Buying a 1931 plymouth?

[Daniel31]

I'm going to look at a 1931 sedan 2door. What should I look for? I know the manifold is cracked, can these be wedded. Also hasn't ran in years. What's a good price range.  Body looks fair and had an older restoration.  Thanks for the help.

[alsancle]

Get us a pile of good pictures.  Not a screen shot from your phone.

 

You can probably find a manifold or it can be stitch welded.  Although that is getting harder to find someone that can do it.

 

 

[Daniel31]

I'll be going to look at it tomorrow. I'll get better pics. When I'm there is there known problem areas I need to look at or take pics of?

[alsancle]

Make sure the doors don’t fall off when you open them. And the door pillar is solid. If the wood is shot you are screwed.

[keiser31]

2 hours ago, alsancle said:

Make sure the doors don’t fall off when you open them. And the door pillar is solid. If the wood is shot you are screwed.

My honey says, "Be certain it is titled correctly". No skeletal wood in that Plymouth. All metal except for nailing upholstery.

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, keiser31 said:

My honey says, "Be certain it is titled correctly". No skeletal wood in that Plymouth. All metal except for nailing upholstery.

 

I should have waited for an expert.  Foolish me thought everything in 1931 still had wood, at least in places.

[32plywood]

looks like this is the one in Grand Rapids -- the overall pictures look good --- if you are going for a complete restoration - things you could check -- running boards for rust on under side and the trim around boards -- look at carb on motor should be a Carter brass bowl and have a strange looking air cleaner (odd shape with two tubes) sticking out of one side.   good intake/exhaust manifolds are getting hard to find.   check head lamp switch to be sure it works.    see if vacuum unit work on distributor when running.  This car has free wheeling on transmission see if cable moves on dash and trans will free wheel when you let up on gas while driving. ----- looks like interior will need a work over to bring it back to stock but  could us it as-is for now.   I think price is close on this one.   some of the things above are getting hard to find the parts for to fix.   take lots of pictures.   Good luck Allan 

[Daniel31]

Thanks for the advice. After looking at this I decided to pass. Parts too hard to find. I'd rather find a ford model A. I've looked at one but need alot of work. It runs but body is rusted out all around the bottom. Hole in the roof. Wood still looked good. Needs water pump and tires. $3,800.00 is this a good price or will I end up putting more money in this than I can buy one all done?

Edited December 22, 2022 by Daniel31 (see edit history)

[Daniel31]

[Soupiov]

Spend more for a better car and save in the long run.  Unless you're a body man looking for a project I would not even consider that car and even then I wouldn't pay half of what they are asking.  Having restored a number of cars over the years I have found that the best "deal" is an older restoration of a car that was done properly but is showing it's age.  Alternatively, if you found an original unrestored car in decent shape, a rarity these days, you probably shouldn't restore it in any event.  Best bet in my opinion is to go for the older restoration where someone else spent the big bucks getting it done and all you need to do is bring it back, not resurrect it!  Believe me that will still be a big project, they always are!