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Expert
Posts: 1267
  
Location: San Antonio TX | Ok, so on my way back from California I took a detour to Denver Colorado to look at a couple 57 DeSotos. The asking price is probably $7500 (owner was on vacation, was shown vehicles by a friend). One 2D hardtop, one sedan. The hard top is 99% complete minus the engine and tranny (trim, tail lights, etc is in trunk and back seat), and the sedan is 99% complete (again, missing trim in car and trunk). Sedan supposedly runs and has a 341 Hemi with basically everything except the air cleaner. Both cars have rust, but the hardtop (the one I plant to keep) is the better of the two, needing mostly just the floors, rockers, trunk, and area around the headlights (plus a few tiny random spots here and there along with a bullet hole in trunklid). The sedan is pretty rusty and infested with mice and wasps. My plan is to transplant the engine and tranny from the sedan to the hardtop, swap the bumpers between the two, swap out the double headlights on the hard top for the singles from the sedan, and part out or outright sell the sedan. The 56 wagon in the pics is not for sale, but the picked over and stripped 56 Desoto wagon I think is. Any advice on this? It seems like a decent buy to me, but I always like a second (or third, or fourth..) opinion on things. Any interest in parts from the sedan (or the whole car) if I do end up buying it? Pics:
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Expert
Posts: 2002
Location: Branson, MO | Looks like lotsa work and lotsa time to me. If you plan to restore to original, you'll need $50K or so plus 10 years of time. If you plan to build a driver that is dependable and fun, go for it. Not as much time or money needed - that's what I'd do.
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Expert
Posts: 1488
Location: New Castle PA | As with many endeavors, unless you really enjoy doing it all yourself, and are capable, it would cost less in the end to just buy a "finished" car that someone else has poured all the time and money into. It's great to do it yourself and have bragging rights, and you'll certainly do it the way YOU want, etc., but when you add up all the costs for parts, chrome, paint, upholstery, etc., it's an expensive task. I like the idea of the driver instead of show car for this. Keep us informed on what you decide. |
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Regular
Posts: 56
Location: Washington, PA | Why do some Desotos have single and others have dual headlights of the same year? Was that an option? |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5006
| keep the dual headlights... offer him 6?  |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Invermere B.C. Canada - Rocky Mountains | For me, as a hobby builder, the best part of having a old car is the building process.
A daily driver to start with,......... fix the rust,.............. but leave the paint for now.
If you get both, I would gladly exchange money for a compete set of trim (4 door will work I think?)
Good luck.
Edited by Old Ray 2017-04-23 10:07 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 873
Location: ALABAMA, HEART OF DIXIE | mikes2nd - 2017-04-23 9:29 AM keep the dual headlights... offer him 6? :) I agree. 6K would be a fair deal for the pair. A driver type refurbish would be the only reasonable way to go. If you want a full restro, buy one done. |
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Expert
Posts: 1737
Location: Hay Lakes, Alberta, Canada | eScore - 2017-04-23 7:15 AM
Why do some Desotos have single and others have dual headlights of the same year? Was that an option?
The dual headlights were coming for the 1958 model year, but not all States/Provinces had approved their use, so the manufacturers offering duel headlights in '57 also had to offer the singles as well. |
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Expert
Posts: 3887
Location: Northen Virginia | yep, 10 years and several thousand of dollars for an original "Not matching" numbers car. 6k seems excessive to me...If this was a 59 well it would be a deal.. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5006
| so you have a bunch of 57 driver shape 2 door desotos for sale for 4000$ with no engine? If so please point to me where this magical forest of two door hardtops exist... |
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Expert
Posts: 2519
Location: central Illinois | The Desoto GregCon was selling is looking even better now. |
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Expert
Posts: 3887
Location: Northen Virginia | I saw a few weeks ago a 57 Imperial 2 door hardtop with a hemi 392 running and driving complete original in great condition with AC for $17K (Just the engine alone worth 6k). Put 10k to this Desoto and let see if you can make it drive, brake, steer and the electrical works. Don't forget also to patch the floors. Imperial and Desoto are different cars for sure, but in my opinion the Imperial will be my choice. I'm sure they are others Desotos out there. Just stash your money and keep looking. |
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Veteran
Posts: 206
Location: Chattanooga | As a good friend and very knowledgeable collector I know advises me every time I ask for his advice on similar projects, "RUN, RUN, AS FAST AS YOU CAN!! |
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Expert
Posts: 1886
| I'd save up more money, wait for a better buy on 1 car. Seems like a LOT of work when you're probably not that far off from getting a car 2-3 fold better for double that price. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5006
| can you weld? can you paint? do you like to work on cars? that is the first questions... |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9653
Location: So. Cal | *If* I had the time to work on another project, which I don't, I would buy it for $6K. '57-'58 DeSoto coupes are hard to find and in good demand. How long do you want to wait for the perfect buy? It may never come. But, as stated, you can expect to do a lot of work to get it where you want it. Personally, I don't like buying cars in "better" condition because I end up re-doing most of what was done anyway, so what was the point of spending more money on it to begin with? So if you have the time and skills, I say go for it because someone else will if you don't. |
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Expert
Posts: 3967
Location: DFW, TX | Two mostly complete '57 Desotos, one a coupe, and one with a running 341, and 90% of people here are saying to run? 
Uhhhh.... what website is this again?!???!!
Asking price is always where you begin the negotiation. If you can get the pair down to 5-6k, it's a fair price. At that dollar figure, you can sell off the parts you won't use and end up with a nearly (or completely) free '57 Desoto coupe with a Hemi.
You'll need to be willing to do most of the work yourself. You'll have a very doable restoration project that is THE pinnacle of Forward Look styling, in great OEM colors.
If you buy them and part one out, I need a pair of front turn signal parking lenses. Thanks! |
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Location: The Mile High City | I saw the sedan a few years ago:
http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=56152&posts=7&highlight=57 De Soto and 59 Chrysler&highlightmode=1#M467266 At the time, the owner said the sedan did not have a title. If you are going to buy an automobile in Colorado, make sure it has a clear title. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 854
| Seems like a Good deal on the pair ,sometime you need to buy something while it is out there instead of waiting ,I say go for it ! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 943
| "Uhhhh.... what website is this again?!???!!"  If it was me I would also offer him 6000, and see what happens. If the 341 really does run ,7500 isn't bad though. These cars are hard to find, in any condition, especially not completely rotted. Correctly restored ones just aren't floating around out there all the time. Red/white is a beautiful and rare original color combination! Hardly ever seen ones that came from the factory that way. I'd have an interest in a few parts too; 57 Desoto parts are always in demand. |
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Expert
Posts: 1267
Location: San Antonio TX | Thanks for the advice everyone. To address a few points,
-I have plenty of time. I don't know how to weld, but I can cut. The floors and rockers can be had online (repro). I mostly concerned about the front clip rust, as that looks like a pain to fix. The car is pretty well disassembled and I was able to look inside the doors, dash, roof, hood, around the windows, the drip rails, and trunk lid. All are solid with just surface rust and a bullet hole in the trunk lid.
-My biggest issue with the deal is that there are two cars. I don't really need the sheet metal on the sedan, and I'm only really interested in the motor and tranny. My truck can't tow two cars (meaning I would either have to ship or make two trips), and I really don't know if selling parts off the sedan would net me enough money to make it worth purchasing.
-As far as restoration goes, I'm not after perfection, matching numbers, or anything like that. I want a driver first and foremost. Rough around the edges is okay with me as long as it runs well. Once it looks decent, I'll probably stop. A little at a time is how I plan to tackle the project, and it probably won't be completely finished for at least 3-5 years.
-@57burb I remember seeing extra lenses in the truck for the front signals. Didn't see how many there were though.
-@Lancer Mike If I remember right, the coupe is titled, but the sedan is not. I'll find out for sure when I speak to the owner on Tuesday or Wednesday.
So after all that, here's the options I'm considering:
-Make an offer on the coupe only and buy an engine and transmission separately.
-Make an offer on the coupe and sedan drive train; the guy owns a shop and it might be worth finding out if he's willing to remove the hemi/tranny from the sedan. I'd also be asking for proof that it runs before doing this just to make sure I'm not wasting my time with an unrecoverable engine.
-One of the people I went out there with mentioned that there might be another hemi lying around somewhere. I'll see if the owner has this and if he is willing to part with it.
-Buy both and slowly part out the sedan, but find a place where I can keep it. My landlord wasn't too keen on the 61 parts car I had lying around, so I'd have to either put it in storage, or find someone willing to buy it after I remove the engine. |
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Advice? Is this a good buy? (two 57 Desotos)
