1947 Plymouth: Roomy and Appealing to the Eye
The 1947 Plymouth had three major things going for it when compared to cars produced by competitors. These were roominess, eye-appeal, and conveniences. The extra room allowed passengers to ride comfortably without being cramped in small spaces. Extra room was offered in both the front and the rear compartments. Also, the cars had a roomy luggage compartment.
The cars had a smart appearance from each angle with smooth, eye-catching lines, and there were many added features for convenience and safety. The models this year included a four-door Sedan, a Club Coupe, a two-door Sedan, and a three-passenger Coupe. Plymouth also offered a Woody Station Wagon.
Roominess for Everyone
The roominess in the 1947 Plymouth can easily be imagined through its dimensions. In the front compartment, there were 40 inches of headroom, 37 3/4 to 42 3/4 inches of legroom, and the seat was 51 inches wide across. The front offered plenty of kneeroom for the driver behind the wheel. In the rear compartment, there were 35 3/4 inches of headroom, 40 1/2 to 45 1/2 inches of legroom, and the seat was 56 inches wide across. The rear seat was wider and deeper than the seats of many competitive cars. In the luggage compartment, there was ample space for all sorts of items thanks to the side positioning of the spare tire.
Plymouth Styling
Plymouth's styling for the front featured beautiful curves along the grille and front fender. The "smart" grille had graceful lines with two round headlamps on each side and a chrome bumper across the bottom that curved around toward each front tire. The hood flowed and curved along with the curves of the grille. Rear styling for Plymouth models included well-balanced lines with a smooth design. The cars had a straight, deep rear fender that shielded more of the wheels. The trunk lid curved downward all the way to the fender with taillights located on each side of the lid.
There were several color options for the exterior, each resembling army-type colors. These included Black, Sumac Red (Convertible only), Airwing Gray, Charlotte Ivory (Convertible only), Cruiser Maroon, Marine Blue, Chevron Blue, Battalion Beige, Plymouth Gunmetal, Balfour Green, and Kenwood Green.
Convenience Features for Plymouth
Plymouth models offered buyers quite a few conveniences for the price. The doors opened wider than those of the main competitors - 10 inches wider than the doors on Chevrolet models and 4 inches wider than the doors Ford models. Plymouth models also featured fully-enclosed running boards at floor level on the Coupe models to prevent tripping when entering the car. There was a lever for front seat adjustment, which was located in an easy-to-reach position on the side of the seat. The driver's seat would move upward as it moved forward for better positioning. This was a big plus for shorter drivers. Also, Plymouth seats would adjust in a range of 5 inches. For easy opening and closing, the doors were equipped with rotary-type door latches that would hold the doors fast even when not completely closed.
Other convenience features offered by Plymouth included Safe-Guard hydraulic brakes, an independent parking brake, a Safety-Signal speedometer, Safety-Rim wheels, an Oilite fuel filter, floating oil intake, a Silent-chain camshaft drive, Hotchkiss Drive, floating power engine mountings, a Micronic filtration oil filter, and a roller-bearing type transmission reverse idler gear.
1947 Options
A few features that could be added at extra cost included a right windshield wiper and sun visor, bumper guards, wheel rings, and an electric clock. Other options included a twin all-weather heater or Comfort Master heater (left or right side), a Mopar fresh air adapter package, a heater/windshield defroster package, an AM radio, a Cowl "Skyway" antenna package, a pneumatic cushion, cowl mirrors, a glove box lock, a cigarette lighter, a vanity mirror, an airfoam seat cushion (front or rear, or both), an interior rear view mirror, and an outside sun visor.
For extra lighting inside and out, buyers could opt for spotlights, fog lights, directional turn signals, a glove box light, a backup light, a parking brake warning light, a trunk light, and an under-hood light. The Plymouth Deluxe Model could come with an Accessory Group C with an extra windshield wiper and sun visor, or arm rests for the front left door or left and right doors. A handicap control offered by Plymouth to cater to war veterans was the Powermatic shifting, which was a vacuum assist cylinder to aid in shifting the car.
Third party options for Plymouth owners included Folsom sunshades, heaters, fender skirts, rear fender stone guards, a lighted hood ornament, and curb feelers.
The Unique Plymouth Woody Wagon
Chrysler only produced one Woody Station Wagon for 1947 - the Plymouth. It was a tribute to WWII soldiers. What made it unique is the ordering process. The chassis had to be ordered through the local dealer, and then forwarded to Frankfort, Indiana to the U.S. Body & Forging Company. Here, the wooden body sections were built. The car was then sent to Detroit for finishing work before reaching the customer. The wood framing was Ash with a choice of Honduras Mahogany or Maple panels.
Engine Details for 1947
The engine used this year was a six-cylinder L-head engine that was cast on an iron block with solid valve lifters. Its displacement was 217.80 cubic inches with a compression ratio of 6.6:1. It was rated at 95 horsepower and had four main bearings. The carburetor was a Carter Type BB 1-barrel Model DGG1. It had a three-gear manual transmission.
For cooling, a standard 160-degree thermostat was used, but an optional 180-degree thermostat was available. The engine had a 15-quart cooling capacity and used a non-pressure radiator cap. The engine oil capacity was 5 quarts with a 17-gallon fuel tank. The cars were built on a 120-inch wheelbase, and the types of tires used were 6.00 x 16 tires.
Pricing for the 1947 Deluxe models ranged from $1,139 for the Business Coupe to $1,214 for the four-door Sedan. For Special Deluxe models, pricing ranged from $1,209 for the Business Coupe to $1,765 for the Station Wagon.
Each Plymouth was designed to offer buyers a great post-war car with many conveniences at an affordable price. Chrysler wanted to cater to veterans as well as those who had stayed home to provide dependable cars as the country got back on its feet. Today, Plymouth and classic car fans love restoring and driving these stylish cars.
