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whats wrong with a 55 desoto

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by rusty55desoto, May 15, 2008.

  1. VonDust
    Joined: Oct 6, 2008
    Posts: 246

    VonDust
    Member

    Thanks, I just read your post on the Cornado's and the fact they were tri-tones. I'm going to paint my car a tri-tone theme within the next year or so because i always thought the Cornodo's looked so good.
     
  2. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    VonDust, your car was so COOL already, I hadn't even THOUGHT about what could make it look badder! Heck, let James D. do you some COLOR combos. Jus feed him some thoughts, and that genius TAKES OFF!!!
     
  3. Not a damn thing. Sick cars
     
  4. ratster
    Joined: Sep 23, 2001
    Posts: 3,588

    ratster
    Member

    put a 49 merc grille in it js to mess with ppl
     
  5. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    RatSter, you kill me, man! First good laugh of the day, dude!
     
  6. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    I could shoot myself NOW, but when my uncle trashed my dad's '55 Firedome, I tore it down & put away everything possibe. But there was no garage, so little by little stuff stood up against a little old chicken coop rusted to where dad made me get rid of it.

    One of the tings that WENT was the grille. Even though the bullets were pitted, they were good enough to plish & rechrome. SOMEbody, I know, would kill to have that grille TODAY. Ah! The stuff you have to let GO, osmetimes!!!
     
  7. 53sled
    Joined: Jul 5, 2005
    Posts: 5,817

    53sled
    Member
    from KCMO

    Wanna sell it? We need more stuff in our yard.[​IMG]
     
  8. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    53Sled, that's one NICE Fireflite. Like the color combo better that the 2-tone greens mine was when I got it in spring '70.
     
  9. 53sled
    Joined: Jul 5, 2005
    Posts: 5,817

    53sled
    Member
    from KCMO

    there is a running, complete 4 door 55 firedome with title on craigslist, here in KC. if anyone wants to save her. I have the brake rebuild parts left over for it. ok price for what it is.
     
  10. CJ Steak
    Joined: Sep 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,377

    CJ Steak
    Member
    from Texas

    How come nobody hotrods a '58 Commander???

    Maybe cuz they only built like 1500 of 'em in '58 only lol...

    The more rare the car... the more of an outcast you'll be. All my shit is hard to come by old rare stuff. After looking for 2 years, I just finally found a back window for my car. It actually found me.

    good luck with your car and thank whatever you believe in it's all there.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    CJ Streak, there's a country song: "Must Be Doin' Somthin' Right."

    I love Studes, too, and I have to BELIEVE . . . YOU MUST be doin' somethin' RIGHT in yer life, 'cause somebody wanted you to have that part!!!

    I have a spare back windscreen that fits DeS & Chrysler for '55 & '56. It's under a white pine down in the middle of NO-where-Ville.

    I just FIGURE, someday, another car lover will NEED one when some kids shoots a .22 or bb-gun hole in HIS!!! So, I'll hang onto it.
     
  12. Gotgas
    Joined: Jul 22, 2004
    Posts: 7,175

    Gotgas
    Member
    from DFW USA

  13. CJ Steak
    Joined: Sep 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,377

    CJ Steak
    Member
    from Texas

    DUDE... that is a GREAT DEAL. I would happily buy that car in a heart beat if I didn't have too many already, and no place to put another. That's a car i'd just putt around in and not do a thing to it, unless it needed something mechanically. Cosmetically, that car is perfect in my eyes.

    My Commander is a factory red and white car... the rarest color combo for the '58's. The guy i bought it from told me it was blue originally... luckily he was thinking of another car... when I opened the door it was Parade red in the jambs. White fins and a white hardtop to boot. I was happy.
     
  14. CJ Steak
    Joined: Sep 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,377

    CJ Steak
    Member
    from Texas


    Good for you for keeping that window. You'll never know when some desperate mofo like myself will need one.

    I actually had my car up for sale for a short amount of time... and a guy (coincidentally found out he was on the HAMB) emailed and said he wasn't interested in buying the car but he had a perfect back window for it for 150 bucks.

    Yeah... the car isn't for sale anymore lol. The best part was he was only 45 minutes away and was super cool. He's got the '58 Packard hard top in burgundy.
     
  15. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    Hey, guys, that '56 is a Firedome? I'm wondering if it's a Sportsman or the rarer SeVille. Has anyone called this guy for gen'l info?

    Looks like a bunch of stock stuff's been shaved off, BUT as GotGas said, has a ton of potential. Don't know why somebody, some time painted the top red (but ALSO easily remedied). For MY money, if the '55 looked good in red & white, the '56 looked TWICE as good decked out like that. THIS 2DH screams for a little TLC, so I'm with GotGas & hope it finds a good home !!!
     
  16. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    Incidentally, it appears that the "fancy" headlight rims were ALSO painted over. If so, I'm a thinking it may well have had the trick top-fender spears and they were "shaved" too by a previous owner.

    Whoever get's this car: I have the part numbers for those fender spears. Important because they are a PAIR and not identical.
     
  17. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    Wow! I was just re-reading this thread & realized I'd made a pretty bad MIS-STATEMENT about '55 DeSoto production! Must correct:

    They made, I think ONE hardtop for every sedan. Couple that with: They made 10 Cheveys for every ONE DeSoto. YOU and I BOTH dream of a '55 or '56 2-door! I hope YOU find one. The FEW I have found were a LONG time ago --- and they were sunk down in the mud & rusted to crap.

    What I MEANT to say was that they made ONE hardtop for about TEN sedans, 10 Chevys for every one DeSoto. THAT puts it in realistic perspective (and convertibles are scarce as hen's teeth; one source I saw put it at one vert for every 50-100 closed cars -- bout the same as standard-trans-equipped DeSotos for '55, and I've only seen one of THOSE).
     
  18. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    GotGas: Know if anybody has bought that '56 hardtop yet? Just wondered, 'cause it is well worth saving & restoring or rodding.
     
  19. Gr8ballsofir
    Joined: Apr 21, 2001
    Posts: 768

    Gr8ballsofir
    Member

    I think its actually a Fireflite. Most 2 door HT were. The painted headlight rings are Fireflite, chrome was Firedome. The top may also have been red originally, Thats called a 2 tone. White top would be a 3 tone.

    I know of a couple convertables. I think people took better care of them.
     

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  20. devilleish
    Joined: Jan 15, 2007
    Posts: 254

    devilleish
    Member

    Just picked up a '56 Firedome sedan. Had to pull the hemi to get it, but I got the DeSoto I've wanted since I was 10, even if I did have to get a 4 door. Always liked the '55 grille more, but the '56 quarters & taillights looked classier, so it's a decent tradeoff.
     
  21. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    Gr8Ballsofir: Thanks for the input. This has still got me a bit puzzled, because the '56 line-up was a little more complicated than the '55 line. The biggest basic difference between the Firedome VS. Fireflite was the 2- VS. 4-barrel carb (rest was pretty cosmetic on the base models.

    My following comments do NOT apply to the later-season Adventurer or PaceSetter, OKAY?

    For '56, the decked-out, higher-priced DeSotos got more complex. I do think the SeVille hardtops tended to be Firedome (2-V), while the Sportsman tended to be the Fireflite (4-V). WHAT MAKES IT MORE COMPLICATED: I read what seemed to be a reliable account that DeSoto got sued over the "SeVille" name and was forced to STOP (as in cease & desist). And THAT leads me to wonder if later in the model year maybe ALL Firedome & Fireflite hardtops were called Sportsman -- no longer any SeVilles at all.

    And, again, this has nothing to with Adventurer or PaceSetter.
     
  22. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    CONGRATS, Devilleish !!! I love to see others who are enchanted with the '55 to '58 DeSotos.

    BTW, what do you mean when you say "had to pull the Hemi to get it" ?
     
  23. I just don't like the color of 'em.

    Good lord just drive the damned thing and be happy that you can find yours in the sea of Dueces and model As.
     
  24. Gr8ballsofir
    Joined: Apr 21, 2001
    Posts: 768

    Gr8ballsofir
    Member


    Hint: 55 grill drops right in!!
     

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  25. Gr8ballsofir
    Joined: Apr 21, 2001
    Posts: 768

    Gr8ballsofir
    Member

    You very well could be right. I never heard that, but then again, I wasn't around then... Mines a Sportsman 4dr HT: power seat (4way), windows, steering, brakes and factory A/C (standard not deluxe).

    I'm not sure if its early or late though.
     
  26. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    Gr8Ballsofir,

    Man you have one of the 1956 4-door-hardtops? Wow. And they didn't offer them in '55.

    Now, I assume it says Sportsman on both back fenders. It should say on the front fenders either Firedome or Fireflite (unless somebody's removed the fender scripts up front).
     
  27. devilleish
    Joined: Jan 15, 2007
    Posts: 254

    devilleish
    Member

    The old fart I got the car off of bought it for the engine. He had no interest in the car itself. Hell, he thought it was a '55. Offered it to me in exchange for pulling the hemi and throwing a 383 into his '67 Belvedere, so I jumped all over it.

    And yeah, I'm thinking about the '55 grille too.

    My girlfriend fell in love with a minty green '60 Adventurer a few months ago, we may end up with that one too. The interior on that car is freakishly neat looking.
     
  28. Gr8ballsofir
    Joined: Apr 21, 2001
    Posts: 768

    Gr8ballsofir
    Member

    4dr HT's are all Fireflites. Yea all the badges are still on, but not for long. one of the Fireflite badges is missing the top of the middle "f" and I'm tired of people asking me what a firelight is!!
     
  29. rivguy
    Joined: Feb 16, 2009
    Posts: 150

    rivguy
    Member

    Nothing at all. Why even ask the question?
     
  30. jimi'shemi291
    Joined: Jan 21, 2009
    Posts: 9,499

    jimi'shemi291
    Member

    DeVilleish, you obviously don't mind working Hard to get what you want. Salute!

    The guy you bought the Firedome from didn't know a '55 from a '56? Duh. Lots of similarities, but the grille & fins are dead giveaways.

    Far as your girlfriend's love for the '60, man, I'd go with it (if you can't steer her to the '56 project). It's COOL (and very useful) to have your lady interested in your hobby passion, if you know what I mean. I was lucky to get a woman like that. Sure beats the crap out of a lady's voice all the time going, "WHEN are you gonna get that POS out of MY driveway?!?" LOL
     

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