$7500 for a 48 Plymouth Coupe?

I have what I was told was a stock length 9" that according to the axle tag is from a 69 Torino, but its too wide for much of a tire to fit inside the rear fender with out custom back spacing.

 

I hate looking too far into a project when I don't even know if I'm going to be able to get the car, BUT...this is my biggest source of inspiration for the stance/style/attitude of the car minus the front end mods even though theyre pretty badass.

Bob Alexanders 48 Plymouth via Kustomrama-






Don't mind these terrible quality photoshopping skills of the actual car I'm looking at. I wish the photos were higher res I could've really made it look nice.

My plan -

 

When new, the Chrysler people knew about the hard starting when wet problem. So they equipped the car with big rubber spark plug galoshes that completely sealed the spark plugs from moisture. They knew the hood seam was right over the plugs.

As long as the ignition system was completely stock and in good shape, no problems. As soon as someone put on cheap aftermarket plug wires, you could have a problem. They would run long enough to get out of sight of the garage but get hard to start in the wet. Not one owner in a thousand ever figured out it was the cheap ignition wires causing the problem or that they should have taken it to the dealer in the first place.

The OEM waterproof plug wires are still available from parts specialists like Andy Bernbaum. It is called an Everdry plug wire kit.

http://www.oldmoparts.com/k.htm

Scroll down to see the Ever dry kit. There is a metal base that goes under the spark plug and a big rubber boot that snaps over it.

Bernbaum has a lot of parts for old Chrysler products.

 

The 9" is overkill for this car unless you have one laying under a bench. The Exploder rears are in just about every pick-n-pull and many have disc brakes and trac-lok (or what ever ford calls it).

Here are some Ford numbers, both 8.8 and 9":<WBR>
65-66 Mustang 57.25 inches
77-81 Granada/Versailles 58.50 inches
64 Falcon 58.5 inches
66-69 Torino, Ranchero, Fairlane 59.25
67-70 Comet, Cougar, Mustang, 59.25 inches
71-73 Mustang 61.25 inches
70-73 Ranchero, Fairlane 9" 61.25 inches
70-71 Torino 61.25
<WBR>72 Ford Van 3/4 ton 68 inches <WBR>73-86 65.25 inches
<WBR>57-59 Ranchero and station wagon 57.25 inches (narrowest 9" housing) <WBR>66-77 Bronco 58 inches but has 5-on-5 1/2 inch diameter bolt circle
<WBR><WBR>79-93 Mustang 7.5 and 8.8 57 inches
<WBR>Lincoln Mark7 LSC, SVO Mustang and Fox Body Saleens use a 59.5 inch wide rear axle
<WBR>94-98 Mustangs use a 58.5 inch wide rear axle
<WBR>99 and newer Mustangs use a 59 7/8 inch wide rear axle

.<WBR><WBR>

 

Oh exploder hahaha I got ya.

 

His "all rust repaired" statement calls for a through inspection of what was repaired and how it was accomplished. Cars can be made to look good; but if not done properly they won't look good for long.

 

I picked up my 48 club coupe for $1800. ran and moved until the fuel pump took a shit. Brakes were pretty much junk. but I swapped a dakota front end into it for ease of parts and also I had the donor truck. A 66 newport 8 3/4 rear end fit pretty good. will have to relocate the perches on the axel. I would suggest upgrading the spring packs. they are narrow and can cause axel windup if driven hard with a stick. Mine had the normal rot. the rockers were pretty blasted and the floor boards needed some work. trunk floor was perfect but ditched it when I went to a fuel cell and slammed the car to the ground. Check out my build thread on here. might give ya some ideas of what can be done to these. They look pretty sick as a mild to wild kustom.

 

I would have to see it in person before spending that kind of money never know what the pictures are not showing????

 

Skip it. Find something that is cool.