1950 Plymouth 2 door - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

GetRdone · 03-18-2005, 11:14 PM

A buddy of mine got into the oldschool car scene, and hes got me into it a bit now too. His friend has a '50 plymouth 2 door for sale. Its nice condition, any rust was removed and replaced with good sheet metal, car is in primer right now. Needs a clutch but hell do it if i buy the clutch and agree to buy the car. Floorboards need a lil work but not much. Flathead 6, 3 on the tree. He wants 2500 for it, what u guys think? Should i do it? Were doin the oldschool/show look. Things that worry me are; the absolute lack of power, 6 volt electronics, and its 4 drum brakes........any opinion?

etla · 03-28-2005, 09:28 PM

Don't sweat the 6V, it's easy enough to convert to 12V if you have problems. The brakes on these cars are adequate if properly maintained but sometimes parts for stuff this old is hard to come by so that's something to check into. Only you can tell if you have enough power for your needs.

irseg · 03-28-2005, 10:29 PM

Yeah I imagine it'd be insanely slow by today's standards. I have some early 50's car magazines, back then it was considered impressive if a bigass V8 propelled a car from 0-60 in under 14 seconds or so.

Those magazines are pretty entertaining. I have one with an article explaining how to bolt seatbelts into your car. One of the supposed benefits: women who buckle up will feel more connected to the car and therefore drive better. I'm dead serious. I can't imagine what would happen if a car magazine published something like that today!

shakran · 03-29-2005, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irseg

Those magazines are pretty entertaining. I have one with an article explaining how to bolt seatbelts into your car. One of the supposed benefits: women who buckle up will feel more connected to the car and therefore drive better. I'm dead serious. I can't imagine what would happen if a car magazine published something like that today!

My favorite was a 50's or 60's Motor Trend I read once. They were reviewing the Jeep Wagoneer (precursor to the Cherokee) and how easy it was to drive off road. My favorite quote was "the automatic transmission means that even a woman, with proper savvy, can handle the Jeep offroad."

It'd be very entertaining if they published that today

1slOwCD8 · 03-29-2005, 06:51 AM

Wait, are you buying it to fix up as a show car or as a daily driver? Cuz im sure the lack of power and drum brakes would be a little bit of a problem.

MSD · 03-29-2005, 06:56 AM

Blower + flathead + open headers = the greatest sound ever

That's all I have to say.

GetRdone · 03-29-2005, 02:35 PM

i was lookin at the vehicle for a kind of show car/daily driver (i know those 2 dont go together well). Im only home from school in summer, and use my gfs car on the rare occasion im home in winter. I havent put much thought to the car lately, but it will be for sale for a while, since it needs a new clutch before it can go anywhere. Im still considering it, but im also looking for other vehicles (id like a 5.0 mustang, but im picky..its gotta be 5spd, prefereably lx for lower insurance, and preferably a coupe, but a notch is ok) hey MrSelfDestruct....what blowers do they put on flathead 6's? any linkage?

Scorps · 03-30-2005, 11:15 AM

Personally I would go for something a little newer then 50. But if you like that car go for it.

GetRdone · 04-02-2005, 10:17 AM

Actually, this next weekend (8th).. im goin to look at a 1960 chevy bel air 2 door. Its got the 6 in it, primer black, automatic. The tattoo artist of a buddy of mine has it, oh ya and it needs new piston rings.

Scabs the Clown · 04-06-2005, 08:06 AM

I own a 1950 Plymouth. Mine is a 4-door. I just got it out of storage last week without too much trouble. Mechanical parts for it are actually pretty easy to come by. I can go to my local NAPA parts store and get a water pump, fuel pump, head gasket, and most other engine parts usually within a day. (That 6 cylinder engine, used from 1933-59 in cars, was used for other applications into the early 1970s so there are still quite a few of them out there which makes the demand for parts high enough so parts are still available.) It is the trim parts that are hard to find, but that may not matter to you.

I know people that use cars like that as a daily driver when it is practical here in Wisconsin. Old Plymouths are pretty dependable based on my experience and that of others I know. I've got no problems with the 6V electrical system in mine. It can always be push started rather than jumped if you have a problem, although I have jumped mine from a 12V battery. Lack of power is noticable but once up to speed mine will cruise 65 mph on the highway easily. While the brakes aren't great, if the system is taken care of they are adequate if you are paying attention. That may be the biggest issue as a car like that is definitely not as safe as a modern car so you need to pay more attention when you are driving it.

GetRdone · 04-06-2005, 08:34 AM

thanks for the info. The safety of the vehicle is of no concern to me, but the braking system is. Im used to having for disc brakes on a light sports type car, so my driving style is more tuned to being able to stop somewhat fast. I know the plymouth is a cruiser, thus stopping fast shouldnt be frequent, but it happens. Im still thinking about it, but i think i may have to go with something newer.

Scorps · 04-06-2005, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GetRdone

Actually, this next weekend (8th).. im goin to look at a 1960 chevy bel air 2 door. Its got the 6 in it, primer black, automatic. The tattoo artist of a buddy of mine has it, oh ya and it needs new piston rings.

Why keep the 6? I would drop a 350 or something bigger in that car if u get it.

GetRdone · 04-07-2005, 07:39 AM

ya but gas mileage then becomes a problem......and my bastard friend wont give me the full race built 327 thats sitting in his garage because someone left it there when they moved out.

03-18-2005, 11:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
GetRdone Psycho	1950 Plymouth 2 door A buddy of mine got into the oldschool car scene, and hes got me into it a bit now too. His friend has a '50 plymouth 2 door for sale. Its nice condition, any rust was removed and replaced with good sheet metal, car is in primer right now. Needs a clutch but hell do it if i buy the clutch and agree to buy the car. Floorboards need a lil work but not much. Flathead 6, 3 on the tree. He wants 2500 for it, what u guys think? Should i do it? Were doin the oldschool/show look. Things that worry me are; the absolute lack of power, 6 volt electronics, and its 4 drum brakes........any opinion? __________________ Revere Jena Malone.......this is not a suggestion.

03-28-2005, 09:28 PM	#2 (permalink)
etla Junkie Location: Canada eh?	Don't sweat the 6V, it's easy enough to convert to 12V if you have problems. The brakes on these cars are adequate if properly maintained but sometimes parts for stuff this old is hard to come by so that's something to check into. Only you can tell if you have enough power for your needs. __________________ Subvert the Dominant Paradigm

03-29-2005, 06:51 AM	#5 (permalink)
1slOwCD8 Psycho Location: chicago, illinois	Wait, are you buying it to fix up as a show car or as a daily driver? Cuz im sure the lack of power and drum brakes would be a little bit of a problem. Last edited by 1slOwCD8; 03-29-2005 at 06:58 AM..

03-29-2005, 02:35 PM	#7 (permalink)
GetRdone Psycho	i was lookin at the vehicle for a kind of show car/daily driver (i know those 2 dont go together well). Im only home from school in summer, and use my gfs car on the rare occasion im home in winter. I havent put much thought to the car lately, but it will be for sale for a while, since it needs a new clutch before it can go anywhere. Im still considering it, but im also looking for other vehicles (id like a 5.0 mustang, but im picky..its gotta be 5spd, prefereably lx for lower insurance, and preferably a coupe, but a notch is ok) hey MrSelfDestruct....what blowers do they put on flathead 6's? any linkage? __________________ Revere Jena Malone.......this is not a suggestion.

04-02-2005, 10:17 AM	#9 (permalink)
GetRdone Psycho	Actually, this next weekend (8th).. im goin to look at a 1960 chevy bel air 2 door. Its got the 6 in it, primer black, automatic. The tattoo artist of a buddy of mine has it, oh ya and it needs new piston rings. __________________ Revere Jena Malone.......this is not a suggestion.

03-28-2005, 10:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
irseg Junkie Location: Florida	Yeah I imagine it'd be insanely slow by today's standards. I have some early 50's car magazines, back then it was considered impressive if a bigass V8 propelled a car from 0-60 in under 14 seconds or so. Those magazines are pretty entertaining. I have one with an article explaining how to bolt seatbelts into your car. One of the supposed benefits: women who buckle up will feel more connected to the car and therefore drive better. I'm dead serious. I can't imagine what would happen if a car magazine published something like that today!

03-29-2005, 06:56 AM	#6 (permalink)
MSD The sky calls to us ... Super Moderator Location: CT	Blower + flathead + open headers = the greatest sound ever That's all I have to say.

03-30-2005, 11:15 AM	#8 (permalink)
Scorps Lost!! Location: Kingston, Ontario	Personally I would go for something a little newer then 50. But if you like that car go for it.

04-06-2005, 08:06 AM	#10 (permalink)
Scabs the Clown Upright Location: Madison, WI	I own a 1950 Plymouth. Mine is a 4-door. I just got it out of storage last week without too much trouble. Mechanical parts for it are actually pretty easy to come by. I can go to my local NAPA parts store and get a water pump, fuel pump, head gasket, and most other engine parts usually within a day. (That 6 cylinder engine, used from 1933-59 in cars, was used for other applications into the early 1970s so there are still quite a few of them out there which makes the demand for parts high enough so parts are still available.) It is the trim parts that are hard to find, but that may not matter to you. I know people that use cars like that as a daily driver when it is practical here in Wisconsin. Old Plymouths are pretty dependable based on my experience and that of others I know. I've got no problems with the 6V electrical system in mine. It can always be push started rather than jumped if you have a problem, although I have jumped mine from a 12V battery. Lack of power is noticable but once up to speed mine will cruise 65 mph on the highway easily. While the brakes aren't great, if the system is taken care of they are adequate if you are paying attention. That may be the biggest issue as a car like that is definitely not as safe as a modern car so you need to pay more attention when you are driving it.

04-06-2005, 08:34 AM	#11 (permalink)
GetRdone Psycho	thanks for the info. The safety of the vehicle is of no concern to me, but the braking system is. Im used to having for disc brakes on a light sports type car, so my driving style is more tuned to being able to stop somewhat fast. I know the plymouth is a cruiser, thus stopping fast shouldnt be frequent, but it happens. Im still thinking about it, but i think i may have to go with something newer. __________________ Revere Jena Malone.......this is not a suggestion.

04-07-2005, 07:39 AM	#13 (permalink)
GetRdone Psycho	ya but gas mileage then becomes a problem......and my bastard friend wont give me the full race built 327 thats sitting in his garage because someone left it there when they moved out. __________________ Revere Jena Malone.......this is not a suggestion.