Projects 1953 Plymouth Belvedere build

So I'm sure that some people might not take interest in this build but I saved a car that was headed to the scrap heap. I started with a Belvedere and searched for some sort of upgrades to make the perform a bit better like a brake swap or better suspension stuff. I ended up swapping the suspension with C4 Corvette stuff front and rear. To top it off I found a Gen 1 Viper motor on craigslist for $600. I'm not passing this off as a traditional build by any means, however, I want to leave the car as original looking on the outside as possible. I guess this falls into the "restomod" category. I've been making time lapses of progress.

Time Lapses-
http://www.youtube.com/user/marsforlife?feature=mhee

 

I ended up not using the original dash, I couldn't stand the thought of cutting it up. I just used 1/4" round bar and some 22 ga metal to cover it with. The dash took me a few days and there is still a lot of little stuff I have to finish on it. Eventually, I'll cover it in suede and body work/paint the rest. I pretty much did the same thing on the trans tunnel which will be removable. The Gen 1 motors have the thermostat housing on the back of the motor so in the case of needing to service I can get to it. The swap was pretty straight forward, oddly enough the Viper motors use Dodge truck motor mounts which car easily adaptable to almost anything. It should be noted the viper motors are uniquely large. Also, some of the parts interchange, I currently have a Gen 3 intake on a Gen 1 motor with Gen 2 tube headers. You can get most of these parts cheap on Ebay.

 

Sharp looking '53!

 

Thanks man!

 

looks good man

 

Dude, I didn't know you were on the H.A.M.B.

 

Have had a couple of these Belvederes and two ragtops too. Have a soft spot for '53 Plymouths.

Keep up the good work!

Ray

 

What a unique car! Lookin' good so far!! Keep it up!!

 

I have a 53 out back with a 350 Chevy (boring) with an S-10 clip but yours is way more in depth. Good luck have fun.

 

The reaction I always get is, "Oh shit... a Belvedere? I haven't seen one of those in forever!" I have a soft spot for them too. I'd like to find some new trim pieces, tail lights and a hood ornament.

 

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Love the video...

 

Theres something to be said about nice big fat tires tucked up under something old . This will be a sweet ride when your done . Stay at it man .

 

There are more on my youtube channel. I started making time lapses half way through. Thanks for watching and the support guys!

 

I think it is what we would all do for the most part if we came across the same killer deals. Looks bitchin. Nice work!

 

great looking car hats off to you

 

Vegas is a strange place right now. I bought all of my welders and stuff dirt cheap there.

 

You're building some cool stuff, I spent some time looking at your pics!

 

I finished the passenger side floors, unfortunately my real job will be consuming my life for the next few months. So don't expect updates until like March/April. However, I can still answer questions if you have any. I leave you with these last pics until my return. What you can expect to see after the next few months is the rest of the parts I need to continue with this project. To continue I'll need to find a fuel cell and pump, steering column, brake pedals(might end up making some), seats and harnesses, shockwave's and air management, finally is an I.S.I.S power system. I want to do this as well... http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/hrdp_1108_abs_for_hot_rods/viewall.html I figured since I already have a bunch of high tech stuff going on I might as well make it as safe and stable of a platform as possible. I tend to get carried away with these projects so it might end up being a full on race car that I drive on the street. We shall see.
Thanks for reading
Matt

 

Looking good

 

I had a 53 Belvedere in High School.

That's a pretty rare bird.

 

Got to love the old Plymouths, looking good. Cool vid btw!

 

Here's the 53 Belvedere I had in high school.

 

Wow,So don't park next to my 49 special deluxe,or my car will disappear!

 

I wish I had a car like this in high school... All I had was a crappy '00 VW Jetta. Some guys have all the luck!

 

I'll give you guys a time lapse play by play if you will. I plan to make these through the rest of the project. I hope you find these entertaining and useful, albeit, the camera angles are crappy at best. I promise they will get better over time stick with me.

_Matt

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I love it!!! Subscribed! I'm working on a 53 Cranbrook.

 

The reaction I always get is, "Oh shit... a Belvedere? I haven't seen one of those in forever!" I have a soft spot for them too. I'd like to find some new trim pieces, tail lights and a hood ornament.

I think I may still have my hood ornament I will look the next time I am home and let you know it was on my 56 Belvedere. As for the tail lights i am looking at making my own and will let you know how it works out trying to get pic's up now of my 56 but can't get them to load just let

 

Are you going to try and vacuum form the tail lights? I'd be interested to see how you could do that... maybe a tech write up? I was thinking about maybe doing something really crazy like using '11 caddy CTS-V taillights but that might be a bit to ambitious.

 

Just so you guys know I haven't given up on this build. I've only been back two weeks and I did get a chance to order a few things. I'm still waiting on my steering column and some other parts to arrive. So I had to cut out the foot well out to make way for a Tilton pedal assembly I ordered. The placement of the pedals in relation to the drivers position was extremely awkward. I played with the idea of pushing the seat back however, it made the shifter location to far forward and the length of the steering column unreasonable. I picked a more contemporary style seat that I want to recover with a retro type pattern and materials. I'm still getting my CNC Plasma table up so I can cut seat brackets and steering mounts. Also, I'm getting my camera lens fixed so my pics won't be so crappy.

-Matt