Hi, just joined & made my first post in response to a thread on 50-53 Plymouths & Dodges. Thought I'd also introduce myself to the masses who like other cars as well. In addition to my 53 Dodge which I acquired just last year, I also own a 69 Plymouth GTX 440 4 spd that I fully restored several years ago. The Dodge, however, is why I joined HAMB. It had put in storage with a transmission problem in 1964 where it stayed until I bought it in 2009 from the original owners' family. It is completely original, all numbers-matching and even has the factory firewall crayon markings. It also has the Red Ram hemi, Gyro-Torque semi-automatic transmission and most options that were available. Last winter I went through all the systems & got it running. All that time in storage, however, didn't take care of the tranny problem, so I'm looking for parts for that (grinds gears when shifting). My plan is to keep the car as original as possible. Took it on a couple cruises this summer & it attracted as much attention as does my GTX. The car was the 49th convertible built in 1953 (actual build date was Oct 1, 1952), so it's possible this is the oldest surviving Dodge hemi convertible in existence. Here's several photos taken when the car was being loaded to come to my home.
Thanks for the welcomes. I get a lot of responses to my car that no one has ever seen one like it. They were fairly rare to start with - 4,100 supposedly made - and the survival rate seems very low. I'm a member of the WPC Club with nearly 4,000 members worldwide with probably 10,000 cars. Not another 53 Dodge Coronet convertible on the roster. There are several 1954's (of which even fewer were made). Of course most of those were Indianapolis pace car replicas so were special from the start - hence the higher survival rate. In over a year of looking on the internet & elsewhere, I've come up with only seven 53 models, including mine. That's why I say mine might be the earliest surviving Dodge hemi convertible out there. Am curious whether anyone out there in HAMB land has one or knows of another. My car is feeling so lonely. It might interest some to know that in 53 & 54 the Dodge convertibles (as well as the 2 dr hdtp & wagon) were built on a Plymouth chassis, whereas the sedans & 4 dr wagons were built on a longer Dodge chassis. It makes parts hunting even more challenging. Fortunately, my car doesn't need that much.
Welcome I have the original trans Out of my car i can sell you .It was working not grinding like yours
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