What ya think of this rig? ADVISE needed you too Ron!

Ok, I sold my 70 Cuda vert clone. Im done with muscle cars and want to make something with my personality. I have always wanted an older DODGE/PLYMOUTH truck but at 6.02 235 I am worried I wont be comfy.

I may go look at this 39 Plymouth. But I am not sold on the leg room aspect. I will do the dakota swap either way.

But as much as I like this stock bodied I love this crew cab pic I found and that would solve my issue. The hard part would be finding another cab. And then there is this--Im not that talented to do the cab cutting.

I may even just pick this up and clear coat it after applying a beat up logo for the ranch im building or a gas station logo ect.

what ya think?

additionally I am up for a dodge plymouth 34 39 2 door coupe. I sold a 38 a few years back and recently tried to buy it back as the guy has done nothing with it.

so still looking and considering projects.

I should mention that either way I do a rig, no more expensive paint jobs. I now live on 175 acres in Idaho, and it takes 6 miles of gravel roads to get home. So nice paint or a trailered pig wont do.

These trucks in stock for are tiny, I'm 5 7, 155 pounds and I find it cramped but comfortable. Even still I love my 37

I would look for a later truck as these trucks are tiny. DAMHIK!

Yeah, we know for sure, still wouldn't give it up, they are just too cool'

Are the 39s a little bit bigger? And once it hits those later 40s era, I dont like the looks. Thats why I was thinking club cab.

and if I am correct then 39-43 should be the same cab. and I would guess dodges would work too.

DAVE

Yes a little bigger but it's not like going from coach to first class seating.

I wonder if the extended cab had a donner or all fabed by hand?

the 39-48 trucks are tiny inside indeed. but the 33-35's are smaller still. then i chopped and channeled my humpback to boot. and set the engine back. and added a cage. but the seat position will be set back over a foot, so i at least have some leg room. and at almost 6' tall with age and health issues, i can't bend very good any more. BUT i'm RESOLVED to try to finish this dadgummed thing somehow before i cash in if it's possible ! the crew cab truck you show has has considerable fab work done, and anything is possible with the right talent and equipment. but if you don't posses much of either,[and PLEASE don't take this as in any way a slam on you or your talents !] i can see a project going down hill fast. with that being said, what about a 38-39 coupe with the tail cut off behind the 1/4 windows and a rear "cab" panel fabbed. then add a box. then chose what ever year dak chassis that would fit your wheelbase needs. this MAY be easier to fab into your club cab vision, as you could move the seat back into the 1/4 window area for leg room. this probably isn't being conveyed very well, so you may need to use your imagination to see what is in my mind. this may be easier to pull off than joining 2 cab sections, or fabbing sections needed to accomplish your vision. a suggestion you may consider is this. take several side view pics of coupes that may interest you. then use scissors and cut the rear portion off some where just before the trunk lid opening. add a pickup bed from another pic and see what that looks like. it may look good, may not. or, if you are just a little more "puter" savvy than me[which wouldn't take much !] you could do this in a program like "paint" maybe? just throwing out some ideas. you may find these useful, or you may decide i'm just a blubbering old man. my feelings wouldn't be hurt in the least. just trying to help you decide on a project that could be completed rather than started, then tossed aside because of whatever reason and never finished. there are way too many of those around. i personally think you have a great idea to express your creativity.

What moparx is referring to is a Uti from down under. Think old car Elcamino.I've seen pictures of them, it would be pretty cool, but then you need to hack up a coupe. Trucks are easier to find (but not much).


The Dodge truck from 39-47 use the same cab (pickup up to standard semi tractor). In these trucks, the seat you are using makes a huge difference in the room inside. if the seat sits upright, like a rear seat from a minivan, and will fit under the rear window structure (no high backs or head rests), you will have a lot more room then if you have a modern seat that has the high back with headrest that is reclined. A tilt steering wheel will also help a bunch. I'm 6'1" and in the 260 range (with a pretty big overhang above the belt). I've sat in a 40s Ford pickup (the same size as a Dodge) with a minivan seat and it actually was quite comfortable.

I actually have a 47 Dodge truck cab sitting here. I looked at extending the cab on mine 3-4" behind the door, it would be a metal working challenge. Going more, like around 8" (so I could add a quarter window) would be a lot more challenging, the roof is the issue on both counts. The roof is a large multi curved piece of metal (there is no place even close to flat on it) that keeping the crown looking right would make or break the truck's appearance. I would think you would need nearly a whole roof (so you can choose the best point to cut & splice onto the trucks original roof), and probably a set of doors to cut up to make the extended cab look right. Probably not a good option for an inexperienced metal worker. Gene

"ute" ! that's what i was thinking about and trying to describe ! thanks gene !

I found a 1935s a Plymouth 2 door sedan. Im waiting for pics. Its a cheap collection of parts that the seller says he has collected. He now wants to sell. He also said something about the roof area being opened so he bought a mini van sun roof and controls cut out for it.

It got me to looking at 35 era delivery sedans. So now Im wondering what I could do with this if its decent. Im wondering if I can make this sedan into a look alike deliver sedan.

RUMBLON

Dave you can make a sedan in to a sedan delivery pretty easy if the sedan is a flat back sedan and not a (humpback) trunk style.
you could weld in the side windows and then make the flat back trunk and rear window a door, you will need to make a upper door frame.
see the pics to see the difference between the two.

now as far as the 39-47 trucks go
I added 3" to my cab behind the door on my race truck.

you could add to the cab behind the door
AND lengthen the door like 4" each to both and have a cab 8" longer and I think you would fit just fine.

EDIT:
Dave I have been looking at 35 pics and I don't see any "flat back" sedans with trunks, so if you did a sedan delivery you would need to build a rear door and frame OR just leave the back closed
(not my favorite I like a delivery with a rear door)

Well, first of all cutting up a coupe to make a pickup is just plain wrong, kind of like rubbing the numbers off a $50 bill to make a $5. And it does take a considerable amount of metalwork to duplicate that Ute, probably much easier to import one from Oz.

Fabric roofs were on all sedans until the 1935 Chevy. The technology to make a one-piece stamping that big and complicated was developed by Fisher Body. When the all-steel top came about it was a major plus that GM advertised the heck out of. It was named the "turret top", kind of like a tank turret. It took the other companies a couple of years to catch up.

The thing about those fabric roofs is that they were relatively flat and it isn't easy to find a modern automobile roof that matches the shape. Years ago people used roofs from early '60s chevys, I know Ron remembers.

In my teens I owned a 1933 ford 1 1/2 ton truck, same cab as a '32 ford pickup. I recall it was a little cramped, with knees up close to my chin, but I managed to drive it a while. I was a few inches over 6' even then, and that was just what you had to do to drive it. One thing most don't remember is you had to be quite friendly with your copilot, those cabs were narrow.

I'd say give it a try. You probably wouldn't want to chop the top or channel the body over the frame.

R.

Dave, also the crew cab Idea is a good one, just need 2 cabs like they did on this COE
the truck cabs and the COE cabs are pretty much the same.
you could build a regular crew cab truck or find some coe parts and do a crew cab COE



http://hooniverse.com/2012/12/11/hoonive...w-cab-for-sale/

Ron, Im still waiting on pics but the seller says the 35 is a slope back body. He also said it has some damage on the body line that will take some work to fix. But this sounds like a collection of parts from over the years to make up what he has. No chrome emblems for the front ect. But hes asking $750.00 so im thinking I will grab it if its in decent shape.

The 30s Mopar flat back sedans did not have a trunk lid in the back. Originally, the spare tire mounted on the back panel (I had a 35 Plymouth 2 door sedan). There is no structure there other then the minimal support for the low mounted spare tire and a bit of rear window reinforcing. If you want to add a door on the back, you will need to build a complete door jam, and a complete door frame.
A 35 Plymouth car is pretty narrow (37 they started getting a bit wider, but only by a few inches). The widest point of the body is at the rear of the front doors, and the firewall is several inches more narrow that at the rear of the door. A pair of bucket seats will sit against each other in the center, and you need to watch the seat width if you want to close the doors!

Lots of great ideas. Some cool looking rides, but, all of the extended cab trucks, lengthened doors, modified body shells and what not, all require structural body work, and that either requires existing skills, or a willingness to learn those skill, or knowing someone that has those skills.
The old cars & trucks are fun, and they do present a clean page to make them something as different as you wish, but fitting modern drive trains, adding modern driver conveniences, and adding extra room inside all require a lot of work that someone has to do, or have hired to do. How bad do you want it? Gene

and then the question comes up, is it maybe in your better interests to just save a bit more and buy something that is done or close to it, then finishing it to your tastes. most times, completed vehicles can be bought for pennies on the dollar for various reasons. learning skills can take a lifetime, and, without sounding crass, still doesn't mean someone's skills are good enough to pull off a good conversion or customization. same thing with tools. it can take a very long time to collect enough of the right tools including welders and metal working items, but that still doesn't mean a guy can use those tools correctly. some guys can do an amazing job of building a riddler award contender with nothing more than a few simple metal working tools and a welder, while some guys can have hundreds of the best tools money can buy and just succeed in tearing a car apart and never finish anything. just some things to think about before starting a project.

Well, I have been building muscle cars for years and thats obviously easier. I have had a 38 and 32 plymouth and can do simple panel replacements. I am no great mechanic either so I see your point. If I found a decent project with some mods completed I may consider it. But Im retired and own a plasma cutter and a welder so Im now dangerous and for me staying busy and creating your own project is the fun part. I had 15 miles on my completed cuda vert because sitting at shows does nothing for me. I like being in the shop with my collectables and music just working and dreaming.

RUMBLON

Half the fun was learning something new. When I wired the truck engine and it started with the help of RapidRobert it was really cool. Best thing I did was buy a running donor vehicles so the mystery is gone about parts reliability.

So, when you find "the right project", we expect to see a build thread, complete with pictures.

Car shows are OK, but its a lot more fun getting to and from the shows with a bunch of like minded friends. Its the drive after the build that works for me. About every 5 years or so I get the urge to build something else, and start over. Gene

the "need to stay busy" and being "dangerous now" sounds like you are ready to start having fun ! and i agree with gene; pics are a must !

Dave the 35 2 dr sedan would make a nice car just as the sedan it is.
as much as I love sedan deliverys I would just build it as it is...

R.

it's the third most desirable after convertible and coupe, and when's the last time you saw one of THOSE?

Ron I agree. I am still awaiting pics. For all I know this thing could be a total basket case.

Im having a hard time finding many of this rigs with pictures from the back that are finished or completed cars.

RUMBLON

a few ideas

here is a back shot and a 4 dr and 36 sedan delivery

Sorry about the small picture, its the only one the site would let me post.
This is one of the few picture I have left of my 35 Dodge Trunkless 2 door sedan. Most of the pictures went with the car when I sold it many years ago. The Dodge version is more rare then the Plymouth version.
The rear fenders were widened 2" each. The tail lights were from a 73 Duster. This car had a 2" x 3" tube frame, a Volari Crossmember, built 318 4bbl with a built 904, and an 8 1/4 3:55 sure grip (until that broke, then it got an open 3:23, 8 3/4). It was my first build, and and was 98% Mopar parts! The car was a mess before I started (brought the whole car home in an 8' pickup box) and by my standards today (which still aren't very high), it was a mess when I sold it! We did put 66,000 miles on it in 7 years of driving. It was a great driver and ran really nice, the body had issues. Gene