Words: Tommy Parry

After a customer wheeled this ‘36 Plymouth Roadster into Watkins Restorations, Aaron sat down and started scratching his chin — he had his work cut out for him.

The previous shop had cut the firewall and moved it back 5″ to get the engine — a 6.1-liter Hemi — to fit. Unfortunately, that hadn’t left much space in the cabin for the push-button amenities for which the customer had asked. It set the stage for an intriguing build; to maintain the classic exterior while fitting some modern items under the skin was the aim with this Plymouth. Easier said than done.

Among some of the modern touches planned were a Fatman independent front suspension, a T.C.I. four-link rear, a 9-inch rear and disc brakes at all four corners. The first order of business was to remove the body from the frame, clean the frame comprehensively and finish the boxing on the four-link, which the previous shop had left undone.

Next, Aaron got the body up on a rotisserie, where he was able to access the inner and outer rockers. Rust had spread throughout most of the body, including the sides, the rear wheel tubs, the trunk pan, the lower rear apron and the lower quarters. Once he’d stuck hand-fashioned replacements in the place of the corroded pieces, the body was clean, gleaming and ready for a few visual tweaks.

Aaron decided to add custom door handles and shave the stock hinges for a streamlined look. He also replaced those hinges with modern Bear Claw units for a little more in the way of safety. Then, he built a new transmission cover and dash extension to help provide some more real estate for the incoming instrument panel.

Then, turning his attentions to the front of the car, Aaron modified the hood’s stock center pivot point to work like that of a ‘32 Ford, so that both the sides of the hood could stay open at the same time. At the same time, he fabricated grill supports from aluminum and impregnated them with LED lights for a little extra glitz.

With the body largely completed, Aaron painted the frame a shade of shocking green — Dodge Sublime Green Effect, to be precise. Next, he outfitted each corner with the modern suspension upgrades, then installed APR stainless bolts, brake lines and, lastly, the engine.

Then the body was lowered onto the readied frame and sanded completely in preparation for paint. Next came a thick layer of Dynamat inside and a matching coat of green on the body.

There’s still much ahead for this incredible Plymouth, which will eventually be shown at the Street Rod Nationals and at Goodguys after that. Fortunately, it’s not intended to be a jaw-dropper alone; its owner is renowned for driving his cars hard. Rest assured, this will never become a garage queen — this slime green beauty will see the track once it’s done touring the automotive show circuit over the next year.

For more on this gorgeous Roadster and the progress Aaron has made, you can visit its build thread here.