Went and looked at a car colection this weekend and found a car that makes no sense to us, it is a 55 desoto 2 dr ht, manual steer, brakes ect. The issue with it is the column shows no indication of ever being changed out, there is a factory looking delete plate over the auto shifter hole in the dash and the floor is cut ( also factory looking ) for a floor shift trans. The motor and trans have been removed, but we are hoping we will find it all in with the rest of the stuff we purchased.The pedals also look stock. I can not find any indication that this car existed with the floor shift option... is there any desoto buffs out there that may know what we have?
I can tell you that DeSoto did offer manual transmissions in 55-57 and other years. Just cannot tell you if they offered factory floor shifts or not. I've seen one 55 but it had the column shifter. Also have seen a 56 with a column shift. Actually having a manual shift in the later DeSotos is rather rare.
DubCee, I'd say that car has been altered and is not stock. Only a few percent of '55 DeSotos would have had std. trannys, and my materials don't show a FLOOR shifter. The company was pushing a "modern" image and, so, pushed the PowerFlite automatic. However, I can IMAGINE a local dealer or small shop (for$$$) maybe converting a car. But that seems a stretch.
Does any one know if there were any proto types or mabye special order nascar type stuff? the car came off the east coast several years ago and judging by the faded out water slide stickers in the quarter windows i am gonna guess Florida ( genovicie cams? ) cant really make out the spelling.the column is definitely stock, and every thing else looks the part too. Thanks for the help guys!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, it was either the Powerflite automatic, or the standard three on the tree. I know trying to find the clutch pedal assembly is rather hard to find being that I just converted my '55 Desoto from an auto to a 5-speed manual. I ended up getting a hydrolic unit from speedway.
NASCAR is not much of an issue for DeSoto in '55. Tim Flock had a HELL of a time convincing Bill France to allow his Keikhaffer (Mercury Marine) team to use a 3-speed std. on the Chrysler 300. But his argument was that the sales literature OFFERED it (even though FEW people order those cars that way!). Flock won out and won the NASCAR championhsip in '55 (doing much bettre with a std. he could control under various conditions). Though the standard 3-speed might have been essentially the same as what came in a pickup, I sincerely have doubt that France would have permitted Flock to use a floor shifter. He was a businessman and not particularly fond of Tim Flock's brash Southern lip! All that said, Chryslers and Doges were the main NASCAR steeds in '55 and '56 -- NOT my beloved DeSotos.
There were no factory floor shift '55 Mopars. They were all shifted on the column (manual) or dashboard (auto). That doesn't mean some enterprising young hot-rodder didn't step in and remedy the situation.
VonDust, you and i have talked in the past RE your BEAUT '55 custom '55 DeS! I really appreciate your info RE the conversion you had to pull off, man. Out of all the two-dozen or so mid-'50s DeSotos I bought parts off of back iN the early '70s, I NEVER ONCE came across a bottom-line DeS FireDome with a 3-speed. The ONLY time I came across one was via news ad where the guy was seelling it for the widow (I think) of the guy who bought it new. Myself, I'd LOVE to have all the original gear to convert my '55 DeS Fireflie to standard . . .BUT that machinery is scarce as hen's teeth! (Explains why you had to go a different route, right?) Thanks agian, bro, for your post!
Once again, GotGas steps up with his knowledge. Shoot, GotGas, one of MY regrets back when I was driving the '55 and '56 DeSotos was that PowerFlite tranny. I WISH there had been more stardards sold! (And the TorqueFlite was still waiting for '57!) Thanks for yer post, bro!
Thanks again for the kudos. Yes, that is why I went the different route with my clutch pedal assembly, I've looked for a solid year hardcore and no luck. I would though like to see what this 'factory delete plate' looks like that went where the original shifter was in the dash. I was going to just fill it it on mine, but if there is a bitchin looking plate that exists that came factory, I might have to look into it.
Haha, yeah, I've wanted to put a stick in my car for the past four years. The straw that broke the camels back was when I put a 5:68 gear in the rear-end with bias-plys for the HillClimb and expecting to see the tires go up in smoke. Not the case with the Powerflite, didn't spin a tire, I was so pissed I put a stick in it.
I jus learned to DEAL with the PowerFlite, but I always wished the TorqueFlite was around earlier. About the only thing I can say for the PowerFlire is it had a killer passing gear when you stomped it. But the owner manual SEEMS to indicate it just kicks down to first gear. Any HAMBer out there know the internals on that crazy tranny?
The car most likely has an automatic column in it (no shifter) and a 3 speed dash delete plate on it (to take the spot where an automatic shifter would be) so that the car could receive a floor shifter without having any holes anywhere. Not stock, just a clever use of existing factory parts.
I am pickin up what you guys are puting down!!!!!! I think I may still bring the car home, it may be worth some money in parts. I will be sure to post some pics of the set up when I get it here. The family of the deceased that we purchased the lot of cars and parts from says that they have pics and history on the car, I guess I will have to wait and see what those look like. While I have you DeSo guys ear... Did DeSoto ever have a dual quad hemi? The cast iron intake & carbs set up the old gal showed us on the engine stand was out of the same car, it is wet, so I would guess its not chrystler but I dont really know much about this stuff. Thanks again for all the help!
Dubcee, I you want to look at a stock 55 Desoto 2dr hardtop floorpan you can look at mine. p.m. me for directions and my cell phone number.
Squawblow & 345 DeSoto have a fine point here. Some customer with money and a sincere desire to have a certain set-up? Yes, I can believe a "special-order" for a floor shifter, whereas the regular 3-speed would be shift on the tree and available as a viable alternative at the time a car was ordered. The reason I can believe a special-order floorshift on a '55 DeS is that an acquaintance of mine actually specially-order a floorshift on a '78 Chevrolet. I got to drive it, and it seemed WEIRD to have this long shifter (NOT like a compact little 4-speed shifter) sticking up in the middle of the floor. It worked, and that's what he wanted, but it was still WEIRD! A digression but hopefully it helps support that someone who insisted on a certain option might well be able to get it in '55.
DeSoto only offered dual quads twice, on the Adventurer in 1956 and 1957. Both were tall-deck engines (meaning the intake will not work on low-deck 276/291 Hemis) with the '56 being 341ci and the '57 being 345. As for the stick-shift parts, "I believe" that the '55-56 Plymouth/Dodge pedal assembly is interchangeable with the Chrysler/DeSoto pedals of the same years and would be much easier to find. I am 100% certain pedals interchange on the '57-59 cars.
Well seeing as it is just a 2 speed tranny what else is it going to kick down to. There is no special passing gear. And I seriously doubt that a floor shift could of been ordered from the factory for a manual trans DeSoto. Dealer installed maybe?
But, if a guy could get LUCKY enough to lay hands on a '56 or '57 dual-quad intake, I do believe it would fit the other DeS hi-deck motor, too -- meaning the basic 330-CID. I just wanted to mention it. Not like Got Gas forgot; he probably figures everybody already knows. The other thing I want to say is that stock 4-v and dual-4-V intakes for the high-decks (though they are not Do-Do birds) have gotten an unnecessarily high market value. I'm honestly starting to think a guy is bette off (at least time-wise, instead of waiting around for a stock part that may never materialize) to just to GO AHEAD and buy one of the quality after-market aluminum hi-rises (which breath better anyway). GotGas, help me here. I've struck out on four potential deals on hi-deck 4-v maifolds and one dual-4. Why wait around for a stock manifold anymore for a 330/341/345? [Note: Yes, of course the '57 DeS 345 CAME with a dual-4, but I imagine most of those got robbed out of the boneyards long ago.]
VoodDoo, that was a damed good question. You are probably looking for TECH info on the PowerFlite. The best I can do is tell you how the PowerFlite operated in the '55 and '56 DeSotos I drove in the late-'60s and early '70s. This comes from the actual '55 owner's manual. The shift from 1st to high came at about 11 mph. "DRIVE RANGE: When a speed from 15 to 75 miles per hour is reached, depending on the amount the accerlator is depressed, the transmission will autmatically upshift to direct drive." [Note the following.] "If you allow the speed of the car to drop to approximately 11 miles per hour, the transmission will automatically downshift into the accellerating gear gear." [persumably 1st gear] "QUICK ACCELERATION: At speeds below 45 to 60 miles per hours, should unusually quick accelleration be required to pass another car or climb a steep grade, push the accellerator to the floor. This will cause the transmission to downshift and greater accellerating power will be available. It will automatically shift to direct drive if the accellerator is partially released or a speed of 60 to 75 miles per hour is reached." Now, these models did not come with a tachometer, but I can tell you that the 291 and the 330 I drove would ROAR when you went into "passing" mode. Neither my dad nor I blew one of the 3 DeSotos we had with PowerFlite trannys. Yes, they'd pass another car, but unfortunately the PowerFlite still didn't make either the '55 or the '56 a drag-race (or stoplight-to-stoplight) car -- which is why I wish the TorqueFlite had been THERE for '55 and '56!
I didn't ask a question. I am not the one, you were the one looking for "TECH" on this as you put it "crazy tranny". I know this trans.
VooDoo wrote: "Well seeing as it is just a 2 speed tranny what else is it going to kick down to." Sorry, man, it was a question. You just didn't put the question mark at the end of the sentence. If I'd known yo didn't want any info, it could have saved me an hour of dragging out my old DeS material and carefully transcribing specific transmission entries.
"As for the stick-shift parts, "I believe" that the '55-56 Plymouth/Dodge pedal assembly is interchangeable with the Chrysler/DeSoto pedals of the same years and would be much easier to find." Anyone wants a 55 Plymouth std trans, pedal assembly, etc etc - the whole car including engine (less valve covers) for parts - PM me...
For my part, THANK YOU GotGas & Guyw.Coupe! That gives me a ton more confidence WHAT to use if i can ever get the dough together to put a std. behind my 291 ! The HAMB (as usual) rocks!
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