New Acquisition - 1947 Plymouth Business Coupe

[hi_volt]

I guess I'm a little crazy.  I now have two 1947 Plymouth Business Coupes.  I picked up this white one today locally in 
Tucson through a CL ad.  It is running and driving, but the engine is running really rough so I had it transported home on a flatbed so that I can service it at home.  It sat in the P.O. garage for 8 years dnd was only run once a month for a few minutes, so I'm guessing everything needs maintenance.  The body and paint are pretty good and the interior is not too bad either.  The P.O. had it converted to 12V negative ground, which I'm planning on retaining.  Yes, I know it has the incorrect rocker trim.  It will need some wiring attention under the dashboard.  Here are some pix:

 

  

Edited April 15, 2023 by hi_volt
added some text.

[RobertKB]

Yes, you are a little crazy but it’s a fun crazy. ? Congratulations on the new addition! ?

[Booger]

Creampuff!

[9 foot box]

   Looks great. Is that a pearl paint? What is the engine number? It appears to have a bump at the front of the head. You have Desert Valley Auto Parts in Casa Grande for any parts you are missing. I would like to wander through their yard. I see it has a six blade fan. I have two business coupes also. The only problem, you need more garage. Rick D.

[MarcDeSoto]

Great car!  I think that's the car that got me interested in getting a 40s MoPar back in the the late 70s.  I even advertised for a business coupe in the WPC newsletter and got a 48 DeSoto business coupe instead.  

[hi_volt]

The paint is a pearlescent white.  Obviously not stock but I think it looks great on the car.  I have the paint code for it since the P.O. left me a bottle of touch-up paint.  It's a GM code, so I should be able to get a can of it for some of the minor touch-ups I need to take care of.

 

I'll check to see what the engine number is.  The P.O. is a vehicle shop mechanic for the local transit authority and he rebuilt the engine a while ago, and because it sat for 8 years in his garage with only an occasional run around the block, it doesn't have many miles on it.  He gave me all of the documentation/records for the parts and machine shop work he had done to it.

 

Update:  There is no engine number at the usual location on the block.  That area is blank.  Not sure what that means.

Edited April 16, 2023 by hi_volt

[Marcel Backs]

Jim Dandy car! Congrats on your acquisition! M

[DJ194950]

You could be Way crazier than having the two Plymouth Bus. Cpes. !!

 

They could be Fords.  ?

 

That would be Crazy!

 

DJ

[9 foot box]

   The original engine number could be on the frame behind the left rear wheel. There is a casting date just under the distributor adjustment bolt. They don’t all look like this, but you get the idea. If it has a head like this, it’s internal bypass and probably a 230 c.i. You can check the stroke at the 6th cylinder pipe plug on the head. Then you know what you have. Rick D.

[Dan Hiebert]

Not only do you have two Plymouths, you have at least two air cooled VWs - no loose screws in my book.  At least you'uns in AZ have a climate suitable for outside storage if need be.  That is a very nice looking car!

[hi_volt]

The casting marks under the distributor read A, and underneath the A there is 2*13*46.  The car is a '47.  Could this be the original engine?  If so, how did they originally title it since I understand these were titled by the engine number, which this engine doesn't seem to have?  Curious......

 

The casting on the head reads 4-29-53 and the head has that little bump-out at the front that my blue car doesn't have.

Edited June 9, 2023 by hi_volt
added text

[Dan Hiebert]

Whether the original title used the engine number versus the car serial number depends entirely on which State it was titled in.  That could still be the original engine, block cast in '46, but installed at the factory in a '47 car.  If the block was older than the car, that would most likely be a replacement.  The assembly line doesn't care which shelf the parts come off of, the engine number was added to the build sheet when the engine was installed.  There's been some discussion herein about engine numbers vs. serial numbers on titles or registrations, and the issues some DMVs have with that, since 99.9% of their personnel have no idea that used to be the practice.

[Cannuck]

I have the same rocker trim on my 48 Canadian Dodge which is a Plymouth body with Dodge badges.