I’m Buying A 76-Year-Old Plymouth Sight-Unseen From A Thousand Miles Away And I Have No Idea What I’m Doing

I’ve been wanting an old American car for years and thanks to the legendary Stephen Walter Gossin, I’m finally pulling the trigger on a classic. Soon, I will be driving about a thousand miles out to North Carolina to rescue a 1948 Plymouth Special DeLuxe based only on Gossin’s pictures and videos. I have no actual idea what I’m doing and I’m excited about it.

Most of our readers know that I’m a caretaker of several unreliable German cars. However, I’ve long had a soft spot for vintage Americana. I’m the kind of person who would love to take some old American iron down Route 66. Sadly, now that I have driven most of Route 66 and discovered that there isn’t a ton of the original road remaining, I now know my dream can’t happen the way I picture it.

Still, I dream of hopping behind the wheel of a car much older than I am and just setting off toward the sunset. This is why a lot of Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness contains vintage American cars. Those are cars I’d love to hit the blacktop in! David Tracy gave me a taste of my dream by letting me drive his old rusty Valiant around Detroit.

I didn’t care that the windshield threatened to frost over and the old Valiant had relatively few horses left in its stable, it was one of the more memorable drives in my life. I need another hit of that classic car driving.

At the same time, I’m an avid viewer of Vice Grip Garage. I’ve been watching Derek Bieri rescue old cars for longer than I’ve been writing professionally. I’ve been a VGG fan for longer than I’ve even known my wife. In addition to my dreams of driving a fantastic vintage American car, I’ve long wanted to get one back running again with my own two hands. Thanks to Stephen Walter Gossin and a fella in North Carolina, it’s time to make dreams come true.

The Car

So, Gossin has found a compound of old cars out in North Carolina. There are enough cars out there that each of the Autopian staff could have a car of their own to save. While many of them are vintage American steeds, the elderly man who owns them also had his hands on cute French cars and even a German motorcycle.

Each of these cars has a story, as does the man himself. I still don’t really know the full details yet, but you bet both Gossin and I will tell you everything because the stories of a car’s owner are just as touching as the car itself.

For now, what you need to know is that the guy is a real enthusiast and loved these cars dearly. However, the man’s health is declining and he’s no longer able to keep his beloved fleet alive. The vehicles parked on his property haven’t run in around five or seven or so years and nature in North Carolina is trying to reclaim them as their own.

Gossin and I want to continue the stories of at least two of the cars. You’ll hear about his rescue in time. I’m not going to spoil any of it because it has more twists and turns than an M. Night Shyamalan film. For now, let’s look at what will hopefully be my loot in a week or two of time.

What you’re looking at here is a 1948 Plymouth Special DeLuxe. Production of the Special DeLuxe started in the 1930s as the upmarket sibling to Plymouth’s lower sixes. Like much of the rest of the automotive industry, Plymouth paused production after 1942 to aid in the World War II effort.

After the war, production of civilian models ramped back up. The vehicles constructed immediately after the war had minor updates, but were otherwise pre-war cars. That didn’t stop America’s automakers from finding ways to drum up interest in their vehicles. Plymouth said its post-war models were “Four Years Better Than Before” and that it was “Chrysler Corporation’s Number One Car.”

Plymouth was particularly proud of how quiet the 95 HP 217.8 cubic inch L-Head straight-six was and how reliably it started with just the flick of the ignition. The automaker also said it moved the spark coil to the top of the engine, allowing for shorter wires to the distributor and better spark.

Then there’s the design, where Plymouth touted the vehicle’s stainless steel trim and grille. The hood ornament is also interesting as it is a mix of chrome and plastic. Stepping up to the Special DeLuxe added sun visors, a glove box, full windshield wipers, and neat third window vents for four-door sedans, which had sweet rear-hinged doors.

The one out in North Carolina seems like a great project. Gossin has been on the ground with a camera and found a lot of good news. Yes, the car has all kinds of dirt, grime, and growth on it, but Gossin tells me the body is remarkably solid and the frame underneath also looks really good. You can tell that the owner loved this car and tried to keep it in tip-top shape. He couldn’t find any obvious bad rust and even the floor appears to be all there. This isn’t like a Midwest car with structural carpet and a Swiss cheese frame. I bet one good wash will bring out something pretty decent, too. Even the white wall tires are still holding wind.

Of course, not everything is perfect. Gossin tells me the car is missing a headliner, the dashboard is pretty worn, and the overall interior is a bit past its prime. But you know what? I’ll take putting in a new headliner and having the seats recovered over trying to fix a frame with holes in it. Something else promising is the claim that the vehicle last ran five years ago. This isn’t like a true VGG-style rescue where the car hasn’t run in three decades. I wouldn’t be surprised if cleaning the carburetor and the fuel tank gets it running again.

Oh, I’m getting excited again. I asked Gossin to go ahead and lock in that car for me. I don’t care that I haven’t seen it with my own eyes, I want it. This is the gangster-looking classic I want to finish this summer driving.

The Plan

Alright, so I like making plans. They rarely go as I expect, but at least I tried, right?

Gossin is putting the pieces together for the car he wants to save from the compound. Again, I’m not spoiling the details, but when all of that work is finished, we’ll both descend onto the North Carolina property to liberate our chosen cars. Jason will be joining us for an awesome Autopian crossover episode.

Now, I’ve never purchased a car that doesn’t run, so this is new territory for me. My wife recommended we do things exactly as Derek from VGG does. If you’re not familiar with this strategy, I’ll explain. Derek often arrives on location with a bunch of tools and the expectation of driving the vehicle hundreds of miles back home. He is then forced to get the car working just good enough to drive the 500 or 800 or so miles back to Tennessee.

It makes for a high level of entertainment and is inspiring, too. Derek’s cars often feed fuel from boat tanks placed in passenger floorboards and stop with brakes cobbled together.

I’m not sure I want to go that nuts on my first-ever car rescue. Derek knows what he’s doing and he also often has places to store a car if it doesn’t make it all of the way home. If we broke down in that Plymouth we’d be stuck who knows where for who knows how long. The car’s located in Garner, at least 865 miles and over 14 hours from home. The routes served up by Google Maps change every time I look up the drive, so I’m expecting somewhere around 900 miles each way.

My plan is to come down with a truck and a U-Haul car hauler, and then hand the fella $1,000 for the new-to-me ride. I might try to get the Plymouth started just for giggles, but it’s coming back home on the trailer. In case I can’t get the car started right there, I’ll be bringing a trailer ball-based electric winch. I’ve watched David suffer with come-alongs for long enough to feel like I’ll take my chances with an underpowered electric winch. Besides, I’ll have Sheryl and Stephen to help the winch along, too.

From there, I’ll bring the Plymouth back home, where it’ll get a deep clean before I even pop open the power barn. I already have a space picked out for the Plymouth — the one previously taken up by a nightmare Volkswagen Passat TDI wagon — where I’ll turn some wrenches. With luck, maybe I could get the car running and driving before the end of the summer.

Speaking about getting the car running, I recently discovered that the Special DeLuxe is not only a 6-volt car, but the electrical system is configured in such a way that the vehicle’s ground is positive rather than negative. From what I can tell, this will mean needing to be careful with what I’m doing under the hood, but it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. I should be able to convert the car later on, anyway.

So, that’s my plan. I’m going to drive down, hope to load this vintage iron onto a trailer and clean it all up back here in Illinois. I don’t want to go crazy with modifications or anything like that, but to enjoy the Special DeLuxe as the classic it is. This car has a story and I want to preserve it. It’s even going to be put into a garage for the first time in years.

Am I Missing Anything?

Alright, here’s where I turn things to you.

I’ve rescued plenty of barn-find motorcycles to have a decent idea of what I’m doing, but I’ve never done this with a car before. I’ve also never owned a vehicle older than 1972, either. As I want to be as prepared as I can be, I want to know what I should consider. Am I missing anything in my plans? Is there something I need to know about a car from the 1940s?

Regardless of what happens, I’m stoked. I’ve been planning this trip for about three months now and it’s finally about to happen. I’m going to own my first truly old car! Big thanks are due to both David and Stephen of course. With luck, you’ll spot me driving around Chicagoland in more than just Smart Fortwos and crusty VeeDubs.