Projects New Zealand New. 1956 Plymouth with two many doors...

My young cousin and house mate brought himself an American car. No big thing, cept he's only 32, and has exotic taste in cars.
Never thought he buy American, so was surprised when he got home from his job as a diesel mechanic in Australia, and asked me to tow his new car home for him.
New Zealand New, means that when importing cars from overseas, from the beginning, till up into the sixties, cars were imported stripped down, or whole from Canada, then fully assembled here, before being sold.
Often this meant that diffrent year parts were used, such as trim, and sometimes even different motors.

This 56 looks to have 55 trim. We are still to establish what model it is, seller says he thought it is a Belvedere.

I see a restored more door in the states goes for 10 to 12 K.
Down here it's a little different, as just the fact that it's an American car makes it worth more.

So, enough writing for now, here's the pics. My old Landrover got sideways several times in the rain towing this home. I was having fun.

 

Is the rego on hold or lapsed? Big difference in getting it back on the road.

 

It's good to see our RHD cars getting saved.

 

Seller said it is on hold. We will see.

 

My cousin is capable of doing anything, so he will save it for sure. He not long finished building a alloy jet boat, powered by a jet ski motor. He also has just about finished building a LS1 powered Hilux. We are about to build a large workshop to house his toys.

 

A few more pics. We just fired it off, so I'll put a vid up soon.

 

interesting car. It has the 55 Belvedere sedan trim. Not the 56 Belvedere trim, which was quite a bit more complicated. The 56 Plaza had a single side trim strip, but only half way back, not all the way. (I'm talking about the US trims here)

 

Thanks Jim. I'm wondering what other parts were used from different models.

 

And here is the original plate. ( or the imprint) Yes, it was a black plate ( these are desirable plates used from mid sixties, to early eighties), but the plates are now on a 56 Chevy, so rego isn't on hold. No biggy, Jeremy has a good job, the smarts to fix anything, and the money to back it up.

 

Cool! What are the plans?

 

He wants to do it completely stock.
We will see how long that lasts.
Great to have you back buddy.

 

Sounds great. I'll be following this one.

Feels good to be back!

 

So what size is the Poly?..........277 or 301?.........with that intake manifold I looks like a 301/313/318 A series and its the 2 speed Powerflite gearbox going by the trunk badge and dash shifter.......neat car tho'......andyd......

 

Great stuff. We have to get the new workshop built first. It's going to be a 15 by 12 metre American style barn.

Thanks Andy, you know your Plymouths.
It's a 313 with two speed powerflite we think.

 

My understanding is that the NZ new RHD cars came from Canada and thats why their trim could be a bit of "last years leftovers and a bit of this years new stuff".

I rescued a rough 2 55/56 door wagoon (cost $500) about 8 years ago then gave it to a mate in Darfield, then bought it back off him for $1500 then sold it a year or so later to his son for $1500. Its still there waiting in line....

It came with a bunch of spares from a sedan too. Hopefully it will see the road again one day. Every couple of years, I offer the kid his $1500 back, but he hasnt folded yet.

 

Great stuff Todd.
Your right about the Canadian side of it, I forgot about mentioning that.
Wagon sounds cool.

 

Some times you can't have to many doors https://images.search.yahoo.com/sea...r/1955-A-S-Plymouth-Limo-opt.jpg&action=click

 

Great score, glad to see it is in good hands! The 'export' Mopars of this era were not built to a high level of consistency like they were in the US or Canada. Volumes were typically very low and the assembly lines were much less automated, almost bespoke in some ways. They would have no reservations about building a car with whatever parts were on-hand to complete a car, if that's what it took.

I know I have some photos of new '57-59 Mopars being built in NZ, possibly Australia. It was very small operation. I'll try to dig them up.

Here's an assembly line film from 1955, I bet your cousin will appreciate it.

 

Thanks, sounds like he's about to get up, so I'll show him when he is.

 

What Jim said and others about the Canada trim....also the dash sifter is 55 as 56 went to the column....but she looks all 56 from that and really nice. I've had a few more doors and currently have a 56 277 running like a top for my 56 Fury project....there are lots of differences in early and later 277/318 motors so be sure what you got. should be some casting #'s on the block that will help. Good luck !

 

Stillrunners.....re the differences in the Polys, I thought that the intake manifold design is a good reference point, ie, the Polys with the one piece intake/valley cover are the 301/313/318/325 which went from 56 to 67 and the two piece intake/separate valley cover style is the 240/260/270 used up to 1956........but am not sure about the 277 version as to which intake style it had.....as far as I am aware the one piece intake/valley cover also has the saw tooth style rocker covers but the earlier separate two intake and valley cover engines all had the more scalloped rocker covers............would be interested in learning what was what .............lol...............BTW you don't want to know about the variations and cobbled together stuff here in Oz..........lol..........andyd

 

I pulled out the back seat, thinking it would be full of mice nests, and was surprised to find it wasn't as bad as I expected. Floors are going to need some work, so Jeremy's planning on buying a rotisserie.

 

Jeremy says he wants to keep it original, so last night i find him reading this book, and today he grabbed some new leads. I'm halfway through putting new plugs in, but it's snowed down South, and it's as cold as a nun outside, so I stopped to get warm.

 

Unfortunately that book doesn't show much if anything on building a Poly although the general ideas used for the A( LA actually) series engines applies to the original Poly A series except where the heads & intake are concerned.........the best recent info on the A series Polys is in Chrysler Power Magazine out of Texas and this publications late publisher/editor Roland Osborne was instrumental in having a new 318 Poly Air Gap style single 4 barrel intake manufactured and offered for sale.........the publication by Ron Ceridono "Tex Smiths The Complete Chrysler Hemi Engine Manual"published 2000 and 2004 is worthwhile as it has a complete chapter on the 318 Plymouth Poly..........heres the 318 Poly in my 1940 Dodge sedan, its lived there since 1973........regards, andyd

 

Thanks again Andy, good info.
Took hubcaps off today, to find what looks like theOG wheels have been chromed at some stage.

 

Plugs and Leeds are done, and I've taken a pic of engine number. I'm busy putting in driveshaft, hoping to go for a suicide run soon. Brakes don't work. Jeremy's busy schooling himself on poly an d hemi hop up mods on you tube.

 

Any dissy to suit the LA V8, ie, 318 Valiant style engine will fit straight into that Poly, so the Valo electronic setup, the various aftermarket HEI's and what I've run for 40 yrs the Mallory YL Twin Point, as mentioned Chrysler Power magazine have done a single 4 intake and they also have alloy rocker covers and various engine hop up parts including cams etc......Edelbrock did a twin 4 and triple 2 intake and a finned alloy rocker cover which I've had, Offy did a triple and twin 4 also and Weiand did a single four intake their part # 7503 which was the last generally available new intake but none including the Weiand have been readily available for 20-30 yrs tho' they do turn up on ebay.........the factory had a single and twin 4 cast iron intake in 57/58, the twin four was only in those 2 yrs and the single 4 up to about 1960 then only a single 2 barrel from then till the end of the 318 Poly use in 1967....make sure if you order any parts or info especially to suit the pistons and above that you specify that you have a 318 POLY as just mentioning a "318" and most people assume its the LA wedge engine which are different from the pistons up, however the bottom end is the same as the later engine tho' your car having the 2 speed Powerflite means that the torque converter doesn't use a flexplate rather it bolts directly onto the crank flange and the alloy Torqueflite won't fit without an adaptor which is the same as used by the early Hemi's...............sorry to rave, just nice to see another Poly...........lol.............andyd

 

In the states the 56 and up MoPars had push buttons through the early 60's, it's evident they used what they had.