Our new '47 Special Deluxe sedan

[46Chris]

My wife shared a Facebook Marketplace ad with me.  Listing read: "Posting a 1947 Plymouth Deluxe Special for a friend.  P15 motor runs.  68,982 mi, Automatic transmission."  We were looking for a '46-'48 car, and she likes dark blue.  She said, "Didn't we used to have a Plymouth, the maroon station wagon?"  I said, "Yes, the '49 Suburban.  What a great car that was."  Not much of an ad, a couple of exterior shots (nice looking) and a couple interior.  I saw plaid seats, which I imagined were seat covers.  It was not priced like old cars I see (and ignore) on Marketplace - somewhere between proud and fantasy.  So I figured it must need work.  I left a vm, and later received a vm from a lady who said it was her husband's pride and joy, but time to say goodbye to it.  That was an encouraging message.  We text arranged a time to talk, and I included a photo gallery of the cars we've had, and said we were looking for just one old car, since in our new digs (restoring a lake house in northern WI) I no longer had a big building to fill with a collection.  I've found over the years that negotiating for a memory-laden car is more like an adoption proceeding.  It's important to the seller that the car goes to a good home.  I wanted her to know that my wife and I are old car lovers.  When we connected on the phone, the first question I asked her after we talked for a bit was "What do you love about this car?"  I wanted to hear the whole story.  Her husband loved this Plymouth, and when he wasn't homebuilding or helping neighbors, he was spending time with his Plymouth.  Lot of family outings, parades, weddings, car shows.  Sounded like my kind of car.  That was Monday, and I arranged to drive the 2 1/2 hours to see the car today.  Looked very different from the exterior photos in the FB ad, just because it was so dusty.  I imagine those FB photos had been taken some time ago.  She showed me the appraisal she'd gotten two years ago, that the inspector had deemed a "lovely survivor."  

 

I came to the party not knowing a lot about Plymouths.  What I thought were seat covers appear to be pristine upholstery.  Door panels perfect, original headliner not sagging, garnish moulding not faded, very little add-on wiring under the dash.  Underneath, zero rust.  No dents, some respray but still carrying most of its original paint.  Chrome not pitted.  Tires old enough to not have DOT dates, but holding air (replacing them will be the first money spent).  Went to match the title serial # to the door post number, and saw it was not the same.  Asked if the appraiser had mentioned anything about it, and she said "no, he just asked for the number off the title."  No worries, matched it to the engine number.   Went to start it, and the battery was stone dead.  I noticed a switch down on the steering column and traced the wiring to the battery and the hood ornament, where he'd installed a little light.  Since she insisted the car had just been started a few weeks ago, I imagined that someone accidentally flipped that switch.  Her daughter was there, and said she'd have a 6v charger hooked up tomorrow.  I suggested that when the charger's hooked up, make sure the hood ornament light switch is turned off.  Assuming they can get that completely dead newish-looking battery to take a charge.

 

I told her I loved the car, and I'd wait to hear on them getting the car started.  The overall condition was a big surprise.  A minor oops was a small hole I saw in the headliner hidden by the passenger sunvisor - filled with stuffing.  We cleared it out, and I said that if they had a few traps to set them with some peanut butter.  When I get it home, I'll hook up an ozone machine and let it run for a day to clear out the mouse smell (which was not that detectable).  Another surprise was that the car is a manual shift, not fluid drive.  No idea what the friend saw to make him think it was an automatic, but given his ad's entire description of "P15 motor runs" I won't press the point.  Happy that it's a manual shift, would have been fine if it were fluid drive.

 

I'm headed back on Saturday with a truck and trailer pending them getting it started.  Their local NAPA can get them a 6v battery pretty quickly if need be, I imagine.

 

Here are some photos from today: https://chrisrewey.widencollective.com/c/iflc0lls

The first two are screenshots from the Marketplace ad.   I'm interested to know about the plaid upholstery.  And the twin long trumpet horns in front of the radiator - were those stock?

[plymouthcranbrook]

It looks really good. Keep us posted on how it goes.

[Merle Coggins]

They probably saw the shift lever on the steering column and assumed that it was an automatic trans, not knowing about "3 on the tree" shifting. 

[46Chris]

14 minutes ago, Merle Coggins said:

They probably saw the shift lever on the steering column and assumed that it was an automatic trans, not knowing about "3 on the tree" shifting. 

Merle, I think you nailed it ?

[Merle Coggins]

@46Chris, where are you located up north? Maybe I'll see it cruising around next summer? 

[46Chris]

@Merle Coggins That would be great! We are west of Minocqua WI on Diamond lake.  Are you anywhere near?

[Merle Coggins]

2 minutes ago, 46Chris said:

@Merle Coggins That would be great! We are west of Minocqua WI on Diamond lake.  Are you anywhere near?

 

I'm in the Appleton area, but we get up that way at least once a year. We usually do a camping week/weekend at Clear Lake Campground just east of Woodruff. 

[Sam Buchanan]

10 hours ago, 46Chris said:

And the twin long trumpet horns in front of the radiator - were those stock?

 

Great find! And yes, the horns are stock and they sound fantastic! Everyone will say "Now that's a horn!". 

[joecoozie]

Nice looking car.

The seat uphostery is not original. It is either reuphostered or there are seat covers over the original material.

[46Chris]

3 hours ago, Merle Coggins said:

 

I'm in the Appleton area, but we get up that way at least once a year. We usually do a camping week/weekend at Clear Lake Campground just east of Woodruff. 

Great to hear!  Let's get together next summer then, when you're at Clear Lake.  In the meantime, once we get the '47 here I'll have it for a few weeks before putting it in storage, since we are at our place in Panama City FL from mid-Nov into May.  

[46Chris]

1 hour ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

Great find! And yes, the horns are stock and they sound fantastic! Everyone will say "Now that's a horn!". 

Thanks, Sam, love hearing that they're stock!  Makes me think of a memory from 55 years ago - My dad was a mechanical engineer who spent a lot of time on the road for the State of WI, and truckers on the highway would ignore his little '62 VW.  He mounted a freon-driven set of air horns under the VW's front fender, and got a huge kick out of giving them a horn blast when they'd try to crowd him off the road. 

[46Chris]

25 minutes ago, joecoozie said:

Nice looking car.

The seat uphostery is not original. It is either reuphostered or there are seat covers over the original material.

Thanks Joe, good to know.  Appears to be a fine reupholstery job, and the material is high quality.  Perfectly happy with it, and my wife likes it

[soth122003]

55 minutes ago, 46Chris said:

In the meantime, once we get the '47 here I'll have it for a few weeks before putting it in storage, since we are at our place in Panama City FL from mid-Nov into May.  

Hey Chris. Been following your posts and you got a real nice car there. Since you're snowbirding down here, we'll have to get together one of these days, as you're about an hour from me (Niceville). Looking forward to you posts with the new car. 

 

Joe Lee

[46Chris]

38 minutes ago, soth122003 said:

Hey Chris. Been following your posts and you got a real nice car there. Since you're snowbirding down here, we'll have to get together one of these days, as you're about an hour from me (Niceville). Looking forward to you posts with the new car. 

 

Joe Lee

Joe, thanks for the invite!  I just messaged you with our contact info.   Right now, looking forward to getting the '47 home.

[junkers72]

Looks real good to me . Get it home and enjoy it . 

[46Chris]

31 minutes ago, junkers72 said:

Looks real good to me . Get it home and enjoy it . 

Thanks, J - glad I listened to the community and opted for a full trailer instead of a dolly

[OUTFXD]

Gorgeous car!  and welcome to the club! 

 

That is actually one of the colors Jacquiline was painted Before I got her!

[Sniper]

10 hours ago, Sam Buchanan said:

 

Great find! And yes, the horns are stock and they sound fantastic! Everyone will say "Now that's a horn!". 

 

Run them on 12v and everyone will say "Where''s the train?".

[46Chris]

1 hour ago, OUTFXD said:

Gorgeous car!  and welcome to the club! 

 

That is actually one of the colors Jacquiline was painted Before I got her!

Thanks, Outfxd.  I feel fortunate to have found it, thanks to my wife.  

[46Chris]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

 

Run them on 12v and everyone will say "Where''s the train?".

Hmmm.  I'm almost tempted to mount a small 12v security system battery with a separate horn button.  Emphasis on the "almost"

[9 foot box]

   I have wanted a 4 door sedan for awhile. It would be nice to take more passengers. I have never seen a thermostat housing like that, or that radio. I’ve had to do some minor repairs to the sill brackets on my 46.  I drilled a 5/8” hole in the low point of both my Bus. Coupes for dirt and water to drain. I’ve seen some P15 brackets that were mostly rusted out from the accumulation of dirt and mud. Something to consider. It works for me. I did buy a 56 Belvedere Sedan a few weeks ago, but not as well kept as your 47.  Your wife did fine for both of you, by her perusing Marketplace. Rick D.

[46Chris]

Thanks, 9, this '47 is a gift.  Finding a 76 year old car in the upper midwest with absolutely zero rust is exceptional.  Must have lived much of its life away from salt.  That's something I'll ask the seller when I pick it up on Saturday.

[Eneto-55]

I would say that those seat covers are from that era, or not long after.  Many people never sat right on the mohair upholstery - always kept it covered.  My 46 also had plaid seat covers, and that's what I remember from my childhood, in various different vehicles.  (Except for the 53 DeSoto my parents had.  Mom sewed and installed seat covers made of "Naugahyde".  She did the entire interior except for the headliner.  The actual upholstery was still in perfect condition.)

 

I know a guy here in Ohio that buys old cars in North Dakota, and hauls them in here to resell.  I think that the winter weather there is too cold for salt to do any good, so they typically don't use it.

[Eneto-55]

On 10/19/2023 at 11:20 AM, joecoozie said:

Nice looking car.

The seat uphostery is not original. It is either reuphostered or there are seat covers over the original material.

Would like to see a copy of that, in higher resolution.  

[46Chris]

3 hours ago, Eneto-55 said:

I would say that those seat covers are from that era, or not long after.  Many people never sat right on the mohair upholstery - always kept it covered.  My 46 also had plaid seat covers, and that's what I remember from my childhood, in various different vehicles.  (Except for the 53 DeSoto my parents had.  Mom sewed and installed seat covers made of "Naugahyde".  She did the entire interior except for the headliner.  The actual upholstery was still in perfect condition.)

 

I know a guy here in Ohio that buys old cars in North Dakota, and hauls them in here to resell.  I think that the winter weather there is too cold for salt to do any good, so they typically don't use it.

Eneto, I would not have known that they were seat covers, unless being advised of such from another member here. They are sewn perfectly, and wrap all the way around.