Featured Projects Rickybop's 1931 Plymouth Business Coupe build

Hauled 'er home today.

Got going early.
Got back late.
Tired but happy.

Hang on tight, old Plymouth.
You're comin' home with me.


Made it.

 

Way to go Ricky. Looks like you've overcome almost everything life has thrown at you lately and came out on top...and with a damn cool hot rod project to boot.
Congrats buddy.

 

Well now Brother Flea - looks like Christmas came early for thee - gonna be kinda hard to get that under yer tree - congratulations to ya - did ya curl up inside and sleep in it tonight? Sweet dreams ehh
Happy fer ya

 

Oh yeah thats cool! Love that back window! Looking forward to seeing this come together!

 

When we moved to San Francisco in 1956. That type Plymouth is the first hot rod that I saw. It was channeled, and had an Oldsmobile engine in it.

 

Congrats! So…what are your plans for it? You had a long drive to consider already.

 

Looks promising, is it going to get a Hemi!?

 

G' morning, fellers.

 

Plans.
I'm thinkin'...

No major body mods.
No chop. (maybe later)
Fully clothed. (basically)
Relatively high stance.
All black.
Foe foaty foe-speed.
6x2 w/ Strombergs.
Jones quick change.
Two or three different sets of wheels/tires.
Early steel wheels painted black with black-wall bias-ply tires most of the time.
Chrome steelies and pie crusts when I'm racing Don Garlits.

 

Built one of these 20 yrs ago. Really stout frame. I ditched all the factory crossmembers and went with triangulated ladders bars, 32 frt cross member, 4" drop axle and boxed it. I had to recess the firewall 4" and there still was lots of leg room. Big cab. Did you get a grill/grill shell which are hard to find? An aftermarket 32 rad fits fine in it.

 

You beat me to the issue of the firewall, @marfen

Mr. marfen is right. These Plymouths have a little more interior room than some others of the same era. So the firewall can be moved back if necessary and there would still be enough leg room.

My preferences have usually leaned toward the radical. As in heavily chopped hi-boys. But I've listened to those who encourage restraint and espouse the virtues and beauty of no chop. And fully fendered. Hood, even.

I've also listened to those who say that a car will tell you what it wants to be. That's true. And since I'm lucky enough to get an old car with a whole body, I think maybe I'll take advantage of that. Keep the architecture and the original envelope intact. There's a lot to be said for leaving things be. Manufacturers went to a lot of trouble to make all the panels fit together just right. And if I don't chop the top, that'll probably shorten my build time by about 14 years. And an unchopped top looks pretty cool in its own way. Especially when you consider that almost every other hot rod coupe out there is chopped. And... very important... if I never jump out of an airplane, I'll never slam into the Earth at 200 miles an hour. If I don't chop the top on this coupe, I won't fk it up. LOL

Back away from the Sawzall!

I'm thinking the young man who would've hot rodded this coupe back in 1965 didn't get too sophisticated with modifications to the body, but focused more on the mechanics.

 

Congratulations brother! I am so happy you finally have a complete car to get started on and I think you have the right game plan in keeping it pretty much as is, when t comes to suspension I will offer my thoughts on installing a 32 Ford front crossmember and scrapping the 2 front leaf springs, I helped do that on a Plymouth sedan and it worked great.

Have fun my friend, you deserve it. HRP

 

We had to add a little width on the aftermarket 32 front crossmember as the plymouth frame is a touch wider. Maybe an A crossmember might work better. Full fendered will really help if there's no chop. I've seen these coupes chopped and the rear window ended up a catseye. yuck.

 

BTW, were you lucky enough to get the flying lady radiator ornament? HRP

 

Thanks, you guys.

Lots of parts, but I haven't seen a flying lady hood ornament. Haven't gone through everything yet, though.

I do have the grille shell and insert. You can see the shell needs a little work at the bottom, but that won't be too bad. The insert looks to be absolutely perfect except for surface rust.

 

I've considered using a Ford front axle and transverse leaf spring suspension. It would allow moving the axle forward. But I wanna keep the uniquely Mopar personality of this car. I think I'll keep the parallel leaf suspension front and rear. Ladder bars maybe for the rear. I like ladder bars.

I think one of the first things I'll do is section the Ford truck axle that's on it now. Excellent axle for my purposes. The track width is too wide. But I figured out that if I get the perch pins to line up, the tires will end up right where they're supposed to be. Granted, still a Ford axle, but not as obvious as a transverse leaf setup.

Even though we live pretty far out in the country, there's a large fabricating shop just 1/4 mile down the road from us. They do a lot of very involved and very heavy duty weldments for the farming industry. So they've got the equipment and the know-how to section and weld my axle and make it straight and strong.

 

I think the only body panels I'm missing are the rear fenders.
So if ya got any...
I'd pay a million dollars.
Give or take.

 

EXCELLENT!!!
Dan

 

What did you end up using for a front axle set up?

 

Rick, looking at the photo's I'm thinking a fiberglass Model A coupe or pickup rear fender may work, maybe someone has one you can borrow for testing. HRP

 

@Budget36
That's a 1964 Ford F100 axle. It's just half-assed u-bolted to the Plymouth springs so I could get it on and off the trailer. But I'm thinking about using it.

@HOTRODPRIMER Danny,
Some fiberglass rear fenders of unknown origin did come with it. Initial test fit doesn't look real good LOL. But I agree, something can probably be adapted. If I end up bobbing the fenders a bit, the fit of the fiberglass rear fenders might be a little easier to manage. Or maybe somebody will have a nice pair of original fenders for me. But they're not as readily available as Fords.

 

@HOTRODPRIMER
. Or maybe somebody will have a nice pair of original fenders for me. But they're not as readily available as Fords.[/QUOTE]

Yes sir, I checked the Hamb and Market place within 500 miles of me for 30/31 Plymouth rear fenders and found nothing. HRP

 

If it fits, heck ya. I recall you mentioning using a trailer axle to get it on and off.
I thought “doesn’t look like a trailer axle under there “.

 

"If it fits" is a relative term.
The track width of the F-100 axle is a few inches wider than the stock Plymouth. And the spring perch position is further outboard than the springs on the Plymouth by about the same amount. So if I narrow the axle to line up the perch pins, then the track width falls into place, too.
But I kind of like the way the sidewalls of the tires are just about even with the outer edges of the front fenders. I think it gives it kind of a radical aggressive look. In that case, I could just build adapter plates. Or adapter blocks if I wanted to go up a bit.

Edit:
Scratch the idea of the "wide-track" look. I'm gonna go ahead and have the Fab shop narrow the Ford front axle.

 

The wider the front, the more stable the control.
Think 'rail job'

 

That's gonna fly with a foe foety foe speed......good luck all the way....

 

Dude! Awesome!

 

Excellent. Good luck!

 

Congrats on the coupe! Being a PA coupe owner I will be following along.
Too bad you are so far away, I have a Mopar wavy tube axle that would look cool under there