Call me stupid, but is this one off the hook or one of the extremely rare early Plymouth hemis I never heard of. Remember, apparently #'s matching. Must have checked in the hemis for dummies book to match the numbers. That Plymouth sticker sure looks original. http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/1026575317.html I'm calling BS, but I guess I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. Maybe a Plymouth poly block converted to a hemi? Looks like they were avaialble in '55: http://cl***ichemi.com/index1.shtml
Plymouth never had a Hemi in 55 or 56 , Not even My 55 Canadian Dodge was availible with a Hemi.. its not original.. that little Spitfire block could be converted.. but I think thats all.
Says it sat in a dealers show room for 25 years and to call for the story. Just speculating but maybe a dealers special order...or ********. Too expensive to call from here. Someone find out and let us know. Pete
The very first thing you need to no is there is NO SUCH THING as numbers matching pre 1967 in Dodge Plymouth Chrysler and Desota no matter what anyone trys to tell you. It simply wasnt done by Mopar then nor recorded. Secondly you smelled a rat. You have very good instincts. All that said if the price is fair and you want it buy it. Don
As far as I know, the only hemis were offered in Destots and Chryslers. I've never read otherwise, but by all means, if I'm wrong, I'd be interested to know about it! Allpar.com states that the 55 was available with a V8 but not specifically a hemi. I can't the picture well enough to be definitive, but I can't see the plug wires coming out of the valve covers, a telltale hemi thing. I'm a rookie, I'm not afraid to admit it. But I call BS too. There's my 2 cents.
I am not at all interested in buying, especially at that price. Just curious and su****ious. I didn't want to call and BS the seller myself and waste his time knowing I have no intention to buy it. Thought I would check here first. I might call later in the week if it still seems su****ious and remotely possible just to satisfy my curiosity.
And Dodge,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, red ram. Also, the spark plugs sit under those center strips, the spark plug covers.
Chrysler, DeSoto, and Dodge offered hemi engines in the 50s. Plymouth did not. The picture from Craigslist shows a hemi, with the plug wire cover over the plug wires. My guess, as has already been mentioned, is that it is either a transplanted hemi from one of the other three makes, or a hemi conversion of a poly motor.
Call him and ask for the numbers from the block. Check against the record. Should clear things up darn quick.
Nice car (atleast it looks like it to me) price is not awful ..High yes but, not terrible high .. I think he believes its real and if ..IF it is , its worth more than he is asking because its one of one ..and a real odd ball But, I think its had a transplant
the air cleaner and labels are BS. I had a high school buddy that special ordered (not dealer installed) a 56 Plymouth Fury with a D-500 Dodge Hemi, I didn't believe it till I found out from his dad that they had some family mopar connections. so I can't say bull **** on this 55 either. stranger things have happened
The Block I.D may match the Cowl tag.. but the heads are not original to that car.. Thats a H.A.M.B car . Mixed bag of parts.. and looks nice at that though.... I can put any D55 six back in my 55 and make it match.. there was no break down on specs for the year other than a 100 page how to fix book.
The HEMI label on the air cleaner looks to be a much later than 1955. When did Chrysler start using the term Hemi as marketing tool? They gave all the engine familys names at the time. I've seen Fire Power, Fire Dome and Red Ram in the ads. The term hemishereical was used in descriptions of those engines. I've not seen HEMI used till the 426 version was introduced.
I ll guess 1964 for marketing the hemi by Plymouth.. Thats also a Batwing GM aircleaner on that engine in the 55 plymouth..
Ditto to Parksquijada.........Plymouth Hemi in 55 is a fact.......small one, but a hemi head engine........Many police cars had em......... M.
It's a fact if it can be proven.Until I see a copy of a build sheet I'm sticking with no Hemi's in a 50's Plymouth.Mayyyyybe there was a super secret area 51 testing site in the Southwest.
Plymouth NEVER had a Hemi of its own, ever, ever, ever! Dodge, DeSoto, and Chrysler DID, of course, but a Hemi was NEVER available from the factory in a pre-1964 Plymouth, never. Anyone that tells you different is full of it. A dealer-installed unit, maybe, but why put a high-dollar-option Hemi in what was the low-budget Plymouth for John Q. Public??? Oh, and HEMI police cars? If you are talking about 426 Hemi, fuggetabou***! Anyone who tells you THAT line is full of Barbara Striesand, too. There MIGHT have been a local department or two that put one in after their 383 or 440 cop car was delivered, but from the factory??? BS! Early Hemi engined cops? Why not? They were the biggest engines available in the Dodges, so for a highway patrol cruiser, I could see a legitimate early Hemi Dodge cop car. I seriously doubt you would find a Hemi cop DeSoto or Chrysler in any force!
"Many? Then why do there seem to be no records or numbers to find?" Because pre 67 Chrysler did not match numbers and bodies Don
dodge did have a 354 ci optioned D-500 in 57. but that 56 Fury is the only Plymouth I've ever seen or even heard of. but it could happen .
My thoughts on this car is that the Hemi parts were added on.. I see ads all the time with this style of car having a Hemi.. you open the hood to see standard V8 block with some wierd style valve covers that look like 348 GMs Im sure the block is original to the car.. but the upper half isnt.. even the 56 Furys never came with Hemis.. the top of the line car..
Plymouth (pre 60's) NEVER, EVER came with a Hemi from the Factory...EVER! They were ALL installed after delivery either at the Dealer's or by the owner. You could special order just about ANYthing from Mopar, back then, but NOT a Hemi in a Plymouth. Come up with a Plymouth series engine number, stamped on the front of the block, and I will eat my words. He said, she said, my buddy had, I had a friend of a friend who had a brother-in-law, etc doesn't cut it. Show me some block numbers...with a Special Order number on the Trim plate...
Hs anyone thought to call about the details like the ad says. That COULD clear it up real easy. Although that MIGHT stop the 20 page DISCUSSION that usually takes place on the HAMB when something like this comes up. Frank
Ditto. That thing is a transplant - whether done at the dealer when new for a guy with a fistful of dollars, or at a later date. If done early on in it's life, I can see the guy thinking it was factory. And yes, Plymouth DID have Hemi... when the 426 came out in '66! LOL! ~Jason
It's a numbers matching Poly motor with Dodge Hemi Heads intake etc.... I have the original books and other paperwork to go withthe car. It sat in the showroom of S.J. Denham Chrysler for 27 years until he died and they raffled it off for the Cancer society. I bought it in 2000 from the guy who won the raffle. The car was given to mr. denham's wife in 1955 as a gift and she traded it in 78,000 miles later. It was then called S.J. Denham Desoto Plymouth. The car still has the original license plate frame. The paint is the factory original paint as is the chrome and stainless. The air cleaner is off a 54 caddy and it's just on there for looks. Obviously the Plymouth Hemi stickers were made but the mopar sticker and the Chrysler parts division stickers are either originals or replica's. I bought them online from a guy who said he had a bunch of these kinds of stickers. The interior has been redone but the shop did an outstanding job on it. Interior paint and dash are all original and all the gl*** is too. Sorry to cause such a stir..........my bad for not telling you more....
As has been said, never say 'never' when it comes to MotherMopar....but, there just doesn't seem to be any do***entation for a Plymouth car with a Hemi engine. Nothing exists in the factory parts manuals. Remember, it was never the factory plan simply because Plymouth was the 'budget' car company and Dodge was the next step up. Even the low cost Dodge was considered a move up from the Plymouth. There is little doubt that the head and intake casting numbers will be the same as the Dodge. We must also remember that we did not invent hot rods, and if someone wanted a Hemi powered Plymouth in 1955 they could either order the parts or order a complete engine for a couple hundred bucks. If you find a block with a blank ID pad then you have an over-the-counter replacement engine. All that being said, I'll believe that a Hemi Plymouth came from the factory when Walter P. tells me so... .
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