Am I nuts? 1940 Plymouth Commercial Car (Truck)

Am I crazy

  • Yes, you will never get it done in time

    Votes: 7 3.4%

  • Yes, she will think "why do we need another car"

    Votes: 10 4.9%

  • No, Go for it, you can get it done!

    Votes: 75 36.9%

  • No, she will love it even if it is not finished in time

    Votes: 115 56.7%
  • Total voters
    203
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this has turned out to be the best build I have seen on here.and I my be wrong but I fell I was a part of it.and if you would like another one to do I will give you mine if you want it.but you will have to come and get it haha.....thanks for the build......Artie
 
Since my last posting, I have installed a cable drive windshield wiper kit which took a bit of massaging. The cable drive runs in an aluminum tube and the tube attaches to the motor on one end and the wiper post on the other. I had to run the tube from the inner firewall, up the right A pillar, and into the windshield header, but I couldn't get the tube into position without kinking it and causing too much friction for the cable drive to work. After much head scratching, I discovered some small PEX pipe at the hardware store that works rather well.

I also got the flywheel and clutch and 5 speed transmission installed. My son was parting out an Montero, so I grabbed the parking brake and put that in as well.

I ordered a radiator from Speedway motors as they made one to fit the narrow nose of the era, and the price was right. I also got an A/C condenser and Spal fan from them and will be installing that on my next session in the shop. The final pictures are of the bracket I fabbed up to hold the anti-sway bar in the correct position. I'm hoping that turning the supports 90 degrees will not be a factor. The brackets themselves are very secure on the dropped frame we installed to position and support the yoke.
 

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More progress to report. Got my driveshaft from Driveshafts Northwest installed. I've also been working on the running boards. The originals were beat to hell. My son did some patch work to repair the rust where they sat on the supports, and I did some patch work to replace the badly damaged sides using about three donors. The running boards still had a bit of warp to them, but once I attached them to the front and rear fenders I was able to encourage them into place. Today I made a filler panel that goes between the running board and the bed and ties in the side of the fender. I had to make a cut out for the gas filler as I am using the stock Dakota tank and filler and not the Plymouth setup that went through the cab. I was able to bend the filler flange on top and bottom, but had to hammer form the front flange as it has a slight curve to match the cab.
 

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Nice!
You might want to get a little separation between that piece and the cab. I suspect there might need to be some room for independent movement.
 
cuda65vpt said:
Nice!
You might want to get a little separation between that piece and the cab. I suspect there might need to be some room for independent movement.
Click to expand...

Good point. It looks closer than it is and will have a rubber strip so there can be some movement.
 
very kool,,,there is a street rod section over on moparts a few guys building truck there also,,, love that you kept the plymouth logo on the tail gate and tail lites,,, plymouth trucks are a rare breed,,,
 
Love these trucks. They have beautiful body lines, and I love what you've done with it. There's a '46 Dodge sitting in my backyard, but it'll probably never get this much attention.
 
And the controls for the seat heaters. This is the wife's truck after all.
 

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I also got the bumper and trailer hitch in place. These trucks did not come with a rear bumper, so I used one from another early American truck. The brackets had to be modified. I shortened them and had to move them outboard slightly. Took some cutting and pasting. And yes, I finish welded the brackets. Those are just tacks to see if the bumper sat right.
 

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very nice
any idea what the rear bumper is from?
I plan on adding one onto my 46 dodge, just need to find one I like that fits decent, and it looks like yours came from the factory
 
spikekid999 said:
very nice
any idea what the rear bumper is from?
I plan on adding one onto my 46 dodge, just need to find one I like that fits decent, and it looks like yours came from the factory
Click to expand...

This is from a 48-52 Ford F-1 and I got it from LMC Truck parts.
http://www.lmctruck.com/icatalog/fa/full.aspx?Page=39
Pretty decent price. There is a guy doing repro dodge bumpers for the 40's, but he wants around $600 and the LMC one is $140.
 
Just got the running boards back from getting the tops sprayed with Line-X. The intent is both protection and function. Originally the boards were just painted, and over time the paint would wear off with foot traffic in and out of the truck. I wanted to use this truck and not worry about dinging up the nice paint job, so decided to go with Line-X as it should wear well and also give some grip when wet (we do live in the Pacific Northwest after all). The pictures really don't do justice to the finish as the roughness reflects the light kinda wonky. They look nice in real life.
 

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Such a nice day we had to roll her outside for a bit. OK, really we needed to put my son's Dart on the two post lift.
 

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it will be interesting to see how the running board wears, on the cars the running boards were covered in a ruber type mat ribbed and almost vulcanized a costly deal,, on a truck i think u make the right choice for one that will be driven and not trailered,,,
 
I just discovered this thread. Awesome project and one that is definitely on my bucket list.

I always thought a firewall swap was the way to go, but I'll admit that I underestimated the challenges.

I'm trying to wrap my brain around the geometry to understand why you had to move the engine and cab back so far. Not sure if it's possible, but if you could explain that better, I'm sure it would be interesting to others as well.

Also, what made you decide to go with the A-body heater box and/or vintage air instead of the Dakota stuff? Was there not enough room behind the dash?

Thanks and good luck with the project, and keep the pictures coming!
 
Thanks for your interest and the questions. We primarily moved the cab back so that the front tires would line up with the opening in the 40 fenders. We then moved the engine back to fit the firewall and give us enough room for the radiator, although I did have to put the radiator ahead of the yoke instead of behind it.

Originally, I went with the A body heater box because I had a few laying around and they are a nice compact unit. However, as this is my Wife's truck, she wanted A/C for when we cruise to warmer climates. The A/C unit from the Dakota is pretty big and might interfere with the rather small dash. Plus it has extra hoses for door window defog, side vents etc and I thought the Vintage Air unit is much smaller and should be plenty for the small cab of the truck. I also wanted to keep the center cowl pop up vent functional and the Dakota box was going to be in the way.

I really have enjoyed getting in the truck and starting it with just one turn of the key. The EFI is such an improvement on a vehicle that sits for a while. Although I have not had it on the "open road" yet since my next project is front glass, I have driven it around the farm and it really feels nice.

Mike
 

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coming along nicely...like the sterio mount along with butt heaters....I've been fitting these for a while, wouldn't rebuild an old car without them now....
 
Looks like you are getting close to paint?
 
md11hud said:
Thanks for your interest and the questions. We primarily moved the cab back so that the front tires would line up with the opening in the 40 fenders. We then moved the engine back to fit the firewall and give us enough room for the radiator, although I did have to put the radiator ahead of the yoke instead of behind it.

Mike
Click to expand...

So if I understand it right, if you had left the Dakota firewall in its original position on the Dakota frame, then the 1940 front fenders would have been too far forward. Do I have that right?

If so, would it have been possible to extend the cab underneath the hood to meet the Dakota firewall? I'm guessing if you had done that the engine would be to too far forward and would interfere with the radiator, right?

If so, it would mean that the 1940 engine bay was not much longer than the Dakota engine bay and sat further back relative to the front wheels.

It sure would have been nice if you could have retained the original engine, transmission and cab mounts as well as the relationship between the steering rack and the column, the clutch linkage and/or automatic shift linkage, and even the seat mounting points relative to the steering column and pedals. But if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit.

As it turned out, do you feel it was worth keeping the Dakota firewall?
 
65DartGTConv said:
So if I understand it right, if you had left the Dakota firewall in its original position on the Dakota frame, then the 1940 front fenders would have been too far forward. Do I have that right?

If so, would it have been possible to extend the cab underneath the hood to meet the Dakota firewall? I'm guessing if you had done that the engine would be to too far forward and would interfere with the radiator, right?

If so, it would mean that the 1940 engine bay was not much longer than the Dakota engine bay and sat further back relative to the front wheels.

It sure would have been nice if you could have retained the original engine, transmission and cab mounts as well as the relationship between the steering rack and the column, the clutch linkage and/or automatic shift linkage, and even the seat mounting points relative to the steering column and pedals. But if it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit.

As it turned out, do you feel it was worth keeping the Dakota firewall?
Click to expand...

I opted to keep the Dakota firewall primarily because I knew that the shape would work with the V8. The Straight 6 is actually a slightly longer engine, but the 40 firewall is indented in the middle to account for this. We had to move everything back a bit so we would have enough room for the radiator behind that art deco curved nose. The Dakota engine was moved rearward on the frame which required fabbing up new motor mounts. As you surmised, this is because the firewall to wheel centerline for the 40 and Dak are different.

Using the Dakota firewall gave me the proper position for the brake booster and clutch master cylinder. As it is a hydraulic clutch, I didn't have to worry about linkage. The steering linkage was still a pretty straight shot. I just had to shorten the coupling a small amount. Was it worth it? Well, I would have had to modify the 40 firewall to fit the V-8 closer, plus the 40 floors are made of plywood. So some major metal massage was in my future no matter what.

Since I am using the Dakota floor and seats, the seat mounting points did not have to move. However, there is not a lot of travel in the seats. Thankfully, my wife and I are close to the same size for driving position, so not a lot of travel is needed.

And yes, it is close to paint. I am going to put windshield glass in and drive it around on some non rainy days, as it is not waterproof primer, just to insure all the bugs are worked out, but then it all comes apart for paint. Soon. I hope.
 
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