Noob from Springfield MO

So, finally bit the bullet and bought another project. I have worked on 70's plus vehicles all my life (I'm 28) and always wanted something older but have never found anything that fit in my budget and I liked the look. Found a 51 Plymouth Cranbrook 2 door on craigslist and swooped it up. I know you guys love pics, so here they are!













Alright, well that's done. The body is in really good shape, just a couple spots that need work. The engine/trans (flathead six and 3 speed on the column) are working wonderfully although I could probably out run it on foot. The brakes are the problem, they don't work. Left front locks up sometimes when I try to stop, sometimes not. I'm just going to bite the bullet and do a disc brake swap on the front and mess with the back to get them functioning and drive it for a while like that.

Then...

While I am driving it as is I will be buying a long bed s10, tearing the body off, bagging it and doing a 5.3/4l60E swap out of a 2000+ chevy/gmc truck. Pull body off the 51 frame, complete rewire and channel the body over the s10 frame. When I am done it "should" handle like a newer s10, run like a scalded dog and look like I'm driving Miss Daisy. Sorry I'm so long winded, but once I start it's hard to stop!

try a 318 dakota instead. Mopar in a mopar would rock

good looking car. welcome aboard

Ideally I would do a new hemi but the 5.3 is such a good engine and super cheap. I can get one with tranny for under $1000.

Welcome to RRR ! Tons of truck projects here, good to see a car Keep us posted on the progress.

If you are already doing a disc conversion why tear the hell out of that car doing a frame swap? You are going to wind up doing WAY more work than necessary, and rarely do they wind up looking right. Go through the stock suspension and bag it if you like, then do a V8 swap and be done with it. You will be much better off on a stock chassis and floorpan than with that S-10 swap.

welcome from a neighbor just down the road...(well we aren't that close i don't guess -lol)

good looking old car...keep us posted

personally i think a rear axle swap to go with the front disc swap and you'd be set...doin a frame swap sounds like alot of work...but build it how ya want as long as its safe

THAT car is SSSWWWWEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!!

Since it already runs, what if you keep the flathead and look for a five speed stick; I don't know if you could keep/make the linkage through the column but that would be AWESOME! (I know, nobody says awesome anymore)

Otherwise, the car is sweet! I just threw a post up that I found a 351 Cleveland on craigslist for $50, and I've gotten a bunch of freebies too. I love the site

Welcome from Tejas... love the Cranbrook!!!

BoB

great looking car.welcome to RRR

After reading your posts I just might keep the stock frame, I honestly hadn't even checked the floorpans and frame very well, I just expected them to be junk, that's how I usually buy stuff. Looked under it and there isn't a rust hole in the entire floorpan, frame is in good shape it looks like. I was planning on cutting out the entire floor and body dropping it over the s10 frame, building a completely new floorpan but in as good of shape as the pans are, I would hate to cut it up. It looks like if I can lay frame when bagged I would only be 1/2" or so from laying rocker panels, i guess that would be low enough!

As far as keeping the flat 6, it will stay in for a while but honestly, I want to make a daily driver out of this thing and reliability and power are something I want both of. Sure, the 6 can be reliable but not at the power level I want, and I want an automatic.

Now that brings up another thing for me to search on... bagging a 60 year old plymouth! The back is easy enough, cut cut weld, I just wonder about the front...

Welcome to the site from Lebanon MO, just up the road from you.

Love the project you have going, should be a lot of fun.

Welcome. Very nice car. I am with the others, just upgrade your front suspension and swap the rear end out. I would go with a hotter engine though. I like them fast.

Thanks. I actually got the car from a guy in Lebanon! Does anyone happen to know what would be the best way to upgrade the front suspension? I would really like to go with power steering and power disk brakes.

Welcome aboard here also!

Welcome from Willard Mo. Mustang II would be one way to go that way you can keep the original frame rails.
I'm with the faster engine swap. Dodge (Durango ?) engine and tranny is my vote, super charger later on . Oops got carried away!!!

Operatorfailure said:

Thanks. I actually got the car from a guy in Lebanon! Does anyone happen to know what would be the best way to upgrade the front suspension? I would really like to go with power steering and power disk brakes.

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Hello from up by K.C. Fatman or Heidt's are probably your only choices on MII crossmember or stub. That is a cool car, do with it what you want to do.