Roger's FAQ for his 1941 Plymouth Special Deluxe

Hey! Nice car! Gonna street rod it, right?

No.

Why don't you drop a small block Chevy in there?

My original 201 CI flathead 6 can do 12 MPH going up Storm King Mountain floored in 2nd gear. Why would I want a bigger engine? OK, maybe I'll add a 2x1 manifold so I gan go 14 MPH....

They don't make them like that anymore, do they?

Nope. Thankfully. Now they make cars with disk brakes, dual brake systems, air conditioning, power steering, crumple zones, air bags...

Why don't you drop a small block Chevy in there?

I can change all 6 spark plugs in 90 seconds. Can you do that with a small block Chevy?

What year is that?

1941

How do you get the rear brake drums off?

Same as a P15 - here's a good link for that: P15-D24.com's article on Plymouth brakes.

Which is that, a Ford or a Chevy?

No.

Why don't you drop a small block Chevy in there?

Why would I drop one in? What's my hurry?

How fast can that thing go?

Uphill or down? I've heard of people getting them up to 100, but personally I wouldn't risk it. I've had it up to 70 briefly, I routinely drive it as high a 50. Look, it was built before the interstates, and has no overdrive. If I need to get somewhere, I drive a modern car. If I want to have fun roadtripping the back roads, I take the Plymouth.

Did New York State make you put the seatbelts in?

No, the laws of physics made me put the seatbelts in. And my spouse wouldn't ride in it without them.

Why don't you drop a small block Chevy in there?

Why don't you go contemplate a 9/16" socket wrench?!?

Why don't you put a great big sound system in there? After all, that way you can blast the music of the 50s at local cruise nights!

The music of the 1950's is way too modern for my tastes. I'll stick with the popular bands of the 30's and 40's, or my old klezmer records. And my $39 boom box is fine for that.

Well, then, why don't you get the original 802 radio sitting in the dash fixed?

I should spend 2 or 3 hundred dollars to pick up AM radio?

OK, so you're determined to run that old 1941 engine, those old 1941 wheels, leave the 1941 sound system intact though dead. If you're such a sticker for originality, why the radial tires?

Half the price of bias ply in that size and much safer.

So it's not a rod, it's not a custom, it's not a better-than-factory restoration, and it's not an original. What is it?

A used car. So far the AACA doesn't have a class for that.

Why don't you drop a small block Chevy in there?

Why don't you drop a flathead six on your foot?

-roger