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58 Firedome Sportsman
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FIN ME
Posted 2016-01-09 4:11 PM (#500573 - in reply to #499629)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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57desoto - 2016-01-01 6:14 AM

The front fender insert is correct for a '57, and apparently, for a '58. It was just a way for the assembly line to save time. The whole front fender is painted a solid color, and then an insert of the correct color to match the "sweep" on the rest of the car was just inserted in place. When you restore the car, if you want it to be correct, do the same thing (and don't paint that "space", just the insert).



I had the front fender inserts installed on my '57 (thanks, Ed), but it took some doing to convince the painter that it was what was DONE back in the day. I could tell that he thought that I had finally succumbed to a bad case of restoration delirium. LOL






Edited by FIN ME 2016-01-09 4:12 PM
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-01-11 1:01 PM (#500697 - in reply to #500570)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: The Mile High City		Sorry to hear it left you stranded, but the + side is you have it running and driving!

My Firedome is sans-insert. Even though they are gently used these days, metal on metal seems like a good recipe for rust!
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-01-11 8:49 PM (#500781 - in reply to #500697)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		That's a good point about the rust Mike. One of mine is rusted through in a couple of spots. I hate to look and see what's behind it. But it is kinda neat to have an original thingy (technical word) in there.
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57desoto
Posted 2016-01-12 7:53 AM (#500812 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: New Castle PA		I made my "thingy" out of a piece of stainless. Of course, the FENDER can still rust behind it, but at least that helps.
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-04-28 12:43 PM (#510422 - in reply to #500812)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I replaced the fuel sender and got the gauge working, and have just been driving the car everywhere - including spring fling. So I haven't done much to it lately. But my wife is getting more and more resistant to riding in it without seat belts, so that will be coming next. I put together this ad from 2 Desoto ads just for fun. I am thinking of maybe making a tee-shirt out of it.

Edited by Powerflite 2016-04-28 12:44 PM




(Desoto With Style Ad.jpg)



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Attachments Desoto With Style Ad.jpg (181KB - 233 downloads)
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2016-04-28 3:54 PM (#510434 - in reply to #510422)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: Wild Wonderful		Good job. I love it. That would make a pretty neat shirt.

Edited by 58DeSoDodge59 2016-04-28 3:56 PM
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-05-25 9:49 PM (#512425 - in reply to #510422)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I welded seat belt mounts to the floor over the weekend. These nice brackets came with the cheapest garbage nuts that I have ever seen. It was an extra-thin, coarse thread nut with only 3 threads in it and really loose tolerances. The bolts wobble in them a good 20 degrees. Great choice for a seat belt mount! So I cut them off and welded grade 8 fine thread nuts to it instead. Much better. The floors seem mostly good except in a couple spots, but I am going to just put it back together and drive it for a while yet while I work on other projects. I will probably replace the inner rockers on it next, which are totally shot along with the ends of most of the floor braces. Looks like more of my money will be converted to Finnish Euros!



(SeatBeltMounts.jpg)



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Attachments SeatBeltMounts.jpg (140KB - 241 downloads)
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-06-08 4:37 PM (#513609 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I installed speakers in the package shelf using original grilles. Now I just need a working radio to play them! Feels good to drive it again with with the seatbelts installed.



(Package Shelf.jpg)



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Attachments Package Shelf.jpg (90KB - 223 downloads)
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-06-08 8:22 PM (#513630 - in reply to #513609)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: The Mile High City		Very nice!
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-06-08 9:08 PM (#513638 - in reply to #513630)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		Thanks! Except for my filthy window
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-07-10 3:22 AM (#516331 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I just finished converting the car to Scarebird 12" disc brakes. These brakes work very well and I have been really pleased with them. Now I have to run 15" wheels, but I think it's worth it. I am currently using '55 Desoto hub caps with my wheels, but if I can figure out an easy & cheap way to adapt the original '58 caps to the 15" wheels, I will try to do that.



(Scarebird Disc Conversion.jpg)



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Attachments Scarebird Disc Conversion.jpg (141KB - 205 downloads)
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-08-17 12:56 PM (#519230 - in reply to #516331)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I took the family cabin camping at an extended family reunion in San Diego last week in the DeSoto. My older relatives thanked me for bringing back the memories :). It got quite dusty from the dirt roads but performed very well. I am running 15" blackwall radials with '55 DeSoto hubcaps on it to clear the new disc brakes. I decided that this car was about to get ugly with all the rust repair work needed on it, so I am not going to purchase expensive whitewalls for it until the work is finished.



(In San Diego.jpg)



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Attachments In San Diego.jpg (206KB - 195 downloads)
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-08-17 3:15 PM (#519239 - in reply to #519230)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: The Mile High City		Always great to see a roadworthy De Soto! Good work!
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-08-17 7:41 PM (#519255 - in reply to #519239)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		Thanks Mike! I hope you are enjoying your car even more than I am mine. Here is a video for you from the ride home. I think I need Dennis to do his magic to my radio so it's not so quiet in there

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5GrfgJcS7w
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-08-17 9:16 PM (#519262 - in reply to #519255)
Subject: RE: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: The Mile High City

Good looking kids, good looking driver, good looking car at highway speeds! Totally awesome, Nathan! That's the sweet stuff! Dennis is the man for those radios. You can't go wrong.



Edited by Lancer Mike 2016-08-17 9:18 PM
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big m
Posted 2016-08-24 12:33 PM (#519699 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: Williams California		Nice video, Nathan!!

You've done a lot on the car since we visited you earlier this summer.

---John
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-08-29 12:32 PM (#520093 - in reply to #519699)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		Thanks John & Mike. Yep, quite a bit of work, but it has been a lot of fun. I have resisted tearing it apart too much so that I can keep it as a driver for as long as possible....
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-08-29 2:21 PM (#520101 - in reply to #520093)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: The Mile High City		Nathan, I like those '55 De Soto wheel covers! The '58 wheel covers were ok, but nothing to write home about. The '55s are an improvement.
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-08-29 2:48 PM (#520106 - in reply to #520101)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I do too Mike. I think they look a lot better than the 15" '56 covers too. I am going to repaint the "DeS" in the center a gold color to make them stand out more. But the original '58's were starting to really grow on me so that if I could get a set of 15" versions, I would probably use them.



(1955-55-Desoto-De-Soto-Hubcap-Wheel-Cover.jpg)



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Attachments 1955-55-Desoto-De-Soto-Hubcap-Wheel-Cover.jpg (30KB - 188 downloads)
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-11-01 11:46 PM (#525041 - in reply to #520106)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		I noticed that the fuel mileage was suffering and then I started smelling fuel whenever I stopped. So I pulled over and saw the pump spewing fuel out of the back of the housing. I've never seen a newer style pump fail this way, weird.

I hate fuel problems. I just see money evaporating into the atmosphere and down my lungs, but at least it cleaned off the bottom of my motor.



(SpewingFuel.jpg)



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Attachments SpewingFuel.jpg (151KB - 203 downloads)
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DieselJeep
Posted 2016-11-20 12:28 PM (#526698 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Love the vid of you cruisin the highway in the Desoto!

Is that HWY 4?

I can't wait till I can do the same thing (after 3 months of nasty weather, and a scarebird kit).

Awesome, Nathan!
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-11-21 2:54 AM (#526744 - in reply to #526698)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		Thanks! Not hwy 4, it is I-15 around Escondido.
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big m
Posted 2016-11-21 11:28 AM (#526760 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: Williams California		Usually those crimped pumps will spray fuel out the weep hole [vent] and also allow gasoline into the crankcase when the diaphragm fails. I'd pull the oil dipstick to see if your oil smells like gas.

---John
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KcImperial
Posted 2016-11-21 11:54 AM (#526761 - in reply to #525041)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Powerflite - 2016-11-01 10:46 PM

I noticed that the fuel mileage was suffering and then I started smelling fuel whenever I stopped. So I pulled over and saw the pump spewing fuel out of the back of the housing. I've never seen a newer style pump fail this way, weird.

I hate fuel problems. I just see money evaporating into the atmosphere and down my lungs, but at least it cleaned off the bottom of my motor. :bleh:

If it makes you feel better, I had the same happen last month to the fuel pump on my '68 383. Smelled fuel then saw a steady stream spraying out from the backside of the pump. Slapped on a new one and it lasted exactly 4 days before leaving me stranded on the road. I have a horrible time with anything fuel related - carbs, pump, hoses, etc are constant R/R items. I blame the crappy Ethanol junk we get in my area.

Nice Desoto! Congrats on getting it roadworthy!
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b5rt
Posted 2016-11-21 12:17 PM (#526762 - in reply to #494745)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: central Illinois		That video is cool, shows some crappy modern cars and your kids indifference.

I put a new fuel pump like yours on to fire my new engine, now I'm rebuilding an NOS pump with an ethanol friendly kit from Then and Now. Hoping it works!
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-11-24 1:37 AM (#527037 - in reply to #526762)
Subject: Re: 58 Firedome Sportsman



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Location: So. Cal		Thanks for the tip John. I checked my oil and fortunately, no fuel smell.

Don, it lasted 4 days? That really stinks. I hope mine has better luck. So far so good. But Greg's plan of rebuilding an older pump to be ethanol ready may be a pretty good idea.

Yeah, Greg, my kids have grown up riding in these old cars since they were toddlers so they really think nothing of it. And unfortunately, they show little interest in them.

Edited by Powerflite 2016-11-24 3:09 AM
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