GlennCraven

Hey, ktmripper, good to "meet" you! I have lots of kin around Kansas City and we're a Mercedes family, too. My brother up near Parkville has my parents' 1972 280SEL 4.5 up there getting it restored. We hit a snag finding power window regulators at a reasonable price but I think we're past that now. Down here in southeast Kansas Dad went to court to rescue his 1969 280SE coupe from a disreputable shop. They weren't working quickly at all; pretty much took the car to bare metal and then pushed it in a corner and ignored it while they did other work. (And while a couple of the shop's employees were busy getting arrested for meth manufacturing. Hard to believe the place came recommended.) The body man died in a car accident and the building owner -- who did no work at all, just bankrolled things -- told my dad to come get his car and pay him $500 that the man had no proof he was owed. More than $2,500 was paid to "start the job" and that's all that ever got done; disassembly including interior removal, and sanding. When Dad told the guy he wouldn't pay anything more and the guy refused to let us have the car otherwise, Dad took him to small claims court. The man rolled the bare-metal car outside in the weather for almost two months while the case waited to be heard. Dad "won" the car back without paying any extra, but didn't get any compensation either. Now the car, bathed in surface rust, is at another shop, languishing again. Dad is wondering if he'd rather just sell it as a basket-case project, which would break all the kids' hearts; we spent some of our early driving years in that blue '69. So I think I know how you feel about your granddad's car. It's gotta be saved, and stay in the family! I need to remind my dad how he feels about his dad's long-gone 1962 GT Hawk.

OK, this isn't the new "commitment thread" Tim was seeking, in part because I'm perhaps only half-committed to the whole shebang. But in the past (quiet on the message board) week I have certainly made one commitment. I bought the 1949 Windsor Club Coupe that was here in town. I've periodically driven past the house to be sure it was still there. I did so last week on my way to an area salvage yard that is having a huge auction July 13. (Seriously huge with some very old cars, many Mopars, but really all makes of the 1940s-60s.) Anyway, I drove past the house and the Windsor was gone. I had an "Oh, crap!" moment where the full realization hit me that of the two projects the one I would rather not live without was the little gray coupe. I grabbed the cell phone and called the seller. I told him I'd just driven past his house on the way to the salvage yard and noticed the Windsor was gone. Had he finally sold it? "No," he said. "It was just in the way so I moved it to a storage building on the far side of the property. (So he could set up an above-ground pool under the carport. Ha!) ... Why? Were you still interested." Well, yeah, I admitted. I was just trying to be sure it was the project for me and see what I felt I could offer. "What do you think you can go?" he asked. "I could go $1,000," I said; his asking price had been $1,500. He was game. So I paid him and got the title. He actually said the car is welcome to stay in his storage building until I finalize whether I'm staying here in town or moving to a new job. He'll get out of it the things that don't go with the car (its interior became "storage" for toys and other stuff) and put back in it the car-things he'd removed, like the back seat. "It can stay six months or more if you need it to," he said. "It ain't in my way anymore and it's dry and safe in there." Meanwhile, I'm in a bit of a conundrum because I still want the DeSoto pair even though I cracked and bought the Windsor. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma speed shop that has the really solid 1955 Fireflite has started typing "THIS CAR WILL BE CRUSHED" in its Craigslist ad and I talked to the guy this weekend and I think he's serious. He started out at $1,500, came down to $1,200 in the ad and now says his bottom-dollar price is $1,000 firm. He got the 291 Hemi out of it and though he says he's "not a bad guy out to destroy an old car," says he can sell the grille "for $700 or $800 at any swap meet" and can sell some small parts, dash parts, stainless, etc., for a few hundred more, then crush the rest, so why take less than $1,000? I think he may be a couple-hundred high on the grille because it has two dented teeth, but on the whole he's not far from wrong. I'd hate to see it crushed, but I could see myself becoming the guy who tries to do the right thing and gets swamped with projects, parts and rust-pets in the process! If I hadn't sprung on the Windsor but had just realized it had gone into storage (hiding it a bit from other potential buyers) I'd probably already be down there in Oklahoma giving this guy the $1,000 for the Fireflite and soon buying the 1955 Firedome from its seller as a parts car and future project for a couple-hundred bucks. The Fireflite needs the Firedome's rear bumper and taillight lenses, two door handles and maybe another minor part or two that could merit the $300 or so I figure it'll cost to get the second car. If somebody else wants to save the DeSotos, they're easily found on Tulsa Craigslist. The Firedome is in Tulsa and the Fireflite is in Claremore, about 45 minutes up the turnpike to the northeast. Otherwise I'm going to call this speed-shop guy back. He said he'd sit on the Fireflite a month or so if he knew he'd get the $1,000 he wants. I'll probably tell him that if he gets to that strip-and-crush breaking point without finding another buyer, call me and I'll take it. I don't know where I'm going or where I'll put it in the meantime, but if it's doomed otherwise, I'll take it.

I suppose it can't be registered if it isn't running to pass an inspection, but that's a good idea for the future.

Wow, really? Even in a situation like this? ... I never thought of that. Used to have AAA, but it's been years.

And the eBay '55 DeSoto grille went for $406.99.

That's basically what my girlfriend said. She's not fond of the two-DeSoto option, though if I can find $300 to $400 worth of swappable parts off the second car it would be worth the price. She sort of said that, too. Actually, what she said is that from her experience I have a tendency to ponder things too much and should really just commit. Wonder what she means by that ... I really thought about it and probably should have. I don't have a trailer, so I'd have to scrounge one for anything I need to collect, but I could have made a deal and come back for it. And again, probably should have tried with the wife (potential "boss") and not the husband. My girlfriend suggested offering more than scrap price -- essentially grille price plus metal price, which would still be a good discount off the asking price. That's probably the most the seller can expect to get without fooling with the car too much in parting it out; sell the grille on eBay and drag the rest to the scrapyard. (Though I don't know why he wouldn't part it out slowly, because he apparently strips and ships parts off those Metropolitans all the time and he seemed to have room to shove this DeSoto out of the driveway and let it sit behind the shop.) I'm going to see about getting a trailer today and call back to make an offer somewhere in the middle. Maybe say, "If I show up with $600 and a trailer would I leave with a DeSoto?" Then still seriously consider getting the other one for parts/future. Also, in background here are job negotiations and decisions. The girlfriend is interviewing in several places because her current position is only guaranteed through September. So I might need to start looking for work in a place she's going, and I don't know what that place is just yet. Or, I have a person who has tried to hire me away from this town since January (and a great place to move into there with a big metal shop!), but I think I scared him with my salary demand. If not that, I have a potentially better offer to stay here in town and switch careers, which would then cause my girlfriend to probably set her career path aside for a little while and stay in the area. If that happens, I'd like to make an offer on a country house very near town that has sat on the MLS for a good while (tough real estate market here) and has an even bigger shop. I can trust that one DeSoto seller (the Firedome) isn't going to scrap his car, but not that this guy won't. Parting the strong original Hemi away from a solid old car suggests he has no sentiment toward the vehicle and probably wouldn't hesitate to crush it. ... I'm pretty certain the Windsor owner won't scrap that old thing, either; he'll hold onto it until it sells. So -- dream outcome here -- whether I end up staying in town or going to the job that has been recruiting me, I could have shop space to store multiple vehicles. Two DeSotos would be no problem. And frankly if that Windsor sits much longer I'd be back for it, especially if my paycheck improves as much as it might. Now to quickly figure out which friend or acquaintance has his trailer available in the next couple of days.

Oh well heck. Now this happens. I'm searching far and wide (within a five- or six-state region) for a parts car for that '55 DeSoto Firedome, just in case I decide on it. Looking for a grille, really, because those are so pricey. And I find this 1955 Fireflite in undeniably better condition, albeit also minus engine and trans. The Firedome does have a few things this car lacks, like good taillight lenses, better-functioning door handles, etc., which might suggest a two-to-make-one idea. The tragic story behind this Avon blue Fireflight: Until a month or so ago it was tagged and running on what presumably was its original 291 V8. This seller -- who owns a speed shop -- bought it just for the vintage Hemi. His wife, who showed the car because her husband was away, said his $1,500 asking price for the body is very open to negotiation because otherwise he's just gonna drag it to the crusher. (I presume they're smart enough to pull the grille first, but who knows?) The wife said, "He's always wanted an engine like that." I asked what he intended to do with it. "Probably put it in a Metro," she said, waving toward the rows of old Nash Metropolitans in various states of restorable- to parts-car status nearby. The guy has about 20 of them. "He does stuff like that." He also works on some nice-looking muscle cars of the 1960s, like a client's 1969 GTO and another customer's 1964 El Camino nearby. And from his website he's built a Batmobile-like thing, too. I should have taken a picture of a slip of paper she pulled from the Fireflite's glovebox. She said it was what they got "from the last owner," who may have been a short-term owner of a car otherwise owned by a single family for a very long time. I'm sure the slip from the Oklahoma DMV said "Actual purchase price: $400." I dunno if that's what this guy bought it for, or if the person who sold it to him got it from an older person, an estate, whatever, for $400 and flipped it to the mechanic. I figure he couldn't have paid much for the car, though, or he wouldn't be separating the engine from a mostly unmolested original car (I think that's all-original paint, for example), and he wouldn't be so quick to just crush what's left. Anyway, here's the link to my album for this 1955 Fireflite. I'm super-tempted to try landing both DeSotos for $1,000 or less, using the black/green car for original parts to build the Fireflite in the short term, but rodding (or restoring) the Firedome in the distant future and not just plundering it and casting it away. It's body wouldn't donate much to the Fireflite except a bit of chrome, stainless and plastic. The rolling shell would likely remain very intact. Yet I'm also still stoked about the 1949 Windsor. The good news is, none of them seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. I'm officially the only person to look at these two DeSotos in over a month of both being for sale. Again, thoughts from you weary onlookers are welcome.

+1!

Great thread!

That's probably true, and my uncle's on the older side. Almost 80 now I guess. I know he had a DeSoto in the 1950s but ended up a Ford-Mercury guy from the 1960s on. Street, strip and circle track, too. He's built a phenomenal engine for my brother's 1979 Z28, though. And ended up building Chevy engines for his grandson and a friend to run in their modifieds, maybe out of necessity (cost) or maybe out of mere uniformity, because that's what the youngsters wanted. I know it disappointed him a little. This is definitely a good forum for all the experience, advice and moral support offered. And Pflaming, that flathead is sweet! ... Every time I think I'll just get an LA small block for this '49 Windsor (if I ever pry it out of the seller's hands at my price), I see somebody's six and pause to reconsider.

Definitely a cool nailhead. My uncle's a Ford man. He'll swear -- and probably prove -- that he can make horsepower every bit as affordably as a Chevrolet. Me, I like 'em all. I'd just prefer to stay in the family when putting a "new" engine in an old car.

Probably so, and there's plenty of room under the hood it seems. The guy who has it now says he and a buddy had a 350 Chevy and 350 TH transmission mocked-up in the car (actually bolted to the motor mounts at the front) and there was plenty of room. But from what I can see here there's also plenty of precedent for small blocks in the 1949 Chrysler Windsor and similar, and mounting kits to make it happen. The dash is what draws me to both cars, really, the Windsor in particular. Other than loose leatherette on the upper portion of the Windsor, its dash is fantastic and the steering wheel is great except for one crack. Trouble with the DeSoto dash is unless I want to stick with this guy's black with white and red theme, I'll have to undo his work and get rid of that red. Pardon me while I ponder for a moment (and feel free to check my logic). I'd say the Windsor had better treatment by its series of owners prior to being parked, and is probably closer to roadworthy (suspension and brakes-wise) once a drivetrain is in it. The Windsor is worse on rust you CAN see (the vast majority of it low at the rear, around the trunk lip and bumper), while the Firedome is worse on the rust you can't see, like in and around that headlight bucket. The floors in the Windsor are definitely better. The glass in the Windsor is all good, some of it new, replaced by the current seller. The DeSoto has seriously busted glass in the driver's door and passenger door. Both cars would require 12-volt conversion. That could be a particular benefit to the DeSoto, because the wiring looked a lot more cracked, bare, mouse-eaten and whatever else than the Windsor's wiring. Though 64-year-old Windsor wires certainly could be near the end of their useful life anyway, even if I found a flathead and stayed six-volt. Chrome is about equally present and of equal condition in both cars, but the DeSoto's missing and damaged pieces will likely be harder and more expensive to locate and replace. The same is probably true for almost anything else that is missing or damaged that can't be replaced by some universal item. I have a pretty good plan for the Windsor that I've been mulling for as long as I've known it was available. The DeSoto has me a bit stumped on what direction to go, particularly if the '55 grille becomes too elusive or expensive to obtain. Not sure I'd want to sub-out a '56 grille (which isn't exactly cheap, either) and I've tried to think of rod or custom ideas for the car with a gaping maw instead of the toothy grille, but they aren't rapidly popping to mind. Advantage Windsor for being a coupe, too, far as popularity of body style goes. But I could take more friends for rides in the DeSoto. Probably every friend I have! The Windsor seller "really wants" $1,500 for it, but he's going on two months now without it getting sold and he might ready to come down. But the DeSoto is $500 and who knows, sounded like the guy might even take less. ("I'd asked $1,000 and now I'm just trying to see what I can get for it," he said.) I do have a fondness for both. But it may be more anticipation and excitement for the Windsor and a sense of obligation to "save" the DeSoto. Though the younger man who has it now isn't the type to just crush it if he can't get it sold. He said he'd keep it covered and eventually restore it completely when he has more time and money. But we all know how plans often go. The seller's kid's first birthday was yesterday. I've been wanting a project car since I was in college, became a dad two weeks before my senior year of college, and my son turns 25 in August with me still looking for my first project. Enough said.

I visited the 1955 Firedome in Tulsa Saturday. Here's a link to my pictures on Photobucket. The car is still restorable, though maybe a bit rougher than I had hoped. Also a bit rougher than the Windsor overall, albeit not by a lot. Thoughts welcomed.

On the whole you may be right. But as I've noted in other threads, two different magazines have essentially given us the blueprint for building 400-horse 318s for about $1,500. One of the same pubs (Hot Rod) also has an article on an "affordable" 350 Chevy making "around" 400 horsepower for $2,600. ... I've built neither at this point, but it doesn't seem all that much more expensive to build a Mopar small block than a Chevy. Frankly, I think small-block Chevys are in so many non-Chevy vehicles more because most people aren't very imaginative than any other reason.

I'm also 6-3 and "big-boned." Bum back, knees, ankles ... I just don't bend like I used to. Strangers have been known to stand and gawk as I try to get into, or unfold myself out of, my girlfriend's 2013 Mustang.

I'm too tall for getting in that car easily, but it could end up pretty slick.

Definitely a 1950s Hemi would be cool, but I'm sure you're right about the cost of rebuilding one. On the engine front, the hopped-up 360 and 727 should still be available from the salvage yard owner (who wasn't really TRYING to sell them) and even paying what he wants I could get this DeSoto with 360/727 for $200 less than the price the other guy is still asking for his Windsor without a drivetrain. Is the 727 a harder piece to fit into these old bodies than the 904? I saw in one thread that a 904 would "fit like a glove" in the Windsor. I've also noticed and considered that the 1956 DeSoto grille would probably drop right into the 1955 opening. But as Donald says, the '55 is soooo much sweeter. I agree with your restoration assessments, too. Always more value in the hardtops and convertibles, maybe with an ultra-rare exception or two. Unless a Hemi were readily available and pretty cheap for the DeSoto, an LA small block would be more feasible and reasonable. The '55 DeSoto was still 6-volt, wasn't it? If so, no advantage there vs. a '49 Chrysler. Have to convert either for the V8 update. Feel free to PM me your unreasonable price on the '55 grille. ... Heck, the '56 grille and other possible parts, too. Just for reference. I never need much excuse to visit my friends in the Tar Heel state.

LaSalle was one of the first things that crossed my mind. The hood ornament is gone obviously, but close inspection shows a winged logo at the top of the grille that seems consistent with 1930s LaSalles. Ooh, this may help. It's a 1935 LaSalle convertible, with a similar winged logo and, maybe even more telling, the chevrons on the front fenders.

I date a Presbyterian pastor ... one who routinely stops what she's doing to snap photos for car-porn sexting. I'm doin' OK. But I probably shouldn't post pictures. Except the cars. Anyone know precisely what the second one is? This is as close (zoomed lens) as I could get. You can see the tail (which is sort of fastback-like) but only from a couple-hundred yards away from a side road all the way across the pasture. ... It is a coupe. Edited for decorum's sake ... because I date a pastor.

Neat story. Got my day off to a good start!

Thanks, guys. ... Yeah, I'm pretty lucky I think. While riding her bike she also spotted this one out back of a pole barn in her town.

Holy crapoly! Somebody just listed a 1955 DeSoto grille on eBay. ... Starting price is $100. Anybody want to guess on the final price?

She was driving through another town for work, saw this, and got out of her car to take a couple of pictures. She said it doesn't seem to be for sale.

That's really cool. Worth the time!

Is this one up with you in Minnesota, I'm guessing? ... Nice that it's a two-door. There's a 331 hemi rebuilder engine with the wrong heads and missing camshaft that went unsold from my general area on eBay recently. They want $375 for it but the bidding stopped around $125.