The Rarest Plymouth Of Them All!

So last srping I purchased a 1951 Cranbrook Belvedere 2 dr. Hard Top...and ever since I purchased this car I have heard nothing but the fact that its a pretty rare car...being the first Belvedere they came out with...and being a 2 dr. hardtop...Now that I understand that its a rare car...yes I get that...but what does it nessescarily mean to me...is it worth more...does it make it more noticeable, or more wanted to car enthusiests...I have done some research and found very little about this make...but for some reason I see more info. on the regular cranbrooks, cambridges, and concordes than my model...eventhough it is considered a cranbrook just a sportier version if you will...so with that said!...CAN ANYONE HELP ME OUT!...does anyone know anything about these CARS!...

 

Rare...yea it's probably very rare. Sadly though,the only Mopars worth anything usually have Hemi's in them,or are Muscle cars. I say,if you like it...that's all that matters!

 

Google is your best friend.



http://www.allpar.com/history/plymouth/plymouths-1949-1952.html

http://rides.webshots.com/album/270931776VfoDQz

 

NICE WHEELS James!!! Most of those you see are the ugly four doors. I never knew they came in a Hardtop.

 

Not as ugly as I was expecting!

 

The very first car I owned .. and it looked exactly like the one pictured above

I paid a guy $55.00 for it in 1971 ..and sat in it and revved the flathead 6 every day after school ..It was cherry

My old man made me sell it .. guy wrecked it 2 weeks later

 

According to the book, Standard Catalog Of Chrysler 1924-1990: The 2 door hardtop sports coupe (version of the Cranbrook series) is called the Belvedere. There were 51,266 produced in 1951 and 1952. They were also listed from 53 on.

Rare in Mopar speak is 1 of 1, or 1 of 2 produced of a given car, and usually consist of a group of options in a specific car line. Most 50s and early 60s Mopars were not broken down as to the option list.

As such, your car is rare because its still here. Now do to it whatever you want and enjoy it. Let the next guy worry about how rare it may or may not be. If your concerned, save everything you take off/change and put it in a pile, then give it to the next guy that buys your car. He can then restore it if he has a fancy to do so.
Gene

 

Rare probably as far as Plymouths go. Its distinction being first or second year of the hard top (no door posts) in the Plymouth line. I have been a Plymouth fan for years and have seen probably 4 of the hardtops in 30 years of going to car shows. Two of those I have seen in person were at National Plymouth Owner Club meets. It was the precursor to the Belvedere trim line. Mecanically it is the same as every Plymouth 6 cylinder made from 1935 to 59 after which flat head 6 production was suplanted by the slant 6. Does it have Over drive? If it is the stockengine, it puts out 100 hp or maybe a couple more, and lots of torque at low Rpm. Has a long 4 3/8 in ch stroke, and doesn't like high RPM. HP was developed at 3600. It will run all day at 3200, putting you at around 60 mph with a 3.8 something rear end. The three speed is a selector style and floor shift conversions a few and far between if they can be located at all. You can find come vintage speed equipment including dual intakes, cast headers and finned aluminum heads by Edmunds, Fenton, and a couple others. One just sold on epay for over 2200 bucks (nucking futz) best hop up deal is to mill the mead and deck the block,. you can go .090 and still be able to run regular unleaded.
And the valve seats are hardened so adding pseudo lead is not an issue. Front brakes are wierd dual single acting wheel cylinder deals, but disc brake kits are available from several sources.

So worth big bucks? Depends who's buying. Will there be any others on the tour, at the cruise in, or in the show not likely. Do you like it? Great!! Drive it.

 

It's rare in the sense that it's a car no one ever gave much of a damn about to save one. I've never seen one in person that I remember, and I would have noticed a hardtop that early as I wandered the junkyards up here.

I certainly wouldn't kick one out of the garage, it almost looks chopped just the way it is.

 

to help make your car rare I cut one up to make a Belvedere hardtop wagon

 

Beautiful car the Belvedere. I should know I own one. This is what it looked like the day after I bought it.



I get a lot of **** because people tell me its rare and I tell them i am customizing it. They say I shouldn't and keep it original or restore. I give em this answer, "For $20,000 you can buy the car and do whatever you want with it". That usually shuts them up. Im doing the car the way I want to!!

Ive seen 3 other 1953 Belvedere's for sale. The last one(restored) sold for $19,000. Ive seen a 1952 for sale as well, but online. Ive never seen a 1951...nice find.

What options do you have on yours?
What are your plans for her?

Good luck with it man!!

 

OOOOHH my god, that's really daring to be different. I love it. Please post building progress 'cause this is a real schaweeet ride.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't worry much about customizing it... we had a pretty decent '54 convertible here and it took forever to sell.. I don't even remember what happened to it, I think we about gave it away... it had been in a barn for 30 years... have another one there now, but it's a parts donor to convert another car, there is NO frame between the rear spring perches. But no one really cares. I never would have bought it to begin with, but my buddy saw some value in it. Have two '50 Plymouth fastbacks with enough to make one really solid car, too.. again no one cares.

 

Not my car.

 

any more pictures?

 

My dads got one..real clean completely stock, complete resoration. very nice.
Two tone Dark Jade Green lower with a Mint green top..hes looking for a set of fender skirts for it..the kind that go inside the fender wells not out side..and steel ones..anyone got any?

 

Featcher car story on a 51 Belvedere in the Feb 05 Rod &Custom. And it is even from your part of the country! Owned byJerry & Judy Novy of Hugo, Mn.

Runnig original engine with some bolt on speed parts and was mildly customized.

Nice car.

Ted H

 

this isn't my post, the wagon is a stalled project just sitting in the wheather rusting away. I tried selling it a couple times and now plan to get it back in the shop next summer and at least get it on the road.
the build was not difficult all the parts fit like it was made that way from the factory, it has a 270 dodge hemi mated to the plymouth 3 speed over drive.

 

here is mine i just finished putting a sbc in it. if you come across some rear window regulators i need them.the last pic is my first plymouth it is a post car.

 

Dodge came out with the hardtop the same year. We found one on a ranch in Central Texas years ago, a one-owner car with a perfect body and interior and only a couple dinged/dented fender strips. Paid $250, got it running, ran it through the auction at the Houston Autorama Thanksgiving car show. Got NO bids the first run through the stage. All no bid cars got a 2nd chance after all the entries had been run through, so ran the little dumplin' back across the stage and got NO bids again. Only freaking car that had no bidder interest in a no-reserve cl***.
Ran the car in the newspaper want ads 3 weeks later and sold it for $2500. Figure that out.

 

As stated - rare but not particularly desireable. I'd have a hard time keeping my hands off it. Drop it, put in any V8 you want, cruise the wheels off the little thing. It's a really good looking car, which is hard to say about most of the '40s-early 50s Mopars.

 

I know my chrysler is of a different era and not as rare as your's but i have found the purist mopar guy's are fanatic's about their car's. I had a guy chew me out for the body mods and style I built my car. I say it's your car. Enjoy it. Have a blast. Dont worry bout the worth it may have to someone else. Chop it, deck it, shave it, slam it, cruise it!

 

Not the rarest but it's mine and I dig it

 

Not the rarest but it's mine and I dig it

 

The only thing more nutty than a mopar purist is a AMC purist.

 

well I finally finished readin all the comments...so with that said...thanks alot...that helps...yeah I do know for a fact that in 1951 it was the first year of the hardtop thus-the BELVEDERE came...meaning yes 1951 was the first year of the Belvedere...and an awesome run it had throughout the rest of its glorious days...even being burried in a time capsel in 1957...awesome car...but anyway...it really doesnt matter to me about selling it...cause its not going to happen...I will keep this car untill I die...just cause it has personal value now being my first project car...and what an awesome car it is...thats the cool thing about this one is that you dont see too many early 50's anymore...not to mention the early 50's mopars...and they are great cars...especially the ones that sport the old school hemis!...amazing...wish I had the extra money to get one and throw in there...which brings me to the point of what am I going to do with it...
So here are my plans...right now I was able to get my hands on a 327...yes another small block...I know I know...but I was able to get a really good deal on it...and ylets be honest you just cant go wrong with it...when it was running before we took it out...which by the way if anyone wants to add any info. on how they mounted a csb in there 51 plymouth please I am all ears cause I am having some trouble with the steering box...damn thing is HUGE!...so yeah...and also I am throwing discs in front, and the whole frame is gonna sit REAL low...with skirts on it will look real good slammed...and not sure about the chop yet...thats another issue to wait on...I just want to get it running so I can cruise it...with a nice automatic ******(350 turbo)...also I am going to go with a black and green theme...being irish I am gonna roll with a my favorite beer...yes the guinness tapper for my shifter...the car name is "LORRAINE"...so I will roll with "LUCKY LORRAINE"...and thats about it...not real sure what I am going to do yet for tires and rims just know that I want the rims green instead of red...everyone does red...so yeah...any comments or tips would be great for this car...thanks guys...

 

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so this is her...but this is what she was supposed to look like when I got there to pick her up...NOPE!...not even close...she was sitt'n on four dead tires in the woods in some guys back salvage lot yard...and just looked HORRIBLE!...of course he didnt sell me the tires with it...dont ask me why...but I got him to throw in a new hood and new rear drivers side fender...so yeah...

 

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then I got her home and immediatly went to work ripping, tearing, grinding, and just simply gutting the whole thing out!...

 

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next...that stuck rusty no balls motor HAD TO GO!...what do you do...

 

<BR> and now there is nothing I can do cause its def. a FRAME OFF PROJECT!...haha...it looks bad but it really isnt...she will def. be on the road this summer...I will keep everyone posted with pics and such...