My former 51 cambridge had the plain horn button but it did also have the ship filler where the clock goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 ashtray is not screw shut..this is how the broken off handle would have attached... oh okay! See I am very new to these cars. Guess I can check ebay for a handle. I feel like an idiot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony724 Posted March 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 I wonder if the 52 cambridge got updated to the horn ring? That is a much plainer horn button than dads 51 cranbrook. His has a red sunburst looking pattern around the ship. My former 51 cambridge had the plain horn button but it did also have the ship filler where the clock goes. I see what you mean. Maybe a half year thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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