i just got this 51 coronet hardtop last week. it was given to me.. its got no floor left, but the trunk and area under the rear seat are rust free, and the vehicle is pretty straight. the flathead 230 isnt seized up and will most likely run.. in my family, we put nailheads in everything, but the engine compartment is really narrow and the steering is in the way, i believe, to keep me from putting one in there. i stripped off whats left of the trim and im gonna fill the holes. i already threw in some home made lowering blocks to get it sitting right. i plan to do a 50s style mild custom with it. im not gonna chop this one, but i plan to change out the grille to a 51-52 f-1 truck grille or maybe put some repro desoto teeth in there and throw some dummy spotlights on it with tasteful wheel covers... has anyone else done one? i want to see everyones pics so i can get some ideas
Best roofline of the 49-54 Mopars is the hardtop like this in my opinion. Just a suggestion, but if you like a toothy grille, consider getting a 51-52 Plymouth grille and adding 2 more teeth for a total of 5. (or if there's room, 2 more covering the ends for 7) It should fit in there nicely, keeps it all Mopar, and would probably keep people guessing. Plus they're cheap. Those F-1 grilles look nice in the trucks but they're deceptively huge, might look awkward once it's in the car.
If you want to put a v8 in just move it to the pass side about 2 inches and it should give you the clearence you need to work around the steering box.
okay. a couple months have gone by. ive done the floor, hammered out the passanger side and other dents and topped off with filler. did the body work on the roof and primered it, and lowered it. been working on filling the trim holes, and i filled the seem on the hood. i have the front end off now im getting ready to moch up for the engine swap. im putting in a '55 buick 264 with a 3 speed overdrive studebaker transmission.. still looking for a good grille to use. i got that '50 desoto grill, but its just not the look im going for..... i cant decide if i should french the headlights and chop the top, move the roofline forward and put a different rear window in it. what do you guys think??? i want opinions
I would leave the top alone until you looked at it in the same color as the body. Two-tone paint skews the eye for proportion. I like it as is myself, good shape, good looking glass.
Not saying you won't end up back there in the two-tone, but find some pics of the same model in one color, or photoshop this one to one color, and see what you then think about the proportions / chop idea. To my mind most mid-50's cars don't improve much with a chop, lots of work for little gain. YMMV.
thanks for your advice. believe it or not, i have google imaged 51-52 dodge hardtop, and pretty much the only ones left that exist are all stock. only 3000 were made to begin with. there are a bunch of plymouths that have been done, especially on this forum, because they are better looking, i think. the windshield looks way better on the plymouth hardtop. on the dodge, the windsheild looks like a military tank. its square on all edges and its accented by ugly chrome trim, and the dodge has a driprail above it in the front, while the plymouth didnt... this car isnt mid fifties tho, its more "early fifties, late forties." you definetly have the right idea about photo shop, and i'll try to have a buddy do it
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