City Directories and History: 1946 – Neely Motor Company, 1963 – Welch Motor Company – Dorth Falls Auto Service
Neely Motor Company as well as Neely-Sadler Motor company are for all purposes one and the same company and started in 1920. The business began on East Black Street, at the approximate location of what is in 2013 the site of the York County Library. The business was highly successful for generations and sold Dodge and Plymouth products to thousands of Rock Hillians. J.T. Neely was President of the company and J.P. Spencer, Vice President.
Dodge – Plymouth Dealership – Written and Contributed by Jim Townsend, 2015
I didn’t go searching for this piece of history – it came to me. I’m a fan of Henry’s Model A and have three that I have shown but now drive on tour. But there is a bit of motor blood in my veins because my grandfather was a Dodge/Plymouth dealer. My mother was the bookkeeper and I played in the shop as a youth and worked in the shop as a teen. We had a 39 Plymouth pickup shop truck that I drove to pick up and deliver cars in for service. I bought an identical truck on ebay because of that connection and owned it for about seven years. Due to my age, my health and my lack of use of the pickup, I decided to downsize my collection and the pickup was a casualty of that decision. Fellow POC member Dean Yates bought the truck but wanted to trade in the coupe. Curiosity caused me to look at it but the fact that it represented the beginning of the Plymouth marque made me agree to take it on trade.
The car was in very good physical condition considering its age. I thought it may have had its original paint. The interior was original and where some paint had pealed, there was no other coating under it. The speedometer showed 56,000 miles. The wooden spoke wheels had been refinished, were tight with no rot but the finish needed renewal. The bumpers were off, re-chromed and in the trunk. There was no sign of body rust and only one rear fender showed sign of ever being hit. The engine was locked but there was no visible sign of cracks. The original radiator was full of antifreeze and there was no sign of water in the oil. I am not aware of how long Dean had garaged the car but documents found in the storage behind the seat show that a Gail Keith of Westport, Conn. had owned it in 1962 and a C M Adams of Richmond, VA had owned it in 1976. The VA tag was still on the car as was a Plymouth 4 cylinder Club sticker on the rear window.
Once the ’28 was in my shop, the first task was to find out why the engine was frozen. What I found after soaking the pistons in a mixture of light weight oil and removing the head was that the head gasket had failed and #4 cylinder was rusted in place. I was able to put a 2 X 4 block on it and tap it to break it free. I then could turn the engine freely with the crank. The engine was pulled and sent to a machine shop where all cylinders were bored 0.030 oversize and all components were inspected. A new set of pistons was installed along with one valve but the bearings were judged to be near spec. so not re-poured. While the engine was out, the frame and firewall were cleaned and painted and the radiator was inspected, cleaned and painted. The original Carter carburetor and the vacuum fuel pump were sent off for a rebuild. The master cylinder and wheel cylinders were rebuilt. The brake shoes were clean and not worn. The front drums were turned. Brake lines were cleaned with alcohol and blown out before recharging the system with silicone fluid. The wheels were stripped of the cracked finish and three coats of exterior poly put on them. Steering was disassembled, cleaned and inspected but little wear was observed.
I was committed to keeping the car as original as I could while making it roadworthy. There were large patches of paint peeling on the hood and on the front fenders. The bare metal exposed showed very light rust due to its exposure. I decided the front sheet metal needed to be repainted to protect it. When it was stripped, I was surprised that the largest surface rust I found was about the size of a quarter and I found no rust through even on low spots of the fenders. I did find one small patch of bondo filling a dent in the top of the hood. The paint is a repaint, not original. The running board metal was badly rusted probably due to water standing under the mats. I cleaned them and encapsulated the metal with a layer of fiberglass to maintain their structure. Mats were replaced. All wiring was original. New wire of the correct color and marking was bought and installed. The headlight buckets polished out to my surprise and after new bulbs were installed proved to work as built. The leather seats are original but show age appropriate wear. The driver seat sagged and the cover was removed to replace two broken springs and add a little layer of new padding. The floor mat was missing except for a few small swatches. New matting was installed. The gas tank was cleaned and a replacement ring and glass for the gas gauge purchased.
I had a few setbacks when starting the engine. The exhaust manifold was cracked and a replacement found. The head had a hairline crack at one corner and was removed for welding the crack closed. I made a mistake in ignition wiring based on the diagram in the owner’s manual. That mistake not only baffled me but a local shop and a mechanic friend. Until corrected, the engine would start but run real rough. The professionally rebuilt vacuum fuel pump failed to deliver enough fuel to allow driving on the road. I rebuilt a second unit that came with the car and have the Plymouth running. The original pump went back to the re-builder. But to my delight, the engine runs quietly, responds well to the throttle. The transmission shifts well and it and the rear end are quiet. The steering is tight and much easier to steer than its Model A competitors.
There are many features that set the “new” Plymouth above the Model A of the era and one can easily see why customers were willing to pay a little more to get one. What will I do with my unintended purchase? The remaining paint has been buffed and looks reasonable but, since I know it is not original, I may complete the paint job to improve street appeal. But the original problem still exists. I am 77 years old and have five antique cars – to many to drive and maintain. The Plymouth may become available for someone else to enjoy.
I mentioned in the opening of this article that my grandfather was a Dodge/Plymouth dealer. Actually, he was first an Anderson Motor car dealer, an auto built in Rock Hill, SC between about 1915 through 1927. He then was a Nash dealer and in 1937 built a state of the art dealership building to sell Dodges and Plymouths. I own the building today, renting the showroom to a retail business and using the shop for my old car hobby.
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