murfman1967

I'd reccomend making a new upper shock mount bracket and mounting it to the frame instead of the UCA. It makes i big difference in the ride and handling of the car. Stock the shock barely sees any travel as the upper and lower mounting points both move with the suspension, with the upper mount mounted to the frame the shock sees more of the "true" suspension movement. Especially now because I dont theink new replacement shocks are valved stiff enough for the early Mopar mounting setup.

some inspirational photos for you in the auction http://www.ebay.com/itm/Plymouth-Other-NO-RESERVE-1953-plymouth-2-door-panel-wagon-mopar-hotrod-one-of-a-kind-selling-no-/141128908551?forcerrptr=true&hash=item20dbf03f07&item=141128908551&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

He has nice stuff, he is about 2 hours from me. I bought a door skin from him, ended up installing it but not using it, as the parts car I bought had perfect doors.

I lost 4 trees, and 4 windows blew OUT of my barn, found the glass and debris about 10 feet out in the yard. Less than 1 mile from my house a couple homes and barns were leveled as well as a couple concrete silos. A few of my daughters schoolmates lost their homes. There are still quite a few closed roads here and the power company has been working around the clock repairing power lines. Nobody in my family and no friends were hurt or killed, so I'm feeling pretty lucky.

I bought a rubber/plastic tack strip at my local upholstery supply shop, DuBuos Fabrics. It looks like this stuff: http://www.ezsofttops.com/p-2381-convertible-top-tack-strip.aspx

And I'd look for one with a lock up torque converter as you then have a solid direct link in 3rd or OD if you go that way for economy and lower RPMs on the highway.

Don't forget the A500 or 44RH transmission is an OD version of the 904.

Aside from the forced "Drama" for TV I like their work Not a fan of the Chebby motor they put in the sweptside, but the truck came out looking good.

Yeah, Ford F-150s as well but they are way to wide, the Scout and Bronco are ~ 60" wide WMS-WMS whereas the full size trucks are 64-66"

Thanks, that is what I assumed. Not a big deal, but it limits the rear axle swap possibilities. If I get the car, I will be looking for a Scout Dana 44 or an early bronco 9".

Quick question... Do the LWB Desotos use the standard front suspension or the HD one like the 8 Cyl Chryslers? Are they 4.5" or 5.5" bolt pattern for the wheels? I found one for sale and would like to build a family truckster/vacation vehicle out of it (similar to what James_Douglas was talking about) and was just wondering about upgrading the front suspension like I did on my 53 Plymouth. I remember the 50 Chrysler I did with my dad and the front suspension pieces were all different than the 6 cyl cars.

I'll get some pics tomorrow, but I'm using a T-5 from a 95 mustang in my 53 Suburban with a bench seat. I had to notch the seat frame and bottom spring and mane a 90 degree shifter, but it fits and shifts nicely. I went with the trans because it's as "World Class" version that has internal upgrades and is stronger. I made an adapter plate that is 1/2" thick and the input shaft length was perfect. I made an oilite bushing for the crank and used the stock Flywheel and pressure plate with a clutch disk from a S-10 pickup. Still Using the bell housing motor mounts and stock Clutch pedal and linkage.

I think the sedans have a different shape in that panel. You might want to check before you invest any time into it.

Double post

As far as I know the hood between 53 and 54 is the same other than the holes for the hood ornament. The hood latch brackets on the body side are different. They are shorter on the 54. I have a Frankenstein myself. I have a 54 frame, body, hood, and doors with a 53 front clip, roof, upper tailgate and engine.

I too was playing with the idea of opening up the rear wheel wells:

No pictures, I just cut out the rust and welded in a flat piece of sheet metal that I massaged to sort of match the contour. This is the best picture I have after the first layer of bondo..

In your collection of parts, do you have any door panel stainless trim? I want to dress up the panels on my 53 wagon, and I have nothing at all.

Thanks. It was a project my dad and I built. I bought it for him for Father's Day back in 1993 we got it running with the straight 8 but it was tired and he wanted a little more umph. So it got a 440 with a 518 OD trans, disc brakes all around and a Dana 44 from an International Scout. For a period of time it had a 13.0 to 1 505 stroker in it running on E-85. But the local gas chain that carried E85 filed bankruptcy and Speedway took them over and E 85 was hard to find so a stock 440 went in its place. It was a shame becUse it really MOVED with the 505. He owned it for 18 years, the longest he'd ever owned a car. I sold it for my mom when he passed. It was in the finger lakes area of NY last I knew.

IMO putting a Ferd or Chubby in a Mopar is sacreligious. Keep it Mopar!! One other thought that would be a simple swap would be a Jeep 4.0 (I know it was an AMC motor, but in the end it was a Mopar) straight 6 it would fit nicely in the engine compartment that was designed for an inline 6, and offer double the HP of the flathead. They are known to run 300K miles in Cherokees and are very reliable with simple electronics, and there are literally thousands of them out there in Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, and Wranglers. Get one from the mid-late 90s and it is an easy swap. Many Cherokees and Grand Cherokees were 2 WD, and there are 2WD 5 speed ones out there as well.

The 4.7 is a good engine, but a bad swap choice, as it is a very wide motor and would cause clearance issues with the inner fenders. A 5.9 Magnum would be a simple swap if you wanted factory EFI. THe Hemis are getting affordable but wiring is a pain with the Disributorless ignition and MDS. These are pics of a 50 Chrysler with a 440. This install was with the stock steering and front suspension. Generic block hugger headers worked fine. And the car:

On mine I was able to save the "lip" of the wheelwell and cut out the rusty spot on the side of the quarter panel. It worked out nicely and saved a LOT of fabrication.

Coming along nicely.

If I'm not mistaken that is a tailgate for a pickup truck with the low bedsides.

I don't have a spare tailgate, but I do have dome nice grille pieces for a 54 if you need them. The plastic emblem is broken into 2 pieces, but the crack is perfectly straight up and down and smooth as if it were cut. Let me know if you need anything. I also have 2 radios if your other deal falls through. Murf