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Location: Montreal, Canada | Well, it's time to reveal my little secret.
It all happened very, very quickly and in the span of 6 days, I sold my beloved 1958 Dodge Regent coupe and bought, surprise, surprise: a red and white 1958 Plymouth coupe! Offer on my Regent was good and the price I paid for the Plymouth was good too, so I did the move and I'm a happy camper.
My new car is an older Mopar Mel "creation" (yeah, I know!), but it's changed hands a couple of times and a lot of bugs were corrected. Still some flaws to correct, but hey, it's part of the fun, right?
This time, I won't be thinking that much about originality and get all obsessive with details as with my other cars: the idea here is just a fun driver, in driver shape, for a while.
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| wondered what you were doing.
do you have a dead body up inside the rear package tray?  |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | mikes2nd - 2016-07-25 7:37 AM
wondered what you were doing.
do you have a dead body up inside the rear package tray? :)
I should check, it might explain the smell.  |
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Location: Branson, MO | Looks great! Have fun and enjoy - keep us posted with your updates.
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Location: Newark, Texas (Fort Worth) | Love it, Love It, LOVE IT!!! Very nice. I even like the dodge style interior cloth. Marc. |
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Location: USA - KY |
Congratulations, soiouz!
I'll miss your beautiful Regent, but your new Plymouth is soooo very nice!
Enjoy your cool new ride!
Edited by FIN ME 2016-07-25 12:42 PM
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Location: Victoria, BC, on Vancouver Island, Canada | It looks good David, did you find the car in Quebec? |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | imopar380 - 2016-07-25 1:12 PM
It looks good David, did you find the car in Quebec?
Nope, all the way east in the Maritimes! |
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| I dunno I kind of like the 57 fury emblem better than the 58.
Doc Desoto will not be pleased... |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | mikes2nd - 2016-07-25 1:20 PM
I dunno I kind of like the 57 fury emblem better than the 58.
Doc Desoto will not be pleased...
haha!
I know. I fear his reaction a bit... 
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Location: The Mile High City | I like red Plymouths! Nice going, David! So the big question: how does the performance compare to the '58 Regent?
I think the trade is great - you gotta switch things up now and then. |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Lancer Mike - 2016-07-25 6:00 PM
I like red Plymouths! Nice going, David! So the big question: how does the performance compare to the '58 Regent?
I think the trade is great - you gotta switch things up now and then.
Thanks!
Speaking of trades, how about your DeSoto? 
Haha!
Seriously, I cannot really compare performance for now, as the Plymouth is not yet on the road. Because it comes from another province, I have to pass a safety inspection before, and the brakes have to be gone through before the inspection. I'll be able to test it good, in a week or two. |
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Location: new york | Great car Congrats! Nothing wrong with red Thats why it was on the cover of the brocher, Its a great color and very nice car to boot Enjoy it! HAPPY MOTORING!
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Location: The Mile High City | Eh, you don't want a De Soto! Besides, that Plymouth is haunted 
I am going to start a new group: "Red Cars Matter"
Feel free to sign up.
Interesting: your car has the louvered vent cover (which I like). I wonder if this one started out as a Sexy Savoy?
Edited by Lancer Mike 2016-07-26 12:31 AM
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Location: Parts Unknown | I won't beat you up !
But do share the background story on the car. Is it a red-painted Fury ? A "made"
car with a mix of parts ?
58 Plymouth in 2HT form is about the closest Exner got to aesthetic perfection in
my opinion. I can do without red, but it is undeniably a beautiful car. I am back working
on my shop, which puts me closer to working on my cars. I am SO looking forward
to having that Plymouth and DeSoto all purty and ready to roll again !
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Location: Montreal, Canada | As far as I know, this started out as a Savoy, yes.
I did not buy it because it was red, but because it was a good deal on a good looking Plymouth.. But I like the colour on this particular car. Movie or not, red suits this model very well and it is no wonder both the US and Canadian original dealer folders, and the owner's manual + countless period ads featured a red and white hardtop coupe.
Edited by soiouz 2016-07-26 8:22 AM
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Location: Newark, Texas (Fort Worth) | It is the "STAR" of the forward look! |
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| David ,Nice Plymouth what engine does it have ? What are your plans for it? |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | 57DODGECONV - 2016-07-26 7:08 PM
David ,Nice Plymouth what engine does it have ? What are your plans for it?
Engine is a 383. I will keep it pretty much as it is. I wanted a driver, Its what it will be. |
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| David That should be a Great performing car ,That being one of Mopar Mel's Interior kits ,What do you thing of the Interior ? I like the looks of it . |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | 57DODGECONV - 2016-07-27 7:39 PM
David That should be a Great performing car ,That being one of Mopar Mel's Interior kits ,What do you thing of the Interior ? I like the looks of it .
I actually like the interior a lot, except for the fake dash pad. The seats and door panels are actually very well done, and they have a feel of quality to them. |
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| I like the door panel Design ,I Also like the seat material . I think the 58 Plymouths look better with the lower front valance in body color instead of the silver ,Good luck with it keep us posted . |
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Location: Parts Unknown | I am wondering though ... how does it drive in French ?
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Location: Wilmot, SD | I'm friends with the guy that does Mel's seat covers and door panels, he's a great guy and does very nice work. Mel supplies all the materials. |
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Location: North of the 49th | Did the Regent stay in Canada? |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | grunau - 2016-07-28 10:14 AM
Did the Regent stay in Canada?
Yes, it is in the Montreal area. |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | I got rid of the dead cat under that package tray.
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Location: Brisbane, Australia | what an ICON....
love that RED! |
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Location: Georgia | What a neat car, David. You always seem to find the classy ones. Good score.
Pete |
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Location: The Mile High City | what is fake about the dash pad? The new package tray is tres magnifique! |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Well, instead of a real Plymouth dash pad, formed and shaped correctly, this one is just some home-made underpadding and red vinyl applied over it. It's not that bad, though, and I have no intention to remove it.
Quick update on the car.. I've been working a lot ever since I got it, so, not much time to enjoy for now.. But I am progressing on some urgently needed repairs: front end and suspension, alignment, brakes, etc. Car is getting better everyday! I like it!
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Location: Montreal, Canada | .
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Made some more progress. Changed the sticky shiny inserts for the aluminium repros made by Marcel Poulin right here in Quebec.
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Location: Ontario, Canada | Looks very nice David.
Greg |
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| Looking Good ,nice to be able to Drive it and still make Improvements . |
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Location: Edmonton, Alberta | I've never been a big of "Christineing" cars, but that's a really nice looking car, David. I hope you get lots of opportunities to drive and enjoy it. I like that trunk mat...did you buy it? That's the right one for our cars as far as I can tell and I'd like to get one, but I don't know if anyone is reproducing them.
Enjoy your new car! |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | sconut1 - 2016-09-21 8:20 PM
I've never been a big of "Christineing" cars, but that's a really nice looking car, David. I hope you get lots of opportunities to drive and enjoy it. I like that trunk mat...did you buy it? That's the right one for our cars as far as I can tell and I'd like to get one, but I don't know if anyone is reproducing them.
Enjoy your new car!
As far as I know, only one batch of repros were made years ago. I found this mat in the trunk of a silver special 58 plymouth in the usa. Here it is in "as found" condition:
Edited by soiouz 2016-09-21 8:46 PM
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Location: Edmonton, Alberta | Thanks David. There is a guy here who can make them, but the cost is outrageous. I met a fellow earlier this year who had a mat made. It looks fantastic, but just can't see paying the price to do it. Maybe someday someone will start making them. |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | sconut1 - 2016-09-29 9:42 PM
Thanks David. There is a guy here who can make them, but the cost is outrageous. I met a fellow earlier this year who had a mat made. It looks fantastic, but just can't see paying the price to do it. Maybe someday someone will start making them.
Maybe I can find another one, I have been lucky with these in the last year or so. |
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Location: Belgium, 40 miles south of Brussels | David,
If you find another one, I'm also interested ! |
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Location: Vermont | So how do I convince you to drive it down here to Vermont and show it off in our Halloween Parade? I would even supply the Christine music. |
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| what does the aluminum sport tone inserts patterns look like? they are not stock markings are they? I have the mylar and I don't mind a bit of reflection but that aluminum is clean.
What does he charge now for that? |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | mikes2nd - 2016-09-30 2:47 PM
what does the aluminum sport tone inserts patterns look like? they are not stock markings are they? I have the mylar and I don't mind a bit of reflection but that aluminum is clean.
What does he charge now for that?
They are diamond shaped, like the inserts used in the movie Christine (very much identifiable in the first scene).
You should contact Marcel for a quote, because him and I made a trade for some parts on this set, so I don't really know at what he actually sells them.
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Sorry about the poor sound, I had my hand over the mic half of the time.
https://youtu.be/yD0WrRosi1U
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Location: Branson, MO | Very, very nice. All that's left are the rear splash pans below the bumper? Will you be leaving the "Fury" off the rear quarters?
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Viper Guy - 2016-10-03 9:32 AM
Very, very nice. All that's left are the rear splash pans below the bumper? Will you be leaving the "Fury" off the rear quarters?
Yep, exactly! Marcel Poulin, who does the repro inserts, also reproduces the rear splash panels in fiberglass and I ordered a pair already. They should be ready, painted and installed in the coming weeks.
As for the Fury scripts, I don't think I will make holes in those beautiful inserts, and I do not want to install them at the 57 Fury location on the quarter either, even though that last possibility is very tempting since I have sanded, buffed and polished the logos. I think the car will remain logo-less.
I have no idea who did these repro 57 Fury logos, but they are made of very soft aluminium, and I thought they felt pretty cheap when I got the car... but now that I have did some work to them, I think they are very well done and could really be used on a Fury. Someone went to great lengths reproducing these. Here's a couple of pics, before (rough and dull surfaces and red painted F) and after (buffed out and polished with black checkered F).
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Location: The Mile High City | David, those are too nice not to put on the car! Drill the inserts and be done with it - right where they ought to be.
Halfway kidding there - it is your car after all. Do it the way you want.
Looking good! |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Lancer Mike - 2016-10-03 11:25 AM
David, those are too nice not to put on the car! Drill the inserts and be done with it - right where they ought to be.
Halfway kidding there - it is your car after all. Do it the way you want.
Looking good!
I know...! I like them too. Arrgghh, tough choice! |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | lownslow - 2016-09-30 2:17 PM
So how do I convince you to drive it down here to Vermont and show it off in our Halloween Parade? I would even supply the Christine music.
If I still lived in the Montreal area, I might do it, but now that I'm three hours north of the border, it's quite a long run. Plus, I really look forward to making a Halloween setup of my own with it here in front of my house! |
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Location: Fleetwood, Pa | I put mine on with double sided sticky tape for automotive trim. NO HOLES!!! |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | sidesho_bob1961 - 2016-10-04 3:16 PM
I put mine on with double sided sticky tape for automotive trim. NO HOLES!!!
I might do just that.. But then I have to cut the pins on the back of the logos. That's much preferable than holes in the body panels, though.. |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | We have had record snowfalls this year, so it's going to take a little while before it's gone. But, it was nice outside today and I couldn't resist at least taking her out of the garage for a little while.
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Location: The Mile High City | Awesome! That's the way the movie should have looked in half the scenes! |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | I'm not sure they get so much snow in Pennsylvania, but you are right, that's a fitting scenery for the book.
By the way, do you still have those book plates? |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | .
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Project now pretty much complete:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXfFYs2eVyU&feature=youtu.be
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Location: Lower Mainland BC | soiouz - 2017-04-15 3:34 PM Project now pretty much complete:
Very nice. Congrats. Désolé, je voulais dire "Félicitations!!"
Edited by 56D500boy 2017-04-15 7:16 PM
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| quick sell it! hah.. |
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Location: The Mile High City | soiouz - 2017-02-19 6:25 AM
I'm not sure they get so much snow in Pennsylvania, but you are right, that's a fitting scenery for the book.
By the way, do you still have those book plates?
Sorry about the late reply. I am down to one plate, but I could get more. |
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Location: Alberta | You just have to let us know how that 383 performs, did you do any upgrades to the front end suspension?. [I may have missed that part] What can I say about your car that hasn't been already posted. The youtube video is a very nice touch and brings everything together for us guys here on the forum following the restoration Thanks for the extra effort Enjoy the cruises and I'm sure you will |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | RUSTORICHES - 2017-04-16 8:39 AM
You just have to let us know how that 383 performs, did you do any upgrades to the front end suspension?. [I may have missed that part] What can I say about your car that hasn't been already posted. The youtube video is a very nice touch and brings everything together for us guys here on the forum following the restoration Thanks for the extra effort Enjoy the cruises and I'm sure you will
Sorry, I just saw that last post today!
383 runs very nice now, but it needed help a little. Had to change the small pushrod behind the fuel pump and rebuilt the two carburators. Changed valve cover gaskets as it was puking oil... There is still a small oil leak at the front, which I will take care of next week. That poor car had been neglected for the last 6 years, so it needed a lot of small things to get it ok.
It is my first car with a MoPar big block, and I am more used to the 301-303-313-318 poly engines. The heat these big engines create sure needs some getting used to. The engine does not overheat, but the engine bay gets hotter than with a small block for sure. I am thinking of installing a gasket that would block the heat crossover channels. What do you guys think?
In any case, the power is there, and the car cruises beautifully.
I had the front end rebuilt: tie-rod ends, strut bushings, ball joints, shocks, and I lowered the car to pretty much normal height, maybe even a tiny bit lower. I also changed the rear shocks and the leaf spring assemblies (had the incredible luck of having two very nice sets of original, rebuilt and ready to install leaf springs donated to me by a friend - it was overstock from his restoration of another 58 Plymouth). I only have the alignment left to do.
Most recent pics:
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Location: Branson, MO | We blocked off the heat crossover passage on our big blocks when we were drag racing back in the '60s. Car was slower to warm up and open the choke so we just wired the choke wide open and removed the pull off. OK for summer and racing but that was it.
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Location: Montreal, Canada | Viper Guy - 2017-06-14 9:30 PM
We blocked off the heat crossover passage on our big blocks when we were drag racing back in the '60s. Car was slower to warm up and open the choke so we just wired the choke wide open and removed the pull off. OK for summer and racing but that was it.
I was hoping it would help with starting the car when it is really hot... I have to crank it a lot to start it up when the motor is very hot and it gets really annoying. |
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Location: Branson, MO | David,
I don't think blocking off the passage will do any good for the hot start issue. I believe you are experiencing severe vapor lock and I think an auxiliary electric fuel pump mounted at the tank would work best. It is unseen and can be controlled from a switch under the dash. It will push cooler fuel through the stock pump into the carb(s). We always used electric fuel pumps in this manner when racing as they were legal in stock classes as long as the stock pump was in place. We used a "cool can" in the fuel line too which was legal but I doubt you want one of those under your hood (ugly).
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| David ,What Type of fuel are you running in your Plymouth ? I know that in my 60 Valiant Wagon I was running gas with Ethanol ,I drove the car a while then shut if down and tried to restart .It was tough to restart the problem turned out to be the gas .I have since changed to Ethanol free gas I don't have that problem anymore. |
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Location: Montreal, Canada | 57DODGECONV - 2017-06-15 7:19 PM
David ,What Type of fuel are you running in your Plymouth ? I know that in my 60 Valiant Wagon I was running gas with Ethanol ,I drove the car a while then shut if down and tried to restart .It was tough to restart the problem turned out to be the gas .I have since changed to Ethanol free gas I don't have that problem anymore.
I will try out some other gas and report back! |
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