39 Plym. Conv. Coupe

[Wm Steed]

BUILD CARDS: ........

Someone resently made a posting to the POC Forum  regarding the availibility of Build Cards for the cars of the 30's, etc.. As a result of this tip I contacted  WPC Historical, by mail and phone, I supplied them with the serial number  for my car. I was contacted by phone in a few days by a very nice lady and then a nice man, he had looked up the serial number of my car and found the build card on micro film for my car, he gave me a quick rundown on what the card said, ie: date of manufacture, dealer shipped to and all of the original equipment.  I was then mailed an order form to secure a copy of the build card, cost $45.00, along with black-white copies of all the litrature Chrysler has on the 39 Plym's which included photo's, repair manuals, owners manuals and sales brochures. The packet contained an order form for copies of the photo's also.

I have sent in the $45.00 for a copy of the build card along with some extra money for copies of some of the photo's, etc. that are relative to the Conv. Coupes.

As a foot note......... According to the info sent to me, Chrysler has the build cards/sheets available for all Chrysler products from 1930/67, info for trucks/commercials is limited. You must request their order forms to which you have to attach a copy of the serial number, either a "rubbing" or a copy of the vehicle registration....Bill

[Wm Steed]

In an earlier posting to this topic I mentioned the problems I have been having getting my window frames repaired: ie.. wear damage to the stainless steel finish and the removal of a very bad kink from  one of the frames.

The fellow I took them to.... The Metal Miester...... told me that he would try to have them done for me on Wednesday the 23rd, he called me on the 22nd., telling me they were done. The work is first class.......... While talking to him, and looking at some of his pictures of work that he has done, I think this fellow can make just about anything out of metal....Bill

[Wm Steed]

Is it Correct & Authentic?........

While doing research on my Plym and looking for parts to do the restoration, I came upon pictures showing 39 Plym Conv. Coupes with either single fender mounted spare tires on the right side and/or left/right dual spares. Fender mounted spare tires add a degree of class to a car, the majority of the classic cars of the thirty's all had fender mounted spares.

Several years ago I responed to an ad in Hemming's for 39 Plym parts, talking to the man I found to my surprise that he had front fenders for a 39 Plym with the wheel wells, needless to say I bought them sight unseen. Since I have a daughter that lives in Montana, I had her pick them up, then I picked them up from her. To my surprise all of the parts to attach the fenders and wheels were there with the fenders except for one of the cowel braces.

It is generally accepted that fender mounted spares are only correct for the Sedan Delivery's and  Suburban's...... But then again.... is this fact, or is it just someones opion?  The Chrysler Corp. Plymouth Passenger Car Parts List dated February 20 1939, Group 12-B Fenders---Front, clearly lists  left/right fenders w/fenderwells (#846995/#846994)  for the P7 & P8, these same part numbers are shown for the Sedan Delivery & Suburban.

While doing the restoration on the body of my car, we found that the cowel is punched and re-enforced on both the left/right sides for the  wheel well support brackets, the only modification required is the drilling of a hole through the outer panel of the cowel. I guess the question could be raised......  was the cowel re-enforced because the cowel for the convertables was also used on the suburbans?....., or was it done to make it easier for the dealers to ad this very desirable accessory?

I have been messing around with "old cars" for almost 55 years.....,  cars of the 30's/40's are not old to me, all of my relatives were still driving them up through the late 50's. My first car was a 40 Chevy, that was in 1948.  I sometimes have a problem when someone calls a 72 Whatsamaycallit an old car, that's  new to me.

I think the point that most people miss is that the good ole days were not so good. Money was tight during the 1930's, the auto industry was still in it's infancy. To keep the cost's down, so they could be more competitive, cars were priced without bumpers, spare tiires, radios, heaters, sun visors, etc,  and up through 1937/38 dual tail lights except on delux models. I worked in new car prep in a Ford agency in 1949/50 and a friend of mine worked for the Chevy dealer. We installed the majority of the heaters, radio's, delux steering wheels, hood ornaments and hub caps/wheel trim rings. All of the cars came in stripped because the dealers did not want to pay frieght on the accessories and they had a better chance to sell a stripped car.

Have I put the fenderwell fenders on my car?.... not yet.... am I going to?  I don't know, my wife wants me to, she thinks they are neat. I have seen a 36 Chrysler Airstream Conv coupe with dual spares, it looked great, but then again I really like the clean lines of my fat fendered Plym....Bill

[Wm Steed]

Mike,  I have a pair, left/right of the original window operators for a 39. I am not to sure as to if they will fit a 40 conv. but they might. I have been told that there is a lot of simularity between the early 40's and the 39's.  I also have a pair of wind wings for a '40/41 conv. these wind wings are for the  late '40 & 41 conv's. There is a diffenance between '40 early and '40 late with the change being after a certain serial number.  I resently was told that the window tracks for a Ford conv. and a Plym conv. are very close to being the same, this would make sense because the Plym's had Briggs bodies and as I recall, Ford used a lot of Briggs bodies in the '30's.

While trying to find widow frames for a friend of mines '39 Conv. Coupe I found that the windows for a Nash Metropoliton are very simular, they have the chrome/stainless frames and near the same shape, I have not actually compared them side by side because mine have been tied up in a shop. I have the Metro windows and will actually compare them when I get my frames back, hopefully this week.

Back to the Nu-Relic's operators. I can not speak highly enough about this firm and their products. Their operators are constructed out of all new parts and are a direct replacement for the stock operators.

I find it to be very interesting that with the contorversity surrounding stock/modified, that a company would have window operators on hand for such rare cars as the Plyms conv's, but as the man said, he has done a lot of '36 and later Mopars....Bill

[47myway]

Thank you for the post on Nu-Relics. I have a 1940 plymouth convertible coupe. Its 90% complete, however my doors have nothing in them. No glass,frames, or channel. This at least gives me a start as to where to look. When you dont have any thing for a 40 ragtop, finding anything is hard when it comes to window parts.thank you Mike wagnon

[Wm Steed]

Since our Forum crashed I figured I had better restart my Conv. Coupe thread......

Not much has happened with the car during the past two months, I waited for 5 months for a shop to repair my window frames and install the new green tinted glass. (I used light green glass because I wanted it to look like the original glass that had turned  a greenish color from age.) After five months they still did not have them done so I took them to another shop, where-in they sat for 2 more months without being completed. I took them out of that shop on Thursday and took them to another shop that said they would have them fixed by next Wednesday.

The problem with the windows is that from over the years of use, something on the metal part of the top assy rubbed on the stainless steel window frame causeing the frame  (s) to get a hole worn into the s/s covers on the frame. Another problem was that someone had repaired the left frame, when they took the frame apart they lost some of the  small rollers that Chrysler used in these frames. There is also a tensioning rod that attach's from one side of the frame to the other. It appears as if this rod was used to keep tension on the frame and therefore keep it from flexing which would cause it to bend.  The left window frame without the tension rod had kinked/bent where-as the right frame with the tension rod was still straight.

I also waited five months for a shop to build up power operators for my windows, YES I SAID POWER WINDOWS. After waiting five months they still  had not made much headway....... I guess there is a lot to be said for working on BELLY BUTTOM CARS, ya know... Chevies/Fords in lieu of the rare lowly Plym's.....

In September I was  looking  through Street Rodder, I came upon an ad for Nu-Relics wherein they claimed to make power windows, or could make, power windows for any car.  I called them, expecting a siegh  and response that they did not make operators for a 39 Plym, I instead was told that they had made several sets for 36 through 39 Mopars and in fact had the operators in stock for a 39 Conv. Coupe. Needless to say I ordered them, ten days later I received them via UPS, cost...... $430.+ s/h complete with the wiring, switchs and ferrels for the doors/jambs.

Now if I can get the window frames fixed I can get the windows in, adjust the top mechanizum as needed and then get my top on which will allow me to complete the upholstery....Bill