As my '47 Plymouth is getting a v-8 powertrain, axles, brakes, 12v system, etc, That means I have a good start for a retro roadster of sorts. I say "of sorts" because it won't be a Ford. Anyhow, I have a complete Dodge 230 flathead & 3sp w/ OD trans, rear with 3.90 gears, drive shaft, the entire brakes and 6v electricals minus a battery. The stuff is all good, plus I have spare parts too. I'm going to build an old style roadster so I'll need frame, front axle, seats, lights, ragtop, column & wheel, cowl-mount steering box, drag link, hairpins, rear spring, gauges, and sundry parts, but most of all a body, and it can't be a Ford, because nobody put a boat-anchor mopar 6 in a Ford, or at least not without being run off the lakes like a criminal. Anyhow, it'll be two years before I can really start building it, so there's lots of time to collect parts, but I'm afraid that finding maybe a body from a 4cyl mopar car to "hop up" will be next to impossible. But I do think I can deal with building one from scratch if I have to, or maybe buy a Ford and mod it until it's not obvious, but that sounds uneconomical. So I'm fishing for ideas here guys. What would you look for? I'm sure I don't want a transverse buggy spring setup. Would using coil suspension be too far from the gospel?
Plymouth had coil-sprung independent front suspension on some models as early as 1934. Not sure how that affects the gospel, but I'm sure that there were a few hot rods built based on them.
I'd check the cl***ifieds here every day until a body is found. There will be something that speaks to you, especially since you have some time. As for suspension,there is a really good thread on here about three springers. I would build one of those.
I'm thinking about a front beam axle, or tube axle, but with coils rather than the buggy spring & batwing type setup. Of course it'll need a panhard or some other locating device. I've seen a few old rods with front coils and rear coils, but I have no clue when those cars were built or by whom. I have the original Plymouth radiator too, and I'm thinking to use it, but I'd have to build a custom grill/shell and so there's an opportunity to do something like AlaKart, where it has a whole custom nose that houses the lights too. It'll be fenderless, because I live where rain is as rare as Duesenberg hubcaps. The P-15 rear end might be silly wide though, even with skinny wheels, so I might want to narrow it. I don't recall that a lot of axle narrowing went on in those days though. IMO a too-wide axle will mean crummy cornering with lots of scrubbing. I don't care for too short of a wheelbase. I might forget about OEM style frames, and just build a whole short digger chasis similar to 31Vicky's Sooooo, as far as being "traditional" well it might be a modest reflection of the traditions of a slightly later period, in sort of a twisted way. That's as much thought as I can filter through my brain right now, but I'm sure there are lots of things I'm not considering. I know you guys won't let me flounder too much.
Have you seen the Specials thread? I've got some fairly radical ideas around suspension for solid-axled ladder frames. Not to hijack this thread - so PM me if you're interested in exploring uncharted territory.
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