plymouth my first project car at 16

[Seth g 1947]

So today I got my first project car a 1947 Plymouth p-15 sedan if that’s right I’m 16 and this is all new 

[Frank Elder]

At some point and time you are going to stall out or get frustrated with the part of the car you are working on......say the fuel system. Resist the urge to move on and deconstruct another part of the car, if you go down that path you will have a pile of parts that more than likely will never go back together again. Pick a task and finish it, then move on to the next one.

Lots of project cars out there that will never be finished or worse get scrapped. Not every car needs to be a frame off restoration. Good luck with your plymouth!

[Andydodge]

Seth........welcome aboard from Oz, good to see a young guy getting involved in doing up an old car..........I got my 1st car at 15yrs of age, a 38 Ford sold it soon after then discovered Mopars and have been playing with them since I too was 16, albeit more than a couple of yrs ago.......lol...........your car looks to be in good condition, have you more info and maybe some extra pics......looks like someones been playing disc brakes on the drivers front...........anyway welcome aboard.......Andy Douglas

[50fordtruck]

The temptation to drop the whole project will start to set in as cost and frustration start to set in. Stop for a while then go back and continue where you left off. Keep in mind that when you are finished you will have a car that none of your friends have and they will envy you. Frank Elder's advice is spot on.

[greg g]

Welcome!  My advice is similar.  Looks to be a solid car to start on. Get a service manual, check out the resource area of this web site. If it were mine, l would concentrate on the starting, running, driving and stopping systems. Get it in condition to start run and drive, then worry about the appearance items.  Read up on how to do a compression gauge check and what the readings mean, when you get it running, do a vacuum gauge reading and see what that will tell you. Learn how to trouble shoot when things are not quite right.  These are good well engineered vehicles that will start and run even when a lot of things are not right. 

 

Wish you luck with it.

[Don Coatney]

Good choice in a first car. Looks like everything has been locked up tight. Where are you located? Might be a forum member close to you who can advise and assist. 

[Silverdome]

Good one to start with. when you get it on the road you'll have plenty of room for you and several friends to enjoy a ride with. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Edited July 9, 2018 by Silverdome

[Seth g 1947]

Update I’ve done some work  with the distributor because the points weren’t opening and put a make shift fuel system in the front and I started it and the muffler was bad so I took it off and got some new tires and and working on the brakes as we speek it’s coming together real well, more pictures soon ,may need help finding some parts and I’m in western North Carolina 

[casper50]

Photos of what you've done please.  We enjoy seeing these cars made to drive again.

[Ranger]

Looks like a great project and appears you're moving along with it. Have fun.

[DrDoctor]

Seth,

   I got my first car when I was 15, too—a 6 yo Plymouth Sport Fury. Looking back on it, it was a beautiful car. But, at the time, it wasn’t a 55-56-57 Chevy, so I wasn’t too enchanted with it. Now, 53 years later . . . . my how time does change the color of one’s opinions and perspectives.

   Take your time, enjoy the project, set a plan, and follow it to your goal. And, when you’re done, you’ll have something that’s truly a “one-off creation”, it’ll be all yours, and it just doesn’t get any better than that!!! Warmest regards . . .

[ssnowden]

Congrats on your project. My first car was a P15 and I still have it. I just got it back on the road after 30 years in a barn.

 

These things come apart much easier than they go back together. In a weekend, I blew it pretty apart and it sat for over 3 years in pieces because it was a bit overwhelming once I was staring at a pile of parts.  It really wasn't a car at that point. As others are saying, resist the temptation to turn a manageable project into a massive project.

 

What I finally decided to do was go with the Roadkill philosophy and just get it running, and only fix structural rust and then figure out what I really want to do with it and then work on that part. Don't care what car looks like, just get it on the road.

 

As soon as I got it running, it was a car again instead of a pile of parts. It motivates you. Now I drive it around with a piece of cardboard covering  the master cylinder hole, zip ties to hold open the vent window and I work on smaller projects of a running car. I have the parts to fix both, but neither stop me from going to the parts store in it.  One day I may even paint it. :) 

[Dodgy49]

Like many have said, don’t get in to deep. List the things needed to get it road worthy. Work on those things first. It will be tempting to upgrade this and that while you have it apart. Don’t! I have been fiddling with a 49 Coronet, all I hear from others is upgrade to 12 volt, convert to disk brakes, etc. I was able to drive it last Thursday after rewiring the dash and charging system, motor and trans change, and brake work. She’s not pretty, but I can drive it... keep it simple, keep at it... no mountain is ever conquered in a single step. 

[p24-1953]

On 7/9/2018 at 10:09 AM, Don Coatney said:

On 7/9/2018 at 12:41 PM, Seth g 1947 said:

 ,may need help finding some parts and I’m in western North Carolina 

 

How far west? Im in hillsville va if you need any help.  I started my 53 when i was 15 ( 25 years ago) so i know where you are coming from. 

 

Yancey

[Seth g 1947]

Finally got it running and I’m so relived it works probably gonna replace the carb  

[Ranger]

That's a good feeling! You're on your way!9

[Frank Elder]

1 hour ago, Seth g 1947 said:

Finally got it running and I’m so relived it works probably gonna replace the carb  

CD71064E-B1B4-4DB1-A5FE-5A08FC7AD0E3.mov

Alright......now I gotta fuss at you a little....how are you going to learn to build a car if your first instinct is to REPLACE  a Rebuildable component?????

Buy a rebuild kit for your carb and sit down and have at it, take many pictures during the tear down stage and reassemble it slowly and correctly....stopping when you are not sure and asking questions on the forum we will help you and we will not fail you. A one barrel carb is one of the simplest items to rebuild on your P-15, it will build your confidence and give you the satisfaction of saying I rebuilt it myself!

[greg g]

The Carter B1B carburetor was used on these cars from 1933 to 1952.  They must have been a pretty good assembly to have been specified for 20 years and still doing their jobs reliably years later. They are also one of the easiest to disassemble and rebuild.  Good learning experience. There is even a step by step illustrated process documented on the web.  Just make sure you closely mind all the small clips on the linkages.

[leadheavy52]

Sweet! Just got all the work done on my ‘52 Suburban to fire it up. Ran it with fuel in the carb and a few sprits of starter fluid. I’ll rig up a makeshift gas tank and see if the pump still works. Hopefully it’ll be running by the afternoon. Good luck! 

 

-Austin

[Don Coatney]

When you disassemble the carburetor do so in a cake pan lined with refrigerator magnets. That way the small parts have less chance of falling into the black hole under the work bench.

 

 

[Ajgkirkwood]

Glad to see another young guy like me joining in on the fun. Like others stated focus on making it road worthy. Winter is a good time to upgrade (this is a case of do as I say, not as I do haha) make sure to take pictures to take us along on your build

[rallyace]

Lots of good advice here Seth. We all started working on cars when they were tuned with gauges and tools instead of a smartphone.  Start slow, one system at a time. I suggest under the hood first,  (make it run), then the brakes (make it stop), the drivetrain (make it drive), the rest of the  electrical system concentrating on the lighting system (make it safe), then make it pretty.  Carb rebuilds are simple, figure a couple of hours if it is fairly clean inside. If you go the rebuild route pay strict attention to the two little balls. They are NOT the same size!!! If you put the big one in the hole for the small one you will not be able to get it out without making up a lot of new four letter words.  Like Greg G said, get the shop manual. It is invaluable. Get the paper copy, not the one on a CD. Nothing better than to be able to read and look at pictures in a book while looking at the parts when working on them.  Take lots of pictures for reference. You won't be able to remember exactly how everything goes back together two weeks later. Right now your best tools will be a 5 gallon bucket of kerosene or diesel fuel for parts cleaner and a good selection of brushes and scrapers to remove 70+ years of built up grime.  We are all here to help you and remember, the only dumb question is the one you didn't ask.  One more piece of advice.....don't use the dishwasher for a parts cleaner. They do a great job but your mother will not appreciate it.     Mike

[Seth g 1947]

 When I bought the car it came with a  D 50 carb and it works really well and I still rebuilt the original one but I’ve cleaned it up it looks really good 

[insaneradio]

Welcome Seth!!

 

Looks as though you are off to a great start!!  Congrats on a nice solid project car!  It is missing a few trim pieces but that is what is fun!  You can slowly add them on---makes it fun!  And again---WELCOME!!

 

[NickPickToo]

Hi Seth,

 

Starting a project too (age 15).  Similar car 1947 Deluxe Coupe.  Picture posted to my profile.  Will follow you as we will have similar questions.  Dad (really Mom) is controlling the budget so I will be looking for a lot of advice.  Plan a full frame off restore and upgrade to make it safe and drivable - using it as primary when I'm 16 and can drive.  I wont be able to afford a custom frame so it will remain mostly original.  Has a flathead 6 but not sure original -- runs great and has a three on the tree.