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Customs 1959 Plymouth Black Plate Survivor

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by oldwood, Aug 11, 2014.

  1. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    Well, I finally have my 1st true rust free floor pan car. I found it stashed in a shed where it was parked in 1990. The man I bought it from drove to CA in 1990 and drove it back to Tenn. He drove it around for less than a year and parked it. I pulled the mat and jute out to reveal solid floor and trunk pans. It had at least 2 maybe 3 owners in CA. I found these '63 black plates under the drivers seat. This car has 1 small problem. The motor is locked up. I've been soaking the cyls with MMO but its still tight as a drum. Its not a hot rod but I thought it deserved a place around its peers.
     

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    turboroadster and gotta56forme like this.
  2. Wow. Well, Plymouth, 318, those aren't too hard to find if you can't free it up.
     
  3. creepjohnny
    Joined: Dec 1, 2007
    Posts: 916

    creepjohnny
    Member

    yes!!!

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  4. partsdawg
    Joined: Feb 12, 2006
    Posts: 3,945

    partsdawg
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Minnesota

    That would be a great ride.
     
  5. inthweedz
    Joined: Mar 29, 2011
    Posts: 633

    inthweedz
    Member

    Get a lever bar onto the ring gear, work it back and forward.. It should let go with a bit of persuasion..
     
  6. Surfcityrocker
    Joined: Aug 30, 2012
    Posts: 734

    Surfcityrocker
    Member
    from Austria

    Congrats, cool car!
     
  7. rockable
    Joined: Dec 21, 2009
    Posts: 5,123

    rockable
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    There are lots of mopar engine options readily available . That's a great find!
     
  8. J'st Wandering
    Joined: Jan 28, 2004
    Posts: 1,772

    J'st Wandering
    Member

    You have a nice looking car. Congratulations.

    I don't know much about Plymouths but a neighbor had one that was around a '57 and he replaced the motor. He had found that the newer 318 did not bolt up to the transmission, different bolt pattern. He ended up changing the transmission also.

    Neal
     
    turboroadster likes this.
  9. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    I've read a bunch of the MMO threads and I'm trying to let it do its job. Patience Little Gr***hopper!!! It is a 318,PS,PB, torqueflite car. Even if I have to build it I feel really lucky. I pulled through Jack Daniels before heading back home and did a couple of photo ops before heading back to Arkansaw.
     

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  10. Just wonding where in t.n. did you find her? I am in east t.n. in Sevierville.Thanks Bruce.
     
  11. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    Outside of Murfreesboro.
     
  12. The G00SE
    Joined: Nov 9, 2011
    Posts: 163

    The G00SE
    Member

    Sweet car! Good score
     
  13. easy to swap in another mopar v-8 and modern trans, but hey, the wide block 318 will hold a set of hemi heads and blammo, homemade hemi !
     
  14. R Pope
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 3,309

    R Pope
    Member

    No 318 or other A engine will "HOLD" any hemi head ever built, sorry.
    Also be aware that in about 1963 the crankshaft flange on Mopar engines changed from an eight hole to a six hole pattern, limiting your options to the older style for a '59 Pilgrim.
     
  15. vtx1800
    Joined: Oct 4, 2009
    Posts: 1,911

    vtx1800
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    You've got a winner there! The first car I drove on the highway was a 58 Dodge (in 1960) so I have a real affinity for Mopars of the 50's, especially a good looking hardtop.
     
  16. Our Canadian 1959 Belveder had a 313.
     
  17. Rusty O'Toole
    Joined: Sep 17, 2006
    Posts: 9,756

    Rusty O'Toole
    Member

    Don't forget to take the valve covers off and oil the rockers and valves. Tap the end of the valve stem, or rocker, to be sure they are not frozen. A tap with a small hammer and they should bounce back, if they are "dead" the valve is seized. Do not turn the engine until you free it up or you can bend the pushrods.

    If the engine is frozen and won't free up, you may have to take it out, hone the cylinders and install new rings. This is a lot easier and cheaper than replacing the whole engine.

    An old badly worn engine has lots of room for rust and usually does not seize up. If the engine is stuck it is a sign it was tight and not badly worn when put away.
     
  18. SlantSixDan
    Joined: Aug 12, 2014
    Posts: 2

    SlantSixDan
    Member

    WOW, that's a helluva find—the '57-'59 Mopars were beautiful, but they were notorious rustbuckets; they were sloppily built of poor-quality materials. A lot of that sloppiness can be fixed with modern materials and rust-preventives, etc., but the hardest part is finding an unrusted car to start with, so good score.

    Marvel Mystery Oil is not going to get you anywhere productive any time soon. You need heavy-duty big guns here; about the only liquid products I think would stand you a chance of freeing up the engine without tearing it down are Kroil (look it up online; made by Kano Labs) and Chrysler's own rust penetrant p/n 4318039AC (might've superseded to -AD, -AF, etc. by now). Neither of these is anything like Liquid Wrench or other greasy kidstuff; they both smell bizarre and have non-obvious chemistry, and I have seen them both work miracles.

    Rusty O'Toole's comments are good advice about checking for stuck valves -- if you find stuck valves (and you probably will) you might get lucky with the rust penetrant…otherwise, off with its head(s)!

    The 318 engine in a '59 is an A-block engine, not the same as the better-known '67-up LA-block 318. The bellhousing pattern is the same, and A- to LA-engine swaps are not difficult. However, the A-engine (also called "old style", "polyspherical", or "poly") is nifty and I certainly wouldn't go changing it to something else without a very good reason.
     
  19. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    I had a second before i go back to work and I pulled the valve covers. The 1 and 2 pics are the drivers side. The 3rd pic is the p***enger side. The valve train in the 2nd pic has a lot of rust that has formed around the back rocker arm ***y. The p***enger side ***y has no rust. Not a good sign for the drivers side. Leads me to believe that there is water in the back cyl's on the drivers side. What do you guys and gal's think???
     

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  20. R Pope
    Joined: Jan 23, 2006
    Posts: 3,309

    R Pope
    Member

    My bad. It was 1962 the crank changed from eight bolts to six. When the aluminum TF came along,
     
  21. 31Dodger
    Joined: Mar 24, 2011
    Posts: 5,189

    31Dodger
    Member

    Can't wait to see her all cleaned up!
     
  22. big M
    Joined: Mar 22, 2010
    Posts: 709

    big M
    Member

    Dorsey-
    Have you pulled the plugs and inspected them? If there was water in a cylinder, there will also be rust on the electrodes. If so, the pistons in those cylinders will be stuck badly.

    ---John
     
  23. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 18,553

    Squablow
    Member

    Great looking car, and a great score to find one so well preserved and not rusty, since as mentioned, they're notorious rust buckets. Glad to see it's in good hands and getting some justice! Hope the engine comes around.
     
  24. SlantSixDan
    Joined: Aug 12, 2014
    Posts: 2

    SlantSixDan
    Member

    Not necessarily.
     
  25. gotta56forme
    Joined: Feb 20, 2010
    Posts: 855

    gotta56forme
    Member
    from Seattle

    Looking forward to photos of it after you give it a bath...
     
  26. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    I'm ordering some Kroil to see if that will free up this motor.
     
  27. Torkwrench
    Joined: Jan 28, 2005
    Posts: 2,770

    Torkwrench
    Member

    Kroil is a VERY good penetrating oil. The rockers, and under the valve covers don't look too bad to me. It appears to be pretty clean, for it's age.
     
  28. gotta56forme
    Joined: Feb 20, 2010
    Posts: 855

    gotta56forme
    Member
    from Seattle

    Here is a .pdf article I've been saving on penetrating oils. I can't vouch for any claims, but thought it was interesting...
     

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  29. oldwood
    Joined: Mar 13, 2010
    Posts: 1,056

    oldwood
    Member
    from arkansas

    MMO isn't going to fix this problem. I knew something wasn't good with NO movement after a few weeks of MMO. Time to pull a motor.
     

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