Projects Rickybop's 1931 Plymouth 3W Business Coupe build

Oh Mike... that's silly...

 

Ricky, neither my 48 Plymouth coupe nor my 49 Dodge pickup have any form of music in them. Its not because I don't like music, nor is it because I want to listen to the squeaks, rattles, or motor noises, its because the wind noise makes hearing the radio hard for me. We sure like driving with the windows down and our arms resting on the window sills, when ever the weather permits. Not much sense in investing in a sound system you can't hear.

About that uncluttered view for the tail lights... Every time I see taillights mounted on goose neck posts, my mind tells me some designer forgot to include the taillights into the design, and had to hang them on afterwards. I'm OK with them in the fenders, bumpers, or even panels between the deck lid and the bumper, or a panel under the deck lid.

But it also takes the paint a very long time to dry...filler doesn't cure very well either...

Looks to me like the other coop just needs some chicken wire nailed to the posts to be done!

Time to work on your hot rod is a simple matter of priorities. When the hot rod becomes your highest priority, it will get done. You start by proclaiming X amount of time, and X amount of money per month is for the hot rod, or nothing else gets done. It was easy for me, but then, my wife got that message before we got married, 48 years ago. I can't understand how it would work any other way at our house.
Those "honey do" list items are things I might do when the hot rod project is stalled waiting for parts or something, or if I need a small break from the hot rod. Something small that only takes a few minutes I might just do, but if it takes longer then ten minutes, it will be waiting until I "have time" to do it.

 

Ricky, I like the open hood sides! Picture of my 35 Dodge 2 door flat back sedan (no trunk lid) taken around the year 2002.

 

That 35 Dodge (above) was my 1st ground up hot rod build (I had built dirt track cars before). That car originally started like this.
That little guy is my son, he is 42 now. This pic was taken around 1992. In 94 I opened my welding shop working nights as a 2nd job until it got going, where I finished building it. We put 77K miles on it in 7 years, before we sold it.

 

Thanks, Gene
@gene-koning

Amazing what you did with the Dodge. That "little guy" looks like a bruiser.

I won't be painting or doing body work outside.

Pretty difficult to tell a still very active woman of 87 years and a retired company commander of the East Detroit Police Precinct for 30 years that I'll do it "when I have time."

Oh, I could say the words easily enough. But I might be walking sideways for the rest of my life.

 

Ricky,
That "little" guy was a bruiser until about a year ago, when he decided he had enough of that and lost (under a DR watch) 1/2 his body weight (196lbs!)

No guts, no glory! Then again, glory isn't always what its bragged up to be. There have been times when being smart is, was, or would have been, much better. My wife was a nurse the first 1/2 of her working career, I fully understood that I slept next to her and didn't always know when she wasn't sleeping. We really did have mutual respect for each other.

What probably helped me a lot was she figured out really early in our marriage that I really wasn't going to be much help on most things domestic and I don't work with wood at all. Cars and mechanical things was my capability limitations.

After all that, the hot rod still has to become the highest priority in your free time, before you will "find time" to work on it.

 

Oh... it's absolutely top priority.
In my free time.
And when I haven't been completely decapacitated and thinking I might die for about 3 years there.

 

Been a week and a half. Have you measured up for the 440 yet?

 

A week busting my ass on the chicken coop. And another 1/2 week paying for it. Owww... ch. I think I push myself too hard sometimes. I need to let up a bit. Feel like poopity poo.

But yessir, Steve old buddy...
One of the first things I did was measure for the 440. Looks like I won't have to modify the firewall. Or at least not much.

That's good. The way I'm thinking right now, the less I have to depend on my limited fabrication skills, the better. Yet, I won't shy away from it if it's necessary. And actually, I get the idea that once I get to cutting and welding, I'll probably gain some confidence and quickly become a cutting, welding, chopping, modifying, fabricating fool.

And it'll end up being a '59 Cadillac. Oops. Crap!

 

I was looking closely at the original black paint.
I see brush strokes.

 

Should be plenty of room (as you checked) firewall to radiator, I’ll need a long shroud for the 318 in my ‘32 Dodge PU.
Width gets a bit goofy. But its overcome!

 

LOL
Sorry, Steve.
Always something.

I totally spent myself racing to finish building that chicken coop before the really cold weather came. Just made it. Chickens and ducks are safe and warm. But then I immediately got hammered by a bad flu or something for a couple of weeks.
Son of a bitch. Not fun.
A little worrisome.
Wasn't sure what was going on.
Better now.

Besides... I can't really get into the garage right now anyway. Furnace is broken and the furnace is in the garage. The moron... I mean the service man... is working on it.
And working on it.
And working on it.
Still working on it...

I bring in firewood and feed the wood stove. Day and night.

Not totally devoid, though.
I'm talking to a fella about his 1933 Essex roof sections he has for sale. Just in case I want to chop the hell out of the roof, change out the oval rear window for one more choppable and make it look a little smoother while I'm at it.

 

Plymouth roof line.



1933 Essex roof line.



Essex rear window.

 

And I might have to go get these.

 

Ok, as long as you're not just slacking off.
I forget that it is winter over there. We are in the beginnings of a hot summer. Lucky us..... poor you.

Just my opinion, but I dig the Plymouth roofline and the oval rear window. Very unique.
If you need to chop it (2"?) there is a way around the rear window thing. I watched a video of a guy doing it on something just recently (Ian Roussel ???). I will see if I can find it and get it to you, maybe as your Christmas present.

 

Actually, in stock configuration, the height and style of the roof is a big part of the car's personality and something that I could live with and even embrace.

But the Essex roof sections aren't a lot of money and it'll be good to have them just in case I break my leash.

 

The Ply top is nicely done from the factory, & the oval window is unique, looks good. The Essex top/n/all *could* come in handy for the soon-to-be-roadster-s' top, for when you can't handle anymore fresh air. .
Marcus...
PS; I'll drop you a pm soon.

 

For how to chop around a rear window watch this (around the 7 minute mark).
Search for:
Building a DUAL Purpose Truck - Full Custom Garage

 

I'm not getting the Essex roof.
Too rusty.

I am getting the wheels.
Not rusty.

 

And I'm warming up more to the idea of not chopping the top. Probably not as good of an idea for these cars as it might be with others. Kinda sacrilegious even. And I think the height of this car, with the high stance and unchopped roof, will be a big part of its overall persona.
So we do dat.

 

I think the Plymouth top looks great just the way it is.

 

More room for a roll bar.

 

Or a salad bar! HRP

 

Gude eeeeeeevening...

Got some more wheels today.
With these and the ones I already have, I think I might have a matching set now.



I've become more friendly with the idea of periodically buying more parts than I'm gonna actually use in order to end up with the parts I want/need. Understand, I'm not quite as thoroughly experienced at this game as I know some of you are and I used to kinda freak out if I ever had buyer's remorse. Mainly cuz I do not have a lot of money to throw around. I'd be like, "Oh no what did I do?!?" LOL. But what the hell, I'm pretty sure somebody will need whatever I don't use. And if not, I'll just have a bunch of cool old car parts to hang on the walls.

Main thing about these wheels is that they're super solid. No rust damage to speak of. I've seen and even bought a wheel or two that turned out to be more rust damaged than I thought.

And then of course there are the times I'm kinda "learning on the fly" if you know what I mean, and I didn't do good enough research. And I end up buying something that maybe isn't exactly right. I'm pretty diligent. I do okay. But it did take a while to figure out all the differences between the old Ford wheels

I like the ones with the nubbies rather than the clips for the hubcap attachment, mainly cuz I think they look better with no hubcap. And I think I'll mostly not use a hubcap. Just chrome lug nuts. I like that look for a hot rod with black steel wheels.

Any thoughts?

 

Congrats. Nice knowing that the 'rollers' are in the house.
Nubs are better looking.
Myself I am frugal ( cheap ) about giving out money when I'm not ready to.
Found some nice 35 wires, cheap, years ago.
They will be that platform for my dream mowsheen.

 

Just a tip..... Don't rush out and buy the new tyres you want for those wheels yet. They sit for a long time with most builds, and can deteriorate just standing still. Not to mention the possible welding/grinding damage and the paint overspray. Get some cheap ass old bald ones the right size for now, as long as they hold air.

 

Did they come with tires? HRP

 

If you are talking to me,,, Heh heh heh
Matter of fact, the ad said ( 25 years ago ) with new tires.
When I walked into the fellows garage I saw they still had tits on the tread.
Then, saw the producer was Allstate, which meant they were at least 40 y.o.
But the price was good for even just rims.
Some day I may give them to a museum, for tax a reduction receipt.

 

Thanks, Tom.