Toby Keith - Should have been a cowboy. WYR: Chevy and Willys. This car is just gorgeous, my gosh! A friend had one of a similar era. Found that gray fence paint was the correct color to paint the engine! Thanks for taking us along ~ Chuck. P.S. - Classy touch picking Toby, may he rest in peace.
I think I’m going to move the 420 timeslot to back later. I haven’t figured out a time that works best but it seems like more people are available in the evening versus before dinner. I want it to be convenient downer with pushing it back later is I generally go to bed, so I don’t answer everybody until the morning which is too long to wait for a response I think in my opinion Something I need to work on lol
@@What.its.like. Maybe some of your audience is doing something else at 4:20 ! I also want to commend you for the Toby Keith selection. I didn't agree with everything he promoted but I think it showed class when he said he regretted getting into a back and forth confrontation with Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks. WYR: Chevy, Rambler. The Plymouth presented is a nice car and a good value, but "stodgy" is an appropriate description; a big change was coming only a few years in the future.
Dad had a 1950 Plymouth wagon - lots of good memories there. His brother had a 1948 then 1954 Plymouth. My maternal grandmother WON a 1955 Savoy in a raffle. All of these were really solid, reliable cars. Given that Plymouth was the low cost car, it is noteworthy that this Cambridge is such a good looking car. The little flathead was no hotrod, but they were very reliable. We liked them in our 1948 and 1952 Dodge trucks, too.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing those memories with us. What did you think of the 55 Savoy that’s one of my favorite Plymouth from the 50s I love the styling of those and there’s so much room in a two door.
That black over red 4 door ‘55 was a tank. 3 on the tree & V8. Mom would borrow it and say “it’s really stable on the freeway at 80.” Grandma would freak, she never took it over 50. She’d start in low and shift right to high. Sold it and I saw it back in Everett, WA a year later; owner had been to Florida, no problems.@@What.its.like.
I’ve been anxiously awaiting this video!...My parent’s first car was a 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook Club Coupe in dawn grey…almost indistinguishable from the Cambridge!!...a handful of Kodachrome slides of that car still survive…You’ve described in wonderful detail the car that represents my first time inside of a car!!!
Kodachrome gives those nice bright colors =) happy you dig this episode one day I hope to find a cranbrook club coupe I wish there was more to go over information wise some I guess are sweet and to the point
This was the first car I remember riding in, and the first I remember my dad owning. Ours was baby blue, which had already gotten somewhat faded and powdery by about 1955, no matter how many times we Simonized it. As I remember, the brightwork was chrome plated, not stainless, and it was beginning to pit badly by the time we owned it. Chrysler products were noted for this at the time. The gravel guards, scuff plates on the door handles, and backup lights came, as I remember, in an option package of beauty items. The overdrive was also an option - ours did not have it. Those L-head engines drank a lot of oil, even when new, and required a valve job at a fairly young age. Thanks for the great video memory! Andy
My Aunt and Uncle bought a new 52 Plymouth like this. it was the year I was born, and I drove it 14 years later around the Farm it still ran great. And My Grandfather had a 53 Plymouth with the HYdrive transmission, It was interesting because it was a manual transmission with both a clutch and a fluid coupling like a torque converter. Thanks for the great reviews of these old memories.
I owned a ‘52 Plymouth 2 door. When you reviewed the interior controls, you did not mention the manual control for the overdrive on the transmission. If I remember correctly it was a dash mounted lever/handle much like the one for the parking brake. Also of note is the forced air cabin vent mounted at the center of the base of the windshield and controlled by another lever in the center below the dashboard. When the lever was pushed down, or forward, the vent in the cowling area at the base of the windshield would go up forming a scoop that forced outside air into the cabin blowing dust and papers that you may have on the floor all around the interior. In about 1973 I bought the car with a rebuilt engine and a non working overdrive for $100.00 from my girlfriend’s dad. I fixed the overdrive and drove it for a couple of years and sold it for $400.00. I could put two racing bicycles with the front wheels removed in the trunk.
There were lots of these buzzing around my neck of the woods back on the day, and long after most of the other early 50's iron was gone, these old plyms seemed to carry on.
Thank you for sharing that memory =) When I was a kid the late 80s LTD grand Marquis Lincoln town car as well as like a 1996 Buick LeSabre but they were always green lol wow what memories
That's a wonderful old Plymouth with a lovely paint job and great chrome. Like the "high compression" flathead 6 and overdrive gearbox. Great video, Jay and liking the new camera.
That flathead will run for if maintain properly somewhere, saying in the comment section for the live chat, that you can get every single part for that engine Glad you did the new camera I think after the episode today we’re gonna do Karman Ghia next from 64 that one was shot with half GoPro half Dji (new camera) I was having issues with it the first day I still have stuff in the pipeline from the first time I have some stuff in the pipeline from the second time lol
By 1952 Plymouth was at a sales disadvantage because, unlike their direct competitors, they did not offer an automatic transmission. By this time Ford had Fordomatic & Chevrolet had Powerglide. Alas, Plymouth was left to brag about having optional Overdrive.
Very good point … and very true. Those automatics were a popular option, especially in the early Chevys where the big-6 could be had with the Powerglide. Chrysler was still dicking around with that monstrosity hybrid junk - the manual transmission with a fluid coupling and an overdrive unit hanging off the back … what a piece of crap! At least when Chrysler did figure it out, they did it right. Both the PowerFlite (1954) and the TorqueFlight were good equipment.
Great review. I was a year old in 52, so I don't remember when this came out, but I do remember seeing this style of Plymouths and Dodges around well into the 1960s. Not sure why, but it always seemed to me that flathead Chrysler sixes from this era had a distinctive sound. WYR: '52 Ford, sentimental favorite, and 52 Willys, just because there were so darn few of them made. If you wanted to be different, this was the car to drive. "Do you drive a Ford, Chevrolet, or Plymouth or Dodge?" "Son, I drive a Willys." "Huh?..." You just derailed his whole train of thought :). Edit: Addendum: This shade of green was very popular on Chevrolets in the early 1950s. Ford and Chrysler, not so much but not unknown. But sometimes it seemed to me that at least 2/3 of all the early 50s Chevys made were this color green
The juries out on whether or not that’s an original color but I’m with you. I don’t think that it was most of these cars were very plain as far as color goes Chrysler didn’t start busting out color until Exner came but they did have some cool 54 colors, just not this level of color if that makes any sense This almost looks like the Buick that we did a couple days ago it’s not the same color. This color is a bit deeper than that. Also, that car was in a darker area. Great choices thank you so much for sharing all that insight and information. Greatly appreciate it.
Nice example. A buddy of mine had a '49 Plymouth and this reminds me of it. I enjoyed cruising around in that car. His had an old tube radio and it was neat to wait for it to warm up before it started making sound. I think this would be an affordable fun old car for someone. In the Would You Rather I'd choose the 1952 Chevy Styleline and 1952 Plymouth Cambridge.
By the 1960s Austin was using the Cambridge name on their sedans. Not surprised as Cambridge is the name of a town in England. My picks here would be the Plymouth Cambridge and the Willys Aero.
I remember when we first moved into our big Victorian house, Mrs. Bowen lived next door. She was very old and loved children. She had one of these cars. It was Army Green and huge. I remember there was a big scratch on one side. She said it was caused by an angry bear while they were driving through Yellowstone.
When I was born, my parents had a black 1951 or 2 Plymouth 4-door. It didn't have all the chrome this '52 has. The car used to be my grandfather's business car. My grandfather was a tinkerer, inventor and innovator. He made a rear window electric windshield wiper for his Plymouth. Heck. Cars of this vintage usually had vacuum powered windshield wipers. I would probably go with the 1952 Ford. It was the first of a new styling trend that other makes would follow.
@@What.its.like. Yep. A couple of things I remember about the plymouth was when my mother went shopping and I was tired of it, I would got to the car, get in the back seat and go to sleep. Sometimes I wouldn't wake up until after we got home. My mother would just let me sleep until I woke up on my own. Another thing I remember, an attendant where we always got gas, gave me one of the hats they used to wear. So, one day I put the hat on and played gas station. I figured that I would help my mom out and fill the tank up. Well, I grabbed the garden hose, stuck it in the gas tank filler and filled 'er up. I uas proud of what I did and went in and told my mother. You did what??? My mother didn't try to start the car and when my dad got home, he drained the tank. lol
For WYR, I'm going with the Ford, and the Willys. It is a nice color, and I am impressed with how much room there is, and I like the outside door handle setup with the pads (my eyes gravitated to that feature right away), but, yes, it is stodgy.
Great choices stodgy isn’t a bad thing. In my opinion they do get better in 53 Also, have you noticed how similar the Plymouth is to the Chevy style wise? It’s not exact just very similar.
That’s awesome man =) Just curious, what’s the weather like there this time of year are you guys in summer? We’re in winter up here but the weather hasn’t been that bad this week all in the 40s and 50s which is really rare for February general generally February is the worst month out of all of them it usually usually gets down in the negatives.
So many people do plus it shows how big those glove boxes were they were so much more than a glove box. You could use it as a lunchbox put some ice packs in it. It could be a cooler, so many different purposes, besides its own.
Amazing how much room these cars had on the inside ( you really could wear a hat) especially compared to the contemporary fords and today’s cars. For the would you rather I’ll take the Chevy and in the second scenario I’ll take the Plymouth . Good choice in name that tune, RIP Toby
Totally agree I always tell people if they’re looking for real estate inside a vehicle if that’s their number one concern you can’t go wrong with Mopar in the 50s
Hi Jay!: Yet ANOTHER super comfy good ole American family car!! LOVELY! Doesn't matter that it's stodgy, a LOT of those early 1950's cars were stodgy! But, I just can't pick it in the WYR's! Gotta Go 1952 Ford and 1952 Willys Aero! I could go with the 6 cyl Ford and maybe avoid overheating problems with the flattie.
Great choices I love the 52 Ford but I’m right there with you. I would take the six cylinder. It was the better motor and with some modifications you could get more horsepower than the flathead without flathead issues
They were a 0 to 30 car, not much oomph after 45 mph, but with the Borg-Warner O/D they could cruise okay on flat roads. I appreciate slow cars, they do what they are designed to do. None of the base models were quick. With modern oils these motors are even more durable and Briggs bodied Mopars werent rust prone like they were in the mid '50s.
Our next door neighbors,when I was a child,had one same color. It had a 3 spd. tranny and no radio. I was born in '49 so I remember it from about say 1954. It was the wife's car so low mileage. She drove it until it was replaced with a new '63 Fury sedan. Still did not have too much rust considering that we lived in the rust belt. They got their $'s worth out of this inexpensive car.
Hi Jay. What a spectacular colour bro. I'm always saying, nice car give New one in green blue or black... thanks J. I love it ,it's coooool as mate. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
The color on this car was an amazing. I absolutely love the dash as well. The other crazy thing is electric windshield wipers before a lot of other manufactures for an entry-level car, and the two wheel cylinders on the front brakes
My dad is a twin. He and his brother shared a '55 Olds convertible. But when they started college a beater was also needed. Enter the '53 Plymouth. My uncle would disconnect the odometer so Grandpa didn't know he was leaving school to see my aunt. My parents drove it to their wedding to spare dad's Barracuda from possible pranks. It sat for years behind my great uncle's dealership, but after he died, all the vintage cars in the back lot were crushed. Grandpa was not happy, as it was still his car.
While that car is in beautiful shape, it had to be the most boring car on the road, as most Chrysler products were back then. That said, my uncle had a 49 Dodge that he drove for about 3 zillion miles. When reverse gear went out, he used his six kids to push it backwards. The car finally died in 1963. With mechanicals so simple, what could go wrong? K.T. Keller, Chryslers CEO, insisted that a man could wear a fedora hat while seated comfortably, which resulted in the stodgy styling. Thank you for pronouncing 'Willys' correctly!
Thank you so much for adding all that added information and insight. That is one pronunciation that I get corrected on no matter how I say it but I try to pronounce things as correctly as possible. I’m not the best at pronunciations. lol
I loved the colour initially, but when I saw the originality of the interior, I realised that the colour of the dashboard was probably how it was meant to be, and would have preferred that. Your '52:Ford was a '54 I'm afraid!
Thank you so much for that. Correction, Google when asking Google what a 52 Ford is that’s what I got. It was the only one that was somewhat in focus at that angle. I knew it didn’t look right, but I’m with you I don’t think that this car was originally this color. This color looks very similar to the color of the Buick from a couple days ago. It’s a bit darker, but the Buick was also in less light they’re probably really similar.
There is certainly not too much styling change between a "boxy" '49 Plymouth and this "stodgy" Plymouth from '52. The following year Plymouths did change quite a bit but they didn't come up with a design that I really admired until the '55 Plymouth Belvedere. Now that's a real classic, for sure! Anyways, for WYR I would take the '52 Ford but the car that you have pictured is a '54 Ford Customline. Yikes! And then for my second choice, it would have to be the neat looking Rambler although the Plymouth would come in a close second in that instance. Toodeloo!
Thank you so much pointing that out that was search engine gave me a 54th of a 52. It happens a lot more than I would like to believe. Going to do an episode on it one day because it’s crazy how often it happens. Stodgy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The absolute downer is when you’re in a 54 Chrysler product and then you get a 57 Chrysler product. The quality has gone way down. Those cars looks so interesting but they didn’t have the build quality to match.
@@What.its.like. Wow! I didn't know that the quality of those Chryslers went down in the late '50's. In promoting their New Forward Look, and introducing Torison bar suspension, as Packard had initially done in '55 and also in promoting push button control gear shift I assumed they were making advances in all areas. But it is true that the quality of some of those MOPARS went down that year and it especially effected DeSoto, which soon became defunct. I generally pass on the videos that you do for cars of the 1960's, but the ones from the 40's and 50's I continually enjoy watching and learning from and also those Wednesday specials on the engines, as there is always a lot to learn in that complex area. Till next time.
Beautiful car Ive had mine for 17 years its not as nice as this one by a long shot but it will allways be my favorite car. Just wondering if yours was built in Canada or not i know there were minor differences as well all the 51 and 52 Plymouths basically the same with the small differences like the badges and delete panels.
Stodgy as hell but yet built to last it’s really sad when you think about 1954 being one of the last years’s Chrysler built a quality product 55 isn’t bad but it’s drastically worse by 57
The Chevy could be had with the increasingly popular Powerglide, which to me gave it the edge. In ‘54, the Plymouths offered the PowerFlite 2-spd. automatic which brought them into a more competitive position.
WYR 1: All of them. WYR 2: All of them. NTT: Should Have Been A Cowboy by Toby Keith. I know someone beat me to it on Name That Tune, but everyone is raising their black solo cups in Toby's name. He was a great musician.
Great choices it’s an absolute pity what happened to Toby Keith He was a great guy. Great musician I used to be real big in the country music. He’s one of the only country artist I haven’t seen besides Garth Brooks from country stars. I didn’t see Brooks & Dunn either but I saw Tim McGraw Kenny Chesney George Strait all of the big ones. I’m not really a country music fan anymore I mean I’ll still listen to 90s country and some stuff here and there but country music isn’t country music anymore. It’s alternative pop rock.
@@What.its.like. He lost his battle with cancer, and that's sadder for me because a relative died due to complications from cancer despite having the organ affected by cancer removed. To be perfectly clear, it was NOT a vital organ.
I’m hoping to cover the Rambler this year that is definitely a car that I’ve been looking for. I had the opportunity to buy one last year I wasn’t allowed to film it unfortunately and if I had the money I would’ve totally bought it one of the queen examples of a Rambler country club I’ve ever seen.
In addition to being stodgy it's a snail-powered slowpoke. I can visualize a spinster-aged school teacher driving this car never driving over 40MPH The styling is far too subdued except for the front end, and the door-handle guards which look gaudy. It still looks better than the unadorned 53. The heater fan location is crazy as the heater core seems to be inside under the dash, and the front brakes were probably a bear to adjust properly although the twin-leading shoe design should make them very effective. WYR has to go to the Chevy, and I've grown to like the 'bathtub' cars so the Rambler wins the second choice, but you never see a Willys so that would be a cool car to have too.
My dad had a 51 cranbrook he drove it for years. At 115k it slipped timing. Today we know the bakerlite timing gear will fail. That probably put a lot of cars a early death. This color scheme was the same. I did this with a 52 dodge.These cars drive very well.
... This year, 2024, I traded a Jeep for my 'new', 1953 Dodge Regent four door, with a 230-6, 3 speed manual, wide whitewalls, nearly flawless exterior and interior ... Guess I'd better learn how to post some clips on TH-cam now ! As it is a pretty cool car ...
Also, when you think about what cars are made out of now, they should be fastly cheaper than they are I guess computers airbags all of the electronics cost a lot of money. Also have to realize that a lot of the options are all baked into the cake now like power, steering power brakes these cars a lot of them didn’t have those kind of features and if they did you have to pay extra for them Air conditioning could cost half as much as the car depending on model, and what decade I will also add maintenance on new cars isn’t what maintenance was on these old cars a lot of cars use solid lifters and they would have to be adjusted overtime
Solid and stodgy, yep that was Chrysler in that era but looking at the 1st WYR, I'm thinking the Plymouth was no more stodgy than the Chevy, Ford won in the styling department of the "low priced three", 2. That Rambler is crazy cool!
I had the opportunity to buy one of those Rambler country clubs last year. If I had the money I would’ve totally bought it but I didn’t have the money. It was the cleanest example of one that I ever saw. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to do video with it if I bought it I could do whatever I wanted with it Very private individual
Best looking one I have ever seen! These things are pretty ugly in the wild, all beat up and rusted, and underpowered with an outdated flathead six engine and three on the tree. The whole car looks right out of the 1940s.
Stodgy was a term used by GM to denigrate the Chrysler line of cars which were superior in quality and reliability to the GM cars. When GM cars were actually just as or more stodgy. GM's derogatory term stuck on Chrysler who actually produced more superior high quality automobiles than GM. The 51-52 Chevrolet was just as stodgy or stodgier than the 51-52 Plymouth.
57-59, maybe. Cars of the late 50s were caught up in a kind of gingerbread gothic styling binge. 50-54,55, they were not bad. 1960, sanity more or less returned with some exceptions.
@@61rampy65 1960 Ford, good, 60 Chevy, good, 60 Studebaker, okay, 60 Rambler, okay. 60 Chrysler, all models? Well, over there, somebody forgot to tell the stylists that the 1950s were over.
The ugliest, mos6t horrid looking Plymouths ever built were the awful 1951-52 models. They bombed with the public, and sales were way down. They were designed by Briggs Auto Body of Chicago, with some styling touches by Chrysler stylists, but the whole car design was terrible. The 1953 models were far better looking, but it was 1954 which showed the first really modern postwar Plymouth, with some help with chrome trims by Virgil M. Exner himself before he astonished the automotive world with his 1955-1962 Forward Look. I call the 1951-52 Plymouths "the Backward Look", since they were so old-fashioned looking.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing all that added information and insight looking at it again. You could definitely tell that this would be built by some company like Briggs not saying Briggs made stodgy cars but
@@What.its.like.K.T Keller at Chrysler hired Exner for special design projects only, in 1951 when Exner was still working at the Raymond Loewy Studio for Studebaker. When the red ink hit Chrysler sales in 1953, Keller hired Exner full time with a large bonus salary, his own office and design team, lots of perks, and told him he was responsible for all of Chrysler's car models for 1955 onward, and Exner got a leg up on this and made some changes right away at Plymouth, doing away with the old product model names, except for Belvedere, which was briefly Plymouth's 2-door hardtop model from 1951-53. For 1954, Belvedere was the new top of the line Plymouth series. Exner revised all of the plans for the 1954 Plymouth and added lots of chrome trim pieces on the new Belvedere series only. He worked hard to revive Plymouth's sagging and lagging image for sales to improve. Then he dived into the 1955 Forward Look designs in the fall of 1953. It really helped preserve the company's prestigious image that Exner was designing so many special projects cars, sports concept cars for Chrysler, with bodies by Ghia in Italy on Chrysler chassis and running gear from 1952 to 1963. Much more on this subject, but basically, Exner really actually saved Chrysler from bankruptcy and insolvency in 1955.
Toby Keith - Should have been a cowboy. WYR: Chevy and Willys. This car is just gorgeous, my gosh! A friend had one of a similar era. Found that gray fence paint was the correct color to paint the engine! Thanks for taking us along ~ Chuck. P.S. - Classy touch picking Toby, may he rest in peace.
Man, you got that one fast, rest in peace to a legend Toby Keith.
Great choices =)
@@What.its.like. I dig that I got to a premier again. I hate missing these, but I've been swamped lately. Thanks again ~ Chuck
I think I’m going to move the 420 timeslot to back later. I haven’t figured out a time that works best but it seems like more people are available in the evening versus before dinner. I want it to be convenient downer with pushing it back later is I generally go to bed, so I don’t answer everybody until the morning which is too long to wait for a response I think in my opinion
Something I need to work on lol
@@What.its.like. Maybe some of your audience is doing something else at 4:20 ! I also want to commend you for the Toby Keith selection. I didn't agree with everything he promoted but I think it showed class when he said he regretted getting into a back and forth confrontation with Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks. WYR: Chevy, Rambler. The Plymouth presented is a nice car and a good value, but "stodgy" is an appropriate description; a big change was coming only a few years in the future.
This is when Plymouth was a basic appliance. Practical and dependable
Dad had a 1950 Plymouth wagon - lots of good memories there. His brother had a 1948 then 1954 Plymouth. My maternal grandmother WON a 1955 Savoy in a raffle. All of these were really solid, reliable cars. Given that Plymouth was the low cost car, it is noteworthy that this Cambridge is such a good looking car. The little flathead was no hotrod, but they were very reliable. We liked them in our 1948 and 1952 Dodge trucks, too.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing those memories with us. What did you think of the 55 Savoy that’s one of my favorite Plymouth from the 50s I love the styling of those and there’s so much room in a two door.
That black over red 4 door ‘55 was a tank. 3 on the tree & V8. Mom would borrow it and say “it’s really stable on the freeway at 80.” Grandma would freak, she never took it over 50. She’d start in low and shift right to high. Sold it and I saw it back in Everett, WA a year later; owner had been to Florida, no problems.@@What.its.like.
I’ll take the Plymouth. Simple and durable.
Sweet choice =)
I’ve been anxiously awaiting this video!...My parent’s first car was a 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook Club Coupe in dawn grey…almost indistinguishable from the Cambridge!!...a handful of Kodachrome slides of that car still survive…You’ve described in wonderful detail the car that represents my first time inside of a car!!!
Kodachrome gives those nice bright colors =) happy you dig this episode one day I hope to find a cranbrook club coupe I wish there was more to go over information wise some I guess are sweet and to the point
Weird. My parents first car was also a Plymouth Cranbrook. My dad went from Garden City, Long Island to Detroit to pick it up.
This was the first car I remember riding in, and the first I remember my dad owning. Ours was baby blue, which had already gotten somewhat faded and powdery by about 1955, no matter how many times we Simonized it. As I remember, the brightwork was chrome plated, not stainless, and it was beginning to pit badly by the time we owned it. Chrysler products were noted for this at the time. The gravel guards, scuff plates on the door handles, and backup lights came, as I remember, in an option package of beauty items. The overdrive was also an option - ours did not have it. Those L-head engines drank a lot of oil, even when new, and required a valve job at a fairly young age. Thanks for the great video memory! Andy
My Aunt and Uncle bought a new 52 Plymouth like this. it was the year I was born, and I drove it 14 years later around the
Farm it still ran great. And My Grandfather had a 53 Plymouth with the HYdrive transmission, It was interesting because it was a manual transmission with both a clutch and a fluid coupling like a torque converter. Thanks for the great reviews of these old memories.
Thank you so much for watching. Glad you dig this episode =)
Thank you so much for sharing your experience you had with yours
That’s the first time I’ve heard a HYdrive described as “interesting”. I have heard them described in other ways, though …
Better than new...
Stunning!
Rambler...just so bizarre! Love it!
I owned a ‘52 Plymouth 2 door. When you reviewed the interior controls, you did not mention the manual control for the overdrive on the transmission. If I remember correctly it was a dash mounted lever/handle much like the one for the parking brake. Also of note is the forced air cabin vent mounted at the center of the base of the windshield and controlled by another lever in the center below the dashboard. When the lever was pushed down, or forward, the vent in the cowling area at the base of the windshield would go up forming a scoop that forced outside air into the cabin blowing dust and papers that you may have on the floor all around the interior.
In about 1973 I bought the car with a rebuilt engine and a non working overdrive for $100.00 from my girlfriend’s dad. I fixed the overdrive and drove it for a couple of years and sold it for $400.00. I could put two racing bicycles with the front wheels removed in the trunk.
I have a Special Deluxe and the interior is really nice, especially for a budget car. The styling is really nice and the color on this car is lovely.❤
There were lots of these buzzing around my neck of the woods back on the day, and long after most of the other early 50's iron was gone, these old plyms seemed to carry on.
Thank you for sharing that memory =)
When I was a kid the late 80s LTD grand Marquis Lincoln town car as well as like a 1996 Buick LeSabre but they were always green lol wow what memories
That's a wonderful old Plymouth with a lovely paint job and great chrome. Like the "high compression" flathead 6 and overdrive gearbox. Great video, Jay and liking the new camera.
That flathead will run for if maintain properly somewhere, saying in the comment section for the live chat, that you can get every single part for that engine
Glad you did the new camera I think after the episode today we’re gonna do Karman Ghia next from 64 that one was shot with half GoPro half Dji (new camera) I was having issues with it the first day I still have stuff in the pipeline from the first time I have some stuff in the pipeline from the second time lol
@@What.its.like. - This flathead was “allegedly” able to do 83 mph … I don’t believe it ! Not on the level, it wouldn’t … These things were slow.
Maybe if your going down the side of mt Everest haha
By 1952 Plymouth was at a sales disadvantage because, unlike their direct competitors, they did not offer an automatic transmission. By this time Ford had Fordomatic & Chevrolet had Powerglide. Alas, Plymouth was left to brag about having optional Overdrive.
Very true thank you so much for sharing all that information and insight greatly appreciate it
Very good point … and very true. Those automatics were a popular option, especially in the early Chevys where the big-6 could be had with the Powerglide.
Chrysler was still dicking around with that monstrosity hybrid junk - the manual transmission with a fluid coupling and an overdrive unit hanging off the back … what a piece of crap!
At least when Chrysler did figure it out, they did it right. Both the PowerFlite (1954) and the TorqueFlight were good equipment.
Great review. I was a year old in 52, so I don't remember when this came out, but I do remember seeing this style of Plymouths and Dodges around well into the 1960s. Not sure why, but it always seemed to me that flathead Chrysler sixes from this era had a distinctive sound. WYR: '52 Ford, sentimental favorite, and 52 Willys, just because there were so darn few of them made. If you wanted to be different, this was the car to drive. "Do you drive a Ford, Chevrolet, or Plymouth or Dodge?" "Son, I drive a Willys." "Huh?..." You just derailed his whole train of thought :).
Edit: Addendum: This shade of green was very popular on Chevrolets in the early 1950s. Ford and Chrysler, not so much but not unknown. But sometimes it seemed to me that at least 2/3 of all the early 50s Chevys made were this color green
The juries out on whether or not that’s an original color but I’m with you. I don’t think that it was most of these cars were very plain as far as color goes Chrysler didn’t start busting out color until Exner came but they did have some cool 54 colors, just not this level of color if that makes any sense
This almost looks like the Buick that we did a couple days ago it’s not the same color. This color is a bit deeper than that. Also, that car was in a darker area. Great choices thank you so much for sharing all that insight and information. Greatly appreciate it.
Nice example. A buddy of mine had a '49 Plymouth and this reminds me of it. I enjoyed cruising around in that car. His had an old tube radio and it was neat to wait for it to warm up before it started making sound. I think this would be an affordable fun old car for someone. In the Would You Rather I'd choose the 1952 Chevy Styleline and 1952 Plymouth Cambridge.
By the 1960s Austin was using the Cambridge name on their sedans. Not surprised as Cambridge is the name of a town in England. My picks here would be the Plymouth Cambridge and the Willys Aero.
I remember when we first moved into our big Victorian house, Mrs. Bowen lived next door. She was very old and loved children. She had one of these cars. It was Army Green and huge. I remember there was a big scratch on one side. She said it was caused by an angry bear while they were driving through Yellowstone.
LOVE the color, love the chrome.
Stodgy ain't the word.
Grandpa car
Grandma/grandpa car would fit this car perfectly
That window rolls up fast!
Reminded me of Nash
When I was born, my parents had a black 1951 or 2 Plymouth 4-door. It didn't have all the chrome this '52 has. The car used to be my grandfather's business car. My grandfather was a tinkerer, inventor and innovator. He made a rear window electric windshield wiper for his Plymouth. Heck. Cars of this vintage usually had vacuum powered windshield wipers.
I would probably go with the 1952 Ford. It was the first of a new styling trend that other makes would follow.
I was shocked to read that it was electric in the advertisement piece because as you said, a lot of cars had vacuum, operated windshield wipers
@@What.its.like. Yep. A couple of things I remember about the plymouth was when my mother went shopping and I was tired of it, I would got to the car, get in the back seat and go to sleep. Sometimes I wouldn't wake up until after we got home. My mother would just let me sleep until I woke up on my own.
Another thing I remember, an attendant where we always got gas, gave me one of the hats they used to wear. So, one day I put the hat on and played gas station. I figured that I would help my mom out and fill the tank up. Well, I grabbed the garden hose, stuck it in the gas tank filler and filled 'er up. I uas proud of what I did and went in and told my mother. You did what??? My mother didn't try to start the car and when my dad got home, he drained the tank. lol
My dad had a 51 Cranbrook. Great car
I think the Plymouth and Chev look similar to each other at the front 3/4 view.
I like the Plymouth, comes accross as a solid dependable car.
It is a Beautiful Vehicle and the Color
For WYR, I'm going with the Ford, and the Willys.
It is a nice color, and I am impressed with how much room there is, and I like the outside door handle setup with the pads (my eyes gravitated to that feature right away), but, yes, it is stodgy.
Great choices stodgy isn’t a bad thing. In my opinion they do get better in 53
Also, have you noticed how similar the Plymouth is to the Chevy style wise? It’s not exact just very similar.
@@What.its.like. yes, I did.
Hi Jay. I live in Cambridge New Zealand. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
That’s awesome man =)
Just curious, what’s the weather like there this time of year are you guys in summer? We’re in winter up here but the weather hasn’t been that bad this week all in the 40s and 50s which is really rare for February general generally February is the worst month out of all of them it usually usually gets down in the negatives.
I like your glovebox trial!
So many people do plus it shows how big those glove boxes were they were so much more than a glove box. You could use it as a lunchbox put some ice packs in it. It could be a cooler, so many different purposes, besides its own.
I like the Dashboard Also, Nice Styling. 😊
Always thought of that mascot as a stylized Mayflower. Plymouth Rock and all that.
Amazing how much room these cars had on the inside ( you really could wear a hat) especially compared to the contemporary fords and today’s cars. For the would you rather I’ll take the Chevy and in the second scenario I’ll take the Plymouth . Good choice in name that tune, RIP Toby
Totally agree I always tell people if they’re looking for real estate inside a vehicle if that’s their number one concern you can’t go wrong with Mopar in the 50s
Hi Jay!: Yet ANOTHER super comfy good ole American family car!! LOVELY! Doesn't matter that it's stodgy, a LOT of those early 1950's cars were stodgy! But, I just can't pick it in the WYR's! Gotta Go 1952 Ford and 1952 Willys Aero! I could go with the 6 cyl Ford and maybe avoid overheating problems with the flattie.
Great choices I love the 52 Ford but I’m right there with you. I would take the six cylinder. It was the better motor and with some modifications you could get more horsepower than the flathead without flathead issues
Beautiful color very cool old car. Ford- Plymouth.
Sweet choices
They were a 0 to 30 car, not much oomph after 45 mph, but with the Borg-Warner O/D they could cruise okay on flat roads. I appreciate slow cars, they do what they are designed to do. None of the base models were quick. With modern oils these motors are even more durable and Briggs bodied Mopars werent rust prone like they were in the mid '50s.
Those Rear vent windows are Good for Ventalatin.
Such a classy feature
The rear seat doesn't have an armrest but looks like it has an elbow rest.
That seat looked better than many living room couches!
Plymouth All the way! Although, the Aero Ace is an Awesome Car!
Awesome choices and totally agree out of all of the cars. The arrow ace has the best seats.
@@What.its.like. I just had to pass on a '53 Aero Falcon with 26k miles on it. Just didn't have the available $ .
☹️☹️
Our next door neighbors,when I was a child,had one same color. It had a 3 spd. tranny and no radio. I was born in '49 so I remember it from about say 1954. It was the wife's car so low mileage. She drove it until it was replaced with a new '63 Fury sedan. Still did not have too much rust considering that we lived in the rust belt. They got their $'s worth out of this inexpensive car.
Thank you for sharing those memories with us
You are most welcome.
Hi Jay. What a spectacular colour bro. I'm always saying, nice car give New one in green blue or black... thanks J. I love it ,it's coooool as mate. Cheers from New Zealand 🇳🇿
The color on this car was an amazing. I absolutely love the dash as well. The other crazy thing is electric windshield wipers before a lot of other manufactures for an entry-level car, and the two wheel cylinders on the front brakes
My dad is a twin. He and his brother shared a '55 Olds convertible. But when they started college a beater was also needed. Enter the '53 Plymouth. My uncle would disconnect the odometer so Grandpa didn't know he was leaving school to see my aunt. My parents drove it to their wedding to spare dad's Barracuda from possible pranks. It sat for years behind my great uncle's dealership, but after he died, all the vintage cars in the back lot were crushed. Grandpa was not happy, as it was still his car.
Wow that’s a crazy story thank you for sharing those memories with us =)
Too bad it was possible to disconnect mileage meters back then. One could get away with passing off a high mileage as being a low mileage.
You could also spin them backwards.@@ernielaw
While that car is in beautiful shape, it had to be the most boring car on the road, as most Chrysler products were back then. That said, my uncle had a 49 Dodge that he drove for about 3 zillion miles. When reverse gear went out, he used his six kids to push it backwards. The car finally died in 1963. With mechanicals so simple, what could go wrong? K.T. Keller, Chryslers CEO, insisted that a man could wear a fedora hat while seated comfortably, which resulted in the stodgy styling. Thank you for pronouncing 'Willys' correctly!
Thank you so much for adding all that added information and insight. That is one pronunciation that I get corrected on no matter how I say it but I try to pronounce things as correctly as possible. I’m not the best at pronunciations. lol
I loved the colour initially, but when I saw the originality of the interior, I realised that the colour of the dashboard was probably how it was meant to be, and would have preferred that. Your '52:Ford was a '54 I'm afraid!
Thank you so much for that. Correction, Google when asking Google what a 52 Ford is that’s what I got. It was the only one that was somewhat in focus at that angle. I knew it didn’t look right, but
I’m with you I don’t think that this car was originally this color. This color looks very similar to the color of the Buick from a couple days ago. It’s a bit darker, but the Buick was also in less light they’re probably really similar.
There is certainly not too much styling change between a "boxy" '49 Plymouth and this "stodgy" Plymouth from '52. The following year Plymouths did change quite a bit but they didn't come up with a design that I really admired until the '55 Plymouth Belvedere. Now that's a real classic, for sure!
Anyways, for WYR I would take the '52 Ford but the car that you have pictured is a '54 Ford Customline. Yikes! And then for my second choice, it would have to be the neat looking Rambler although the Plymouth would come in a close second in that instance. Toodeloo!
Thank you so much pointing that out that was search engine gave me a 54th of a 52. It happens a lot more than I would like to believe. Going to do an episode on it one day because it’s crazy how often it happens.
Stodgy isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The absolute downer is when you’re in a 54 Chrysler product and then you get a 57 Chrysler product. The quality has gone way down. Those cars looks so interesting but they didn’t have the build quality to match.
@@What.its.like. Wow! I didn't know that the quality of those Chryslers went down in the late '50's. In promoting their New Forward Look, and introducing Torison bar suspension, as Packard had initially done in '55 and also in promoting push button control gear shift I assumed they were making advances in all areas. But it is true that the quality of some of those MOPARS went down that year and it especially effected DeSoto, which soon became defunct.
I generally pass on the videos that you do for cars of the 1960's, but the ones from the 40's and 50's I continually enjoy watching and learning from and also those Wednesday specials on the engines, as there is always a lot to learn in that complex area. Till next time.
I love the business coupe version with no backseat. I'd take the Ford for the V-8, and the Willys.
Sweet choices =)
This car is radio delete. No radio because it is optional.
Great catch =)
Beautiful car Ive had mine for 17 years its not as nice as this one by a long shot but it will allways be my favorite car. Just wondering if yours was built in Canada or not i know there were minor differences as well all the 51 and 52 Plymouths basically the same with the small differences like the badges and delete panels.
I’m not sure where that one was built
I'm just waiting for you to get your camera behind a 1950's Borgward. I'd ask for a Hansa, but that's gonna be hard to find in the USA.
Hahaha i’m always looking for weird and unusual cars =) when you find one let me know I’ll go do it
nice looking car, and really nice green color on the car. big truck, Question 1#2, Question 2 #1 Toby keith , i wish i were a cowboy
Great choices. You also got name that tune Charles Dalton beat you for title.
I'm surprised how much this car is like my grandfathers '50 Plymouth.
Not a lot of difference between 49-54 Plymouths
Stodgy as hell but yet built to last it’s really sad when you think about 1954 being one of the last years’s Chrysler built a quality product 55 isn’t bad but it’s drastically worse by 57
A great video as always, Jay. And I'll take the Ford and the Rambler.
Awesome choice is glad you dig this episode
Willis aero hands down
Sweet choice
WYR Ford just for the flat head 8
WYR Cambridge
52 chev and Cambridge could have been sisters.Boy , they look similar.
The Chevy could be had with the increasingly popular Powerglide, which to me gave it the edge.
In ‘54, the Plymouths offered the PowerFlite 2-spd. automatic which brought them into a more competitive position.
In the first choice, I would rather the Plymouth. The second choice,I just can’t decide, so I’ll settle for one of each LOL.
Haha nice =)
The Ford and Plymouth.
Sweet choices
I go with the Plymouth and the Nash.
I have a pic of momma after she got her drivers license in the Plymouth Cambridge
I'd take the Ford in the first scenario, and the Rambler in the second.😎
Sweet choices
WYR 1: All of them.
WYR 2: All of them.
NTT: Should Have Been A Cowboy by Toby Keith.
I know someone beat me to it on Name That Tune, but everyone is raising their black solo cups in Toby's name. He was a great musician.
Great choices it’s an absolute pity what happened to Toby Keith He was a great guy. Great musician I used to be real big in the country music. He’s one of the only country artist I haven’t seen besides Garth Brooks from country stars. I didn’t see Brooks & Dunn either but I saw Tim McGraw Kenny Chesney George Strait all of the big ones.
I’m not really a country music fan anymore I mean I’ll still listen to 90s country and some stuff here and there but country music isn’t country music anymore. It’s alternative pop rock.
@@What.its.like. He lost his battle with cancer, and that's sadder for me because a relative died due to complications from cancer despite having the organ affected by cancer removed. To be perfectly clear, it was NOT a vital organ.
The Chevy the Arrow,
But the Plymouth is a Very Nice car for the Price back then
Great choices I think of all of the entry-level cars the Willy’s aero has the best seats
Is the car fully restored?
I would say so the interior looked original. The paint color looks like it’s been updated.
I’ll take the Chevy and Rambler
Plymouth!
My brother had one it was his first car only lasted him a month.
Willys proved-
- Being the best doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win …
- Being smart is only half of the equation.
=)
Plymouth was such a bargain in that day. You got your money's worth.
Everything except the rambler and Willis.
52 plymouth
52 Plymouth again...but the Rambler is almost bizarre enough...
I’m hoping to cover the Rambler this year that is definitely a car that I’ve been looking for. I had the opportunity to buy one last year I wasn’t allowed to film it unfortunately and if I had the money I would’ve totally bought it one of the queen examples of a Rambler country club I’ve ever seen.
In addition to being stodgy it's a snail-powered slowpoke. I can visualize a spinster-aged school teacher driving this car never driving over 40MPH The styling is far too subdued except for the front end, and the door-handle guards which look gaudy. It still looks better than the unadorned 53. The heater fan location is crazy as the heater core seems to be inside under the dash, and the front brakes were probably a bear to adjust properly although the twin-leading shoe design should make them very effective. WYR has to go to the Chevy, and I've grown to like the 'bathtub' cars so the Rambler wins the second choice, but you never see a Willys so that would be a cool car to have too.
Perfect characterization … I knew an old battle-ax teacher that drove one of these things. Stodgy as hell, the both of them …
Awesome information =) great choices
My dad had a 51 cranbrook he drove it for years. At 115k it slipped timing. Today we know the bakerlite timing gear will fail. That probably put a lot of cars a early death. This color scheme was the same. I did this with a 52 dodge.These cars drive very well.
It really makes you wonder why they like to put plastic components where metal ones should be
Welcome to the plastic generation. I was machinist. You can only think how i feel.@@What.its.like.
And they change a lot for plastic.. I hate plastic just doesn’t have a good feel about it sort of has the same feeling as a bad handshake
Hello from California
2:01
Hello from western Pennsylvania
... This year, 2024, I traded a Jeep for my 'new',
1953 Dodge Regent four door, with a 230-6, 3 speed manual, wide whitewalls, nearly flawless exterior and interior ... Guess I'd better learn how to post some clips on TH-cam now ! As it is a pretty cool car ...
Awesome do you like it better than your jeep??
@@What.its.like. ... Oh yes, 100% improvement over the Jeep..! Best regards ...!
Awesome =) thank you so much for getting back to me
52 Plymouth, 52 Rambler
Sweet choices
WYR: in 1952 …
1- Ford … then I’d rush out and trade it in on a new ‘52 Olds 88
2- Willys ! Those were fine little cars …
Awesome choices I absolutely love early 50th Oldsmobiles we need to feature more of them on the channel. They’re getting hard to find.
Watching the prices on these, why don't we have affordable cars today?
Back then there were tons of people working to build them as today they use robots.So, I agree with you totally ,they should be even cheaper today.
@@dougabbott8261 true facts! Nothing that isn't bloated with junk...give a stripper so bare, that I need to tuck a buck to get in!
Also, when you think about what cars are made out of now, they should be fastly cheaper than they are I guess computers airbags all of the electronics cost a lot of money. Also have to realize that a lot of the options are all baked into the cake now like power, steering power brakes these cars a lot of them didn’t have those kind of features and if they did you have to pay extra for them Air conditioning could cost half as much as the car depending on model, and what decade
I will also add maintenance on new cars isn’t what maintenance was on these old cars a lot of cars use solid lifters and they would have to be adjusted overtime
Solid and stodgy, yep that was Chrysler in that era but looking at the 1st WYR, I'm thinking the Plymouth was no more stodgy than the Chevy, Ford won in the styling department of the "low priced three", 2. That Rambler is crazy cool!
I had the opportunity to buy one of those Rambler country clubs last year. If I had the money I would’ve totally bought it but I didn’t have the money. It was the cleanest example of one that I ever saw. Unfortunately, I wasn’t allowed to do video with it if I bought it I could do whatever I wanted with it Very private individual
I would take the Chevy!
Cool choice =)
Should have been a cowboy --Toby Keith RIP
Yep that’s the song and artist Charles Dalton bear for title
Please put in the price!!! Thanks!
You can see it on the Auto Mall sheet for this car.
@@keith3970 I know that... I'm just lazy! 😀👍
It’s up there when the car is shown on website
I’ll take the Ford, thank you.
Sweet choice
WYR #1: I think the Ford is the most modern style-wise.
Yes the shoebox was a more modern design
Best looking one I have ever seen! These things are pretty ugly in the wild, all beat up and rusted, and underpowered with an outdated flathead six engine and three on the tree. The whole car looks right out of the 1940s.
Totally agree this is the nicest one I’ve ever seen
does it have a Briggs body?
I think it does
I have one, a Cranbrook not a Cambridge. Not a big difference.
Ford then the Plymouth.
I will go with the Ford.
Sweet choice =)
@@What.its.like. Yeah, but the Ford you showed is a '54; not a '52. You might want to correct that.
WYR: 1. Plymouth 2. Willys
Sweet choices
Plymouth
Willys
52 chevy any day.
WYR 1: Ford WYR 2: Plymouth
Sweet choices
Stodgy was a term used by GM to denigrate the Chrysler line of cars which were superior in quality and reliability to the GM cars. When GM cars were actually just as or more stodgy. GM's derogatory term stuck on Chrysler who actually produced more superior high quality automobiles than GM. The 51-52 Chevrolet was just as stodgy or stodgier than the 51-52 Plymouth.
With all due respect to the industry this decade after WWII was a definite low point in styling. 🤮
But 1955 brought what I call the start of the modern era, with much nicer looking cars. Especially if you like chrome. OK, maybe 1960.
57-59, maybe. Cars of the late 50s were caught up in a kind of gingerbread gothic styling binge. 50-54,55, they were not bad. 1960, sanity more or less returned with some exceptions.
@@61rampy65 1960 Ford, good, 60 Chevy, good, 60 Studebaker, okay, 60 Rambler, okay. 60 Chrysler, all models? Well, over there, somebody forgot to tell the stylists that the 1950s were over.
The ugliest, mos6t horrid looking Plymouths ever built were the awful 1951-52 models. They bombed with the public, and sales were way down. They were designed by Briggs Auto Body of Chicago, with some styling touches by Chrysler stylists, but the whole car design was terrible.
The 1953 models were far better looking, but it was 1954 which showed the first really modern postwar Plymouth, with some help with chrome trims by Virgil M. Exner himself before he astonished the automotive world with his 1955-1962 Forward Look.
I call the 1951-52 Plymouths "the Backward Look", since they were so old-fashioned looking.
Awesome thank you so much for sharing all that added information and insight looking at it again. You could definitely tell that this would be built by some company like Briggs not saying Briggs made stodgy cars but
@@What.its.like.K.T Keller at Chrysler hired Exner for special design projects only, in 1951 when Exner was still working at the Raymond Loewy Studio for Studebaker. When the red ink hit Chrysler sales in 1953, Keller hired Exner full time with a large bonus salary, his own office and design team, lots of perks, and told him he was responsible for all of Chrysler's car models for 1955 onward, and Exner got a leg up on this and made some changes right away at Plymouth, doing away with the old product model names, except for Belvedere, which was briefly Plymouth's 2-door hardtop model from 1951-53. For 1954, Belvedere was the new top of the line Plymouth series. Exner revised all of the plans for the 1954 Plymouth and added lots of chrome trim pieces on the new Belvedere series only. He worked hard to revive Plymouth's sagging and lagging image for sales to improve. Then he dived into the 1955 Forward Look designs in the fall of 1953. It really helped preserve the company's prestigious image that Exner was designing so many special projects cars, sports concept cars for Chrysler, with bodies by Ghia in Italy on Chrysler chassis and running gear from 1952 to 1963. Much more on this subject, but basically, Exner really actually saved Chrysler from bankruptcy and insolvency in 1955.