1939 Plymouth oval track Jalopy

[mikec4193]

Hi Fellow Rat rodders...

I have been fiddling with a Morris Minor most of the winter and then this popped up on Facebook down in Virginia so I had it shipped up to my place in Mechanicville NY...

I went to my first race at the age of 4 in the summer of 1965 with my dad and one of his buddies...been hooked on those types of cars ever since...

What I liked is it was already basically a stripped out shell...I had sold my old 40 Ford Jalopy and I was missing it so this one has no history...so we were off and running again...

And it had rear steer Nova front clip already mounted to it...

First thing was get the body off and survey the whole Nova front clip situation...

It was scary but I kept at it....the first time I got the body off the frame and I jacked the front end up in the air...it was flexing....hmmm...

lots of chin scratching again....

cut cut cut....tac tac tac...grind grind grind...

and we are off and running...

Trying to sell the Morris Minor...it needs to go....my head cant work on more than one project at a time....

 

[soltz]

Nice starter[cl
???[P???

 

[zzrodder]

Great find, boy that frame work was scary, looks like they put bondo on top to 'pretty' it up

 

[MercuryMac]

Nice find.
You should listen to yourself, about having more than one project on the go at once. I used to listen to myself, but lately I have three or four projects partly finished and none done. It might work out, but it might not.

Keep on tinkering. You're doing fine.

 

[Old Stuff]

Nice find.
You should listen to yourself, about having more than one project on the go at once. I used to listen to myself, but lately I have three or four projects partly finished and none done. It might work out, but it might not.

Keep on tinkering. You're doing fine.

Me and that slippery slope are good friends with projects in general. My '58 (daily driver) was well on it's way to a finished interior and final spot patching on the body when the '30 followed me home...

....which is why I don't look at Craig's list anymore.... well, hardly ever.

 

[05snopro440]

Nice find.
You should listen to yourself, about having more than one project on the go at once. I used to listen to myself, but lately I have three or four projects partly finished and none done. It might work out, but it might not.

Keep on tinkering. You're doing fine.

These days you have to have multiple projects going because of parts availability.

 

[Old Stuff]

These days you have to have multiple projects going because of parts availability.

Great point! Full speed ahead Mike! [cl

 

[mikec4193]

So I know this is nothing really major but these GM front clips never look all that good with out fenders to hide them...So I got the scratching my chin again...back in the day if this car was a roundy round they probably would have swapped out the frame with a mid 1950's Chevy frame...so I went to looking at some vintage pics and I did my best to cobble it up and make those ugly front frame horns look a tad bit better...
BEFORE:

AFTER:

I had the thought that I might add some 2x4 steel tube to the front of these frame rails...gotta see how it looks once I get more sheet metal on it...

So it was spitting rain out side and I really wanted to get the old body sitting on the old chassis...

got the cab all reinforced...took some metal from an old EZ-Up that the wife had that the wind wrecked...

here is what 6" looks like...

 

[mikec4193]

I have a terrible time with proportions on any build I do...I just dont get it at all...

I have been talking to a fellow on Facebook who built a 1935 Plymouth Coupe and he gave me some numbers to shift the body back and drop the body over the frame...

Please don't laugh...

I ended up setting the old body back in the stock position just 6" lower...

From this view...it almost looks like an old stock car...

Next is where do I place the motor?....I was told 12" back would be a good number...I am not thinking that would work...

still scratching my chin on this one...

MikeC

 

[05snopro440]

What's the idea behind the huge body setback? To get the stock car look?

 

[mikec4193]

I have no sense of stance or proportions at all...so I went by what the guy told me he had on his 35 Plymouth and come to find out...it looked hideous when I set the body back that far...so I moved it back to the factory location option only now with a 6" channel...

I built a 53 Chevy truck rat rod years ago with channel and "Zed" frame and it looked terrible...IMHO...

So I figured stock cant be that bad...those designers back in the 1930's were way more schooled in proportions than me...

thanks for asking...I am gonna have to hack the back end off now...something like this one here...

 

[MercuryMac]

Please look at a lot of different pictures of those cars before you hack the back end off. I like the factory look much better.

 

[05snopro440]

Here's a website I found with some photos of Canadian stock cars of the day, maybe it helps. https://www.canadianracer.com/classes.asp

I would say if you're looking to get a look similar to that car you posted, start with figuring out your wheels and tires. Then you can figure out body and engine placement to get the look you're after.

 

[Torchie]

[P [P [P
I agree with Mac and sno pro.
Stare at it. look at pictures. Drink a beverage. Just don't go to cutting.
This is coming from a guy that chops everything.
Torchie

 

[luckywingnut]

Mike, I like what you got there. I have a 38 Plymouth. I would have left it stock but the lower part of the trunk area was rotted about 10" up. So I changed the look I was going for and decided on the look of a different era of dirt car. My engine is setback 10" and the body is set back 5" with the wheel wells moved forward 5" to get the look I was looking for.

 

[zzrodder]

Proportions are are everything. See in the pic of Sharkey's car how the gap between the tire and the body matches the curve of the fender opening? Tire size is important to fill the wheelwell right, I personally can't reconcile with an awkward looking body setback. In the good 'ol days, bodies were cheap and often got jammed onto whatever frame was cheap and handy, so some of the goofy setbacks and wild hacking was just came with the territory. Just hitting the track and maybe even winning someday was more important than good looks .....

 

[mikec4193]

Proportions are are everything. See in the pic of Sharkey's car how the gap between the tire and the body matches the curve of the fender opening? Tire size is important to fill the wheelwell right, I personally can't reconcile with an awkward looking body setback. In the good 'ol days, bodies were cheap and often got jammed onto whatever frame was cheap and handy, so some of the goofy setbacks and wild hacking was just came with the territory. Just hitting the track and maybe even winning someday was more important than good looks .....

You are so right...I don't sit and look stuff long enough and I have absolutely no eye for what looks right...I would rather ask someone who has built something like what I am looking for and then just replicate those dimensions...so far I am still trying to remount the body back in the chassis...

I have set the body back in the stock position excepting it is 6" lower on the chassis...

I keep forgetting who long it takes to cut cut cut....grind grind grind...tac tac tac...repeat...

still tying to spend at least 1 1/2 hours 5 nights a week on it...I am leaving my govt job in Jan of 2023 and I would love to have this ole heap buttoned up by than...

We will see...

Still waiting for the fine folks at Posie's for the rear springs and JEGS for the roll cage...

one bite at a time...

MikeC

 

[mikec4193]

I went away to PA to visit family and this gem showed up...from the fine folks at JEGS...they said it was for a 1937 Ford...I thought...that has gotta be close enough...someone lost the halo for it in transit...but a call to the Jegs and a week later I got confirmation they were shipping me another halo...

So this clown is building a roll cage...alone...usually I order them from the local roll cage shop but this price was too good to be true...

I am trying to set the motor back as far as I can with out cutting into the current firewall...been scratching my chin for days on this one...I was hoping it would be easier than this...

First mock up and the oil pan hits the Nova front cross member...who would have thought??

cut cut cut.....tack tack tack...cut cut cut...tack tack tack...repeat...

 

[mikec4193]

Still fumbling around with motor mounts....not sure where this motor needs to sit...

Right now we are about 6" farther back than where the motor sat in the stock Nova/Camaro front clip...

I think it needs to go back farther yet...

I learned one thing....I don't enjoy cobbling up motor mounts...

they have taken way longer than I thought they should....I love to bolt stuff together but getting this 6 cylinder to sit where it is supposed to sit is a real chin scratcher for sure...

 

[mikec4193]

Been cobbing away...trying to spend time with the old heap 5 times a week...

Yea ole 6 banger is sitting in the frame rails...

3 speed is sitting in there with it...

had to build a crossmember to hold all this stuff...

Kept thinking about how to make the front frame horns look like they belong there...

Before

During

After....

A cobby hobby we have going on here...