1941 plymouth special deluxe... clip swap or?

[Lakermatt]

HI All, Have not been on this site for a while now!! Well.. I just picked up another Mopar, and wanted to see what you guys are doing for suspension upgrades these days, and whats the best bang for the buck? did a little research and seen dodge Dakota clips being used, fatmans, rusty hope, andy bernbaums, etc etc... looking to put in a 318, 360, into it, being able to bag the front, and bag rear. found a guy selling a 1987 dodge Dakota for 300 bucks... with that, I was thinking of using that front clip and the rear end. so what do you guys suppose? this "project" needs a lot of help as it sits...

[Flatie46]

I like the 41 for the grill and the speed lines. Looks like a good project, good luck with it. Sorry no advice, just complements. lol

[Adam H P15 D30]

I'd go with the Dakota. Gets the steering box out of the way. 

Adam

[1952B3b23]

Looks like you have a nice project! I have a '39 Plymouth coupe, with relatively stock independent front suspension. I rebuilt the entire thing, relocated the upper shock mount to the frame, and swapped the front coil springs to Ford Aerostar springs (Moog CC850). I also plan on putting on a different front sway bar, probably from a Jeep. I can honestly say that the stock rebuilt front suspension drives nice. I'm more than happy the way it drives and handles since all i do is cruise around town looking cool. Depending on your plans for the car, i'd recommend sticking with what is there. Now if you want to put a real hopped up V8 and go racing you'll likely need to do a front suspension swap. It's all a matter of what you're trying to get out of the old girl.

-Chris

[Lakermatt]

I am looking to put in a small block 318 most likely... auto trans or 5 speed.. most likely the auto trans. no hot rodding, just want to be able to drop it easily.. I see dropped spindle kits, and disc brake kits.. I guess by the time you mess with cutting apart a frame, welding, fabbing every mount, and hoping it all holds... you have about the same into bolt on mods...

[Andydodge]

As Chris mentions the stock front end can be rebuilt and updated to be a nice driver by relocating the upper shock mount also a thicker sway bar helps to give the front end a more modern feel......depending on how low you want to go new coils or dropped spindles will get the front down and disc brakes will get you stopping well.........the LA series of engines & suitable trans & rear end will fit without too much trouble although the steering box/column clearance may need some thought but its doable........a frame or front clip swap unless its done with a lot of thought and skill can turn out to be a real mess as there is a lot more than just the basic swap required but that's just my view.........my 1940 Dodge has had a 318 Poly/Auto, disc brakes, rack & pinion etc since 1973...............runs and drives well, tho' being in Oz there are some things that would not be applicable in the US........anyway its your car and your build, main thing is to have fun with it...........andyd     

[MarkAubuchon]

Just a thought, you can build a 265 flathead to rival a small v8 and dramatically increase the cool factor.  bore, cam, head, carbs, electronic ignition and headers match it to a T5 transmission, front disc, even swap out the rear end.  Everything pretty much bolts on.

[Daklomat]

I have a '48 Special Deluxe business coupe that we put a '89 2wd Dakota front clip on. It slides right into the frame. We put a 318 from a '78 Diplomat in and only had to make a small dent in the firewall to accommodate the passenger side valve cover. Good luck with the project, I like the grill on that '41.

[rockable]

I put a Fatman clip under mine. It really will drive better , looks neater and frees up space. I started,out trying to use the OE front end but gave up on it  because I want to drive my car on long trips. I have proven positive experience with MII front ends.