CaptainGTX

I'd suggest getting it running first. The baby hemi is a neat engine and you hardly ever see them anymore. I have a fully restored 69 Plymouth GTX, and guess which attracts more attention, that or my unrestored 53 Coronet convertible. The convertible of course. I prefer my cars stock.

I'm with Plymouthy. Looks like a floor pedal for a windshield washer. If so, and if it was ever functional, you should have nozzles on the cowl directed toward the windshield.

Welcome to the site, John. Would like to see some details & photos of your 53 convertible.

What you have is either a 1954 Dodge Mayfair (Canadian) or a 1954 Dodge Coronet or Meadowbrook (US). In either event its a 54. You can find pictures of all three online.

A couple months ago I had my 53 Coronet convertible's left rear quarter repaired due to rust on its wheel well, using a NORS quarter panel. The 53-54 convertibles and hardtops use the same panels, which I believe are different from the coupes & sedans. The NORS panel was marked convertible & hardtop only.

I currently own an all-original 53 Dodge Coronet convertible Red Ram Gyro-Torque bought locally from the family of the original owners in 2009 and a 69 Plymouth GTX 440 4-spd bought in 1998 and since restored. Like many of you I bought these particular cars in a futile attempt to reclaim my youth (lol). You see, my first car was also a 53 Coronet with the Red Ram albeit in a 4 dr sedan because that was all I could afford at age 16 in 1964. After that car and a 59 Chevrolet Bel-Aire, came my first new car. It was a special ordered 69 Plymouth Sport Satellite 2 dr 383 auto with A/C (same body as the GTX). Ironically, the Sport Satellite's MSRP was higher than the GTX, but also more reasonable for a college student to insure and feed.

A very similar, perhaps the same, mirror on my 53 Coronet convertible. Believe it came on the car originally, as the original owner (from whose son I acquired it) kept everything stock. Don't know the part number, but these are hard to find also.

Thanks, James, for taking the time to reply. I appreciate your comments regarding your experience with convertible tops. I plan to contact Bill Hirsh again about the top. I had contacted him some time ago but decided to keep the old top as long as possible. Also didn't think about asking if they knew the color codes. So far as I know the top is original, although I was told by a local upholsterer that the rear plexiglass window has been changed out. I'm confident the rest of the top is original because the original owner kept detailed notes of all work done on the car, as well as most receipts. By the way, it has only a single zipper for the rear window. Fortunately, since I have the original top, I can always have someone replicate it. Rich

Thought some might be interested in seeing my 53 Coronet just before I bought it. Original red wheels and all, just like in the brochure.

According to the Mopar 1954 and prior year Passenger Car Parts List published in April 1955,all 1949 - 54 Plymouth steel wheels were 15 x 4.50. Part No.is 1320042. Spoked wheels were available, but no size is indicated.

Same car. The photo shown then was taken after I had powder coated the wheels to match their backsides, but before I had reapplied the red to the rims with red overspray on the centers to match the originals. All five original wheels had the same pattern of red & overspray. Dodge obviously didn't want to waste paint (and money) painting what wouldn't show. Similarly, Plymouth did the same thing on my 69 GTX by painting just the front side of the brake drums red where it would show through the Magnum wheels. I don't know why you have such a problem believing Mopar did this for certain cars. Take a look at this brochure for 53 Dodges.

Just a reminder that some Mopars, especially some early 50's models such as my 53 Coronet convertible, came from the factory with red painted wheels. Here's a photo of what I took off the car before I repainted them & replaced the threadbare recaps with wide whites. The car is a factory original Shoreham Ivory.

Does anyone have a Salesman Data Book for a 53 Coronet that gives the ordering codes for the color of the convertible top? Brochures indicate they were available only in black and taupe, however, my original top is a grey color, even down the sides where it was protected from the sun and pollutants (it was stored inside for 45 years). The code indicated on the IBM build card obtained from Chrysler Archives indicates a code "1", but Chrysler says they don't have a copy of the decode sheets for 1953. Any help would be appreciated, even from a nearby Mopar year as I'm needing to replace the top. Thanks, Rich

I bought mine several years ago for my 53 Coronet convertible (should be the same shock) from Andy Bernbaum Auto Parts. Don't buy from Kanter as they incorrectly say (or at least used to say) the same shock fits on both front & rear and neither look anything like originals (which I still had on the car). Rich

I own an original 53 Dodge Coronet convertible with the 241 Red Ram hemi. It has an extended block connecting its Gyro-Torque semi-automatic transmission. I don't know for a fact that all 241s had the same block, but this combination obviously did. (My first car, was also a 53 Coronet hemi but with a 3-speed, and if I could go back 56 years, I'd check.) That said, adapters are available to connect these longer 241s to more common transmissions, so I wouldn't give up if you run across one. They're great little engines.

Nice car. My 53 Dodge Coronet convertible uses an electric motor with cables (like overgrown speedometer cables) to drive screw jacks to operate the top. I'd expect your Plymouth has the same arrangement. My car was in storage (garage-find) for 45 years and a couple years after I rescued it one of the cables frayed, probably due to dried grease in the screw jack housings. Was able to find someone to build me a new cable & now everything works, even with the 67 year old original top.

Had the same problem with my 53 Coronet convertible. Never could find a replacement, so made one out of an exhaust flange & exhaust reducer. Looks original and fits like it too.

In all probability the car's original color is "Silhouette Green", kind of a minty green. Paint code is 524. Rich

Hi Tim, Wasn't signed in to this site, so missed your posting on your red 53 convert until you PM'ed me. Congratulations on joining a very small club. Regarding the missing sun visors, one of the other 53 convert owners is also missing his and has been looking for a couple years. I'd do everything possible to track yours down from the previous owner if you can. With two sets missing, you can bet I'll be keeping an eye on mine. Rich

Welcome to the wacky world of 53-54 Dodges. Regarding your question about different grille top bars for different model 54 Dodges, yes, there were different part numbers for D50 & 51 vs D52 & 53. According to the parts book, however, the distinction is not exactly Meadowbrook vs Coronet & Royal, as D50-1's were Meadowbrooks, D50-2 were Coronets, D50-3 Royals, D51-1 Meadowbrooks, D51-2 Coronets, D52 Coronets, D53-2 Sierras & D53-3 Royals. I suspect the real differentiator was long vs short wheelbase. I believe all D52 & 53's were short wheelbase. If you haven't bought a parts book yet, I highly recommend it.

59dodge and I have traded a couple emails, but I thought I'd relay to anyone else with an interest what I've found. According to the Standard Catalog of 1950s Chrylser, 1953 Dodge Coronet series convertibles, Diplomat hardtops & 2dr Sierra wagons are Model D48's (the 2 dr Meadowbrook series Suburban wagons is a D47). Comparable 1954s are D53's, except the 2 dr Suburban is a D52 (it also says the 4dr Sierra wagon is a D52, but I wonder if that's a mistake). According to my 1954 Mopar Parts List, D47 & D48 RF fenders are part no. 1494304, and LF are 1494305. Model D53 fenders are part nos. B1541177 and B1541178, respectively. Hoods for D47 & D52 are part no. 1456718; D48's are 1456706 and D53's are 1541452. So it looks like 1953 and 1954 fenders are not interchangeable (except as an entire clip as suggested by another poster). Regarding the hoods, the only interchangeability between those two years would be for the 2dr wagons. I don't know what the differences are as I only have the D48 convertible, but suspect they might be the lip at the front of the 54's, and the location of holes for the grille. Photos I've seen of both make it appear the 54's have a slightly less rounded top line near the headlight bucket, but that could be the angles I'm looking at. The wheel arches appear the same for both years. Unless someone can line up the two cars (or at least fenders) side by side, we're left guessing exactly what, if any, the differences are.

Very nice cars. P15's have just great proportions. Every time I see a restored mopar convertible, I want to do it to my 53 Coronet survivor. So I've got to quit looking.

Thought I'd bring this thread back to the top in hopes someone else might have seen another 53 Coronet convertible in the past year. This winter I added an electric fuel pump to hopefully cure a tendancy to vapor lock on hot days. Also plan to have a restoration shop evaluate it this spring to adjust the front clip & possibly do a little rust repair. Any paint touchup will be kept to a minimum and cover only the repairs. Also plan to remove a couple unsightly dents from the grille & side trim.

Hi 59Dodge, I don't have one car of each on hand to prove it, but I believe the short wheel-base 53 & 54 Dodges used a shorter front clip than the long wheel-base cars. My 1954 Mopar parts book lists different front fenders & hoods for each type, which supports there being some difference. Also, the parts book lists a Model 506 heater being used in the D48 & D53 (short cars) and a Model 602 heater in the others. Only the Model 506 has the same type ducting both our convertibles have. So I do believe you'll have to look for one off a 2 dr hardtop, 2 dr station wagon or convertible if you need a replacement duct. Captain

Not that it probably helps, but yours is the same duct used on my 53 Coronet convertible. So I assume it was used on all short wheel-based 53 & 54 Dodges & possibly Plymouths. Mine is cracked but repairable & obviously needed.