Roger - No need to apoligize, we all know you are a speed reader.
John - I really appreciate you going to the trouble with the measurements. I kinda understand you measurement description, sketches would be good. I will do some “seperation sugery” on the spring set I have and compare. Should be the same. I will take the rear seats out of my 4 dr. parts car and see what can be done with those if I have to. Now I wish I had kept the front seats. I always have the front and rear seats from a 67 Baracuda that might work after modification of course. John, is it the 4,283 or the 283 car made. If 283rd. what does the 4 stand for?
Dick.
Forgot the 4 in the vin. It was the 4,283 car down that specific plant line in the 1959 model year. Other plants have that 104283 sequential but with a different plant designation the model year prefix.
Some more pictures, The top mechanism looks to be in pretty good shape. The cylinder covers are not good, if I can’t find good ones, (John - Big M) I will try to find someone that can make them. Looking at pictures of Belvederes the front seat for convertible and 2 dr. sedan seem to have the same front seat, 2/3 back on driver side, 1/3 back on passenger side. The cloth seems to be different from the Sport Fury also. I have the Black and white sport fury cloth so thats what I will use for the cloth part but patterned same as Belvedere. I replace the Deck Lid on the red car so I will try and repair the Key hole on the Convt. Lots to do on this one, it will be a total frame off restoration. Now, total concentration on restoring Reddie so I can start on this one.
Final Decisions with Yvonne’s help:
Body - White.
Top - Black.
seats - Black & white cloth with white vinyl.
Dashpad - Black.
Carpet - Black.
Garnish moulding - Gloss Black.
Dach - Gloss Black.
Splash pan, Valence, Wheels - Silver Argent.
Engine - 318 A Block painted silver with silver Valve covers. - In stock.
Torqueflite Tranny - In stock.
Drive shaft - In stock.
Radiator - In stock - need to fix.
14" wheels - In stock.
Firewall - White.
Inner fenders - Gloss Black.
Major parts needed: Any help here appreciated.
Valence.
Front and rear seats. - Could modify rear seat in parts car. Some jerk threw out front seat. I wonder who?
Inner Fenders - Left and Right. - ones in parts car rusted so badly I threw them out.
Top mechanism Cylinder Covers - Left and Right.
Steering Wheel - (from Matthew - What a guy)
Visors - Both. (are convertible visors different) None in parts car.
Dick, I have a nice set of inner fenders, and possibly a decent front seat core. I’m in the same boat as you with the rear panels, I will have to make some for my own car, as they are rusted away. I also just got a car in yesterday that has a repairable front valance.
All sounds good to me John. Contact me with private message. Is that front seat core 2/3, 1/3. I am taking mine around to several metal working firms to get prices on fabricating the panels, wil let you know.
Dick.
Just in case anyone is interested, Alan Ralston, well known in the Desoto/mopar circles is now offering the following:
Ad in Nov., Dec., issur Desoto Adventures Magazine.
1947/58/59 Floor Braces and Supports: Seat Guide Reinforcement available now; $75.00 per side. Dies are being made for additional parts.
I plan to reproduce all the parts under the floor pans. Excellent quality reproduction parts. Contact Alan Ralston, P.O. Box 50652, Mendoa,
MN 55150. E-mail desotodriver@hotmail.com. Phone 651-686-8932.
John (Big M). - I fogot I will need the complete throttle/kickdown assy. All the way from the carburetor to the gas pedal. Including the firewall bellcrank, the kickdown rod, the gas pedal rod, including the plate (3 bolts) that mounts to the floor pan with the accelerator mounting piece.
Dick.
Dick - I had horrible looking chrome garnish moldings . In desperation I wrapped and glued them in vinyl and was impressed with the results plus its a no burn the arm situation when and if the sun ever comes out here.
Yes-my top of door and quarter window moldings were badly pitted chrome and the vinyl worked out surprisingly well albeit not anatomically correct ..But I see your point-you’re good to go with the painted molding on the belvie.
Matthew - According to the Standard Catalog of Chrysler 1914 - 2000.
Plymouth I. D. Numbers: The Serial on my Belvie Convt. is M255104283. Series MP2-M, Body style 27. Factory price $2,814.00 Shipping Weight 3,580 lbs.
M = 1959
2 = V8 engine.
5 = Belvedere
5 = California. The book has no 3 or 4. My red car is M293 and my green car is M294. ???
The book shows Mfg./assy. plants as follow:
1 = Detroit
2 = Detroit (Dodge)
3 = not listed
4 = not listed
5 = California
6 = Newark
7 = St. Louis, Mo.
Dick, Have you had a chance to order the IBM card info on your convert yet or are you still working on the title part?
I have to convert my Bill of Sale over to a Title very soon or I will have a done car but can’t drive it…
Once I get a title then I can order my IBM card copy and see how my car was put together. Are you going thru the Florida DMV or using a 3rd party source?
John Q. - A good friend and a car guy (54 Chev. Convt.) is a used car dealer, he is going to get a title for me, he said all he needs is a shadow copy of the Vin tag and a bill of sale, which I have.
Tell me about an IBM card, how and where do I get one???
Roger - What is the source of your plant list? I’m assuming 1 & 2 are Detroit, please explain 6 & 7.
Thanks,
Dick.
Hello Dick,
The information was taken from the front pages of the 1959 Mopar Passenger Car Parts List.
“Plymouth Detroit” (#6) a.k.a. Lynch Road, where they built Plymouths exclusively from 1924-1980.
“Imperial” (#7) The 1959 and 1960 Imperials were built at Warren Ave (MI).
Hmmmm. Used car dealer eh? Would he do this for an out of state guy if I pay him? You can get it in your name and I will then for a price of a Diet Pepsi, get it from you…
Just asking if he is interested otherwise I will use one of the internet title companies in Las Vegas or Alabama (I think…)
PM me if he is interested, Doesn’t matter who I pay as long as it is legit.
John, Before you spend any money on some far-off title service, verify with your local bureau as to what they will recognise as legal.
I’ve heard of people getting titles in Mississippi or somewhere, and then being turned down for a title or registration in their homestate.
The out-of-state title company can’t personally inspect your car, so you could easily pull some fraudulent moves. Those companies don’t care, as long as they get paid. Colorado may want you to have your car inspected in-state, then you apply for lost title or some such.
My belvedere cvt came from Iowa, with a title. I sweated a bit prior to going in to title it here in WA. I had just spent 15-20K on its blending and restoration but I hadnt thought about how to title it. Would they be sending me to the State Patrol for an inspection? i knew the frame number wasnt related to anything, and I had run the title thru a friend who worked at Oregon DMV who got it titled as a Sport Fury convertible n OR with no inspection. I told the gal at the WA. License Bureau it was a combo-car, and she asked which chassis it had. i said Sport Fury and showed her the OR title. The car had the SF vin plate, but she never came out from behind her desk. I think the OR title did the trick.
It is a good idea to get the title in your name before spending much money or time restoring it.
A case in point-
When I had my shop in Reno Nevada in the eighties, a customer brought a '66 Thunderbird in for a laundry list of repairs, that included engine and trans overhaul, brakes, and electrical repairs. The car already had a beautiful, high dollar paint job on the exterior, and the customer bragged that he got it done for $6000. My repair bill came to $6200.
After notifying the customer, a stranger walked in the shop with a deputy Sheriff, saying, “that’s my car”
I called the customer up, and he came right down, angrier than all hell, and the officer asked who had the title. The stranger produced a title with his name as legal owner, and the officer told my customer there was nothing he could do, but take the matter to court. The stranger then drove off in the Thunderbird, having gotten basically a free restoration, and my customer was left to pay my bill. He told me that he bought the car in Northwest Reno, where he had spotted it in someone’s yard. It must have been stored there by the other guy, but who really knoows?
I don’t know if anything else ever occurred with this, as I never saw either of them again.
Roger, Actually I did do that when I purchased my car. I contacted the Montana DMV and they said it had fallen off their computor system due to non-registration.
I had the car inspected here in Colorado by a Deputy Sherrif friend and he ran the VIN thru the Federal System (LEIN) and it came back as no liens and no theft report on it.
This was before I tore it apart. Wanted to make sure before I started the resto. I have done Colo Bonded title on other cars I have picked up thru the years, But it does take a bit of work to do. Just looking for a quicker way to get a title. The Internaional Title Service in Las Vegas does require a law enforcement report before they do their work.
Other plants have that 104283 sequential but with a different plant designation the model year prefix.
