1949 Mopar More-door build

[falconvan]

$400 bux with a ton of parts, i couldn't say no. I'm going for the ultra-cheap driver. Hopefully the old flat six will run. First off is lots of cleanup.

 

[Tripper]

Nice score for $400!!! Never owned a Mopar but my buddy has tons of them!!!

BoB

 

[falconvan]

I also have a 48 Plymouth coupe I've been building into a nice street rod for the past 4 years so they will make a good pair. I'm building the nice one for my wife; I'll take the beater.

 

[CORPO]

looks real solid especially for 400!

 

[falconvan]

It is; it looks like someone had done some restoration work on it at one time. It's been repainted and the interior had been redone although now it's definitely ready for both again. I'm planning on flat black, some really basic interior rehab, a wiring harness and 12 volt changeover along with whatever mechanical it needs to be roadworthy. Just a cheap, fun driver. I'm hoping to do the whole car for less than $1500 but we'll see. Luckily I've got a stockplie of parts for these cars from scrapping out a few of them.

 

[falconvan]

Started cleaning it up and going through parts; should be fairly easy to put back together. The drivers seat doesn't have a rip in it.

 

[earthman]

Great score! Just a fun old car to poke around in.Now you know there are
flat colors beside black.Just wanted to mention that.

 

[falconvan]

Yeah, that's true. But that Rustoleum flat black job they did in Hot Rod last month is looking pretty good on the wallet for this.

 

[Noah Zarq]

What's wrong with the color it is now? Flat black seems to be overdone these days. As nice as that sheet metal looks, I'd just address the stuff that needs fixing and drive it like it is.

 

[Fleetline]

I've seen a lot less go for a lot more. I agree with some of the others, leave the sheet metal alone and put some real power under the hood and some painted steel rims and fat meats. Can you say sleeper?

 

[Shea Laking]

Nice score, FV!

I'm gonna say, clean up the chrome and paint that's there, get it running with 12 V -, put some fat tires and small hubcaps on and drive it!!!

Whatever you do, I'm looking forward to seeing it, 'specially after that crazy icecream truck![ddd[P

Regards,
Shea

 

[falconvan]

You know, I was thinking the same tonight. Just leave the damn thing green. I do have some structural rust issues I have to address; the supports for the hood hinges on the hood are gone. But there's really no sense in repainting the whole car. Maybe some on the interior; the mixture of green, brown, gray, and tan is nauseating.

BTW; the guy who bought the I-Scream is really happy with it and stays in touch. It's a billboard truck for an HVAC company in Ohio now.

 

[falconvan]

I figured this was the easiest way to get at everything. You can pull the whole front clip by removing 8 bolts so it was a no brainer. Lots of cleanup needed but the good news is I put a wrench on the balancer and the motor turns freely.

 

[Shea Laking]

You know, I was thinking the same tonight. Just leave the damn thing green. I do have some structural rust issues I have to address; the supports for the hood hinges on the hood are gone. But there's really no sense in repainting the whole car. Maybe some on the interior; the mixture of green, brown, gray, and tan is nauseating.

BTW; the guy who bought the I-Scream is really happy with it and stays in touch. It's a billboard truck for an HVAC company in Ohio now.

I'd have to agree with your assessment of the interior... Looks like it's "all there" but would benefit from a bit of a makeover.

Maybe paint all the trim one colour and some Mexi blankets for the seats?[S

Must be good to hear that your last creation is cared for and enjoyed!

Regards,
Shea

 

[falconvan]

That's kind of what i'm thinking. There's a fair amount of tan on the inside so i might just paint the interior trim and the dash tan. The headliner is gray but that should work ok together.

Yeah, it's cool to have something you built out there. I've built and sold three in the last 4 years and they're all still on the road.

 

[falconvan]

After a thorough soaking with engine degreaser and some serious power washing things are looking pretty good. The suspension and steering are all solid with several newer looking parts, and all the grease fittings were in good shape and took grease. The frame is all solid except for the front cross member which had a ton of mud packed in it. The bottom and back of it are gone and will need some serious rebuilding. I've got some steel plate that I think will work good, the only downer is that the motor will have to come out and the suspension will have to come off to get at all the bad spots.

Also ran a quick compression check and have 120-140psi across the board so that's a plus.

 

[falconvan]

I guess im in a holding pattern on this one; I got the motor to start but its pretty much junk; bad bottom end knock and now my compression is gone on the back two. I dont want to put a small block Chevy in it. I'll have to see what I can come up with. Drat.

 

[falconvan]

I have to give a guy named Little Mo the big thumbs up for being a great guy. I met him on the P15D25 Mopar website. After I found out the motor in this was junk he stepped up and gave me and engine and trans. I went and picked it up today; one heck of a nice guy and I'm glad we met.

OK, drive train is out and suspension is off so now I'm at a good starting point. First I have to do some serious rust repair on the crossmember; then I can start cleaning things up and reassembling.

 

[jfg455]

I was going to suggest the left over engine from the I Scream Van...[P

 

[falconvan]

If I hadnt sold it; i'd probably have mounts halfway welded in by now.