1933 Plymouth coupe - advice sought

Greetings,
I have been hanging around H.A.M.B. for a while now mostly as a tin basher and hammerhead, all the while looking for the right car to build. It came to me last week and now sits in my shop. It is a '33 Plymouth PC Coupe with 85,000 miles on it and lots of pleasant patina, and only maintainence no real restoration or modification. It was sold new in Poland and spent the War in a barn buried in a hay loft with an aluminum race car.

I hope to do a sympathetic and traditional build up on it. Though I will show it as a surviver in the unrestored cl***es a time or two before I start. It will allow me to gather parts so the project may procede at a managable pace.

At the moment I have in mind a 283, slushomatic, big and littles with Halibrands (kidney bean style), or painted wires with stock caps, up dated brakes, Ford or Alfa Romeo Rear Diff (limited Slip, Aluminum Pumpkin, W/ disk brakes) and a red tuck and roll interior, I hope to use the original paint with most of the Patina preserved if possible. But thoughts, Ideas and expertise from those of you who have been there and done that are really welcomed. I especially could use some advice on getting the front end down and located with out resorting to cutting the car or an IFS.

I have been restoring and preserving Italian Sports cars for 30+ years but this is my first true Rod, it should be fun and a nice change of pace.
Hoolig****fa (Bill Gillham)

 

use lowering blocks maybe or if the springs are above the axle remount the axle above the spring. nietherone is really very hard to do

 

Cool to see another sports car guy on here, the Plymouth looks nice. I can't wait to see progress pics.

 

Kurt
Actually I have done that, Dropped a 185 horse (only 200 lb) twin cam Hemi motor in a 2000 Lb Car (that's with the Hemi). Add 4 wheel disk brakes and a 5 speed, You get street sleeper. I could do that to the Plymouth. replace the 6 with a sweet little Hemi cammer with side draught Webers - triple the Hp and drop 3 or 4 hundred pounds to boot. (Just tell everyone its an Offenhauser). But that's not what I want to do here, a nice 283 will do just fine.
Regards,
Bill

 

leave it like that

 

Thats too nice. I would leave it like it is.

 

It's too nice for anouther small chevy swap.Put a Mopar in a Mopar.

 

HAMB-sters (can I say that?)
Most of the Hot Rod Shops around here say the same, (It's too nice leave it alone,) so that's what I'm goin to do, at least for the near future, it's fun to drive the way it is and it will do 60 on the freeway.
Any experience with warming up an L head 6 and adding a GearVenders overdrive? That might be another tack that would be completely reversable.

 

with sports cars under your belt this aught to be a piece of cake and i believe you are the right track, its a really nice car, hope you keep the fenders on it
if you are commited to an automatic, perhaps a slightly different approach would be to adapt a 3 spd auto with a quickchange out back, it may cost the same in the long run. i know gear vendors products are pricey, but then again a quickchange could be as well. it is generally a more traditional direction.

www.hotrodworks.com is a good place to start for a nicely ***embled quickchange, i know quite a few people running their work in hotrods and/or race cars. they can set you up with a ford 9" axle conversion which allows the use of the 28 spline axles as well as an adapter to run later 9" rear brakes. lug pattern is ford 5x5.5"... lots of wheel options open up..or set 'em out to whatever you want.

personal opinion, i wouldnt put any V8 into it... the mopar flat 6 does have speed parts out there and it is something a little different from the norm... it'd be a great motor to hop up, as a bonus you will be able to mantain all of the original front ch***is setup and be on the road faster..

you wont see the HP/Torque numbers a V8 would get but it sounds like the car scoots down the highway happily with 1933 technology... deffinately consider the standard flathead upgrades like PCV, remote oil filter, porting, camshaft, aluminum head, hotter ignition etc etc.

 

...try to find a second engine to tinker. with then when the time is right ...swap engines...

 

I'm with you funnycar65.
Bryan

 

Hey Bill,
You may or may not have missed the point with my somewhat underhanded way of saying something to the effect of: I don't see the point in changing that car much with how good it looks to be, especially with the great story behind it (and especially if it is do***ented, and do***ented with pictures).

Also, I am wondering what you meant by a "sympathetic build".

Thanks,
Kurt

 

I've got a gear vendors behind my ***mins diesel. I really like it. Might be a good option for you. They can be mounted either to the back of the trans with a custom adapter, or remote mounted on brackets / crossmember. It's either a 22 or 28% drop.


Pick yourself up copy of Rodders Journal #21. Check out Al Engel's 33 Dodge Sedan Delivery. 52 Chrysler 6 cylinder w/speed parts and a 5 speed from an S-10 (made a custom bellhousing).
Here's what your looking for:




Have fun.

 

Seems like you need to locate & buy another 33 Plymouth frame/ ch***ie . Modifie the later , keep the original frame un-modified .
Klaz
btw .. I love em early Plymouth & Dodge coupes ... Design as nice as a Ford , and will do With stock six or with a V8 : May it be a Chevy / Ford / Studebaker / Buick / Oldsmobile / Dodge / Chrysler /Plymouth / Cad / MB / M***erati or Packard ..

 

Thanks to all who have weighed in so far. I guess I better fill in a bit more for you all. I run a small but busy Alfa Romeo Restoration Shop. I try to finish 4 or 5 cars a year. I have preserved some fairly important race cars over the years, What I mean by sympathetic is making it work with out destroying it's hard won character. (Patina is an over used word but that is what it is, or at least was until folks started faking it). Anyhow I will not hurt the Plymouth and any rodding I do needs to be reversible. Perhaps I need another lesser specimen to ply my ideas on. It really does run and drive nice now, it's just slow as sticks. I bought the '33 sight unseen and it has turned out to be even better than it sounded. It is a perfect addition to what is actually a pretty nice collection of old cars, (the rest are Alfa Romeos).
Ciao,
Bill

 

Nice looking car. I agree with the rest either leave it alone or if you are gonna change the motor DO NOT PUT A CHEVY IN IT!! put either a later model six or a small block mopar like a 318 or 340. They are both great

 

HI I have a PC and it doesn't have the same grill and hood side panels, yours seem to be a 33 PD is this possible ?

Jerry...

 

'rod it. Fenderless, channelled, lowering blocks, headers on the exhaust, homemade intake manifold with three one-bbl Hollys, restore the original brakes, they work plenty good without "upgrade".

 

wow shes in surprisingly damn good shape for her age and surving ww2

 

I would vote for leaving it alone and finding something not as nice to start with. Seem like a shame to mess with such a nice car.

 

In the name of all things holy...don't put a Chevy motor in a Mopar. I know Chevy motors are plentiful and cheaper in cost than Mopars, but swapping brands just kills it for me. As Toymont said, drop a 318, 340, or even a 360 in it for some kick. Heck, even a slant 6 with some Dutra headers and an Offy 4 barrel intake will give it a pretty good kick, and look darn good too.

Using lowering blocks for the front would probably be the least invasive to drop it a little.

Don't mind my ranting. It's your ride, and a darn nice one at that...do what makes you happy and works for you, and enjoy it.

 

Looks like a PB to me too. PC ( Early year model ) had a bolt on hood ornament with the radiator filler under the hood, chromed radiator shell and a shorter wheelbase than the PB ( later year model ) which had the painted shell and flying lady filler cap that let you check the water level without opening the hood. These are very nice driving cars in original condition. If the engine is a good runner...,how about some six cylinder speed equipment ?
Youv'e got a nice looking car !!!!! Good luck with it !!!!
Carey
P.S.
PC had a painted headlight bucket with a shape somewhat like the 30-31 model A Ford and the PB had an acorn shape and was chromed.

 

I agree It seems that it is a pd. Very nice car. I would run it like it is.

 

WOW what a primo Plym coupe, a rare breed indeed these days. BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not put a SBC in this car.

A nice small block mope or a Desoto Firedome would be even better, keep it all MoPar. Then again its your ride to do with as you please.

Still a Desoto Hemi in this Plym would be utlra kool and VERY uncommon.

My 2 dinero....

Rat

 

i say leave the running gear alone for now, lower it by finding another front axle and droping it, install a duel master cylinder, repaint the wheels and get some nice tires, drive it for the summer and think about what you would like to do for a running gear upgrade. i vote for a desoto hemi.

 

Man I LOVE that body style, great looking doors! (both the shape of them, and the fact they're suicide) I'm guessing that must be stock, I sure didn't know Plymouth did that.

 

That car is in great shape, but if you are going to put a SBC in it then I say leave it as it is and drive it, if you are going to change it PLEASE go with a mopar engine in it and keep it all mopar

 

In 35 plymouth changed engine design. Yours as a 33 does not have full cooling jacke casting as such the shape of the cylinders can bee seen on the drivers side of the engine. 35 and newer got full water jacketing, and mor displacement. Believe youre is 198. Later are 201 218 and 230 with the same block. The only other change was a slight relocation of the starter so a swap to a later engine would rewuire a change in the bell housing also. There is a fellow who has a pretty comprehensive website regarding early plymouths google plymouth the first decade.

That said these engines respod well to more compression beter breathing and dual carbs and dual exhust. Pieces are available form severl sources. Search the HAMB for plymouth flathead for several threads. Also check out the information at P15 D24 regarding mopar flathead 6 engines.

It's your car and you can do what you want but survivors from those early years are getting few and far beween. You may be able to get a good chunk of change from a dedicated Plymouth afficianado. And get another one to play with.

 

That is a super super cool car and will undoubtedly be a cut above.

Edit...****, old thread.

good luck if you followed thru!