1941 Plymouth

Opening

Here is the finished build of the 1941 Plymouth Coupe.

The following photo's and text describe the build process I used.

There are three YouTube play lists for the 1941 builds. If you'd like to view the video's you can see them at the followings links. There are some duplicate video's from one play list to the next.

America Goes to War - 1941 Chevy Pickup and 1941 Plymouth Coupe

1941 Plymouth Coupe - America Goes to War

1941 Chevy Pickup - America Goes to War

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All the sprue's and parts are removed from the box and I started inspecting them.

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There is a lot of ejector pin marks on the parts and I started marking them for removal. Not all will need to be removed because they will not be seen; however, on the chassis, the interior tub does not set on the frame well because of the ejector pin marks and they must be removed. This is not a big problem and files and sandpaper does the trick. These marks are on most models, but there are an inordinate number of them on this kit. Again...not a problem, just more sanding.

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More ejector pin marks in the body. The marks on the interior head liner must be removed and since I'll be cutting the trunk lid open, the marks on the trunk lid must be removed along with the text that is printed. The marks under the fenders might be able to stay; however, I will most likely sand them off too.

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The interior tub has ejector pin marks on the rear seat, the rear floor and the floor by the pedals and passenger side. The marks on the rear seat must be removed; however, that will also remove the molded detail from the seat. I'll need to find a way to restore detail to the rear seat.

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Because I'll be cutting the trunk lid open I started dry fitting parts to check clearances and to also determine what, if anything will need to be done to the trunk interior.

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I removed the primary engine parts from the sprue and find that there is a lot of clean up to do on them. I want to wire the engine with at least spark plug wires, but the distributor is very small. I will be trying an after market distributor, or will scratch build my own.

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I have the trunk lid open using the Tamiya hobby saw. The saw worked really nice. You can watch the video of the opening on my YouTube Channel. There is one saw blade mark that cut into the trunk lid that I'll need to fix. It's hard to see on this photo; however, it's very visible and when paint gets put on it, it will be even more visible. It's not a big fix and I'm sure one small strip of styrene and a bit of putty and sanding and it will be fixed.

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I have a small saw mark on the left side of the trunk lid. It happened primarily because I was cutting the lid open live, on camera and trying to stay in frame. So...I rough cut a thin sheet of styrene and glued to the edge of the trunk. I'll fill the small open space, hard to see in this photo, with some putty and then sand everything smooth.

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I filled the small gaps and saw marks with putty and will be sanding and filing smooth.

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I built an inner trunk drip rail using some strips of styrene. This picture shows these strips; however, they have not been trimmed or sized yet.

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Parts are being prepared for the first coat of primer.

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Parts are being prepared for the first coat of primer.

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I'm working on the 1941 Plymouth 4-passenger coupe and the 1941 Chevy Pickup at the same time. The parts for these two models have been primed; therefore, the parts shown in this and the following photo's are a combination of the parts for both kits. After the primer had been applied several small flaws that were not seen before the primer was applied could be seen. These small flaws will need to be repaired. After the the repair, a second coat of primer will be applied.

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Parts have been primed. Several small flaws need to be repaired and than a second coat of primer will be applied.

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Parts have been primed. Several small flaws need to be repaired and than a second coat of primer will be applied.

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Some additional parts that need primer and the flip side of previously primed parts need to be primed.

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Some additional parts that need primer and the flip side of previously primed parts need to be primed.

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While researching how the underside of the trunk lid should look, I found many variations. The two shown in these images were typical. All the undersides of the trunk lids were similar, but different. And it didn't seem to matter what version of the '41 Plymouth I looked at. There were variations in the design on the same version.

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I started to layout the underside of the trunk lid.

The image on the left is the models trunk lid. I placed in the trunk opening and marked where the trunk drip rail is located. I also sketched a rough location for where the trunk hinges would be mounted.
The image on the right is a paper cutout of the size of the underside of the lid. I also sketched where the holes should be drilled. This is actually rotated 180° to how it would match up with the trunk lid.
The image in the center is a rough fabrication of the underside of the lid made from a sheet of styrene and some small strips of styrene. This is also rotated 180° to how it would match up with the trunk lid.

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I placed the underside of the trunk lid in place and because of the extreme curve in the trunk lid I used 3-clamps to hold it to shape while gluing it in place. I used Tamiya extra thin, fast setting model cement. Once the glue sets there will be some trimming and cleanup.

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Researching the original colors used for the '41 Plymouth Coupe was not an easy task. It seemed like there were a lot of variations depending on what website I was reading. I finally settled on using p15-d24 Mopar Cars & Trucks 30's to 60's Flatheads to V8s Stock to Custom website for the colors I'll be using.

The consensus seemed to lean toward the engine being silver; therefore, this photo shows that I painted the engine silver. I used Mission Model Paint MMRC-017 RC Racing Silver for the engine color. The engine will be detailed and wired according to the list of miscellaneous colors found on the website referenced above.

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The distributor that came with the kit was much too small and nowhere near the proper scale; therefore, I built my own distributor using a small piece of Evergreen Styrene Tube, some 30 AWG (American Wire Gauge) wire and a small piece of solid copper wire for the shaft. The shaft needs to be trimmed and the unit needs to be painted. A hole will also be drilled in the engine for mounting the distributor shaft.

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I'm using the Luka Cee Channel trunk hinge method with a slight modification. I used the insulation from 18 AWG (American Wire Gauge) control wire that has an insulation rating of 600 volt. I mention this because the insulation is thinker in diameter than the 300 volt insulation that comes with most of what is sold for heater hose. I used 20 AWG (American Wire Gauge) soft drawn copper bus wire for the actual hinge. You'll see later that this method did not work well and I made a major modification.

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Now that the trunk lid can be opened, looking into the trunk, the hump in the floor of the chassis for the drive shaft and the back of the back seat can be seen. I needed to make a back wall for the inside trunk area.

The back wall will have some complex curves, but a video I watched a while ago on Mark Batson's YouTube Channel; Hobbydude 007 , taught me a great way to transfer those curves. I used a contour gauge to transfer the contours of the fender wells and the fender curves of the body. I had a contour gauge and used it many times for carpentry. I just never thought of using it for model building. Thanks Mark!

Once I had the curves on the gauge I made a cardboard template to check the fit. When I was happy with the template I transferred it to Evergreen sheet styrene, made some adjustments and taped it in place.

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The top photo is the cardboard template. I marked the template to show where small curves needed to be made and other area's, not seen on this photo, needed to be trimmed.

The bottom photo is the Evergreen styrene sheet cut, shaped and taped in place. Not too bad for a novice scratch builder if I must say so myself.

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The rear leaf springs, differential, rear axle and rear shocks are installed. The exhaust system in the top photo is not glued in place yet and is only there for fit.

I don't like the way the rear shocks mount. They look terrible! I have to do some research to see how they actually look when mounted and then fix the mounting.

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The trunk lid and hinge are installed; however, the trunk only opens a small amount as shown in the bottom photo. I think I know what is wrong and will naturally fix it. The only problem is that I have to figure out how to break the Loctite Super Glue bond that is holding the hinge in place.

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As I stated in the previous photo's, I did not like the way the rear shocks were mounted. I did some research and found that one end had, what I call, a standard sleeve mount and the other end was a threaded shaft. I cut small pieces of Evergreen #223 0.093”/2.36mm tube , cut the shock out of the leaf spring mount, filed the leaf spring shock bracket to fit the tube and inserted the tube. I then re-attached the shock to the tube.

The spring mount also bothers me. There should be a tubular mount similar to the shock. The inset image shows a picture of an actual leaf spring from a '41 Plymouth coupe. I might still make the addition of a tube, but at this point in time, I'm not sure I want to take the time.

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Both rear shocks have the same modification. the shock on the left looks distorted in this photo, but it really isn't. I think what the camera is picking up is the sanding marks from me removing a small ejector pin mark. After painting I plan to install a mounting stud in the shock mount and a photo etched nut (maybe). Again...I'm spending --- waaaay --- too much time on these small details!

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I'm in the process of detailing the engine. I took a-bit of creative freedom and painted the oil filter orange (Framm) just to add a-bit of color to the engine.

I want to wire the engine, at least the spark plugs; however, the kit did not include a distributor. From my research, I'm wondering if what is shown in this photo could be the distributor? The one shown in the photo is for an 8-cylinder and the flathead in the '41 is a 6-cylinder. Other photos that I found of the flathead have a "standard" looking distributor. I have to make a decision, but I need to do even more research.

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The trunk hinges are installed. I used a different method then I originally started. This concept is the merger of several methods I saw other modelers use. I ended up using a paper clip and 0.125" aluminum tubing. I than used canopy glue to hold them in place. I used canopy glue because it's easy to remove if the hinge did not work, yet holds strong enough to be permanent. If you'd like to see an overview of how I made them and how I added friction so that the trunk lid stays open, please see my YouTube video: 1941 Plymouth Coupe & 1941 Chevy Pickup Update - Part 06 . The hinge part of the video is at time marker, 01:10 to 09:34.

The job is no where near perfect, but for my first attempt at workable hinges I'm happy. I'm looking forward to using this method on my next project.

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The trunk hinges are finally installed and working great. The trunk lid in this photo is shown closed to show that I have a-bit of repair to do at the corner; however, this repair should be very simple with a small piece of styrene.

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The next series of photos show different views of the opened trunk lid.

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The next series of photos show different views of the opened trunk lid.

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Again...I am very pleased with how the hinges look and works even though it's not perfect.

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This photo shows a lower A-frame, coil spring and spindle dry fitted. The glue points have had paint scrapped so that the best glue bond can be obtained.

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The tie rod was added and is being held in place using a popsicle stick. The axle had been inserted through that hole in the spindle to help keep everything lined up properly and was then gently removed before glue was applied as to not take the chance of gluing the axle in the hole.

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Tamiya fast setting liquid glue was applied to hold everything together and allowed to thoroughly dry.

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After the glue set on the front suspension, the axle was reinserted and the inner wheels were put on, just to hold the axle from sliding out. The inner wheels are not fully seated as of this photo. The radiator was also installed. When all the glue has a chance to fully set, radiator hoses will be added. I might also trim some of the length from the back three spark plug wires.

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This photo highlights some of the front suspension. I painted the shocks white because I didn't know what color they might have been in 1941. The exhaust pipe and muffler are also installed. One of my YouTube subscribers told me that the shocks were most likely blue in 1941. Thank you!

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Another view of the chassis with the engine and front suspension installed. The inner wheels and axle are not fully seated in place.

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View of the right side to check the that all four wheel were on the ground and to get a rough idea of the stance.

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Another view of the chassis from the right front corner. The front suspension was tricky to install and get aligned, only because some of the parts are small and I'm a-bit shaky.

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View from the left front corner.

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The front body panel was inserted. The body was slightly warped and the front body panel did not fit properly. I did some sanding and filing and then used a small, low pressure clamp to hold things together while gluing. After the gluing, the upper seams were not the same. The fender on one side over hung the front body panel and the left and right sides did not fit properly. I used some glue in place of putty and filed and sanded the the area's where the fenders meet the panel. When I looked at some photos of an actual '41 Plymouth, there are lines that show the front panel is separate from the body along the left and right sides. When all the glue sets up properly I'll run a micro scribe along the seams, give everything another coat of primer and keep working it until it looks the best I can get it. During this process, I lost some of the detail lines of where chrome is placed.

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I started working on the interior tub. I will be making the shifter three on the tree therefore, the shifter hole in the floor is not needed. I was going to use some putty to close it; however, I found that Evergreen #222 0.062"/1.6mm OD White Polystyrene Rod fit perfect. A small drop of Loctite and some sanding and the hole was filled.

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I'm also working on the firewall. The ignition coil is mounted on the firewall. The one that came with the kit was molded into the sprue in a way that cutting it off the sprue would have totally damaged it, therefore I used a Detail Master #DM-3052 Ignition coil kit. The coil is longer than the one that came with the kit and mounting it on the firewall the way the kit coil was to be mounted would create inference with the engine. To solve this, I used a #43 drill (0.089"/~2.25mm or 2.3mm) and drilled through the firewall. This drill size makes a tight fit for the after market coil. I than pushed the coil into the firewall and allowed some of it protrude out of the back side. This will not be seen because it is covered up by the interior tub. The after market coil will be painted and wired.

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I chose to use Tamiya Royal Blue X3 Acrylic for the body color. The factory blue is called Chevron Blue, 203, modern PPG Paint Code 10319. The computer slightly distorts the colors shown on these color chips; however, the Tamiya Royal Blue is the closest I found without having to mix a special color. The Chevron Blue on the computer looks more purple or gray; however, the actual chip is more blue.

The next picture shows my body painted along with an actual '41 that was restored by Jay Leno using the Chevron Blue.

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The body has been painted with Tamiya Royal Blue X3 Acrylic. There is no clear coat on it at the time this photo was taken and I'm not sure if I will clear coat it? I'll decide when and if I get the bare metal foil applied.

One problem I see coming, and since this photo was taken, the problem is coming true. There is not a well defined ridge for the side chrome strip. I started trying to use bare metal foil (my version of bare metal foil), and because there is not a well defined line to follow, I've failed more than once. To see my version of doing bare metal foil, please see my YouTube channel of when I built a 1966 Ford Mustang.

I also found that I forgot to install the front windshield center post. It can still be done, but I hope I don't damage the paint job doing it. The trim ridge around the wind shield is so very shallow I'm not even going to attempt putting bare metal foil on it. Therefore, I might just run a black sharpie around it. I've seen pictures of '41's with chrome around the windshield and I've seen pictures of black rubber around the windshield.

These oversights are all because I'm trying to build two kits at the same time and haven't put my focus on all the details of each. UG!!!

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The radiator hoses are added. I used Detail Master DM-1425 Coolant Hose and The Model Car Garage MCG-2001 Vintage Hose Straps. The coolant hose is nothing more than 18 AWG (American Wire Gauge) wire. I removed the the wire leaving only the insulation. I then slid 18 AWG solid soft drawn copper wire in the insulation to provide a more rigid structure, and the 18 AWG solid wire fits in the small holes that were already in the radiator and the engine block. After bending the hoses to fit, I installed the hose clamps.

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I picked the colors for the steering wheel based on what I remember from my dad's '49 Plymouth Coupe Deluxe.

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There wasn't a lot of detail on the dash but I did my best to highlight what was there. I also attempted to make the dash show the fake wood grain Plymouth used on their dash boards in the '40's. I'm happy with it for my first attempt and it matches, like the steering wheel, what I remember of my dad's '49 Plymouth. I might still add the wind shield wiper switch on top center of the dash. That's where the switch was on the Plymouth's in the '40's.

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The interior tub is finished but I'm not happy with it. Some of the things I don't like and will do different the next time I build this kit...and yes...I have another one and keeping a list of things that I would do different. The window cranks and door hands are molded into the door panel and there is not much detail to even put paint on. The arm rests are also molded into the tub and are barely visible. There's more, but I'll leave that for the next time I build this kit.

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I neglected to install the wind shield center post. I did not want to glue the center post directly to the windshield, therefore, I taped the glass in place. I then laid tape across the windshield so that the glue would not mare the clear plastic. I installed the divider and taped it in place because there is nothing provided on the body to locate it. I then used Tamiya fast set liquid cement to glue it in place.

This should have been done before the body was painted, but like I said, I forgot about it. I think it will be Okay because the window binding is either chrome or black and the divider is the same as the binding. I'm not sure if I'm going to make it black or chrome?

I also noticed some orange peel on the body that can not be seen in normal lighting and with my naked eye. It amazes me how the flaws 'pop' when brighter light is applied and what the camera picks up!

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Since the last photo, the windshield center post fell out. So...I decided to glue the clear plastic in place. When the glue dries, I'll use canopy glue and glue the windshield center post directly to the windshield. Before I installed the center post I used a Molotow Chrome Pen to color it chrome. From photos that I've seen some coupes had a chrome center post and some had a black center post. I like the chrome post better.

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This photo was taken before the wind shield center divider was installed and is here to show the grill mounted.

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There were a lot of issues with this kit. One of them is that when I started putting the small chrome pieces on the body, there was no place to mark where they should be. These parts should be pinned to not only give them strength, but to also give them location. Here, I drilled the back of the trunk handle with a #57 drill (0.043") and glued an 18 AWG (American Wire Gauge) wire into it. I then drilled a corresponding hole in the trunk lid. The wire will be trimmed and inserted in the hole on the trunk lid. This will provide more strength to the handle. The other parts were already glued in place.

The next time I build this model I will be providing a means to pin these small parts in place because the left tail light slid crooked as the glue dried. With a pin installed this would not have happened. UG!!!

The license plate holder and tail light you see in this photo is actually for the '41 Chevy Pickup I'm building

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In this photo, the head lights where glued in place and taped in position while the glue dries.

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The side mirror is glued in place. It already fell off once and glued back into position. This...like I said earlier, should be pinned.

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This photo shows how the left rear tail light rotated slightly counter-clockwise while the glue was setting. As I said before...UG!!!!

Also, to mount the gas cap, the body had to be drilled. There is a small mark on the body for location, but the instructions said nothing about drilling it out. Without drilling it out it looks like a chrome mushroom setting on the fender.

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I make my own license plates by finding a picture of one that I'm looking for. In this case I wanted a Pennsylvania 1941 plate. I found a picture online that was of decent quality. I then use Gimp to enhance and resize the plate. I normally increase the number of pixels to 1080px. I then adjust the size to fit the license plate holder that came with the kit. Sometimes, especially with old plates, the image cannot be scaled to fit the plate holder that came with the kit and still the plate in the correct prospective. In that case I make my own plate holder and also make sure everything is properly scaled. In this case the plate holder measured 0.475" x 0.245" (12.07mm x 6.22mm). In 1:25 scale it is: 11.875" x 5.95" (301.625mm x 151.13mm). That's almost exactly what an actual 1941 PA plate measure's. I print the plate on my color laser printer, cut it out and use Elmer's Washable School Glue to glue it to the holder.

The car is REALLY dusty in this picture.

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The 1941 Plymouth Coupe is FINISHED!!!

This photo starts a series of photos of the finished build. I also attempted to place the finished model into a pictorial scene, but some of the angles were not correct.

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The 1941 Plymouth Coupe is FINISHED!!!

Sorry. The hood is setting crooked. The hood on this kit fits really well.