In 2008 the LeMay Collection restoration team beautifully restored PMC-2592 and PMC-2811 to be featured in their annual show at the LeMay Museum.
These are proud restoration team members: Katrina Short, a McPherson College senior intern, and Tom Tower, restoration shop manager, celebrating their success. The LeMay organization will celebrate the fulfilling of Harold LeMay's vision with the grand opening of the LeMay Museum of America in Tacoma, Washington, in June 2012.
Parts and Service
The Powell brothers reportedly chose the 1941 Plymouth chassis, not only for its sturdy construction and availability, but also for its serviceability. It is noted that a vast majority of mid-size military vehicles manufactured for World War II used the Dodge/Plymouth engine. As a result, the government also ordered millions of replacement parts that became surplus after the war. Plymouth and Dodge used the same basic flathead-six in passenger-car production through 1959, and Chrysler made complete engines available through the mid 1980s for marine applications.
As a result of the prolonged availability of these engines and many of the later ones being used in long service-life vehicles such as forklifts and aircraft tugs, parts are readily available today. Common service parts may be on the shelf at the local NAPA store for some time yet.
Brake, steering and suspension parts are being reproduced and are available through vintage MoPar parts dealers. Most Powell trim was gleaned from early 1950s Fords and is nearly identical to common 1955-1957 Chevrolet side trim. For body parts, you are on your own. Fortunately there are only four unique stampings in each vehicle. These are the windshield frame, rear upper cab, cab roof and fishing rod tray cover. All the rest of the body parts are made from simply formed flat sheetmetal or angle iron. I had a local mechanical contractor easily form replacement panels for me, as can be seen in our archive section (PMC-2751 "Barney").
Products such as bed wood kits, flat safety glass, and universal weather stripping make resurrection of a Powell Sport Wagon a relatively simple process. Door latches are available from Speedway Motors.com in their T-bucket kit section.
The often badly damaged or missing front panel (nose) is made of fiberglass. Although messy, fiberglass is easy and inexpensive to work with; good quality home-built nose pieces are the norm. Likewise, Powell badges can be cast in plastic and look good with a coating of chrome paint.
Of course, correspondence to the registry is always welcome and answered: e-mail preferred.
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