Plymouth's as Daily Drivers?

[kpreed]

I just realized on making a list of autos I have had, many of them were of the Plymouth brand and not intentionally, but my money was a big factor too.
I have been all over these cars and rebuilt most everything on them, if needed
Regrettably, I never took photos of my cars, only one I have is from a new owner. Anyone with questions on any of these cars I will do my best to answer.
1940 Plymouth, I had a P-10 business coupe as a daily driver for many years and a p-10 4-door sedan too.
1941 Plymouth, sedan delivery
4-P15 Plymouth's, 1946-1948, 3 coupes and one 4-door, one club coupe I had, was a daily driver of my wife and I for many, many years.
1951 Plymouth Concord
1952 Plymouth Concord
1955 Plymouth Belvedere 2-door Hardtop.
That is it for my Plymouth's, but other cars I drove everyday are:
1946 DeSoto S-11 4-door, only pic I have (not a great scan) and a 1957 Pontiac 2-door hardtop

 

[Big Man]

The best car I ever owned was a Plymouth. Well, maybe not the best, but it sure was the one with the most interesting "history". It was a '62 Plymouth Belvedere. I had that car from 1970 until about 1976. It was a big "tank" of a car that would run way faster than you needed to drive. It also had a big back seat and an 8 track tape player. Need I say more.

 

[kpreed]

1948 Plymouth

I Love 1960's Plymouth cars, I have had a few brand X cars of that vintage, but the only Plymouth I had was a 1967 GTX and the only real history on any car I had was a 1948 Plymouth Coupe I got in North Georgia in 1973. It ran "shine" and I could tell, extra tank under the car and all.

 

[Fletch]

In the summer of 1954, my dad and 3 of his senior class buddies set out from Clarion, IA (pop 3000) in his electric blue '47 Plymouth 2 door for the Great Trek West. No one was migrating - just wanted to see the wide open spaces on the cheap, tent out at night, maybe get as far as California or even Oregon if the piggybank held out. It didn't - they made it as far as Las Vegas, where they pitched camp in the city park. A cop came by and said they weren't safe there - why didn't they camp on the grounds of the police station? And so they did.

Anyhow, the Plymouth performed admirably. Dad's got pix somewhere. I'll ask him.

Imagine this car a little higher off the ground. That was about it.

 

[Big Man]

I Love 1960's Plymouth cars, I have had a few brand X cars of that vintage, but the only Plymouth I had was a 1967 GTX and the only history any car had was a 1948 Plymouth Coupe I got in North Georgia. It ran "shine".

I never ran shine in my Plymouth, only cheerleaders - which, looking back, was probably way more dangerous than shine.

 

[kpreed]

Plymouth

I never ran shine in my Plymouth, only cheerleaders - which, looking back, was probably way more dangerous than shine.

I thinking you may be right. now something I found, for all Plymouth fans.

 

[Michaelson]

I drive my 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe almost every day to work.

217 flathead 6 cylinder, 97 hp, goes zero to 50 in five miles! (grins)

Regards! Michaelson

 

[dostacos]

I drive my 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe almost every day to work.

217 flathead 6 cylinder, 97 hp, goes zero to 50 in five miles! (grins)

Regards! Michaelson

lol I choked on my breakfast on that one:eusa_clap

 

[kpreed]

Plymouth

I drive my 1950 Plymouth Special Deluxe almost every day to work.

217 flathead 6 cylinder, 97 hp, goes zero to 50 in five miles! (grins)

Regards! Michaelson

Same here, yes. the flathead six was no speed demon, but on my 1940 with a 201, I had dual exhaust (Fenton cast iron header) and two 97's on a Edelbrock intake.
I gave many a flat motor Ford a good run.

 

[Michaelson]

You don't see many of them in the South now, even though they were the most popular sedan sold down here. I was told by an old man one time that the 4 door Plymouth was the most popular back-up truck ever made for the farmer.

Plymouth bragged in their advertisements that they made the roof line on their sedans 'hat friendly', as any man or woman could wear their finest headgear and never brush the roof. It's true too!

Anyway, what the old farmers discovered that if you remove the back seat, there is a metal x frame behind the seat between the truck and the back. They could haul anything from hay to calves to full grown hogs to market, and did so. The Plymouth sedan was as inexpensive as a pickup truck, and you replaced the seat, you had room for 6 or 7 people. The best of both worlds. With the high roof, no problem with even small cattle being hauled to market.

The sedans sold in the South were literally driven into the ground. It's kind of a drawback when I drive to a store or a gas station, as I KNOW I'm going to have to listen to at least 2 new stories from old timers to spot the car, stroll over and just HAVE to tell me a history about the Plymouth THEY used to own.lol

Regards! Michaelson

 

[kpreed]

Plymouth

My 1940 Coupe had the "pick-up" bed option for the trunk (iid open) when I got it and before it got painted. I would take it to car shows with bales of hay in the back, got many comments. Did hear a story when I drove my 1951 Concord coupe on how the then president of Plymouth wanted cars you could wear your hat in, almost ended them.

 

[Michaelson]

I've seen the 1940's/'50's magazine ads that Plymouth ran in Life and like magazines that headlined the fact you could wear your hats with no problems inside their sedans, unlike OTHER car manufacturers.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Mr. Lucky]

In my day -
1969 Plymouth Fury III
1972 Plymouth Valiant
and in the Mopar Family -
1971 Dodge Coronet
1962 Chrysler Newport
1969 Dodge Polara
1973 Dodge Polara
And, somewhere in there, a New Yorker.

 

[MrNewportCustom]

Very impressive lists there, Kpreed and Mr Lucky! Wish I had a few of those!

I've never had a Plymouth, but I am a Mopar guy. On May 5 of this year I learned just how slow my '67 Chrysler Newport Custom truly is (compared to a McLaren F1, anyway), when Jay Leno thought I had a 440 with a 4bbl. I heard a chirp and saw the front end of his car pop up. So, I shoved the pedal to the floor and felt the distinct sensation of no g-forces. That's what you get with a two-ton sedan housing a 383 topped with a 2bbl., and the AC is on. lol


Lee

 

[Michaelson]

Well, the '50 hasn't been the ONLY MOPAR in my life either. My Dad was MOPAR man until he purchased the K-car, and swore off of them from that day on. He died an Olds man.

My very first car was a 1972 Plymouth Fury III. Nice big machine.

I've also owned a 1974 Plymouth Satellite, a 1964 Dodge Dart, and a 1971 Dodge pickup truck at various times in my car buying career.

Regards! Michaelson

 

[Jack Armstrong]

My father's first car during my lifetime was a 1938 Plymouth. My God, what a back seat that car had! When Mom and Dad went to the local drive-in (this would be about 1950), they'd dress me in pajamas and put me in the back seat, knowing I'd fall asleep during the film. I always did, and it was as roomy and comfortable as any bed.

Once Dad graduated from college and got a job, he traded the Plymouth in on a '51 Chevy. How many times I've wished he'd kept the Plymouth around!

 

[Luxlover]

What about the 1951 Hudson (Lead-sled)

My father had this really low-low 1951 Hudson. I think it was a two door. The photos remind me of the 1949-50 Mercury "Lead-sleds.
You actually had to step down into the car.
I was a small child at the time.
He always liked that car. A solid reliable machine with really streamlined looks.
I will post photos as soon as I can find them.

Luxlover

 

[kpreed]

I have a whole lot of respect for those step-down Hudsons, (Hornet, a big plus) They won many a race with that big inline eight and"Twin H" power, but I am talking a Plymouth with a six like this :

Not really known for their power, but Lee Petty did do pretty good with one.

 

[The Wingnut]

My first car was a HH1 Light Gold '68 Plymouth Fury III 2-door hardtop with a Commando 383 V8 and deluxe black interior. Restored her, won a 3' tall trophy at a major west coast Chrysler products show. A year and a half later, 6 months after swapping in a VERY healthy 440 from a Chrysler New Yorker, I wrapped her around a Mazda 626. The Mazda drove away. Maybelle, for all her tankish reputation, didn't. The whole front clip was wiped out, frame rails bent. She disappeared into a storage lot after I parted out her shell and sold her. The new owner, less than a year later, was arrested for narcotics possession, and the lot was cleaned out...Maybelle more than likely met her fate in a crusher.

Undeterred, my next car was a Alpine White '72 Plymouth Fury III 4-door, disc brakes, Commando 400 V8, police radio, CB, 108" whip antenna, 2 48" VHF antennas, 1 6" UHF antenna, pushbars, police wheels & hubcaps, OEM Mopar spotlight, a custom a white cloth / vinyl interior with power seats, and AM/FM. Leslie was a daily driver for 3 years until gas started getting ridiculously expensive. When she threw her timing chain, she was sold to a police car collector and restorer...she'll have a good life.

Now I've got a '74 Datsun 260Z. Love it. Handles great, sips gas, easy to find parts, whether in a junkyard or at a national chain store. Just got her out of the body shop after a full repaint. An engine swap, suspension rebuild, and a good set of vintage racing wheels are next.

Someday I'll find a nice prewar Plymouth business coupe. Humphrey Bogart drove more Plymouths on-screen than anything else, and most of them were 2-doors. Can't go wrong with that. While all my friends like the gangster look and carry the mob around in big sedans, I want a coupe, since I'm the flipside of the coin with my detective / fed tendencies and a lone wolf to boot.

 

[Michaelson]

In the photo of the engine, one of the MOST coveted parts there is can be seen just to the left of the fanbelt. It's the curved piece of metal just above the fuel pump. That's a heat sheild, and is just that...a curved piece of heavy gauge sheet metal with two areas for bolts to hold it in place.

Without that piece of steel, the heat from the manifold would cause the fuel in the bowl of the fuel pump to boil, and in hot weather, the engine would vapor lock. You had to wait for the car to completely cool down before you could start it again.

I learned the hard way when I didn't know (or notice) my car didn't HAVE one, as it was no problem in cold weather....but once the temps rose, you could NOT restart the car after running it up to correct running temperature..

I did some reading, and found the missing piece stuck in the truck of the car in the fendor well where the spare sits. I had seen it back there, but had no clue what it was, or what it was used for. Once installed, my starting problems in hot weather went away. It even started everytime this summer when temperatures were in the triple digits for weeks at a time.

I've seen these things sell on ebay for over $75+!

Silly thing, and a REALLY dumb design (like their original heater system, but that's another subject ), but once figured out, it works.

The engine shown is the 217, like the one in my car. It turned out 95 horsepower. The next size up was the 230, and delivered 110 hp. You really can't tell much of a difference in appearance, with the exception of the fact the fuel pump had a glass bowl to hold more gasoline on the 230, where the 217 did not. Also, the one shown would be what one would have looked like BEFORE Petty got hold of it. With the single barrel Holley carb (seen on this engine), it's hard enough to get started up the road, let alone use in a race! (grins) Petty installed two inline carbs, and did a bit more engine 'magic' to up the horsepower output.

Unlike the GM product of the day, the Plymouth was over engineered, and had steel valves, valve sleeves and pushrods that were military surplus aircraft parts. That's why you can burn unleaded fuel in these engines. GM, Ford and all others of the day did not have steel parts, and thats why you have to replace those parts in a current rebuild, or use lead additives to the gasoline used, as otherwise it will totally eat the rods and valves out of the car. Plymouth could also withstand the extra pressure from the added inline carb. Their block castings were just over engineered as well.

I have a good friend who likes to hot rod old Chevies, and uses the old inline carb technology to increase horsepower in his old inline 6 GM engines. He's literally blown the heads of the engines to scrap metal doing this, and I've seen the pile of dead engine blocks piled in his garage after these disasterous installations. MOPAR engines did not have this problem, and Petty knew it.

Regards! Michaelson