1929 Plymouth Coupe

Photo of my Basket case

Does anyone have photos of their restoration "In Progress" that they might share with me to help see what I am missing, and what they look like?

Where are you located? If close enough, I can help. You should be able to find an instruction book online (Ebay) which will help a bit. Here are some 1929 Plymouth photos. The dashboard clock is an added accessory. John

Today at 2:38 PM

I know that I'm asking a lot of questions ;but I hope that someone will take the time to answer some of them. I have built some cars in my past; but never done one this old that used wood.

By looking at different photos I have come to the conclusion that the part which covers the top of the metal bracket going between the windshield pillars and is welded to the top of the front door jambs is wood! Some cars it appears to be covered with a type of vinyl or leather. And that wood is also used above the doors and then meets with the top of rear of cab section. How thick is this top bow/ wood cap??? I checked on the internet and no one make a wood kit for these cars. Searching on the internet I found one guys car which was hot-rodded where he used metal to replace this roof top area.

How thick is the wood between the cowl bracket at bottom which mounts to the frame?

The doors on this 29 do not have any inside metal housing, did they use wood here as well? And was it built with a inside structure and then a thin plywood like covering for the window regulators to mount on?? (I have a 31 coupe body also and it has metal for the inside area where door handles would mount.)

There is nothing at back of doors where there should be a door jamb. Was this wood or am I missing these jambs altogether?

Was the floor completely wood? (I have no floor in this car at all.)

I'm missing the trunk lid and area above and below it, Can somebody tell me how long and wide these two panels are or should I continue searching at swap meets and such for these items. I use to do body work 20 years ago and know a little about metal work, although I don't have the right tools at this time; but I'm wanting to learn more about making some of these panels.

Thanks for the answers Keiser31.I live north of OKC,in Okla. I'm not close at all. Jonathan

Please take my comments as being serious and helpful. They may appear mean and sarcastic on the net. (I'm told) You need to take another look at this car. There is a life time of work involved here if you intend to put it back to original. I started with something akin to what you have here and I have just now got it to the paint stage after 21 years. I kid you not. However my project was a one-of-a-kind custom built van. It was worth the tiem and effort. This car is not rare,per se, and it is going to take you many years and much money to put it back on the road. I would sell it to a hot rodder (I know guys,I hear you) and buy something upright on it's 4 wheels and not needing 'everything'. Yes you're right,everything that's seems to be missing was fitted hard wood. These cars at this time were still in the 'coachbuilt' era and you will have to learn a lot about wood working and buy a s'''tload of tools and machinery. I know. Been there done that. In my case I would still go back and do it again because of the unique vehicle it is,but you will put more money and time into this car than it is worth. I've seen this done many times and beleive it or not it has caused marriage breakups.

It would make a cool depot hack.

DodgeKCL Thanks for answering me and being honest about my car! I know that its missing a lot of parts and that it would cost a lot to restore. But I would still like to know about the construction of these cars. If you don't want to take the time to answer all my questions I understand. I have learned so many things from the internet about cars that were built in Canada and Australia that my Chrysler and Plymouth history books do not talk about. I always liked the Utes and only saw very few photos of them. But now I know a lot more about them. Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with guys that had a lot of knowledge about how things were done "back than". Now at my age I wished that I had talked with these guys about those things more so that I could remember it all. Because they have long since passed from this life, and I can no longer ask them about it. I feel that a wealth of knowledge dies when men do not pass their knowledge on. I remember very fondly my granddad telling me how he used his model T as a power plant to do all kinds of things on the farm. I wish I had been more intent on the details of what he was saying. He invented a lot of things just to get a job done.

I've been a Mopar nut since I started driving and I have always liked to learn about these cars. I have found the answers to some of my questions, like the thickness of the top wood. I think that I need to know how some of these things were built so if I do sell this car or build it another way, its done right. To mount the body back on the frame correctly I still need to know the thickness of the wood which was between the body floor and frame. Otherwise the hood, doors and cowl will not line up. I only have pieces of this wood most of it is gone. I know I was asking a lot of things and it might seem foolish to want to build a car with so much gone. The Chrysler product cars seem to fall short when it comes to their resale value when they are compared to the Model A and some others but these old Chrysler products have always been some of the best built cars in my eyes. I will continue searching for all I can learn about them no matter what I end up doing with this Plymouth.

Thanks Jonathan

I believe that the wood between the body and frame is 1 1/2" thick. Hopefully, someone will verify.

Thanks Keiser31, this will help with lining the body up with the cowl and hood. By the way what is a Depot Hack? I have not heard of this, I'll have to dig out my Plymouth Desoto history book to see if it's in there.

Thank you this will help in lining up the cowl with hood and body. By the way what is a Depot Hack? I will have to look it up in my Plymouth Desoto History book!

Jonathan, the advice given by DodgeKCL is spot on. But as long as you already have these pieces, you may as well use them to hone your metal and woodworking skills. You have nothing to loose outside of time and patience, and you never know what additional items may come your way in the future. Just don't spend any big money on it for now.

Thanks Keiser31, this will help with lining the body up with the cowl and hood. By the way what is a Depot Hack? I have not heard of this, I'll have to dig out my Plymouth Desoto history book to see if it's in there.

This is a depot hack....usually associated with a Model T Ford....

Dodge and Plymouth made woodies, but they were not called depot hacks.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]274956[/ATTACH]Ok I went looking for a photo They were kind of trucks with open sides. It would look neat as a truck!

Dodge Brothers called that one a screenside (for obvious reasons).

I would have to agree with DodgeKCL. Unless it's a rare/unusual car, I would think very seriously about it. There's no doubt that you can buy a restored car cheaper than you can ever restore this one. That being said: I realize that a person can afford to spend a few hundred $ a month rather that shell out several thousand at one time, if you know what I mean. My experience says to bite the bullet and shell out the cash. This way you can be enjoying your car and several years of your life, rather than laying on you back on the garage floor dreaming about it. Have a great day and God Bless, Selmer

I am in the process of replacing the side sills of a model u sedan.Each side sill is made up of 4 pieces eace 7/8 of an inch thick for a total thickness of 1-3/4 inches. replacement can be made with a 1 inch and a 3/4 inch piece,1 inch piece must go on bottom.the width at widest point is about 9-1/2 inches.each sill half is made up of 2 pieces (4 total for each sill) joined/glued with a tongue and groove joint.I think the total length is 61 inches.

Thanks for your answers, I'm in process of getting Title for it how. I will take all that has been said and decide what I want to do with it. I'm still very interested in how the wood skeleton is put together. I will learn more about it whether I fix this car or not. I found some pictures of a roadster without the metal skin, its of a 32PB. Was there more wood in a roadster? because it needed more support. <o:p></o:p>

hi there,

that looks like one hell of a project. if time and money is not an option then go for it. as long as your not doing it to make money on re sell then its worth it. no one says have to restore it back to a museum piece.

i have spent 15g on my 28 tourer. still have a heap of things to do. but i have gotten to a stage that i am able to enjoy the vehicle.

about 4 years ago i came across this 29. not sure of body style. all body panels were twisted an tangled in the farmers garbage tip. the chassis was cut many moons ago. diff was located half way down the river face. engine to left of picture was at the top of the bank.

engine even though had been underwater at times still turned over when i got to it

ian

hopefully picture worked

Wow And what does it look like today?

Well the engine and drive train i brought back home. For spares. Everything else was pushed back into the tip. Was badly rusted away. Would of needed another doner vehicle to make something of it. Was a shame but nothing i could do.