Just purchased a P10 4 dr Sedan

reg evans · February 05, 2007, 01:49:15 PM

Thanks Go. I ordered some firestones from Universal Vintage tire.
Were the 40 Plymouth sedans ever equipped with anything other than a 4.11 to 1 ratio?

Go Fleiter · February 03, 2007, 05:26:23 AM

Myself, I never tried Kelsey Tires,look for it on Google.

I had good tires from Universal vintage Tire
Hershey PA.
Fax. 001 - 717 - 534 - 0719
Tel. 001 - 717 - 534 - 0715

Then, Jium Benjaminson has some tires available, ask him too!
Greetings! Go

reg evans · February 02, 2007, 10:51:18 AM

Bob,? Just wanted to thank you publicly for all the info you have provided and for the choke knob and list of accessories. I hope I can return the favor sometime soon. Thank you very much !!!? ?Reg

While I'm here ...who sells a suitable tire for this car besides the spendy Coker and Diamondback companies. I'd like to find a tall skinny radial blackwall at least 29" in diameter. Am I dreamin? Maybe bias ply's would be OK too.

Quote from: RC Drown on January 26, 2007, 06:14:55 AM
Reg,

If you email me at with your snail mail address I have a list of options that where available for the 1940 Plymouth that I can mail you.

Bob

RC Drown · January 26, 2007, 06:14:55 AM

Reg,

If you email me at

rdrown[delete this bit 6a3a08919981c][insert an at symbol here]webtv[insert a dot here]net

with your snail mail address I have a list of options that where available for the 1940 Plymouth that I can mail you.

Bob

reg evans · January 25, 2007, 04:55:30 PM

Thanks for the help Jim !
How would I go about finding a list of accessories that were available for this car?

Jim Benjaminson · January 25, 2007, 03:37:55 PM

Plymouth didn't use two tone paint until 1941; the 40 was always a solid car. The clock fit in the
glove box door. Both the door and the clock are very hard to find!

reg evans · January 25, 2007, 12:37:01 PM

Thanks David ! Do you know if the 40 Plymouth ever came with a 2 tone paint scheme? I also wondered if there was a clock available and if so where did it go? glove box door maybe?
Thanks,
Reg

David Pollock · January 25, 2007, 12:13:02 PM

It looks like you have verified the mileage, but here is the lining thickness : when new, just under 1/4 inch, actually .21"

You need a puller to remove the rear drums, I did a pictorial on how to do this which was published in the Plymouth Bulletin this past year. It can be accessed through this site too, maybe Mark Olson can direct you as I have forgotten how to find it.

Ping · January 24, 2007, 07:35:14 PM

Lucky you, what a find. I have owned a 1940 Plymouth coupe for some years now, I origionally bought it in 1967. Sold it after owning it for 18 years. Now, I have it back again. Its home to stay. I attend many car shows with it each summer in Maine. I have driven it from the central of Maine out through New Hampshire to Worcester Mass to the New England Car meet which is the last of June each year and the first of July. 700 miles round trip. She (as I call her) never misses a beat.

How is the paint on your car? I have had to do some painting on mine, but it still has a lot of the origional paint. I should paint her, but somehow, I like to keep it as origional as I can.

I hope you enjoy your Plymouth as much as I do mine. Have a good day. Ping from Maine

Go Fleiter · January 24, 2007, 10:19:19 AM

That?s too bautiful! What more can You wish! Congratulations!

I?m still hoping to get some Infos on my car?s first owner, Mr. Darl C. Hartson of Boulder, Colorado. He died a couple of years ago.
Internet was not helpful until now.

Greetings! Go

reg evans · January 24, 2007, 09:40:56 AM

Success !!!!? Yesterday I googled the name on? copy of an old bill of sale that came with the car dated 8/71. Two identical names with different phone numbers came up in Oshkosh,WI.? I called the 1st number and an elderly woman(80 yrs) answered. I introduced myself and asked about the car. It turns out her parents bought the car new in Oshkosh and she remembers being allowed to drive it a little as a teenager. When I asked if she thought the car could really only have 35,000 miles on it She said "Oh yes, her parents put the car up on blocks during WW2 and after that only drove the car on weekends and short trips visiting relatives."? She is going to wright me a little story about the car.
She then told me I should talk to her son because he owned the car from the mid 70's until now. She gave me his phone number and said it was OK to call him. I did and he verified everything she had told me. He's going to send me all the original sales receipts and is going to make me copies of the old photos he has of the car. YAHOO !?

Go Fleiter · January 24, 2007, 12:42:53 AM

Dear Reg, as for the brake shoe rivets:
a lot of shops still rivet Oldtimer brake linings. That my be no proof for age.
Greetings! Go

reg evans · January 23, 2007, 11:27:07 AM

Thanks Tod.? They are really rusty but they didn't feel any different than the new ones I bought.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v154/olddodges1/40%20Plymouth/?action=view&current=rearshock.jpg

TodFitch · January 23, 2007, 10:27:33 AM

If the shocks you removed are original then there should be a way to disassemble and refurbish them. The 1936-42 factory service manual shows the details.

reg evans · January 23, 2007, 08:46:40 AM

Thanks guys. Well,the car runs very well. Except for the exhaust leak at the manifold it is very quiet and smooth. No smoke or blowby. The clutch is smooth and the steering is tight and easy to turn when stopped. All the doors and windows work smoothly but the drivers window squeeks when rolling down. The door panels look like new. Original seats look good and the rubber floor mat in front is still there but is deteriorating. The rear carpet is in excellent shape. All glass is original and the weather stripping is all there and still pliable.
I changed the shocks yesterday and the ones that came off look like they have been there for a very long time. Any way to tell if they are original ?? I'm going to remove the brake drums today because the brakes need attention and I will check for those rivits on the shoes you mentioned David. What would the drum thickness measure if it only had 35K miles on it? Thanks for the comments and help.
Reg

David Pollock · January 22, 2007, 11:55:37 PM

You don't say how well it runs, but even if it does not, there is a big difference between a 35000 mile car and most 135000 mile cars. The pedal pads and floormats would be pretty well worn out by 135000 miles, so would the driver's door window mechanism because of the number of times it went up and down to hand signal. Brake shoes would be about 2/3 worn down by 35000 miles, original linings in 40 were riveted. Because of the amount of time this car must have sat idle, the mileage is somewhat irrelevant as an indicator of overall condition. My first 40, a 4door, had 125000 miles on it by 1964. My second, a coupe , has 70 000 miles on it now and needless to say, the second one is a lot tighter with virtually no wear on upholstery, king pins, steering parts or brake drums. The first one was almost totally worn out, but add some teenage mileage, and it really came unglued. It was finished at 135000 miles in 1965. Good luck with yours, they are really nice cars.

RC Drown · January 22, 2007, 04:25:42 PM

Reg,

Good luck with your 1940 P-10 Plymouth.

I have owned a 1940 P-10 Business coupe for close to twenty years.

Again, Good luck,
Bob

Go Fleiter · January 22, 2007, 02:34:32 PM

What a dream You got! Enjoy it!
Judging the mileage needs an expert eye maybe checking the wear of journals and bearings.
Greetings! Go

reg evans · January 22, 2007, 10:20:48 AM

Hello fellow Plymouth Owners.? I just took delivery of a very original 1940 P10 Sedan that I purchased on eBay and wondered if anyone here knew if there was a way to verify the mileage. The odometer reads just under 35,000 and I have been told this is the total mileage. The car came with copies of the original sales papers with the 1st owners name and address in Oshkosh.Wi. and then a bill of sale where she sold it to another man in 1971 in Oshkosh. The car was then sold to the man I purchased it from 1 year ago who drove to WI and trailered it to his home in IL. Any ideas how to verify all of this. There is a service sticker on the drivers door jamb dated 1978 with the mileage showing only 500 less than is showing on the odometer now. The spare tire is very worn but the tread pattern looks like a 40's style.
Thanks for any help in advance.
Reg in Ca.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/olddodges1/40%20Plymouth/MVC-001S.jpg