1946 Plymouth P15 2 door sedan, 3100 pounds, 117 in wb. I want to make a daily driver, grocery getter, pull my Teardrop camper (800 lb) down the road on a regular basis, really low buck ride out of it, not a show car or hotrod, Must have reasonable mpg and auto trans. Suggestions please. I've been leaning towards a small pickup drivetrain; maybe an S10 or Blazer or Ranger clip and rear axle as they are cheap and plentiful. Input appreciated.
I was with you up until the requirement for an automatic transmission, and then things got worse when you started talking about sub framing it. That is a lot of work, and not consistent with a low buck daily driver. To be true to the first half of your post, keep the six. Relocate the upper shock mounts. Add a PCV system. Get a 54 Plymouth OD ****** OR - and this is the part of my post where I will get flamed - find a Dodge three-speed fluid drive ******. (NOT the Gyro-Matic, you want the one that is just a fluid coupling and then a clutch and then the three speed.) You could even build this with that OD. People throw out those fluid drives all the time. But they provide excellent highway mileage (no slip) and they are super for grocery-getting (can't stall the motor, can start out in second and very rarely have to shift). On the other hand, if you want to go with the second half of your post, then the sky is the limit. One of the guys here on the HAMB is installing a late model frame under his '47 or '48 Plymouth, and it is a bunch of work.
Just drive it. I drive mine every day that the weather is nice. A few options for you: Convert to 12 volt. Electronic Ignition. Electric wiper motor. Upper shock mount relocation. Disk brake conversion. If you want to talk to a group of spe******ts, check out the P-15 D-24 forum. Those guys are gurus when it comes to these old Mopars.
I have an 86 D100 pu with a great Slant six (Super 6 two barrel and auto trans) Would that be doable ?
Get it running and drive it... lots of six banger fans here... good soilid drivers and great gas mileage as long as you're not in a hurry. You can always cam it and put on dual carbs. Those p15's are great cars...
The 'leaning tower of power' is not a great choice for this car. The /6 consumes alot of space. If your existing engine is in good operational condition, then clean it up and use it. No, 100 hp is not magicial, but they are reliable and make decent mileage. An overdrive trans is helpful if you plan on spending time on the freeways, but if most of you daily use is 55 mph or less then the stock system works. As noted, put disc brakes up front (PM Olddaddy) and change the top shock mount. The stock suspension is better than most acknowledge. If you start thinking about engine or trans swaps, then remember that alot of other things may also need changing, depending on the desired package; rear axle, 12 volt system, exhaust, possible radiator, possible steering column, clutch pedal ***y, trans cross member/frame mods... Like George suggested, use the search ****on and read up on all of the current projects. .
Mopar smallblocks with the correct exhaust manifolds are a somewhat easy swap into these cars. A 318 should net decent mileage, at least the same as the boat anchor flathead six, plus electronic ignition is factory offered from '72 up. Lots of support for these engines, too. Mopar smallblocks also have a couple different overdrive automatics that will bolt up, such as the A500. Rear end doesn't matter, but if you take out the original drivetrain it will need to be changed. Original junk has a torque tube. Given what you're doing, I'd go with a Mopar smallblock, personally.
Not a torque tube, an open drive shaft with Detroit u-joints. The real problem is that the stock emergency brake is on the transmission. Change the ******, and then you need to swap the rear to get an e-brake. It is possible to have a driveshaft with a Detroit joint on one end and a standard one on the other.
We have a 49 Plymouth in the shop now and our customer is wanting the same for his car...safe, comfortable, plenty of p***ing power, but completely reliable. He plans to take the car out of town and state with his family on board. He choose the mustang 2 front end approach with a triangulated rear coil overs on all corners. Jim Weimer Rod Garage makes a front hub-to-hub just for these frames since the x members meets right up at the crossmember. Damn good price and it comes standard with a power rack, it also has the front sheetmetal mounting points. We're running a mopar 340 six pack, 727, and ford 9" I'll post as we go...
Appreciate the input guys. Just one other quick question. Have to get this thing a couple hundred miles away. Can I use 2 of the 4 1/2 on 5 rims and tires on my 86 D100 on the 46. Using tow dolley and don't want to have to mess with the old tires when I pick it up. The 46 has the same bolt pattern I think.
Your Plymouth is going to have lug bolts with a pin between two of them, not studs. If your truck has lug studs taking nuts, you'll have a pin on the drum and no place to put it.
im one of those guys driving a modifed hydrive. i had a stock hydrive transmission in my 53 plymouth. i have installed a rebuilt overdrive transmission on to the existing torque convertor. becasue of the torque multiplication (2.77) i can come to a complete stop in third and take off , and keep up fairly well with city traffic, when i reach a certain speed the overdrive kicks in and i can cruise at 80 with no problems. my wife drives the car as an automatic, i drive it like a manual with 5 gears due to the overdrives gearspliting properties. i used it as a dailydriver for 10 years good car. keep-em stock(ish) no reason to clip them
George Asche rebuilds and sells overdrives for these. Last time I talked to him, get was getting about $1100 for a rebuilt one. Dual intakes, exhaust and Overdrives. 1693 Fertigs Road Venus, PA 16364 814-354-2621
The hub uses bolts, so the post is to hang the wheel on while you get the bolts started, vs the wheels staying on the wheel studs & you only haver to put nuts on with a modern hub.
I just put a 360 &727 in my 48 b- coupe,not to bad a fit . Close on the colum and had to off set the motor to clear everything. 8 3\4 rear was already in the car so that was a bonus.Disc brakes,have no complaints on the way it drives with stock front end.[http://
As said, lots of info here. Cheapest, lowest power=go with stock motor Next step = LA motor and auto trans This requires a new rear, driveshaft, Ebrake work and a 12V conversion Since you plan on towing, I'd suggest a 360 over a 318. Probably not much price difference for a core or a runner.... you can also explore the 92-up magnums and a carb conversion. I would not worry about clipping the front end if this is low or medium buck, the front suspension is good if rebuilt. Check prices there before deciding. Any stock suspension effort should include the front shock mount. Discs would be a good safety measure, as well as a dual master cylinder, especially for towing. Ford wheels will have a smaller center hole (register), so go with Mopar wheels to pick it up. You can knock out the pin, but then it will be harder to get the lug bolts started. DO NOT knock in the pin and leave it in the brakes that will be spinning while towing!!!! The rear drums require a special puller to remove, search here and the web for this. They can be a pain! It may be easier to grab a pair of the stock wheels and run over to a tire shop instead of dealing with the pins/drums.
Leave the stock suspension in the car it's fine. I rebuilt mine and I run a 440/727 auto. The "A" (318, 340, 360) motor is easier to fit. There is an article in Tex Smith's "HOW TO BUILD CHRYSLER, PLYMOUTH DODGES HOT RODS" that goes into detail about the "A" motor in your car. The car might not be the best at road races but it runs down the highway fine. (Longest trip 3700 miles round trip.) Lots of ways to get a power rack & disk brakes without breaking the bank if you can make a couple brackets. I put disk brakes on my car for about $100 (wrote an article for Tex Smith's mag in '89) That's 1989 $100 dollars. Copy can be found on my website: http://dndrodshop.com/ Later model GM rack (with the arms that reach to the middle) is the only rack that works with the stock suspension. You can hook to the stock steering arms if you willing to give up a little turning radius. Make you own brackets or PLYDO had them. Are they still in business or did they get bought out? 8-3/4 from an "E" body (70's Challenger/Cuda) will fit on the stock spring pads (within about 1/4"). Been running one for 11 years.
i had a 50 plymouth 2 door. stock drum front, and a 360, 727 and the rear from a 76 cordoba. everything went in well. i put a metro booster ***embly on the firewall, and stopped her on a dime everytime. she ran 75 down the highway, and just needed an electric fan for heavy traffic cooling on the stock radiator. dont be too against the stock front end. they work well. i had 2 49 chryslers with stock front ends, and geo metro/ tracker boosters on them. if you want a newer 6, you may want to pick up a 250 chevy,350 turbo combination. i got consistent 20 mpg's with that combo in several cars that size. good luck, and enjoy the ride.
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