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1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find
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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-04 11:05 AM (#564527)
Subject: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Had to share my excitement of acquiring this car yesterday. I had been after this car for 30 years. I saw an older gentleman driving this car on the freeway 30 years ago. I looked for the car for many years later and never saw it again. Then one day about 20 years ago I saw it again on a quiet street in San Francisco as it was pulling into a garage. I was working so I couldn’t stop and talk to the owner but at least I now knew where the car resided. I dropped notes in that mailbox for several years, maybe one every few months. Never a response. I stopped leaving notes about 7 years ago figuring I had annoyed the guy enough and maybe he didn’t even live there anymore. To my complete surprise, he called me a few days ago and said he was moving out of state and wanted to sell the car. He was the son of who I saw driving it 30 years ago. He was 80 years old. The dad had passed away 25 years ago. Anyway I didn’t even know that it was a D500 until yesterday!! The engine has the KD500 designation and the body number is 2586, an original D500! His house was sold and the car needed to be gone. He gave me an incredible deal. It hasn’t run in about ten years so not sure of its mechanical condition. He said the engine was rebuilt “at some point”. The interior was redone in black and red many years ago and still holding up. Black exterior color is original. Below are some photos. He added some glue on side spears that I will try to remove. I still can’t believe that the car is in my garage.

Nick

Edited by Nick Nichols 2018-06-04 11:20 AM




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soiouz
Posted 2018-06-04 11:18 AM (#564528 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Wow! Great story and very good looking car, there Nick!

Goes to show that it pays off to be persistent in this hobby, sometimes!



Good find!
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-04 2:16 PM (#564531 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Congrats. We'll need more photos (and larger photos, < 250 kB max is better than 50 kB) so we can drool on them

There are good photos of D500 engine bays out there, if you look. I know the paint code for the red valve covers.

For example, the air cleaner should be a side-saddle with an oval paper element. I learned that the hard way.

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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-04 3:23 PM (#564534 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Just fired it up, runs like a dream! It does have the red valve covers with the oval air cleaner, side saddle. Very original car. More photos once I get it out of the garage.

Nick
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SavoyPlaza
Posted 2018-06-04 3:54 PM (#564536 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Awesome score Nick! Glad she finally made it to your stable!
Pete
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-04 6:24 PM (#564540 - in reply to #564534)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Nick Nichols - 2018-06-04 3:23 PM
Just fired it up, runs like a dream! It does have the red valve covers with the oval air cleaner, side saddle. Very original car. More photos once I get it out of the garage.
Nick


Fantastic! You are one lucky SOB. Congrats. Don't forget that the brakes are probably all fubar'd.

Based on your data plate, it looks like a March 15th, 1957 build in all Black. I have seen the 230 code here before, I think it is red vinyl based with a cloth insert. I'll search.

It would appear that the codes that you need to have somebody figure out are:

295
406
421
469
485
491
513
535

Here is another 57 D500 IBM card but I don't see too much in common other than the 230 trim code. Somebody will correct me IF I am blind.



Paint Codes:




Edited by 56D500boy 2018-06-04 6:32 PM
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ABloch
Posted 2018-06-04 7:40 PM (#564542 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Congratulations Nick! What a great find!
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-04 8:16 PM (#564544 - in reply to #564540)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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56D500boy - 2018-06-04 6:24 PM

It would appear that the codes that you need to have somebody figure out are:

295
406
421
469
485
491
513
535


This chart created by LD3 Greg (and D500 Neil (RIP)) might help with that:

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CrAzYMoPaRGuY
Posted 2018-06-04 10:00 PM (#564554 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Location: Locked in my Canadian garage....
WOW! Good for you. Gorgeous car.
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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-04 11:28 PM (#564565 - in reply to #564554)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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A few more pics. Brakes are a bit sticky, wheel cylinders probably need replacing
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matt
Posted 2018-06-05 1:25 AM (#564569 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Nice car Nick
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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-05 1:26 AM (#564571 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Sorry, here are the extra pics. Thank you to all with the loads of information about the data plate.



(IMG_0941.jpg)



(IMG_0947.jpg)



(IMG_0948.jpg)



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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-05 1:34 AM (#564572 - in reply to #564571)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Thanks. Now you need to post some engine bay photos.

Based on the brochure interior images, I'm not sure if your original interior was like this red one or if it was a red version of this green one below:





Edited by 56D500boy 2018-06-05 1:37 AM
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arizona mopar gold
Posted 2018-06-05 2:32 AM (#564574 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Welcome to the D500 Club !!!....great looking car...hubcaps are 58...you just need to remove the black centers to make them correct for 57
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big m
Posted 2018-06-05 11:17 AM (#564593 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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What a cool find!!

Congratulations on your persistence in acquiring it!!

---John
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firedome
Posted 2018-06-05 1:51 PM (#564602 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Neat that such persistence paid off, true dedication, congrats!
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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-05 3:41 PM (#564615 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Yes, persistence does pay off sometimes. Similarly, I left notes on my 58 Adventurer for over 20 years and finally the owner sold it to me. I am just glad that I still have the energy and passion(and health) to continue working on the cars and enjoying them.

There was an original owner 57 Plymouth Fury that I had left notes for over 30 years and sadly a drunken driver slammed into the garage of that car and did considerable damage to it. The owner was devastated. She was elderly and quite frail and sadly soon passed away after the drunken incident. She ended up giving the car to her loyal mechanic that had worked on it for many decades. I believe he is getting it back to the way it was before the wreck. A fitting place for the car to end up at.

On this 57 Dodge Custom Royal; I took it for a drive and it drove well, brakes even started to loosen up. After a ten minute drive. the fuel pump started to leak, which was not a big surprise. It is an AC 40321. Can any other pump work on the D500 engine?

Thanks to all for your congrats on me acquiring the Dodge.
Nick



(IMG_4240.jpg)



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DepsilonD
Posted 2018-06-05 4:34 PM (#564619 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Amazing car! Congrats. Send the fuel pump off to Then and Now Automotive for a rebuilt or get on of their kits to rebuilt the pump. Their prices, workmanship, and turnaround time are excellent. http://www.then-now-auto.com/fuel-pumps/
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arizona mopar gold
Posted 2018-06-05 5:01 PM (#564624 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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The fuel pump you need is the Airtex 4280, Only thing you need to do is move/bend the steel line to the carb a bit....but the pump is a direct bolt up...last night i did my 5th 4280 pump install on my latest 57 D500 NY barn find..(not all on the same car...lol)

Edited by arizona mopar gold 2018-06-05 5:03 PM
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-05 5:39 PM (#564626 - in reply to #564624)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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arizona mopar gold - 2018-06-05 5:01 PM
The fuel pump you need is the Airtex 4280, Only thing you need to do is move/bend the steel line to the carb a bit....but the pump is a direct bolt up...last night i did my 5th 4280 pump install on my latest 57 D500 NY barn find..(not all on the same car...lol)


Agree, at least I think I do. I am running a NOS Airtex 4280 on my 1956 315 Hemi (should be much the same as the 57 325 hemi) as per this thread (and this photo of the options that I considered):

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=48369&...

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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-05 5:54 PM (#564627 - in reply to #564615)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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I am intrigued by a couple of things in your engine bay photo:

1. What are the rest of the letters, etc. on the upper rad hose? All I can see for sure is "7196". I am looking for a non-corrugated one for my 56 D500.

2. Am I seeing an alternator masquerading as a generator? Can't make out the "A...E....G" stuff.

Here are a couple of 57 D500 engine bays for comparison (neither is 100% correct, for various reasons) to give you an idea what the engine could look like:







Edited by 56D500boy 2018-06-05 5:55 PM
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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-06 10:55 AM (#564664 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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The letters on the hose are “ECR”. The generator is a generator, not an alternator.

I also had to drop the gas tank. Had a varnish smell. I was running it with a gas can. Lots of crud in tank, will have it cleaned. Question: the o ring in the tank that seals the filler neck looks good but I wouldn’t mind having a spare in case it crumbles when I reinstall the neck. Who sells those? Having no luck searching so far.
Nick
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-06 12:14 PM (#564667 - in reply to #564664)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Nick Nichols - 2018-06-06 10:55 AM I also had to drop the gas tank. Had a varnish smell. I was running it with a gas can. Lots of crud in tank, will have it cleaned. Question: the o ring in the tank that seals the filler neck looks good but I wouldn’t mind having a spare in case it crumbles when I reinstall the neck. Who sells those? Having no luck searching so far.
Nick


I just checked the PN of the seal and found it to be a 1730 096. A Google on "1730096 seal" turned up this:

Mike P - 2006-07-12 8:22 PM

Thought I'd do a follow up on fuel sending unit seal and fill tube O ring for the 57-8 Plymouths (and I believe Dodges).

The large flat sending unit seal PN# 03404451 sold by Chrysler will NOT work with the 57-8 tanks.

The correct sending unit seal is a square cut O-Ring. I was able to find both the O-Ring and the O-Ring for the fill tube at www.collectorsautosupply.com.

The part number for the fuel tank sending unit gasket is 1730096 and the fiil tube O-Ring is 1730087. Both were $8 each and $8 shipping. Considering that no one else I contacted had them and the price of gas I don't think it was bad at all.


I just checked Collectors and they don't seem to have a 1730096. Neither does Len Dawson. Or Mopar Mall/Atlas Obsolete.

You might have to improvise.

Worst case, buy a complete 1704 653 unit something like this one, just to get the gasket:

https://www.moparmall.com/Fuel-Gauge-Sender-Set-for-1957-1959-Plymou...







Edited by 56D500boy 2018-06-06 1:21 PM
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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-06-06 1:17 PM (#564671 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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The 7196 number on the radiator hose is a NAPA number. The underside of the hose shows Napa. And the generator shows Auto Electric Carburetor, a local generator shop
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-06-06 1:22 PM (#564673 - in reply to #564671)
Subject: RE: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Nick Nichols - 2018-06-06 1:17 PM
The 7196 number on the radiator hose is a NAPA number. The underside of the hose shows Napa. And the generator shows Auto Electric Carburetor, a local generator shop


Thanks. I will chase NAPA on that.

See above. I revised my post. I found a complete new sender with fuel inlet filter at Mopar Mall:

https://www.moparmall.com/Fuel-Gauge-Sender-Set-for-1957-1959-Plymou...



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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-07-09 7:20 PM (#566373 - in reply to #564527)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Progress is coming along on my 57 Custom Royal D500. One issue that has come up is finding a good set of valve cover gaskets. The car sat for a long time and the cork gaskets in there were hard as a rock. Needless to say, they were leaking and also overtightened as well. I straightened out both covers very meticulously and got a set of new "Best" cork/neoprene gaskets on eBay. I noticed that the gasket holes didn't line up perfectly with the valve covers but they seemed close enough that I wouldn't have any problems. Wrong!! They leaked. It seems that Best cut the template of the gaskets along the outside edge of the valve covers, not along the the inside edge where the gaskets lay in. Because of this, the gasket kicks out a tad when you snug up the nuts and bolts. I got another set from Olson gaskets in WA state. Same thing, same company, Best. Does anyone know of any other company making valve cover gaskets for this car? I will probably shave the outside edge of the second set of gaskets so they sit in the valve cover properly. I believe this should work. But if anyone knows of another option besides Best PLEASE let me know. I don't like to use the permanent RTV stuff because it's a lot of work to get them off if you need to remove the covers. The irony is that this company called "Best", is obviously not the best. I never had any problems like this back in the old days when Felpro made gaskets for these cars.

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56D500boy
Posted 2018-07-09 8:10 PM (#566377 - in reply to #566373)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Hmm...I used Best's 19021E cork valve cover gasket set when I redid my 315 D500 hemi valve covers.



From my D500 valve cover renewal thread:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=65655&...

56D500boy - 2017-05-23 3:55 PM
Had to get some red RTV to tack the new cork gasket in place in the valve cover. Got that this AM but no new hardware. The nuts are 5/16"-24 and they only had -18 in stainless (or plain). The bolts are 5/16"-18 but 1/2" long. They only had 1" (in SS and plain) and I didn't feel like cutting them down. I will look at a better store on another day. :)


What I remember was there was a "wrong way" and a "better way" with the gasket, involving flipping the gasket over up/down left/right until the holes lined up better. When I finally figured out the best orientation, I ran a small bead of RTV on to the interior lip/flange of the valve cover. Then I pushed the new cork gasket into the RTV and flipped the cover over and put it on the head, over the studs. )I had previously cleaned the heads of any residual gasket material from the old gaskets and then wiped them clean). Then as I tightened down the nuts, I pushed the gasket back under the valve cover where it was trying to push out (in a few areas). I snugged the nuts down but not a gasket-killing amount. One year later and not a drop of leakage and no escaping gasket to be seen.

Bottomline: Don't give up on your Best gaskets.

Edited by 56D500boy 2018-07-09 8:13 PM




(DaveFsD500EngineWithFaked315HemiHeadVinylSticker.jpg)



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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-07-10 1:43 PM (#566408 - in reply to #566377)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Thank you for sharing your system. So you put no adhesive or RTV on the block? I’m still considering shaving off an edge all the way around so the gasket sits down better. I hate altering the gasket though. I also read something about putting the gaskets in the freezer for an hour to shrink them a bit. I did that and it seems to have worked slightly. Hopefully I’ll get a leak free result.
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56D500boy
Posted 2018-07-10 2:06 PM (#566414 - in reply to #566408)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find



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Nick Nichols - 2018-07-10 1:43 PM

Thank you for sharing your system. So you put no adhesive or RTV on the block?


Correct (ish) . I was concerned that if I put a RTV on the head (not the block ) that there would be the possibility of a bit of RTV finding its way into the oil system. So I just put RTV on the inside of the gasket area of the valve cover. In retrospect, I don't know why I didn't just figure out the best orientation and then lay the gasket on the head and then put the valve cover over the gasket. I think I wanted more control and thought that the RTV on the cover and the gasket in the cover before I installed the cover was the way to go. Tomatoe, tomatoh.

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Nick Nichols
Posted 2018-07-10 3:20 PM (#566417 - in reply to #566414)
Subject: Re: 1957 Dodge Custom Royal D500 garage find


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Yes, I meant the head, not the block. Yeah, I like fitting the gasket in the valve cover with the rtv. I’ll give it a shot tomorrow. Thanks!!
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