My "New" 1948 Project

I had an old 1986 Chevy K20 that we had tons of plans for and were going to build up to something crazy! BUT... life got in the way, and we had to sell it.

How we got it:

How we sold it:



That one wasn't Mopar, but it was a truck...

This one well... isn't a truck, but its a MOPAR!!!!

This car has been in our family since new. My Grandmother drove this car when she was young. It was then passed down to my oldest aunt and then garaged behind my Grandma's house in the early 70s, and has been sitting there since. Well, she passed away almost 2 years ago, and the house just not got put on the market for sale. Well, the car has to go before the house sells. That's where I come in... A couple other family members want it, but either don't have somewhere to put it, or don't have the skills to restore it... I have both!

So here she is: Our "new" 1948 Plymouth P15 Deluxe!


She has the factory 217.8 cubic inch Flathead I6 making a whopping 95 horsepower at 3600rpm! It has a 3 on the tree manual transmission.



The car is a 4 door sedan, which has a standard opening front door, with suicide doors in the rear.
This car is nothing close to small... with a 117in wheelbase, and 196 3/4" long.


The car has been in the garage for almost 40 years, so of course the car isn't perfect. Gaskets have let go, and the tires are dry rotted.



Surprisingly enough though, this car is incredibly clean! There is only a couple small spots that are going to be reached, and only a couple other spots with surface rust. The frame is solid, just needs cleaned and repainted.




The interior is very clean for it's age too! It will need redone, but the car is 66 years old!!! There is even extra parts in there! New gaskets, missing chrome trim, an extra carb, and transmission!





We have to clean out a spot in the garage that is to be it's new home, then we can work on moving it!
The tires were unsalvageable, so we put the car on jack-stands and will be going to the junkyard for some used tires to get the car moved. Once the car is roadworthy, she will get some nice rubber, but until then, we just need something that rolls.



One thing I love about these cars is the hood emblems... they are awesome!



The next thing is future plans...
First things first, is I want to get the car cleaned up and roadworthy. Once that happens, I can start having some fun! I have a couple awesome ideas, but unsure of which route I will go. One idea is a 440 and another is to go wild and throw a 12V Cummins under the hood, but it will depend on a lot of things.

It will probably be a few weeks before we are able to get it moved, but when that happens, we can start the slow process of cleaning it up.

Very cool! Always nice to have a project with some personal history to it too!

Keep the pics coming, I'm sure a few of us on here would love to see your progress!

Thanks! I can't wait to get it moved, and really start playing with it. I have memories going back as long as I can remember, seeing the car in the back garage at her house growing up whenever I went to mow the grass. I always dreamed of one day taking the car and doing something crazy with it... and that day has finally come!!!

I will most definitely keep this updated as I go... I warn you guys though, you'd better be in for the long haul, because this thing won't be done tomorrow!

When we were over at the garage a couple days ago to get the wheels off the car, I got the center caps as well.


They are absolutely disguising. 66 years of road grime, rust, and corrosion did a good number on them. Well, I can't have that. So I tried cleaning them with everything I had, from car soap, polish, degreaser, the whole 9 yards.

Well, none of those worked, and that is why I will never drink Coke again lol.
I got an aluminum turkey pan from the basement and filled it with 6 liters of Coke. I then put in my center caps and let them sit overnight.



The one on the right is before, and on the left is after:

Awesome stuff man! This is gonna be good.

Took the wheels out Friday and got the tires removed. Next up, some serious sanding and then some paint.




I also have to figure out how to redo these letters...

I like the Cummins idea, with a monster turbo. Leav'em in a cloud of coal dust and tire smoke.

I do too... For now, I have definitely decided on keeping the Flat6 and maybe doing a little engine work to it (maybe break 100hp HAHA!). I am kind of leaning towards the 440/727 combo for the future though, just because of costs... but who knows?!

Started work on the 48s new home today. We are hoping we can get the garage cleaned out early this week and then have the car moved sometime this weekend!

The 48's new home is cleaned out! We worked on it another 3 hours or so tonight, so she is ready to be moved this weekend! I can't wait!

The wheels are done!


I have one center cap finished and painted as well. I think the combination will look awesome on the car!

It's hard to believe that this is the same wheel and center cap:


I am having tires put on them tomorrow once the paint has some time to dry.

Well, she is finally out of her 40 year slumber!

Newly painted wheels with junkyard tires on and ready to go.



SHE'S OUT!!!









Loading it up!



We didn't come very prepared... so we used ratchet straps and a come-along to get it on. Took some time, but we got it!



Washed of 40 years of dust, dirt, and grime





Just a couple good shots:







Backed up to it's new home



Plenty of spare parts



Tucked in and cozy

I vote cummins lol. That would be insane. But where would the tranny go? There even room underneath? Lol

What an awesome story! Going to be great watching this unfold....

Thanks! I can't wait! Due to money, and busy schedules, there won't be anything major done to it for a little while. We are hoping to move into a better house with a garage that I can work on it in, in a few months. Once that happens, it's game on!

BUT, I did get a pretty awesome picture of her tonight