My 51 came stock with 3.90's. And a three on the tree and a flathead 6. Must of been a terror in the dragstrip.
1951 and 1952 Plymouths were heavily involved in the 51 and 52 Nascar seasons, pretty much bone stock. Johnny Mantz won the inaugural Southern 500 in 1950 driving a stock 50 Plymouth. 500 miles of WOT.
I think your friend is just afraid to drive his car.
I agree with your last sentence. My 70 dart has a 340,727, 4.10 gears and 245/60 R15 tires in the rear. At 70 mph, the 340 is turning somewhere between 3600 and 4000 rpm. It screams at highway speeds. Does that stop me from driving it on long cruises? NOPE! I have done poker runs and cruises that are hundreds of miles with the car screaming, and never hurt the car. I have had this car and combo on the road since 2001, and it is a ton of fun.
