1946 Plymouth 4 Door Street Rod - FOR SALE

This article is about my cousin Jim Thompson’s 1946 Plymouth 4-door street rod. Sadly, Jim passed away recently, and I’m now looking for a new home for this special car. This car was part of Jim’s collection, which also included the 1964 TR4 that recently sold on Bring-a-Trailer (check out the Ecotec Powered Triumph TR4 post). Jim drove this ‘46 Plymouth everywhere and, for the most part, it served as his daily driver.

About the Car

I don’t have every spec for this car, but Jim kept two notebooks with detailed notes. While the list isn’t exhaustive, I’ll do my best to describe the car as thoroughly as possible. I’m selling the car as-is since I wasn’t the primary driver, so I don’t have all the answers. I do have a clear South Carolina title in my name.

Jim acquired the car many years ago and heavily modified it. The car became operational in February 2014. The odometer reads 42,967 miles, which I believe reflects the actual mileage since the rebuild, and this is documented in a log book, which will be provided with the car. The last entry in the log book is from March 2023, when Jim changed the oil at 41,132 miles. Jim’s health declined after that, and he passed away in June 2024, which is why there’s minimal mileage since then.

Exterior & Interior Details

Up front, the car features a custom aluminum grille with a fabricated “nerf” bar on the lower valance, and below that, an aluminum splitter. The headlight bezels are also custom, integrated into the front fenders.

The hood is custom made from aluminum, with a much lower profile than the original. It’s fitted with a unique hinge that pivots forward, and a pin holds it open. The “Plymouth” emblem doubles as the hood release, and the hood ornament is a small engine piston, which also serves as a tool for opening the hood once the release is activated.

The hood is all hand formed aluminum and has a very low profile compared to the original. It has a fabricated hinge that pivots the top towards the front of the car and there is a pin that holds it open. There is a “Plymouth” emblem that doubles as the hood release. The hood ornament is small engine piston, that can be used to help open the hood when the release is activated.

The roof was chopped several inches, requiring all glass to be modified to fit the new dimensions. The front windshield consists of two windows, with a divider in the middle. Each door has an electric window mechanism by Specialty Power Windows, operated via switches on the custom center console. All four windows work smoothly with no issue.

At the rear, the back window is actually a front windshield from a Triumph TR6, installed upside down. Jim modified the opening to fit the glass. I can’t find any leaks when washing the car, and all windows appear to seal properly.

The doors were also modified to fit the chopped roof. The lower portion of each door has been reshaped where the original chrome trim used to be. In fact, there’s no chrome on the car, except for the custom aluminum door handles and latch mechanism. The doors are equipped with SPAL electric locks, and I have one key fob (unfortunately, I’ve been unable to locate the second one). Jim also fabricated a subtle drip rail above the edge of the door openings. The rear windows are fixed.

The rear fenders were highly modified for a wider stance. Jim split them down the middle and widened them. The bullet-style brake and turn signals are frenched into the fenders. There is no backup light, and the trunk lid has a recessed area holding the license plate, mounted on a custom aluminum bracket with the “Mopar” logo. Below that, you’ll find two large exhaust pipes.

The car’s finish is a single-stage “milkshake” white paint. Jim wasn’t into shiny finishes, so the paint wasn’t wet-sanded or buffed. It’s not matte, but it has a natural patina that suits the car’s age. There are some chips and imperfections, with one spot on the passenger side front door where the paint is bubbling, likely due to poor adhesion.

The ‘46 Plymouth has rear suicide doors, which only open from the inside via a lever—no external latch. The interior is dark green velour, with matching dark green carpet. The front bucket seats are comfortable, and the rear bench is spacious. The door pulls, custom-made by Jim, are not entirely symmetric: the front pulls are padded, while the rears are not. The door thresholds are fabricated from stainless steel. There’s a switch on each inside door pillar to activate the LED dome lights.

The custom dashboard and center console feature engine-turned plate, with all instruments VDO (except for the clock). All instruments work, and they light up when the car’s headlights are on. The steering wheel is one of Jim’s own creations—thin, covered in leather, with adjustable tilt. The horn is activated by a small button on the turn signal stalk. There’s no cruise control.

The car has a Victory Climate Systems all-electric in-dash heating and air-conditioning system. The Sanden compressor is functional, and there are three dash vents plus defrost vents near the windshields. The fan speed control works fine, as well as the vent selector and temp selector. Turning the AC selector engages the compressor and cold air flows. There’s a clicking noise when the AC is engaged—likely a defrost vent mechanism issue, but I am not 100% sure. After a minute or two, the clicking stops.

Other dashboard controls include:

Left of the steering wheel: The manual turn signal switch and horn button
Center dashboard: Turn signal and high beam indicators
Right of the wheel: A knob for electric power steering adjustment

The center console houses several other switches:

Top row: Wiper switch, AC controls, ignition key
Middle row: Power window switches for each door
Bottom row: Toggle switches for fuel pump, power steering, lights, and engine ignition

Jim installed electric power steering from a Chevy Equinox, controlled manually via a potentiometer mounted on the dash. This setup allows you to dial in the desired level of steering assist.

Finally, between the seats is the shifter lever. It has detents to separate the gears, pull on the two tabs and the stick will move through the range. The handbrake is to the right.

High/Low beam selector is old-school mounted on the floor and activated by your left foot.

Powertrain

Under the hood, you’ll find a modified 5.3L Vortec engine from a Chevy Silverado. Jim rebuilt this engine, removing the Active Fuel Management (AFM) (Displacement on Demand) system and swapping out the camshaft. He installed Crane roller rockers and Scoggin-Dickey aluminum heads (with their logo stamped on them). Unfortunately, Jim didn’t keep track of specific specs, but the engine is tuned using an E38 ECM. The ECM was tuned with HPTuners software, and it’s running without any error codes.

Two high-flow SPAL electric fans are mounted behind an aluminum radiator, housed in a custom shroud. The fan controller is equipped with a capillary pickup, which is adjustable via a potentiometer to control when the fans turn on. The engine also features a fabricated catch can mounted at the rear.

The transmission is a 4L60E, recently rebuilt by Greenville Transmission Clinic in Greenville, SC, with receipts available in one of the notebooks. There is a transmission oil cooler mounted in the nose of the car.

The car rides on a frame that Jim modified. The front suspension uses a FatMan Fabrication Mustang II tubular control arm kit. The front brakes are Wilwood and include a Wilwood dual master cylinder with pressure residual valves. The rear brakes are stamped Ford, however the exact model is unknown. The entire braking system uses custom stainless-steel lines, and the brakes are fully manual—no power assist here, just as Jim preferred.

The rear end features a 9-inch Ford with a 3.50 gearset with a 31-spline Posi and Daytona pinion support, all assembled by Ring and Pinion Service in Pickens, SC. Documented in a receipt in the log book.

The car rides on Aldan adjustable coilovers, though I’m not sure what spring rates are installed, the ride is firm yet comfortable. The coilovers are adjustable for rebound. The 4 tires are BF Goodrich 215/60R15 mounted on steel rims. Manufacture date is: K4MWNX513618 – or 36’th week of 2018 and show no cracks or severe weathering.

The ECM is mounted under the hood in an aluminum box, and all wiring is custom, along with a modified engine harness.

Trunk

In the trunk, you’ll find the aluminum fabricated fuel tank, which holds the electric fuel pump feeding the Vortec engine and Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator. A red-top Optima battery with a cut-off-switch is also located there. The fuel pump is an LSx internal fuel tank model. All lines are braided steel.

To open the trunk, there’s a small pull latch under the rear valance. Inside the trunk, there’s another small cable to release the fuel filler door.

Frame and Suspension

Jim modified the strengthened the Plymouth’s frame. The front as mentioned before is a FatMan’s Mustang II kit. The rear is a four link design suspension with a solid axle.

In Summary

This Plymouth is truly a one-of-a-kind creation. There’s immense potential for someone to take it further and add their own touches, whether it’s a fresh cut and buff or leaving the current patina as is, which suits the car’s vintage character.

Despite the chopped top, there’s plenty of headroom, and the ride is surprisingly quiet for such a unique build. No radio is currently installed, but there’s ample space for a high-quality stereo.

This is a rare opportunity to own a unique street rod with incredible craftsmanship.