So, I'm working on my '55 Desoto with plans on having it as a driver by the end of April. As I'm de-chroming/de-t******* it I discovered an oddity. If you look at picture #1, you'll see the "yellow" insert area of the p***enger fender is "squared off" at the front. That is because it's a separate piece of sheet metal. The drivers side was the same - but if you look at picture #2 it has been removed with the same base paint in place. Can anyone explain the reasoning? The doors and rear quarter do not use additional pieces. It's a Chrysler product, so I guess I should expect oddities...I just can't explain this one. The other pics are just to do***ent progress after replacing the drivers side rocker and rebuilding the rear quarter. PS - looking for a good steering wheel for this!
front drivers side impact at somepoint? they did a repaint to match. but didnt do the other color under the trim? thats about the best idea i have. and i dont know much.
Some deluxe Chrysler products at that time, used anodized gold trim. It could be yours had that but some got damaged so at repair or repaint time they did the trim with paint. The piece of metal is the only piece of anodized aluminum that survives. Or, at some time a banged up fender was replaced by a used fender that had the aluminum trim and they just painted it to match the rest of the car that did not have it. Careful inspection should tell you if the fender started out a different color from the car and if the piece of metal is actually anodized aluminum.
Here's the rub...both sides have the same piece. It was repainted at one point, but the sheet metal pieces show the original secondary color. It's not aluminum - it's definitely steel. It seems like a factory "insert", but I cannot fathom the reason behind it.
Here's another one I found by googling "1955 DeSoto restoration" http://www.aaronscustomrestorations.com/55desotocontent.html
Arkie...good find. If you look at the last pic on the first page of that link (attached), you'll see the rust where the insert was. On the front edge, you'll see the distinctly "square" end, not tapered to follow the trim as expected. Exactly like mine.
Same piece of what? Is this a strip of painted steel under the chrome on the front fenders only? The only idea that comes to mind is that the front clip was painted and ***embled separate from the body and it was more convenient to add a painted piece of metal than to paint the stripe on the fender. This would be more expensive than painting the fender so I suspect it was a work around for a mistake in laying out the ***embly line and paint system. If the 55 was the first DeSoto or Chrysler to have such a paint stripe it would make sense that the ***embly line was not set up for it.
Rusty...as described in the posts above, it appears Desoto used a separate piece of painted sheet metal (steel) to insert between the chrome trim on the front fenders vs just painting the insert. The rest of the "spear" along the doors and rear quarter are just painted directly on the body - not on an additional piece. It doesn't really cause me a dilemma - I'm more curious of WHY Desoto would have done it in the first place.
Odd as it is to do that, I agree that it is some sort of "accommodation" in the ***embly process. Ray
57 DeSoto also had a metal ,painted insert,with stainless trim around it. Squared on trailing end. Made for a good place for rust.One piece of metal laid over another.
O.Hove - Thanks for the input. I'm lucky there, no rust. The only real rust in the entire car is the rockers and the lower rear quarters. The rockers were almost completely gone, and the quarters had been patched and heavily bondo'd. Driver's side done..moving on to the p***enger's side.
My 56 Fireflite was the same....white insert on front fenders was a separate piece of sheetmetal with chrome moldings around it. Makes no sense...but that's the way it was built
Hey, This was probably done to keep the production line moving. Since the ''dog house'' was ***embled & hung as a unit, the possibility of a mis match of colours was an issue. DeSotos came in Tri-coat finishes, and if one came down the line that didn't match the cowl/doors/quarters a pre-painted insert could be installed and kept the line moving. I boleve 1955 was the first year Mopar built their own bodies inhouse, prior to such Briggs controled production ***embly.
pimpin paint is correct. Single color to paint fenders and then they could use an insert to match up to the particular car color combo coming down the line. If you are doing a full restoration, the main body color should be viewable at the rear edge of the fender under the trim...
Yes. Desoto had done this for production line efficiency. It's easier to paint the front fender a solid color, then add the sheet metal painted insert during ***embly. They used sheet metal not thinking that people 50 some years later would be redoing these cars. When I built my 55 desoto, I tossed that sheet metal piece out, and painted the spear onto the fender correctly like the rest of the car. This was done on both fenders.
I'm sorry Flamed, I can understand your curiosity....but my dilemma is why your removing that distinctive and beautiful side trim....?
U-235, Rest ***ured, it isn't going anywhere. I'm simply redoing the car and stripped it down. I guess when I said "de-chroming" it was mis-understood. I was simply pulling off the seemingly endless trim so I could do all the bodywork/paint. It'll all go back! Some cars benefit from de-chroming. Any mid-50's Mopar isn't one of those!
Cool! Dechroming typically means eliminating all or most of the trim on cars. The late 50s DeSotos look so cool.
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