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1950 plymouth special deluxe

canadiandeluxe

By canadiandeluxe
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lump 10,000+ Points

lump

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Welcome to the AACA forum. You'll find lots of really sharp folks here who will be glad to chat with you about your car, and to share tips and ideas. 

 

The Plymouths of that era were solid, well-built and reliable cars. Once you get your car thoroughly checked out and serviced, you will likely experience a number of enjoyable years driving it with little or no problems. Those cars were like tanks; in that they just kept running and running, and rarely rusted out badly. Even the rubber weatherstripping on MOPAR cars of that vintage held up extremely well. 

 

Enjoy your car, and send us photos and updates on your progress with it. 

 

Cheers! 

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Rusty_OToole 25,000+ Points

Rusty_OToole

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Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new car.  I have some experience of Plymouths of that era. It is one of the best cars you could get especially for someone just starting out. Most parts are available from NAPA or online parts sources, and there are Plymouth parts specialists. They are simple and not hard to work on with ordinary tools.

 

2 things you should know about that trip up a lot of newbies - left hand threads on the left side wheel bolts and positive ground, six volt electrical system. This means you have to turn the left side wheel bolts left to take them off, the opposite of normal bolts. You need to be a bit careful because some have been switched around, the bolt heads are marked L and R for left and right.

 

And it means you need a six volt battery, connected opposite modern cars. In other words the ground cable goes on the positive side, the live cable goes on the negative side.

 

There are other peculiarities but in general they are a well made, reliable car.  That is why so many survive even though they were outsold 2 to 1 by Ford and Chevrolet.

 

See if you can get a repair manual, they often turn up online and are not very expensive. Will save you a lot  of money and headaches when it comes to repairs.

 

Hope you get it on the road without too much fuss, and have some nice trips. If you have any questions come back and ask, there are a lot of smart old timers on here who know those cars inside and out.

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canadiandeluxe

canadiandeluxe

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already glad I joined this forum. I knew about the left hand thread, and forgot for two seconds while taking them off. Then i remembered lol. I thought I read something about the positive ground but I have it hooked up negative ground and I still got it to start. and various things work, but not the radio or headlights. What is with that. was I cranking the engine backwards?

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JACK M 25,000+ Points

JACK M

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It will still crank in the proper direction, But your amp gauge will read backwards.

It kind of hard on points as well as most of your other electrical parts.

Take a good look at your dimmer switch for the headlights.

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JamesR 25,000+ Points

JamesR

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I had a 1950 P-19 Plymouth, which was the two door "fastback". With their original engines, these Plymouths aren't at all fast, but handling is actually excellent. My car also didn't run when I got it. It ran somewhat substandard after I got it running, as it probably needed a rebuild, but I could drive it around fine and I think they mostly have a good reputation for good reliability. Very simple and easy to work on, too. I consider the 48-54 Plymouths and Dodges to be one of the least costly ways to get into typically expensive post war/1950's  North American cars, so I absolutely think you started with the right vehicle.

 

You'll definitely need a shop manual (that's what dealership mechanics would use to repair these cars back in the day.) It's well worth the expense to buy one of these manuals, though they might seem a little bit pricey up front. If you just can't afford one, though, give me a PM and I'll see if I can find my old one around here. I'll send it to you free of charge. Good luck on the new car! - Jim

 

 

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tom61 250+ Points

tom61

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Congratulations on your car. My 1st car was a 1963 Rambler American, and I'm in my 20s! I use it daily, and don't have any modern cars.

 

If your driving it as your only Car, your my already my best friend!

I get most of my parts through a site called 'RockAuto' which is very cheap, and usually has 'all the parts your car will ever need'. It's also extremely cheap and reliable.

 

If your gonna drive it in Canada, I highly recommend putting a durable rustproofing undercoat. on it!

 

 

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canadiandeluxe

canadiandeluxe

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On 12/28/2018 at 3:20 PM, tom61 said:

Congratulations on your car. My 1st car was a 1963 Rambler American, and I'm in my 20s! I use it daily, and don't have any modern cars.

 

If your driving it as your only Car, your my already my best friend!

I get most of my parts through a site called 'RockAuto' which is very cheap, and usually has 'all the parts your car will ever need'. It's also extremely cheap and reliable.

 

If your gonna drive it in Canada, I highly recommend putting a durable rustproofing undercoat. on it!

 

 

Ya if I ever get it torn apart enough to put undercoat on it. that was definitely part of the plan. I mean im not going to drive this old girl all the time but hopefully a decent amount this summer. We have a Canada day show and shine that I would like to be its first outing. Ya I don't really want to go fast I just want the experience of fixing and riving a nice old car. I will check out rock auto and see whats up if the local napa cant get any parts at all.

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canadiandeluxe

canadiandeluxe

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On 12/28/2018 at 2:55 PM, JamesR said:

I had a 1950 P-19 Plymouth, which was the two door "fastback". With their original engines, these Plymouths aren't at all fast, but handling is actually excellent. My car also didn't run when I got it. It ran somewhat substandard after I got it running, as it probably needed a rebuild, but I could drive it around fine and I think they mostly have a good reputation for good reliability. Very simple and easy to work on, too. I consider the 48-54 Plymouths and Dodges to be one of the least costly ways to get into typically expensive post war/1950's  North American cars, so I absolutely think you started with the right vehicle.

 

You'll definitely need a shop manual (that's what dealership mechanics would use to repair these cars back in the day.) It's well worth the expense to buy one of these manuals, though they might seem a little bit pricey up front. If you just can't afford one, though, give me a PM and I'll see if I can find my old one around here. I'll send it to you free of charge. Good luck on the new car! - Jim

 

 

Ya I didn't buy it to go fast I want to cruise around and look cool lol. I have been told to get a manual by a couple people now, I will check ebay I guess, if its crazy expensive it would be sweet if you could send me one. Or else im just going to figure it out myself, some specs might be off but other than that.

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