Most of the cars I end up photographing are friends or friends of friends. The separation is typically one level at most. Then sometimes it all works out and you meet a rad dude like Cole and a bad-ass truck. I made a post to a local Facebook group asking for cool cars in the area and got hundreds of responses. I got linked up with Cole and put his truck on the list of cars to one day shoot. Enter Cole’s 39 Plymouth.
After making some semi-last minute plans with Cole to shoot, I drove from Milwaukee to Fon-du-lac to meet up. I didn’t know much about the truck, other than it was a 39 Plymouth Gasser build.
Cole purchased the truck 98% stock and got to work. The original flat head straight 6 and 3 speed transmission were replaced with mild 350 Chevy crate engine and a built TH400 witb B&M star shifter.
The truck was taken down to basically the frame rails. 12v wiring, fuel and brake lines were all completely replaced. The major modification done at this point was the Speedway straight axle kit withdisc brakes and a Vega steering setup. A Ford 9″ rear was also installed, and then narrowed 3″ to fit within the rear fenders.
The only thing left original at this point is the body and the rear leaf springs. A 4 link setup is in the works and will complete the major transformation under the body.
There has obviously been a ton of work done to this truck and a few short paragraphs doesn’t do it any justice. But since Cole still has more yet to do, I’ll wait until it is finished up and then do a more in-depth dive of all the details. Until then, simply enjoy the photos.
Certain shoots will always stick out in your memory. Cole’s Plymouth will be one of those vehicles. I have driven around downtown Milwaukee in a bright white NSX, through the countryside in a bodyless corvette, and a 600+ hp Supra in the suburbs, but nothing garnered the kind of attention that this thing did in the little city of Fond-du-lac. This thing certainly got attention, and it fits Cole’s personality perfectly. We finished up with a few sunset photos on the lakeshore, and then headed to grab a bite to eat at the drive in. Thanks for the burger Cole! Oh, and that Mac and Cheese was pretty damn good.
– Andrew
Additional photos below
