In 1946, U.S. auto manufacturers were starting to build automobiles again after WW2. Most of the new cars were continuations of what had been produced in 1942, with all-new products not appearing before 1948. So, this 1946 Plymouth Special Deluxe is much like it would have been in 1942, except this is a snappy restomod with a Buick Grand National V6 under the hood! Ready to cruise, this Plymouth is in Youngsville, North Carolina, and is available here on craigslist. The seller thinks it’s worth $35,000, so will be up to the buyer to make a reasonable offer. Hats off to Chuck Foster for this cool tip!
The 1946 model year was a built-up one as production didn’t begin in late 1945 as would have been customary. Plymouth built more than 243,000 cars in a partial ’46 and then 346,000 in 1947 as a full season. By 1949, it was full steam ahead and new offerings helped push the number past the half-million mark. The Special Deluxe is better trimmed than the budget-minded Plymouth’s, and the 2-coupe was especially roomy for its size.
How and when this ’46 Special Deluxe was transformed into a modern street rod, we don’t know. But the work appears to have been done well. It begins with an intercooled V6 lifted from a 1987 Buick Grand National with 40,000 miles. It was paired with a 200-4R automatic transmission and a 9-inch Ford rear end. To make it handle better, power-assisted rack & pinion steering was added to the mix along with power front disc brakes. So, the 1940s have met up with the 1980s!
The interior looks to have been nicely redone and the GM tilt-steering is the only real nod that something different is afoot. You’ll cruise around in style with vintage air conditioning. While the seller is hoping for $35,000, he/she has already turned down $20,000. That’s a pretty big gap to overcome, but if you gotta have it, you gotta have it!
Holy wow.. Funny cause when i saw Buick V-6 power it flashed in my mind hope its a turbo. It’s nicely done. I’m seing S-10 steering column and Regal speedo but the rest of the guages seem o.e.m Plymouth. I see underdash vents and a/c hoses on driver side of the engine bay so i’m guessing vintage a/c. This one is beautifull and if the exhaust is stock in sound its the perfect sleeper to see the euuuuuuuh wtf on the driver in the other lane when you show him your taillights
Great looking Plymouth with the right stance. Looks clean and well done. I’ll bet there’s the right punch when you dip into the throttle. Would love to tour around in this.
Horrible. The L Head was a far better engine (from a far better time, to)
Haa……slower, older motors were better?
You might not like my 41 Chrysler then. 496 BBC and all kinds of chopping.
I can see why people thought your sister Wednesday was the smart one.
Looking at the photos the only thing I dislike is the steering wheel. The interior looks very comfortable and the exterior color is tastefully understated.
My first car was a ’46 Special Deluxe, bought when I was 14 for $80. Drove it to high school for 2 years without a license….you could do that in 1960. Multi colored, body damaged, but I loved it. Differential failed just as I was getting my license, so I bought a better car….a ’51 Kaiser lol…
Lots of good memories from that Plymouth. This one looks exceptional!
While I appreciate the tasteful treatment of this car, and it gives the appearance of mechanical work to a high standard, I’m fundamentally with Paul. We give our visual and tactile senses a treat with the modifications, while ignoring the auditory sense – which longs for the sweet, smooth, admittedly gutless sound of the old flathead.
I enthusiastically applaud the owner for preserving that gorgeous faux-wood factory dashboard finish. But anybody with the talent to build this car could also figure out a way to reconfigure a factory steering wheel and column to accomplish all the same modern functions. Certainly the old column shift lever could be reconfigured to control an automatic transmission. The modern steering wheel/column sticks out like soar thumb in this otherwise period-correct cabin. I think I would have designed a more discreet A/C evaporator also.
Another pet peeve: we have a Mopar car with a GM engine. Why not a hemi? If you’re going to swap out the engine for something faster, let’s at least keep it in the family.
All this said, I still have to admire the end result.I fear the seller will have to trim his price a bit – although I suspect this car could not be built for less.
I agree with you in most of your statements. I have owned a sampling of most all of the vehicle manufacturers and don’t really have a favorite. That Buick V6 is a GREAT engine. However I’m with you on staying with a manufacturer when up grading especially, engine choices. Mopar has made some really nice V6s over the years as well as some peppy turbo charged 4s that would have been fun to put in this car. Many years ago when Chrysler was working with Mitsubishi, they had a beautiful little 300 hp V6 that even in stock form would have made this car really move out nicely.
There’s one of these in Idaho for $4800 bucks need restoration but look mostly clean from what I’ve seen driving by
you can’t beat a turbo Buick V6 for some great power, the engine only weighs 375 pounds, factory rated at 245 HP the real horsepower numbers were close to 300, if you drive with a light foot you can get close to 24 MPG, I have powered my street rod with one for the last thirty years, great engines.
Those intercooler Buick Grand National engined are a force to be reckoned with even 30 years later.