Is there such a thing as a cool Desoto?

I"m in the middle of building a 50's style custom 53 Desoto club coupe right now. It should be done in about 3 to 4 months.

 

Pictures??

 

Cool DeSotos you say!

 

There is a new commercial out from Carls JR that features a 1953 Desoto convertible so someone must think they are cool.
http://youtu.be/xdGsKzmCgB0
I watched it several times to get a real good look at the car.

 

Yes, there all cool even from Hawaii.

 

Maybe in Alaska.

 

Gary (73RR) ran across this shape -- and VERY rare -- '56 Adventurer on MoParts.com. Not many buyers opted for the LEGIT B&W color scheme that year on the '56 DeS Adventurer. I think WHAT I ENJOY MOST here is seeing the '56 Adventurer engine with the correct paint! Most everything else under the hood looks spot on, too (though I think I see a ballast resistor that looks out of place, IMO). If the owner would detail out under the hood a little more, he would have a better than 95-point example, I think. As is, NICE car! It's one I'd love to see up close, for sure!

[BTW: Anybody notice that the HAMB is coming up on a quarter-million posts? ]

 

That's exactly what I was thinking.........an Adventurer, WOW!

 

Yeah, Mike! Pity they only made 996 of them for '56. Hi-compression, solid lifters, dual Carter fours; good for 320 hp and 130+ in the flying mile.

The ol' PowerMaster flatty six probably could only dream of that! LOL

 

Hey, don't be pickin on my flathead! It still gets ya there

 

Hey man, we're hot rodders. We'll make our own! The factory was just copying us anyway.

-Dave

 

I think DeSotos are cool...but y'all likely knew that already.
.

 

LOL. Hey, bro, NOT dissin' the flatties. I have a '55 Dodge 230 in my '38 Plymouth.

Just sayin' that the staid ol' DeSoto division went in a surprising new direction in '55 and later models -- stylewise AND powerwise.

Much as I like the dependable MoPar flatties, they weren't what got DeS the nickname "Workin' Man's Hotrod," eh?

 

Dave, when you're right, you are RIGHT! DeS Prez Irving Woolson damn-near got a ticket for speeding back into the pits in the Pacesetter convertible to start the '56 Indy 500.

Hudson got the ball rolling with the Hornet, but SOON the historic "Horsepower Race" was on, and every company with the capital was churning out early "factory hotrods." And that cool era was ALL way before the pony-car and muscle-car eras.

It's all good, BUT I'm really stuck in the TRAD era, myself!

 

Dood! Yer '57 2DH coupe is MIGHTY FINE! Which one of your kids did you sell to get those skirts???

 

Yup....

 

You’ve got me dreaming about a homebuilt Adventurer now:

I found a pair of 1955 Firedome four-doors near Kalamazoo for $5,200 (a pittance compared with hardtops and convertibles!). Yeah, they’re four-door sedans, but they’ve still got great lines and I’ve got three kids!

I think this Ford transmission adaptor would be a good bet to put a Mustang T-5 behind the 291 Hemi. They have them for a Torqueflite automatic or MoPar manual bellhousing too, if you’re a purist.

Not as ***y as dual quads, but I struck out finding an old Offenhauser intake for the 291 and decided that this high-rise single quad with an Edelbrock 4bbl would fit the bill.

I didn’t find a disc-brake conversion, either, but I’ve heard great things about how drum brakes work when drilled out like this.

Dang, I want to do this now!

-Dave

 

...for ½ that price I can put an AX15 behind an EarlyHemi...just sayin'

.

 

Please, say more. I am ignorant of most things MoPar. Say I have a Powerflite-equipped DeSoto - how do I get one of these AX15s in it? Is that a five-speed?

-Dave

 

Alll Man that is one Sweet DeSoto!!!! I Love it! That is so sweet

 

Check my web site, if you have questions send a PM or call.

.

 

Well, I'm sorry I didn't know you four years ago. I might be driving a '50 Meadowbrook now instead of a '61 Falcon.

-Dave

 

In the cl***ified on HAMB there is a 55 DeSoto Wagon with a stick shift for sale. They only built about 1100 of these. You guy's better have a look.
Mike

 

You're still young...plenty of time...

.

 

My Dad's old '58:

 

I must be a car/truck ho. After DeSotos and Mopars in general, I find something to like about ALL the other makes and models, right back to the horseless carriages and the br***-lamps. I have a special place in my heart for all the independents that held out SO long after Ford, GM & Chrysler went the mega-monopoly route.

BUT, to keep this on topic! I wasn't fond of DeS wagons, but they have been sneaking up on me! Anybody else have an issue like that? You START off HATING something, and after a while one follows you home??? LOL.

The DeS standard trans mentioned makes me wonder. Did DeSoto still have their own (as in the PowerMasters) ******s available, OR for '55, did they use a Dodge three-speed? I've seen a ga-zillion DeSotos and only ran across one -- a '56 Firedome -- that was ordered with the factory standard ******.

 

GoodGuy Gary Meadors loves to drive this one....

 

Thanks, jimi'shemi291!

I was lucky to have bought the car with the skirts already in situ.

 

I really love that UTE!

And I REALLY want to get a Firemite!

So what I'm saying is that I'm envious!

 

That's not Norrland's, it's mine. Those funky pieces are still on it. They're cheesy as hell but they came with the car and my current priorities are technical.