1940 Plymouth P10 Deluxe - Front end removal as 1 piece?

[Bear40]

Hello, I'm not a real active forum member because I do a lot of lurking, and researching instead. For all the helpful information I've found (Thanks to all of you) to help me build my Plymouth I'm grateful. I'm in the process of my first restoration. As I remove parts from the car, I order new ones. It's time to remove the engine and transmission, and I just realized there's no way that lump is coming out without removing the front end. I have removed the front bumper, rocker panels, the hood, the lights, all electrical wiring, and the radiator thus far. I suspect there is a way to do this without removing all the fender liner bolts, which I don't really want to do due to their age.

Does anybody know what hardware I need to remove in order to remove the fenders, the front grille, etc as 1 piece? Any advice is appreciated. Thank you

Here is a picture of the car just for fun:

Edited April 12, 2016 by Bear40

[casper50]

rear of front fenders and some attaching to frame.

[Don Coatney]

It is possible to remove the transmission first then remove the engine without removing the dog house. 

[Bmartin]

Look inside the front fenders.  At the back you'll see the bolts that attach to the body as well as a support that sticks out and is bolted.  There are a couple at the top, under the hood.  Then there are at least two that hold the grille/radiator support to the front cross member.  Its actually designed to come out with the radiator in place, must have been a chore to get that radiator out.  There are directions and a picture in the factory service manual as well.  Get one if haven't already. 

 

Check out the 'Das Boot' blog on this site and it shows Fred taking his off and lots of pics with it off.

 

http://p15-d24.com/blog/17/entry-107-das-boot-going-the-long-block-route-with-a-1940-plymouth-sedan/

 

  My thread has few with it coming off, although mine was in pieces due to lack of room. 

 

http://p15-d24.com/topic/38704-%E2%80%9940-roadking-coupe-build/

[knuckleharley]

Why not take the front sheet metal apart if you are doing all this work,so you can clean any corrosion between mating pieces,and clean and paint the whole assemblies? The bolts and capture nuts are nothing special,and can easily be bought new if any break off.

[Reg Evans]

I did an engine transplant on my 42 bidness coupe and only had to remove the hood and radiator.

 

[Andydodge]

Bear, my Oz 1940 Dodge is essentially a 1940 Plymouth with the Dodge grille and grille sheetmetal........I have had the car since 1971 & yrs ago did what you are asking about, take the hood off, undo the 5 or 6 bolts holding the rear of the fenders onto the cowl on each side, then undo the 2 bolts on each side from the inside of the fenders that attach to the radiator support frame or remove the radiator itself and undo the nuts under the radiator frame thru the front crossmember, there are 3 bolts at the top/top-side of the radiator surround also that need undoing............ also remove the front bumper brackets at the frame and slide it out...............basically undo the bolts mentioned, ensure that the wiring that attaches to the sides of the inner panels is kept out of the way and then remove what Don calls the doghouse...........but you'll need a second, ideally third person the help as while its not overly heavy it is cumbersome and a 3rd person will be helpful..............btw, nice looking car.............regards, Andy Douglas      

[Bear40]

Thank you all so much for the replies, sorry I'm so slow to respond I have been caught up with my other machines./. the backhoe tire blew out and changing that by myself took a day alone and some cussing.

Ideally I would dismantle the car nut for bolt, which was the original plan, but at this point in my life between my house, the machines, the landscape, and this car.. I just don't have the time to do a show quality build

The engine runs, and the car drives as purchased, but it leaks like a sieve. I'm going to re-gasket the entire drive train, I've laid out a new braking system entirely of new, or rebuilt parts, replacement suspension bits, and the inside of the vehicle is currently gutted. It sat in a garage for 30 years before being kicked out in the rain and the entire inside turned to black mold.

I would like to try and get the thing driveable by this fall if possible to keep myself motivated. Body work is going to have to wait, as spending that kind of money is totally out of the question this year. The glass is all broken, but the trunk of the car to my surprise came with an entire original set of good glass... which blew me away. I have a lot of photos I could share of this ongoing project, if there is a section on this forum to do so please direct me to it and I just might.

Thanks again everyone, I will update once I get the chance!

- Brett

[fstfish66]

nice color too

[1952B3b23]

You can start a build thread on here, the same way you did this one and document your progress. It's a good way to archive your journey not only for yourself but also to hopefully help someone out in the future. You can post as many pictures as you want and ask questions/ get advice. It takes some effort but in my opinion it's worth it. Good luck and nice car.

-Chris