New Member

bbmopar
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:41 am

New Member

Post by bbmopar »

My name is Ed Prichard and I am currently living in east Tennessee and am trying to get a 59 taxi back on the road. It is an undesignated model 4 door which apparently served as a taxi in Atlanta in it's early life. It has been stored since 1977, so it's not as rusty as it could be. It has a Perkins P4 diesel engine that I have recently gotten running after having the starter and diesel injector pump rebuilt in England. They were both Lucas brand parts which don't have a reputation for longevity, but they are working fairly well now. I wrote to Chrysler Historical and they have no build records. I have redone the brakes and the car is driving in the yard. It will only do about 45 MPH with the diesel and 3 on the tree....apparently it was set up for inner city taxi service. Any additional info anyone has would be welcome. It needs a front valance and upholstery most. Not sure what to do about the body/paint.
IMG_20190207_120246754.jpg
IMG_20190207_120204933.jpg
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

Ed, welcome! You have a very rare car indeed. I wonder if it was assembled in Europe, and arrived in the U.S. after service there? Could that account for why FCA does not have a build card for it? If I get permission, I will scan an article about Plymouth diesels from Jim Benjaminson's book "Plymouth 1946-1959", and post it here shortly.

Your trim appears to be that of a Savoy. Another clue that it might have been assembled abroad - the emblem on the fin matches that of my '54 Plymouth Suburban! ...er, except, mine is missing the "h" :oops: :cry:

emblem.JPG


Stay tuned for additional details. Again, welcome!

Dan
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

Jim graciously provides permission. Here is an excerpt from his most excellent book printed by Motorbooks International, ISBN 0-87938-840-4. It's now out of print, but if you should see one on eBay, grab it. Click on the pic to open the document.

Jim's article makes it clear that Perkins-equipped diesels were to be found in the U.S. as well. Still, a rare find indeed.

diesel.pdf
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

This just in from Jim Benjaminson:
Jim Benjaminson wrote: I don’t know if any of this serial number information will help Mr. Prichard or not – but here is the breakdown:

First character - M = 1959 model year
Second character 1 = 6-cylinder Plymouth (or) 2 = 8-cylinder Plymouth
Third character 8 = Plymouth taxi
4th character indicates assembly plate (1 – Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, 2 – Dodge ass’y, 3 – Evansville, Indiana, 4 – Los Angeles, 5 - Newark, Delaware, 6 – Plymouth ass’y Detroit Lynch Road, 7 – Imperial plant, 8 – Valley Park, Missouri (St. Louis)
5th digit – sequence serial number starting at 100,001 at all plants

No special codes for overseas.

A number 9 in the 3rd digit indicates a “special model”.

If Mr. Prichard is willing to share his serial number, I will add it to my files.
Could you send a pic of your VIN, Ed? You should find it on the driver's side "A" pillar, when you open the door - unless it was built in Detroit, in which case it will be on the data plate on the cowl, generally above the master cylinder on the firewall. If you've got a data plate, send a pic of that as well! Matthew Keij - another Forum member - will be happy to decode what options your Plymouth may have been equipped with.
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
bbmopar
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:41 am

Re: New Member

Post by bbmopar »

There is no vin tag on the door post, just the one on the firewall. I'll attach a picture. I did contact someone at Perkins in Peterborough, England and they told me that most of their engines were installed in vehicles in a factory in the Netherlands. I also discovered the "shadow" of a dealership casting that had been installed on the trunk, but I can't make it out, other than it appears to say ATLANTA under the name. Thanks for any help or information you can provide.
IMG_20180725_124123943.jpg
bbmopar
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:41 am

Re: New Member

Post by bbmopar »

Here's a pic of the "shadow"
IMG_20190205_162335207.jpg
User avatar
Matthew Keij
Posts: 1407
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 3:37 pm
Location: Poortvliet, The Netherlands

Re: New Member

Post by Matthew Keij »

Welcome!! Ive seen pics of this one before but it has been a couple years.

I’ll try to decode the plate ASAP!
Any idea where the engines were installed in the Netherlands? I’d love to see if the place is still there :mrgreen:
July 14th 2019 “the soul crusher”
User avatar
Matthew Keij
Posts: 1407
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 3:37 pm
Location: Poortvliet, The Netherlands

Re: New Member

Post by Matthew Keij »

Looks like it’s already been done! I’ll try to update it if I have new info on it.

Here’s a link from 2008
http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forum ... ?tid=21518
July 14th 2019 “the soul crusher”
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

Weren’t they actually assembled in Antwerp, Belgium?

I think it very odd that the fin script is from several model years back. If there aren’t any extra holes in the fin - i.e., if it appears to be original - I’m betting it was assembled overseas, and reimported.
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
bbmopar
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:41 am

Re: New Member

Post by bbmopar »

A couple of updates. Apologies to Matthew. I went back and looked at emails from last year and the guy at Perkins said that he believed that there was a Mopar plant in Belgium that did the conversions and that "most" of the vehicles with the P4 Perkins went to the Netherlands as taxis. This vehicle is the same one that was in the posting you shared. I bought it from Brian, who loved it, but really enjoyed working on newer VW diesels. I wish the old pictures would still display from that old post.
The paint is all original and there does not appear to be any old body work under any of it, so there are no filled trim holes. There are two holes on the left front door post where a number plate would have been installed, but there is no evidence that any fasteners have ever been in them.
An update after reading the old post: the P4 engine did not have glow plugs, just one "thermostat" in the intake manifold with a small primer pump on the dash that squirts a small amount of diesel on it to help it start on days when the temp is below about 50 degrees F.
Thank you all for the additional information!
Now If I can locate a front valance and some reproduction rubber matting for the floor!
User avatar
Matthew Keij
Posts: 1407
Joined: Tue Mar 09, 2004 3:37 pm
Location: Poortvliet, The Netherlands

Re: New Member

Post by Matthew Keij »

That would be the plant in Antwerp, about 15-20 minutes from here. We have a couple ads from there
July 14th 2019 “the soul crusher”
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

I took the liberty of enhancing the "shadow" a bit - it looks like it says "Lander". Or perhaps, "Landers", where the "s" went AWOL like the "h" in my '54 Plymouth emblem? :oops: Although, given the placement of the pins, I think it unlikely it's missing an "s".

IMG_20190205_162335207.jpg


I tried Googling for both names in the Atlanta area, without any luck.
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

Ed, I just read the extensive thread on www.forwardlook.net that Matthew found. At the end of the thread - almost 6 years ago - folks are speculating what happened to the car. If you're not already a member there, consider joining and updating folks! And just because I'm a packrat, I've snagged Brian's pix from there, to post here:

P1010769.JPG
p1010768.JPG
P1010770.JPG
p1010777.JPG
P1010787.JPG
sat19drive.jpg
sat19loading.jpg
trans.JPG
vinedit.jpg
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
bbmopar
Posts: 7
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:41 am

Re: New Member

Post by bbmopar »

Thank you for your research into the dealer name and posting the other photos. I went over to the forwardlook board and attempted an update, but my pictures are too large to be uploaded there. Are there any freebie editors to easily shrink files for uploading there?
User avatar
Faulkner
Posts: 5031
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2004 6:59 pm
Location: Upper Darby, PA
Contact:

Re: New Member

Post by Faulkner »

Post ‘em here! I’ll shrink them for you.
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
Post Reply