Hood ornament on Bill McIe's Plymouth - Mayflower |
Do you still have any gifts that you received in the 1960’s? Do you remember any? Well, Bill McIe does. About 40 years ago Bill and his wife, Laura spotted a 1935 Plymouth coupe and tried unsuccessfully to purchase it. A deal could not be made but they left their phone number just in case. A year later the owner called and asked if they were still interested. Laura wound up buying the car for Bill as a gift. |
Bill McIe with "Bugsy" and one of his Plymouths |
After the purchase Bill wanted to build a street rod out of the car but Laura wanted it returned to original condition. Laura got her way and Bill began to restore the car as time permitted. The car was intact but in rough condition. Spare Parts for a 35 Plymouth are difficult to find so Bill had to work with what he had. The fenders were in particularly bad shape but Bill had no choice but to work many hours to get them straight. After a number of years work and a delay to add on to their home, the car was close to completion except for the interior. The original drive train was rebuilt and running well. |
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Now remember Bill wanted to build a street Rod all along, so about 15 years after acquiring the coupe Bill began to look for another car to build into the street rod he always wanted. Since the coupe was a 35 Plymouth Bill thought it would be good to get another one of the same year. Bill liked the Mopar because old Fords and Chevys dominate the street rod scene and the Plymouth would be an uncommon sight at car shows. It is also more of a challenge to build. Eventually a 35 two-door Plymouth standard sedan was located in Kansas and Bill had his street rod project.
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This was the early 1980’s and by then you could purchase many of the items needed to build a street rod from suppliers. Custom suspensions, air conditioners, interiors, and most mechanical parts were a phone call away. Most street rods today are built with these aftermarket parts. Many have no original parts at all. Even the bodies are reproduced from fiberglass. If you are around Bill often enough you will here him refer to these as “Tupperware cars”.
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Bill is justifiably proud that he built his car the old fashion way, the way the hobby began. Through trial and error, skill and patience Bill built his car with parts he painstakingly retrieved from wreaking yards and modified for his purposes. Bill is a professional mechanic so he had the needed skills. The build started with a complete disassembly, then the frame was sandblasted and painted. Bill installed a 1978 Mustang II front suspension including the disk brakes. This was not a kit with a custom fabricated cross member, but the complete unit removed from the donor car. This required considerable modification and measurement to make sure it would be safe and handle correctly. Next he located a rear axle from a 1976 Nova that fit the old Plymouth. The power comes from a 350 chevy V-8 and a 350 turbo hydromantic transmission. A custom radiator was also built for the car. Bill replaced the rusty floors inside and then mated the body back to the frame. The front fenders of this car were also very rough requiring a great deal of metal work and patience to get straight. The front power seats are from an Oldsmobile cutlass and the back seat Bill built himself by constructing a wire frame and using springs from the seat of a 1950 Ford. A 1982 S-10 pickup donated the steering column. Bill also installed power steering and power brakes. Since Bill has been a long time automotive air conditioning mechanic he was able to install air and heat sourced from salvage yards.
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The roofs of most of these old cars were covered with canvas because the auto companies lacked presses to stamp sheet metal that large. Bill welded in the roof section of a 1976 Malibu station wagon to fill the sedans roof. Original head and taillights were used, although the car only came with the left light. Bill fabricated a bracket to hold another left taillight on the right fender. The sedan had no bumpers so Bill used the two from the coupe. One of the few new parts used was a Genie shifter to give a more original look. The interior was completed by fellow street rodder Eddie Ryan. Bill took about 5 years to get the car running, working when he could, sometimes spending hours figuring how to adapt parts to work.
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Unfortunately a few years ago Bill lost his wife Laura. After a while he decided to get the old coupe she had given him back on the road. Since the coupe was essentially the same as the Sedan, he decided to street-rod it as well. The project was much easier as the bodywork had been done years before saving a lot of time. The old school street rod skills were put to good use again as Bill pieced the car together with donor parts. The front end came from a Pinto, the steering column, brakes and rear axle came from a 1988 Bronco II. The motor, a 4.3 Chevy V-6 and the 200R overdrive transmission came from the same 1992 Chevy. Bill converted the engine from fuel injection to a carburetor to avoid the complication of the computer system. Power steering and power brakes were installed. Again drawing from his many years of experience with air condisioning systems, Bill installed an A/C- heat system from the rear of a limousine behind the seat of the coupe.
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New glass was installed in the original regulators and since the bumpers had been used on the sedan, Bill fabricated nurf bars from stainless steel. A good grill for a 35 Plymouth would be very difficult to find so Bill built a beautiful grill again from stainless. Once again Eddie Ryan completed the upholstery using the original seat frame. Bill painted the car himself in black cherry. The subtle cherry shade really stands out on bright sunny days. Bill had the coupe running in about 8 months and completed the project in about 2 years. |
Bill McIe and his Plymouth at the Navasota Lions Club Car Show |
These two cars stand out at car shows because of the rarity of a Mopar street rod and the time and effort Bill put into construction. These two cars are great examples of the dedication and ingenuity needed to build a street rod from the ground up - the way the pioneers of the hobby began. They are also beautiful roadworthy cars that can be driven anywhere. If you get out to one of the car shows in the Brazos Valley you may get to see one of these special cars. |
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