An Immodest Proposal (with apologies to Jonathan Swift)

[drpreposterous]

Guys, thank you!

This is precisely why I posted.  I needed to know if I was traipsing through Oz or in the real world. As I understand you, even an apparently solid, well maintained P-15/D-24 is likely to jack my tentative budget. I still dream of coming across one those wonderful  perfectionists who has one project too many, or come across their dream car and need to unload a really fine turnkey at a loss.  Unlikely, I know.  Of course, I also prowl around FCBO and FABO forums.  Mopars of all vintages don't tend to come cheap (except maybe FMJs), but perhaps I can get away with this if I find a ride that already has disc brakes, 12 volt, etc.  Not counting anything out yet.  I might be able to stretch my budget to $15k, too.  Let's see what we see come spring!

[drpreposterous]

By the way, Dr.Doctor, my nickname is not intended to mislead. It's a pseudonym from my days as a writer for a teen science magazine. One of my assignments was to write a column on unusual inventions called Patently Preposterous.

Edited November 15, 2018 by drpreposterous

[DrDoctor]

   No problems

Edited December 20, 2018 by DrDoctor

[Andydodge]

My 2 Oz cents worth would be also to wait and look around for a car that has had the hard work already done or at least after you have seen a few cars, some of which you start to realise that they were definately a good deal or conversely a pile of crap that thankfully you passed on......unfortunately a lot of this knowledge and experience in picking cars only comes with time,  and experience can be bought but DOES cost.............as an example, I check US Ebay, 1940-1949 Collector Cars daily......just a habit I have..........lol..........a week or so ago they was a 1947 Plymouth Club Coupe, hot rodded 6, new upholstery, lowered, nice maroon paint, good chrome, in Oregon or Washington State so a west coast car, easy to get to Long Beach for shipping to Oz.........in was 20K or best offer, personally I thought it was an absolute gift................on the other hand at present there is a 1940 DeSoto Coupe listed as a Dodge, bright blue & white, looks like a sub frame swap, sitting like a 4wheel drive, 429 Frod engine, lots of shiney checker plate inside and out, dirty, rusty scabby a genuine POS ........I wouldn't consider it even if they pay me 20K to take it...........then theres a nice 1941 Plymouth 2Dr Sedan in Colorado I think $7-8,000, older grey paint but new upholstery looks like a really nice car for the money, complete and doesn't appear to be a basket case either..........so they are around............1949 to 56 Plymouth & Dodges don't appear to be the most popular and therefore parts etc are harder to find sometimes but its a give & take............a good popular car like a Frod or Shev will always be more expensive, have a better parts supply and cost more..........but who wants to be boring?..........lol.......welcome to Mopar........regards from Oz.......Andy Douglas    

Edited November 16, 2018 by Andydodge

[Adam H P15 D30]

On 11/14/2018 at 5:10 PM, DrDoctor said:

Now, you’ve got to determine what you want it to look like. If this is going to your prime mode of transportation, you wouldn’t want to drive around in a mechanically sound car with crappy paint, as some vehicles herein appear. Getting a decent looking paint job doesn’t automatically mean you’ve got to spend $10K. I painted mine myself, but I began doing this since 1965 at the tender age of 15. However, I’ve sent a few cars to Maaco for people because either I didn’t want to paint the car in question, I didn’t have the time, or they couldn’t afford the price I quoted them. For under $1K, you can get a nice looking paint job, nothing at all like the $19.⁹⁵ “broom” paint jobs of those by-gone days.

You don't have to have a shiny paint job for a driver.  "Crappy paint" as you so eloquently put it suits me just fine.  

Edited November 16, 2018 by Adam H P15 D30

[drpreposterous]

Adam, while "patina" tends to be a CL code word for, "ain't my rust cool?" your Dodge looks magnificent!

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by drpreposterous

[Adam H P15 D30]

30 minutes ago, drpreposterous said:

Adam, while "patina" tends to be a CL code word for, "ain't my rust cool?" your Dodge looks magnificent!

 

Thanks, used to look like this, took a lot of wet sanding to get the primer off the green paint.

[DrDoctor]

 .

Edited December 20, 2018 by DrDoctor

[drpreposterous]

Sometimes, DrD, the only place I seem to have patience is with my patients (nurse)...l

Where cars are concerned, I get carried away.

 

[knuckleharley]

3 hours ago, drpreposterous said:

Sometimes, DrD, the only place I seem to have patience is with my patients (nurse)...l

Where cars are concerned, I get carried away.

 

That sure makes you stick out like an oddball here. The rest of us are totally cold and rational when it comes to old cars.

 

Which is why I  personally only have 9 project cars.

 

The rest are just for parts.

And some other reasons I can't remember right at the moment.

[J.P.G.]

Hello,

 

Swift was logically spot on, except in his initial assumption - that his readers shared the value that eating children was quite all right. Of course, not literally, it was satire, after all. But I reckon you are also making an unfounded assumption in your proposal: that old mopars need to be "modernized" to be suitable as daily drivers.

 

I have daily driven a bone stock 1946 Plymouth Deluxe Club Coupe since I was 16 (for it was my first car). It's been ten years of happy and reliable motoring. I've had it from Pittsburgh to Cape Cod and tons of places in-between. Worthy of mention is this was an unrestored example, and only a few occasions over the years required mechanical attention. 

 

What I'm getting at is you don't need to ruin a fine piece of golden age American motoring with modern nonsense. These were well-designed cars. Buy a well-restored example and it will serve you better than most used modern cars, and at the same if not lower price! 

 

Regardless of outcome, I wish you all the best in joining the Mopar club - they truly are splendid cars that attract fine folks!

 

Sincerely,

J.P.G.

[Plymouthy Adams]

its a satire, a joke at best....on the same lines as putting a chevy engine in a mopar...it can be done...but a moral person would never do that....

[pflaming]

Plymouthy, is driving a Chevy on public roads immoral? 

[Los_Control]

42 minutes ago, pflaming said:

Plymouthy, is driving a Chevy on public roads immoral? 

I sure hope not, driving my old chubby 350/5spd is a kick in the pants. Really fun to have a vehicle you enjoy driving and it puts a smile on your face.

I would look better if the 350/5spd was in a dodge pilothouse, but not really concerned on looks.

 

Hoping the old flatty will put the same smile on my face, and sure it will not disappoint 

 

[drpreposterous]

Spring is coming, good folks. Even COVID cannot stop it.  If anyone knows of a turn-key '41-62 Plymmie or Dodge (not that I'd turn my nose up at an Imp, Chrysler or DeSoto)--a ride that needs nothing or next to nothing, please let me know.  I got that itch and gotta scratch...

 

Really partial to business coupes, Wayfarers, but anything '41-62 Mopar is interesting to me...

Edited January 3, 2021 by drpreposterous

[Dan Hiebert]

Having driven quite a bit in your neck of the woods, including a few trips on Woodward Ave. during rush hour and other times, I'll opine that your daily driver goal, with the modifications you list, is indeed reasonable, though your budget may be on the low side.  I used to commute from Port Huron to Selfridge ANGB daily, then roamed MI and OH for work.  (Drove the D24 to work a few times, but stayed off 94.  I wouldn't recommend a P15 as a daily driver if you had to commute via one of the Interstates.)  That flat 6 is plenty to tool around SE Michigan, and it's plenty to drive on the Interstate when it's NOT rush hour.  Most important thing will be your brakes, seat/shoulder belts, and a healthy dose of undercoating.  I've never seen so much salt on roads as in SE Michigan.  FYI, every Big Boy restaurant in SE Michigan has a cruise night.  Some do it up more than others, and they're on different nights of the week so that in theory, you can cruise a different Big Boy all week.  Unknown how they handled the COVID thing.  Point being, that would be a good place to haunt and chat with old car drivers for pointers, and even leads on a car or two.    

[pflaming]

So, what have you decided? Want a suburban that is 95% done with all the upgrades you want? I have one.

[pflaming]

The dash, in progress. Interior details remain. Time takers.  

[MarcDeSoto]

I have some out of the box ideas on what you should do.  Given your requirements, I would buy an old car that already is electronic ignition, 12 volt, and disc brake.  I had a 73 Dodge Dart 4 door that I loved back in the 80s as a "go to work" car.  It was very easy to work on and a great car with a slant six engine.  It was the first year for electronic ignition and was my first car to have front disc brakes.  Those brakes were a revelation to me!  It was one of the most comfortable cars I've ever owned.  I also owned a nice Plymouth Duster, but it was a 72 without the electronic ignition and disc front brakes.  

[James_Douglas]

Lets see...

 

I have been using our 1947 Desoto Suburban as out daily driver for 18 years. In the middle of San Francisco traffic. On the drive to out place 80 miles out of town on the freeways with all the Bay Area traffic. It is mostly stock. I did put disc brakes on the front about 12 years ago. I run a standard master cylinder although it was brass sleeved for longevity. The fluid drive helps a lot on the hills here in town. No riding the clutch at traffic lights on steep hills.

 

One thing. I used adapters and run DOT approved racing AN fitting steel braided brake hoses. I have had new NAPA hoses fail in less than six months. I also modify the master cylinder to seal it and run a line up to the fire wall and put a remote brake reservoir there so I can check it at a glance. I use an plastic one I mark with a sharpie so I know if the level has dropped just by looking at it.

 

If you rebuild the bushings in the windshield wiper pivots and rebuild the stock wipers the system is good for all but the nastiest rainfall. My car is still 6 volts.

 

Now I will be rebuilding this car over the next year or two. The changes I am going to make are:

 

1. I will stick with the three speed and overdrive. I thought, and purchased, a powerflite automatic, but I decided not to use it.

2. We will be using a electric power assist on the stock steering.

3. The cooling system will be changed to use an electric water pump and electric fan(s). This will allow full flow at idle in traffic on hot days. As a note, the fluid drive cars but a drag on the crankshaft when dead stopped or in very slow stop and go traffic. On hot days the engines can and do heat up even when everything is as good as new. Chrysler even had a tech note that warned not to keep the cars "on the coupling" for more than 5 minutes at a dead stop.  Of course 1940's traffic is not 2020's traffic. Hence why I am making the change. You can get around the problem by just clutching it...but as I get older that will be hard on my legs.  Just read the late Don C's comments on that.

4. I am making the car 12 volt to deal with the cooling and the steering needs. A high quality 12 volt to 6 volt step down will assure that the 6 volt items will all be at 6 volt 99% of the time.

6. I will be using a Holley Sniper on a custom adapter on my Edmonds two 1BBL manifold and electronic ignition. I am also looking at using a VS-57 blower to increase the power.

 

So equipped, I hope to travel the USA in 24 to 36 months with Sondra. Assuming she lives and I live to do so. It has been hell at work for her in the last few days and it is going to get a lot worse in the next few weeks.

 

Happy New Year.  James.

 

 

[drpreposterous]

Wow!  Good grist for the mill with those replies...

Dan, I avoid the freeways amap.

Pfaming--I like the Suburban. That's a '53?  I will be actively seeking come spring (have to wait to get my brother's two Vettes out of my garage).

Mark, I had a '74 Dart 318 when I was 17--I did love it.  Also had a '64 Dart GT about 10 years ago. Still wish I had it, though parts for it were undoubtedly tougher to find thaan the '74 would be.  I just love the KT Keller years because at 6'4" the '46-52s don't knock my hat off (as KT used to say).

By God, James, I'd love to have driven as many Mopars as you have.  Out of that impressive list, which one made you smile the most?

 

[Oldguy48]

Here's my first thought, as you will encounter some nasty winter weather in Michigan.  If you retain the 6 volt electrical system, make certain that your battery, battery cables , starter solenoid, battery connections, starter, points, and the remainder of your ignition system is in excellent condition.  I've had prior experience with several (four) Mopar flatheads, and none of them liked cold weather.  Starting spray, dipstick heaters, etc. were necessary to get them started when the weather got cold.  Your experience may vary, but I learned a lot of new swear words trying to start these buggers when the temperatures plummeted.  I'm not trying to discourage you,  but I speak from a lot of experience.  On the other hand, when I could actually get the engines to start, they ran great.  Many times it was necessary to push or pull them, and put the transmission in second gear, and let out the clutch with the ignition switch on..  Apparently, the starter wouldn't crank the engine over fast enough to fire the engine.  But I did expand my vocabulary of swear words exponentially. Good luck with your ride!!!

[knuckleharley]

1 hour ago, Oldguy48 said:

Here's my first thought, as you will encounter some nasty winter weather in Michigan.  If you retain the 6 volt electrical system, make certain that your battery, battery cables , starter solenoid, battery connections, starter, points, and the remainder of your ignition system is in excellent condition.  I've had prior experience with several (four) Mopar flatheads, and none of them liked cold weather.  Starting spray, dipstick heaters, etc. were necessary to get them started when the weather got cold.  Your experience may vary, but I learned a lot of new swear words trying to start these buggers when the temperatures plummeted.  I'm not trying to discourage you,  but I speak from a lot of experience.  On the other hand, when I could actually get the engines to start, they ran great.  Many times it was necessary to push or pull them, and put the transmission in second gear, and let out the clutch with the ignition switch on..  Apparently, the starter wouldn't crank the engine over fast enough to fire the engine.  But I did expand my vocabulary of swear words exponentially. Good luck with your ride!!!

What Oldguy48 said.

 

If you plan on driving a old 6 volt car or truck in the winter in the Great Frozen North,plan on either converting the starting system (at a minimum) to 12 volt,or keep your AA card handy for rollback rides home. Even WHEN you get it to start,it's going to scare you before it happens.

 

Do yourself a favor and save yourself the stress. Go 12V on the starting system and be done with it.