Veteran
Posts: 101
Location: Oregon |
PACKAGE DEAL! 1957 AND 1958 PLYMOUTH TWO DOOR HARDTOPS!
BUILD YOUR OWN CHRISTINE AS YOU WANT OR JUST DRIVE
So here is the story. I have a pair 1957 and 1958 Plymouth Savoys two door hardtops. They both are excellent cars in their own right and either is an excellent candidate for a Christine, especially since I have the hard to find parts such as the bumper wings, factory dual quad setup and the Sport tone stainless from a Belvedere or Fury. Please read the details and you will see my dilemma on which one I should fix.
The 1957 Savoy is a beautiful car finished in dark maroon with a black cherry roof. This was originally a white car with black interior. It has the bumper wings on it. This car came from eastern Oregon, a dry climate that is well known for the preservation of cars. It was owned for the last thirty years by a car collector that for fifty years was a certified factory dealer repair shop and highly respected in a rather small community. This was one of several vehicles he owned. Thirty years ago this car was painted, detailed etc. Also, it had a BRAND NEW FACTORY MOPAR POLY 318 installed in it. THIS ENGINE HAS LESS THAN THREE HUNDRED (300) DOCUMENTED MILES ON IT. Over the last thirty years it was only taken to shows and regularly maintained to keep it running and driving correctly. It is equipped with the 1957 FURY Dual Quad setup (correct carbs), but outfitted with the 1958 OVAL AIR CLEANERS. This car is absolutely solid and is a great cruiser. It purrs like the new engine it is and the powerflite shifts perfect. I installed a factory radio that plays perfectly, all gauges etc work. The body is absolutely solid. The only issues on the entire car are a couple of very small ¼ inch bubbles on top of left eyebrow, surface bubbling only. This car is literally rust free. The interior is very nice, but does need very minor stitching at the corner seams of the front seat. Interior is primarily black with some white accents.
The 1957 Savoy is mechanically and structurally the best of the two cars, but it is still a 57 and the 58 is what makes a Christine.
The 1958 Savoy is a very nice car as well. It has the classic red and white CHRISTINE accented paint job. The interior is new, finished in a red vinyl and dark grey fabric interior. Dash, roof etc all in great shape. A professionally refurbished radio plays great. The carpet is a dark color but should be replaced with a red one. The engine is a 318 mated to a 3 speed torqueflite trans that shifts perfect. Engine starts right up and runs great. The two barrel carb does load up a little when it warms up, may be a choke issue or just needs a rebuild, not sure but I drive it around just fine.
Newer tires with the correct hubcaps make this a very striking car. However, I would call this a ten footer as even though the paint looks great, there are a few areas of repair over the years that could have been done better and there is a minor roof ding that needs addressed. The undercarriage is solid and very nice. Rear lower quarters show signs of bondo repair some time in the past and again it could have been repaired better. Still the car is very solid and some would consider it “rust free” (especially those in the rust and salt belts) and is very presentable as it is.
So the problem is, which car to finish? The 1957 has a brand new engine, dual quads, bumper wings and an immaculate body. But if you want a Christine you would have to swap the hood, trunk, headlights etc to make it look right. The 1958 is the correct color to begin with but needs a correct color carpet, some refurb here and there on the body.
My idea was to take the dual quads and bumper wings off the 57 and put it on the 58. But the fact that the engine is brand new in the 57 keeps nagging me and I feel I really should just swap out the whole engine. Now I am getting into some work, swapping two engines, putting the older one in the nicer bodied car, but ending up with a better overall Christine project with the 58. The 57 still is a very valuable car and would be a great cruiser.
I also considered just selling the 58 and buying a 58 hood, trunk, front fenders, rear lower bumper, taillights etc, but then I still have the minor issues of it being a 57, such as the dash mirror location etc. In the end, it is a 57 converted to a 58.
Since I cannot get to the place of just jumping into this I thought maybe I would just offer both the cars up to someone else that could figure it out.
So here it is, if you are interested and want to take the whole enchilada off my hands it is yours for the right price. OR If you offer me the right price for the combination of parts you want maybe I will take the bumper wings and dual quad setup off the 57 and sell it with the 58. I would even sell the 57 without those parts if that is your interest.
Included in the package is a full set of stainless for the side sport trim, not the aluminum inserts as I do not have those, but those are easier to find anyway and there is a reproduction set out there, at least there was for awhile. I also have an extra set of 58 tail lenses, an extra set of 58 tail lenses and bezels and a set of rear dual antennas. The antennas are not factory but are a nice set of reproductions.
I would take $32K today for everything, or I will separate as follows:
1958 Savoy as is: $15,500-includes sport tone stainless and dual antennas.
1957 Savoy as is: $16,500-includes the dual quads and bumper wings.
1958 Savoy with bumper wings, dual quads, stainless $19,000.
1957 Savoy without bumper wings or dual quads, but does have the new factory 318 poly, $14,500.
I am not interested in swapping engines at this point, if I get that far into it I am going all the way.
Someone with more time and energy then I have right now can end up with a couple of awesome cars, just figure out what you want to do.
Feel free to call or text me at 503-804-2457. Thanks, Clif
cars can be seen here:
http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/cto/2688460140.html
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1957 or 1958 Plymouth 2DR HT, One or Both Or?
