Projects 41 plymouth coupe 392 hemi build thread

Yes, it would not look good in the rear. Your car looks great without a front bumper.
Rock

 

Just spent the last 9 hours working hard on the passenger side lower area. After measuring where I was going to cut, I got the old grinder out and attacked the metal. From behind the outer skin came more rust, so the job became a little more complicated than initially anticipated. May as well do it right while your at it. Fabricated a piece made to size and welded it in.

All in all a lot of work for something you'll never see again.......at least I know it was done properly!

 

Here are the last 3 pics that didn't fit on my last post.

 

awsome build man. i read and looked through all the pics over the last 2 days lol awsome ride cant wait to see it when your finished!!

 

Glad mine was solid behind the outer panel! That outer panel is fun to form with the close brakes and the concave curve. Have fun! Then, you can do the other side!

 

Thanks mikline127! Glad to see you're enjoying the build, even though it has become slightly more comprehensive than planned......but I've enjoyed every minute of it so far.

 

loving the build! i have mine sitting in my dads garage in NY!! cant wait to get cutting into mine. thinking about running a 440 with a 6 pack and a 4 speed. been looking into a cavilier rack and pinion but havent really figured anything out yet. got a 49 ford waiting for me when i get off deployment!! got to get one project done before the next one can start haha.

 

YES YES YES! I like the look of it tucked!

 

Started on the drivers side this morning, and things started positive as I had problems taking the outer skin off. This means little rust, I thought. After sand blasting the area I was only able to find one small pin hole. Cleaned that up, welded it and ground it smooth. Then applied some primer. Yes! This has saved me about 5 hours of fabrication!

Tomorrow I'm going to make the outer skin.

 

Hello, just found this thread today. I think it was chopped when you first got it, but I was wondering if you knew how much the chop was? Sorry, I haven't had a chance to read through allthis yet if it's already been mentioned. Love the look of your car. Great job!

 

Thanks firemunkey. Here is post #201 for you. It also shows a few pics of the chop.

 

Awesome, thanks. I'm picking up a 41 coupe project soon. Now I need to read your whole thread. Very inspirational!

 

Wow what a day! Spent the last 10 hours measuring, fabricating and spot welding. The first photo shows the initial shape I started with. Pic 2 and 3 show the before and after shot. I just don't understand why people would just add on the bondo and cover areas like this. (or what was left of it). Tomorrow I'll do the final hammering and weld it all up. A very succesful day all in all.

 

nice. I remember making those.. I think I need to revisit them. I dig the pictures, it doesnt seem like its that much of a rust bucket, just a lot of little work. keep it up dude, that thing is going to be a really slick ride.

Oh and when are you going to toss that nice hemi in? I want to see it wedged between those frame rails by the end of the week! haha

 

Man that things going to be so sweet! cant wait, work looks good man. Keep it up!!

Justin

 

Thanks 1959apache. It's certainly not as rusty as some of the cars you see here on the Hamb, but trying to cover every is still taking up a lot more time than anticipated.

With regards to the hemi, there has been a change of plans. I was going to drop it in this month, but I'm first going to bring the car to my garage and do a complete mock up including drilling all holes in the chassis for the lines. Then after the doors, grill and trunk lid have been done, it will go to the paint shop. Only once that is done, I will get the chassis sand blasted and painted and then it's time to drop in the hemi. A bit more patience please.

What I may do though is just start it up outside when the weather gets better. Not sure if the neighbours will appreciate it though......

 

Thanks laidout53/Justin. Working every spare hour I have in order to keep the momentum going. I just don't want this project to go on forever. Thanks for the kind words.

 

Hello Mr farmer.
This Would be a fitting license plate,refferring to the engine if it still was in the states
And if you start up the engine in Haalem,i guess that i wil hear it roar here in my village,Haarlem wil shake on it's foundations!!

 

Started welding up the lower sides. Then decided it was time to replace the upper part of the trunk gutter which was quite rotten in place. Just cutting it out properly took me the most part of the afternoon. Never realised, but it actually supports the parcel shelf and the trunk spring/hinge mechanism. Glad I'm replacing it!

 

Here are just a few pics of what the car looks like at this moment.

 

Eric, how do you intend to get those trunk hinge springs back on? I've not taken mine off because I was afraid I'd never get them reinstalled.

 

Haha, funny you mention that. When I took them off to get sand blasted and primered, I did try to re install them by myself. This does not work! It's going to be a two man job, but I figured if they came off, they must get back on. I'll try to fit them back on there once the gutter is in place. I'll keep you posted!

 

Thanks wheelnutmarc! I'll let you know when we're going to fire it up. p.s. bring ear plugs!

 

The sooner, the better. I'm planning to have mine blasted in a couple weeks.

 

Holy smokes Eric, what a build!!!.
Must be a small world. I was going to bid on that car when it was on E-bay. Spoke with the owner several times. Then I posted it on streetrodding site for input. A friend rod builder in Arizona called me and said to stay away from it. He saw the nasty chop, bondo, welds, and rust. It broke my heart to walk away. We checked the guys feedback for a few months to see what the new owner would say... Never saw any. I'm so glad you weren't expecting a gem and are putting it back into it's glory.
I'm going to fwd this thread to Don in Arizona. He'll be impressed with your work.

We ended up buying a project car in much worse condition than yours. A '38 Chevy Coupe. It was so bad, I finished the body in sheetrock mud and pulled a mold off it. I found your thread searching for ideas for my frame c- notching and air bagging for that "on the ground" position.
My motor is at 5* down and with the pinion at 5* up and with the suspension fully collapsed, the driveline is at a pretty severe angle.

What angle are you running at each end?? What does it cost to ship a car to you? We paid $1200.00 Seattle, Washington to Sitka, Alaska.

Here's what I've done in 5 months...

 

Wow, it certainly is a small world! It was the look of the car that grabbed me. I knew there wasn't too much rust and you're right, I knew the chop was a mess. This has since been rectified, keeping the same angles and roundness previously created by bondo.

My engine and gearbox are nearly level at the moment. There is room to drop it though. Initial pinion angle will be close to 3 degrees down at ride height.

Shipping costs were similar to what you paid. And that was to Rotterdam, the Netherlands from LA !!

Good luck with your car. I can see it's going to be one great ride!

 

Well today it was time to lift the body off the chassis. Jacked her up in the front and rear in order to clear the c-notch and the transmission.

 

It took 4 of us to lift the body off and place it on a cart. This will give easier access to finish off the last welding necessary. Will have the chassis back in my garage this week and this will give me the opportunity to finish off the final welding.

 

That's excellant, Eric...keep flyin through it like you have been!!

 

Thanks Keith! Unfortunately I won't have much time this week to work on it, but there's always next week!