Not Looking Good - 1955 Desoto Firedome - Weekend Restoration
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- Опубліковано 4 жов 2024
- Might be getting into a can of worms with this restoration but we think it might be manageable, Let us know what you think!
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At 16 in 1975 I scraped together $250 to buy a 1955 De Soto Firedome. I had intended to remove the Hemi and use it in a newer car to be purchased later. However, the more I drove it, the more I fell in love with it. That was an awesome fun car to drive and work on. Now 65, I'm looking for another one.
It can be fixed I truly hope you save it. It deserves to be saved for sure.
Suggest you get some steel tubing and cross brace that body at the door opening before you try lifting it off the frame. You might also destroy the front and rear glass trying to lift it off without any support. Remove steering wheel and pull the steering box and column out from the fire wall.
In 1978, my wife bought me a 55 DeSoto. It had been wrecked, but was in very good running condition otherwise. Two years later, it was a fun car to drive to shows that no one else seemed to have. Mine was a four door and not worth much to anyone but me. Sadly, my power brake booster went out and I had to park it because I couldn't find one. Fast forward to 1998 and the wonders of a new thing called the internet. I was able to find the parts I needed, but now the car needed a full restoration.Two and a half years and stupid amounts of money later' it was once again a great driving car that wasn't worth anything near what I had in it. Now, twenty years later, it is about to undergo restoration number two, but in the hands of my grandson. It's still not worth a whole lot to most people, but it means a lot to our family. As for the engine, it is a 271 c.i, one of the smaller hemi's Chrysler made. The only other Chrysler that will interchange is the Windsor. DeSotos and Chrysler Windsors shared the same platform, but Dodge and Plymouth are smaller, both length and width.My first suggestion is to find a SOUTHERN parts car. It won't matter if its a four door, the chassis is the same. I'm sure that you are going to find your rails are badly rotted. The biggest difference between the 55 and 56 is in the trim and tail lights. The 56 also had the first push button shift located on the left A pillar. Since yours is a Sportsman, [two door hardtop], it's worth more and worth the time to restore. Keep in mind that Chrysler used left hand thread lug studs on the left side. That tidbit will save you a bunch of headaches down the road. When you start looking for mechanical parts, just ask for the Windsor parts; no one has a listing for DeSoto, but they do for the Windsor. Go Figure! Anyway, short of writing a book, I hope the info I have given you is a help. Oh, I do have quite a few parts still stored for the four door, but a lot of them will interchange.
Thats a cool story you got there. Very interesting. Thank you for the information!
Did a off Body on my 55 firedome four door on a home made body rotisserie. When I started the floor looked like your car. I couldn’t find much for body panels and the ones I did end up buying didn’t fit for crap and I ended up cutting them down a lot. Transmission bump/dog house I ended up making from scratch. Rocker panels outers I purchased inners a made myself. Inside of trunk rebuilt from handmade panels. Lots of work. But totally awesome. I bought the car with no drivetrain put a 413 big block with a 727 behind it reused original Desoto transmission crossmember just relocated it. After market four core aluminum radiator used original 55 steering column made it work with the power steering pump on the 413 had to cut out a bit of the front of frame because 413 has external oil pump and had to mount the motor farther forward that I wanted in order for the steering to clear the oil pan.
Cool CAR you can save it no worries Love your videos
Thank you!
I understand your column problem now, the rounded part off the shaft was assembled before going in the car, unbolt everything, pull the wheel, disconnect the shift and signal levers and pull it forward and out. On the power steering cars it was the same way, all pre assembled before going in the car. The widow handle clips are square shape with a 90% bend, the solid part of the bend slides into a slot in the handle, the other part is near flush with the handle and slides over the square shaft, a tool can be used, I've gotten them off with a thin straight screwdriver, been years since, but the clip needs to have the part of it pushed to release, either in line with the handle or opposite. Your car definitely had the lower trim color sweep at one time, on single trim cars the front fender Firedome emblems were positioned very close to the upper trim. Your car was most likely red with white roof and sweep, which was a beautiful combination, however I swore to myself if I ever got another '55 DeSoto I WOULD TRI-TONE IT, I would do the body in Emberglow (like brite embers in a fireplace) with black side sweep and white roof with matching interior. You might want to check out back issues of Hemmings Classic Car over 3 months a '56 New Yorker convertible was restored, the FRAME was rusted away and the entire body up to the side trim and floors were completely gone, it's now a high point show car. I'm doing a '57 Plymouth Belvedere that has NO floors, body rust and vandals cut the roof off, but it's repairable. You might want to put a '56 rear end in, the axles are stronger than '55 and it bolts in, the DeSoto, Chrysler and Imperial rear end for '55-56 all interchange. Last I saw, Big M Aoutomotive (parts cars) had a few '55-56 cars that should have solid parts (body and mechanical).
Thank you so much for the helpful information!
It will be great that model is very special and worth the saving.
Floor pans are available. The Desoto is a big project but promises to be a good one. Don't give up.
check out Cold War Motors channel. He just did a 60 Fury that was worse, but he spliced it onto a rust free bottom half. Chrysler products may have shared panels across model lines too. Honestly, if your not nuts on originality , it may be easier to fab it all up.
@@diannepiurkowski3945 Oh yes i should have realized that! check this thread out www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-resurrection-of-rusty-the-59-sport-fury-convertible.779564/
me again :) my 57ply had tabs like a screwdriver blade they can be a bit wonky . my steering shaft broke... by God's grace i had just come off the highway and stopped in to pay bill at my mechanics. i was parking and pop! the wheel and part of the shaft came off in my hands! couldnt have been a better place to do it. when i think of what could have happened on the highway... i count myself blessed
4:07 that 1987 Pennsylvania inspection sticker. Also I think this was a red/white car at one point. Redone as black/white.
There is red in the trunk and different spots where is peeling
Good job guys , Sure would love to have that motor
Maybe check out coldwarmotors and the 60 Fury he’s doing. Might be a bit of a reality check
the door/window handles use a special tool to remove a clip. kinda fork shape. you should be able to find the design with a web search. easy to make.
Keep your eye out for a 4 door 55 they are more common and considerably less expensive, I imagine the front and back glass are the same between the two, would be nice to have an extra set. I dont know how different the floors would be but I think there are similarities
Window cranks come off exactly like the door handles.
Your Desoto is a lot like my Studebaker.
You have to ask yourself: How bad do you want it???
Call Faxon auto lit in California and get a shop manual for starters. I've been messing with this crap for almost 40 years and that floor is no problem . In most cases I just make them. PB blast the dog piss out of the window cranks back side and get a 90 degree pick as (if I remember right lol) its a pull clip but not the gm style, this may be part of the crank itself.....get a mirror and look behind it
This body is the same body as a 1955 Chrysler Imperial/ Plymouth Belvedere/Dodge Coronet, so just use the floor and bottom of the fenders, Quarter panels and doors. The ONLY difference in these any of the models are the fins on the top of the rear quarters.
Try real steel replacement on Facebook. I think they have the patch panels you need. I have two 56 Desotos. One of them is a good running solid car. But my second one is a rust bucket. Currently working on replacing the rusty frame, and after that there’s probably around 550 hours of rust repair on the body.
Great job on the content, being as I am from the Cranberry township area, I have to ask, where did you find this car, and where is your new shop located at? I see that you work for Mcclymonds truck and transport company. Just wondering. Thanks
Is this the last video for the Desoto? Did you part if out or restoring it? I can't find the next video's for this cool Firedome. These motor's (Without Google) from my memory were hemi head motors, this year was about 170hp, good motor's. Watch Groucho Marx on here to see DeSoto's car advertising from early 50s-59.
One must Expect rust in these MoPars. Best of luck tho
Any more updates of the Desoto
Will be soon. Spent a lot of time looking for sheet metal and decided what to do with it
FYI 1955 was a six volt electrical system, not 12 volt. 1956 went to 12 volt which makes electrical parts non interchangeable.
Pretty sure the steering shaft is one piece from box to steering wheel
Would the floor pans from a Chrysler be the same ? Anything can be fixed. It only time and MONEY.
Looks like there is a set screw, Allen hex head holding the rear window cranks on the shaft.
Start saving your soup cans and buy yourself a pneumatic rivet gun.
gasp.....
The way y'all are looking at this car reminds me of a song: "These rose colored glasses, that I'm looking through, shows only the beauty, and hides all the truth." Guys, if this car was a 1955 Gull wing Mercedes, it might be worth the hundreds of hours of work and the thousands and thousands of dollars it will cost to restore. This is just too far gone for what it is. I mean, it's a Desoto, you would never get your money back out of it. It's a true money and time pit. Though, it would be interesting to see you get it running......
I think if you just roll the car over its body will fall right off ! Just kidding guys , I'll sit back with my drink in hand and watch you guys suffer , I'm glad I'm not doing this ! So it will be done by new year ?
oh! blackcar-llc.com migjt have the pannels you need