Rebuilding 48’ Plymouth Special Deluxe

[mhjarrell]

Hello everyone. Let me start by just saying I’m so glad this place exists. I can’t wait to learn from you all. 
 

On to my story. My grand father left me a 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe when I turned 18. I’ll be 30 this year. In my whole life I’ve never seen the car run. I finally decided to start trying to get it back on the road so I can enjoy like it was intended to be. 
 

I spent an entire day with just getting new tires on it. The old ones were rotted and deflated. Today I put a new battery in and tried to start it. I didn’t expect it to fire up. But I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. When I press the ignition it sounds like the starter is trying but only briefly and nothing from the motor itself. I was hoping you guys could point me in the right direction on what to do next. Even after we get it to fire. 
 

Thank you for checking this out! I look forward to getting this girl back on the road!

 

Edited June 13, 2020 by mhjarrell

[MackTheFinger]

First off, nice car and good on you for wanting to get your grandfather's car back on the road! Assuming the car's all original it should be 6v positive ground. It won't crank over as fast as modern vehicles. Having set for that long it's safe to assume that the fuel system needs to at the very least be thoroughly cleaned before it could be expected to start and run. 

[mhjarrell]

Thanks man! I got the heavily recommended service manuals I kept seeing pop up on here hopefully that stuff isn’t super difficult. I should’ve probably added this is my first real project car so almost all of this is new to me. 

[48ply1stcar]

Oh my this takes me back 25 years.  My mother bought me my 48 in 68. I joined the Army and the car sat for 25 years so I had start from scratch.  First make sure that you can turn over the engine by hand.  Remove the oil pan and scrap out the oil.  

Take everything system by system and search the site then ask specific questions, you'll get better answers.

Edited June 13, 2020 by 48ply1stcar

[mhjarrell]

Thank you for your service, and the advice! I really appreciate it. That’s been the most suggested thing from friends with a little more know how. Make sure I can turn it over by hand first. 
 

Also, good to know someone else has been literally exactly where I am haha. 

[Dan Hiebert]

You said you have never seen the car run, so you should assume it actually hasn't run, and that no one has even tried to start it, in 30 years.  I know people who would just put gas in it, a good battery, and crank until it runs.  That's a good way to ruin what could be an otherwise sound car.  And that looks like a really decent car, how many miles on it? As noted already, if not modified, it'll be a 6 volt car.  Positive ground.

 

Minimum procedures I'd consider.

 

Change the oil, to include removing and cleaning out the oil pan, it's bound to have at least 30 years of gunk in the bottom of it, that you can check for signs of excess wear (metal).  With the oil pan off, you can also take the opportunity to look for any obvious issues in the bottom end. 

 

Drain and clean the fuel system, it'll probably have some really nasty stuff in it.  By-passing the fuel system just to get it running won't hurt it, but that can be hazardous, be extremely careful.  

 

Remove the spark plugs and squirt some Marvel Mystery Oil (or other appropriate light lubricant) in the cylinders, just enough to lubricate what are most likely very dry cylinder walls.  Turn the engine by hand, mostly to see if it will actually turn over.  If hard to turn, or you can't turn it, you can put more lubricant in the cylinders and let it sit for a while, and you may want to consider removing the cylinder head to see what's going on in the cylinders.

 

Once you know the engine will turn, then go about trying to use the starter on it.

 

There are several threads in the Forum from folks who got a long sitting car running that will have more thorough procedures and info, and just as importantly, cautions.

 

You've found a great site that will help immensely, and welcome to the Forum! 

 

 

 

     

[mhjarrell]

Dan! Thank you so much for all of this. I think that’s what I really need most. Some good solid places to start. I’ve been all over YouTube watching people start cars that have been sitting for 20+ years with nothing more than a battery and some starter fluid, and I wondered why I wasn’t so lucky. But I absolutely don’t want to ruin the car. It’s got a ton of sentimental value. And I’d like my grandma to be able to ride in it again soon! It hasn’t been modified, and has 74,000 miles. 

 

Again, I really appreciate this!

[joecoozie]

1 hour ago, mhjarrell said:

Dan! Thank you so much for all of this. I think that’s what I really need most. Some good solid places to start. I’ve been all over YouTube watching people start cars that have been sitting for 20+ years with nothing more than a battery and some starter fluid, and I wondered why I wasn’t so lucky. But I absolutely don’t want to ruin the car. It’s got a ton of sentimental value. And I’d like my grandma to be able to ride in it again soon! It hasn’t been modified, and has 74,000 miles. 

 

Again, I really appreciate this!

Yeah, don't believe everything you see on You Tube.

What you need to do is have a ton of patience moving forward. The car has been sitting 30 years - if you have to wait a couple of more months to get it running that's not a big deal. If you rush into it not only will it cost you more time but it can cost you a lot of $$$$$

As stated before,:

Pull the plugs and squirt Marvel (as stated before) or a mixture of acetone and tranny fluid into the cylinders. The cylinders are not directly below the spark plug holes in the head so make sure you get it into the cylinders. You can use a small tube or straw to pour the mixture into the cylinders. It will also be okay if some of it goes into/onto the valves as they need to be lubed up, too. Let it sit a day or two and repeat the process.

With all of the plugs out try turning the engine by hand. It sounds like the engine is either stuck or tight from sitting. DO NOT FORCE IT TO TURN. YOU MAY HAVE A COUPLE OF STUCK VALVES AND FORCING IT TO TURN CAN CAUSE DAMAGE.

If it won't free up, or turn by hand, you can try removing the flywheel cover plate and using a big screwdriver/pry bar to turn it over using the flywheel teeth. This gives you more direct torque to the engine.

 DON'T FORCE IT!!!! IF IT TURNS A LITTLE THEN STOPS AND WON'T TURN ANYMORE THEN YOU MAY HAVE STUCK VALVES.

If that is the case you will need to pull the head and maybe the valve cover plates (located under the intake/exhaust manifolds on the side of the engine block / if you do this clean up the sludge in there, too) to free up the valves.

If you get it to turn freely without binding or stopping, then you can proceed to move onto the brake/fuel/cooling systems, etc. All of these things will need to be rebuilt, cleaned or replaced from sitting.

Once you get it to turn over freely and before trying to start it: Proceed to #'s 1,2 - you can do #'s 3 & 4 after you get the car started using the procedure below

1)Drain the oil, radiator,fuel tank, etc...

2)Drop the oil pan and clean it out - you'll be surprised at what you will see.

3)Drop the fuel tank and get it cleaned/boiled out.

4)Flush all of the fuel lines, brake lines,  radiator,etc...

 

 If it turns over freely and you just want to see if it will at least start /run, after performing the above mentioned steps (at least #'s 1 & 2), fill with oil, then either do a complete tune-up (plugs,cap,rotor,points, condenser, maybe wires, too), or clean up the plugs and points, and run a remote gas can connected to the fuel pump (this will tell you if the fuel pump is still good, too) to see if it will start.

Good luck on your journey and remember - BE PATIENT !!!!

 

[MarcDeSoto]

Excellent advice from Joe there!  Also since youre a newbie, I always recommend educating yourself about basic auto mechanics.  You don't have to go out and buy a boring auto mechanics textbook.  Just go to  MyMopar.com where they have the booklets and filmstrips hosted by that gravel voiced brother of the Pillsbury Doughboy, Master Tech, that Chrysler put out starting in 1947 to educate dealer mechanics.  For example:  

 

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=388

Edited June 14, 2020 by MarcDeSoto

[MarcDeSoto]

Is your Plymouth a club coupe or a business coupe?  If you don't know the difference, a club coupe has a back seat, but the business coupe doesn't have one, just some small storage space and a shorter cab.  

[John Reddie]

7 hours ago, MarcDeSoto said:

Is your Plymouth a club coupe or a business coupe?  If you don't know the difference, a club coupe has a back seat, but the business coupe doesn't have one, just some small storage space and a shorter cab.  

Hello mhjarrell. welcome to the forum. Your car looks very good with loads of potential. The photos appear to show a club coupe but not completely sure. Best of luck on your venture.

John R

[mhjarrell]

Joe and Marc! Thanks a ton! I appreciate the support. Being a newbie definitely makes me nervous about doing the work but I think I’ve got some good places to start now! Mine is a business coupe!

[hi_volt]

Looks like a real nice, solid car.  A bit of cleaning, polishing and wax will probably make that baby look great.  Good luck with your resurrection!

[Silverdome]

Welcome mhjarrell. That's a fine automobile you have there. As mentioned above proceed slow and cautiously it will pay major dividends in the end. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the wiring and battery cables. The battery cables should be 0 or OO in size so that they can carry the higher amperage requirements of the 6 volt system and your wires to the coil and ignition should have good clean connections. Also on the battery cables and wires, if you see that the insulation has lots of cracks then most likely the wire inside will be corroded and create extra resistance which will add to the slow turning of the engine. The starter can also need to be cleaned up internally.

 

Good luck and keep the questions and pictures coming. How's the interior look?

[falconvan]

Nice, looks like a good survivor. You planning on keeping it stock?

[mhjarrell]

Some updates from today. Got five plugs out. Broke the sixth off.  It’s currently soaking in some wd-40 hoping it’ll loosen up to be able to get it off with an easy out tool. Dropped the oil pan. I was honestly surprised. I expected it to be solid gunky to have to scrape out but there was only was very small amount of gunk in it. Otherwise it was just old dirty oil. 

[Sam Buchanan]

Go to the auto parts store and get some PB Blaster or Kroil which should be more effective than WD40.

[mhjarrell]

Thanks Sam! Gonna grab some in the morning!

[Vin's 49 Plymouth]

Great looking car! I saw one on a you tube video, that looks just like yours.

I have a P15C, you can check out my profile albums if you plan to tare down the car and rebuild it.

[Vin's 49 Plymouth]

Here is the video of your car. I guess its got a 413 in it. Not my style though.

 

 

[mhjarrell]

I’ll absolutely be checking out your stuff Vin. And you’re right though haha. I’m torn on the one in that video. I kinda like it. But I don’t think I want to veer of the stock look much. I really wanna get it cleaned up polished and some big fat white walls on there. That big bubbly forties style.