Customs What to do with a 1950 De Soto coupe? (Pics)

Drive it with your arm ****ed out the window and grin.

 

I bought a chopped '50 DeSoto coupe a couple weeks ago, somebody else's abandoned project. I can take some pics if you want to see it. The chop is a little awkward, since it has such a square roofline. Looks OK though. Your car is in nicer shape than mine.

 

DAMN! Sweet ride. I agree...clean the whites, leave the rest alone and drive it!

 

fix some of the interior and orther small stuff ...leave the rest alone looks good as is...

 

Cool to see this car again! I wanted to have this one too but I finally found my dream car for sale again in Sweden which I am going to get next week! Same car as yours, different color. I would also leave it as much as is. Wide white walls and drive!

 

Got the rear fenders taillight holes welded.

And have mounted 50 Pontiac taillights where the backlights use to be.

Will try to finish the fenders this week so i could mount them and get a picture up how it looks then!!







What u think about it??

 

It's your car, do what you want. I am wondering if they will appear to be too close together when the fenders are mounted...but again, it's your car, if you like it, drive it that way.

 

This is how it looks now!

 

I like it.

 

She looks fine.

 

Yeah! It looks really ok i think.

 

Put the stock tail lights back on. You've just followed a trend, not struck any new ground. Cars of the 30's, 40's, and 50's used their trim as styling elements. Look at a door handle off of a 34 Ford or a lit Indian off an early 50's Pontiac. In the 70's and 80's I had many old flat six Mopars. I couldn't afford early Fords and, frankly now that I can, an early Mopar is a much better driving car. I had a 51 lima bean green coupe like yours I drove for a few years.

Leave the stock trim on, drop it an two or three in the front and an inch less in the rear. The flat six is anemic when backed by a Fluid-Drive, as I'm sure yours is, and will almost seem to come to a stop between shifts going uphill. I drove mine in the Blue Ridge mountains and it never saw flat ground. Dropping in a late model Mopar drivetrain may be your best bet. You may have trouble moving the steering box.

Fatman makes dropped spindles. Ever consider a windshield visor? That's an old low-rider trick; the cheap Chicano way to give it a chopped appearance. These big barges were not styling tour-de-forces and the ones I've seen chopped have terrible proportions, but they can be one sweet old ride.

 

There is no "right"or "wrong" here. Do what YOU like and to hell with those that don't like it! I like the stock lights AND the Pontiac units! Never seen a Desoto done that way, and LEAVE the hitch, you may decide to tow something with it!! Split the exhaust and add dual gl*** pacs for "that sweet six sound" Music to the ears!! Enjoy!!!!!!!!

 

Just keeps gettin' BETTER.

 

I'll will loose some floating bar on front bumper, make it cleaner...!!!

 

I'm a DeS lover, no apologies, ALTHOUGH styling in the Keller era (pre-Exner) was just "functional," to put it politely. Nevertheless, YOU have a two-door, and the lines are a ton better than those family sedans! You started with a virtually stock, virtually un-mussed coupe, and I would have sided with ******, Nads, Mart, Squawblow, Gary and the other guys who said months ago, "Just drive it for a while and get to know the car, enjoy it." Then decide whether to keep as-is or something else.

You've plumbed for ideas, nothing wrong with that. But it seems you had your own ideas already, IMO. Since you've apparently decided to go the "mild custom" route, including shaving a lot of trim, my inclination would be to clean up (simplify), especially the front end there. Lose the bumper guards, IMO, for a cleaner look that draws the eye to the car instead of the bumpers (DeSotos, like many other makes, could get a little tacky with all the extra stuff, IMO).

Yep, I'm with the other guys who said Fulton VISOR, SKIRTS, either lower the front end some more OR drag the back end (not both), and just clean up those headlights (eyebrows = tacky!). Looks like it may be due for some new boots, and wide whites really complement this car, IMO. I'd keep the lighted "Hernando" hood ornament, as it can go with the custom look. If it suits your taste, go keyless and ditch the handles, too, especially the busy factory trunk stuff. The original antenna yells, "Factory!" Though I'm not personally a pin striping lover, I'd be the first to admit, it's GOOD when it works. And it DOES work for your car. Wheels are comparatively easy to experiment with for the right look, for YOU, but if you want a trad custom feel, I'd be for handpicking some vintage wheel covers. Your choice of tail lights, though not ground-breaking, is at least an improvement over the busy factory ones. I would also favor losing the fender welting and FILL the seems, so the contours would flow, unbroken.

Now, IF the other guys aren't already howling enough ... if you were to drop the back end, my vote would also be -- ta-dah!!!! -- curb finders (rear only & just for looks not function) and twin spots. Hey, as I said, just IMO. okay? You can tell what kind of magazines I grew up looking at, eh?!? LOL

Now, up to that point, nothing so radical you couldn't totally restore the car to factory inside of a year. But if you were to get the itch to go for more "head-turning measures" in the future, the top-chop GotGas showed is *****IN'. Hard to believe it's the same car that came from the factory! That's what a difference the chop made.




The other thing is drive train. Criminal offense to go any way but MoPar, preferably big-block, especially if you can land a good DeS (or Chrysler) Hemi. Me, while nobody would turn up their nose at a FirePower in your car, a DeS 341 with dual four-barrels would look "at home." Backed by 727 Flite. Rear, your choice, but front discs would be a keen update, at some future point. (BTW, I can put you in touch with somebody who's put a "92" into a '47 DeS club coupe. He said it was a good fit, WITHOUT moving the steering OR having to re-do the firewall.)

Ultimately, as correctly stated by WagonMaster, it's YOUR car. The mods you choose are what will make it truly an expression of your tastes and personality.

As yet, you haven't shot for the moon in anything you've done, but it appears to me that the sky is the limit, idea-wise! As-is, moderate, or radical. Up to YOU, buddy! You've got a good ride to work with! Congrats!!!

 

Just adding, I like the 440, too. A motor that's capable of hp in the 300 range, stock, can move a 3,700-pound car without breathing hard. Not disparaging small-blocks, but personally, I'd rather have hp and torque to spare

 

Have so many toughts and ideas in my head. Will clean it up tough regarding trim and molding the rear fenders and remove the bumperguards. Might even change bumpers to something nicer. The skirt thing could work for me but not the sunvisor. Better to rework the roof or build a carson instead? Or just ride for a while and think things true.

 

Will keep the flathead six and maybe adapt some 4 speed auto or 5 speed stick to it.

 

Looks great! I would find some skirts, maybe a little drop in the rear, you could switch up the hub caps, but the car looks great. Get some pipes makin a little noise, and your good.

 

Heeeeyyyy! Carson, keen thought. Ditto, the std. trans. MoPar flatties CAN be made to run respectable horsepower, so that's a cool (and trad) idea! Best of luck!

 

rtomss, said it all take off the woody sticker, ditch the trailer hitch, and drive it as it is. It is awesome. Possibly for sale? This car is as rare as a positive balance in my check book. Uber cool. Congrats on the unique machine. Continue exploring like DeSoto did! ~sololobo~

 

Hej Norrland,

My Swedish DeSoto is at home with me and I will drive it to Sweden for Västerås etc. this summer.

If you are planning to ditch parts, please tell me because I am interested. I fell in love with the car as it is, stock it looks the part to me. As if the DeSoto factory already had kustom in mind.

I am missing a hood ornament (the plastic head), the gold seal in the middle of the grille and the chrome strip on the right front fender, so if you don't need them, I would like to hear it. Also, I love the front bumper 'bull bar' and the original blinker gl***es on front. So, if you're parting them...

This is my car:





Here you can see that the chrome strip on the right front fender is actually a left side reversed and that the blinker gl***es are replaced by '59 caddy-style lights:



Here you see the missing gold seal in the middle:



Here you can see the missing hood ornament:



Have fun with the car and I would love to meet you and your car in Sweden this summer

Cheers!

 

Yup what he said, they run and drive sweet

 

I have got to know a man that has some desoto 50 parts here in sweden. Could check with him if he have some parts. The Bull bar is just not my thing and maybe some other parts aswell.

Enjoy your Soto

 

Hej Norrland, that would be great!

If I can do something in return, just say so, I will be visiting Sweden in juli.

Here is my 3200 mile trip I did in 40 hours...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VobHoPeYK1c
(youtube video)