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1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible
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vashonMike
Posted 2023-04-25 11:34 PM (#629161)
Subject: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible


New User

Posts: 3

I found this car in a garage of a house for sale. I had the opportunity to get to know the owner, helping him weekends to clean up to sell. The car was his go to college cars, parked 1973 in his parents garage when it was made redundant by a Dodge Dart GT convertible that he also still had. I offer to store it for the owner when he sold his house as he had 3 other convertibles plus other cars stashed in several locations and had run out of room. I had restored a 57 Mercedes many year ago rebuilding the engine ordering parts from Germany and had a owned 1957 Chev my first-ish car long story. I offer to help restore it if he wanted to do it in my garage/barn. Time passed..... 5 years and its still in the garage so if wanted the space back I 'd better do something so I purchased it from him and started the clean of 60 years of waterfront garage grime. I was lucky to find the grim had a good dose of oily film offering a little protection from rust and salt water 50ft away. The cars original engine had been removed and replaced with a 1956 New Yorker 354. The the original had mistakenly been sold by his brothers widow and I traced it down only 40 miles away and was able to aquire it. Still looking for a few missing and none repairable parts. Learning lot along the way 





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frwl
Posted 2023-04-26 3:03 PM (#629186 - in reply to #629161)
Subject: RE: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible


Expert

Posts: 1889
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Could you post the data plate image, please?
It is located on the cowl (firewall), just below the power brake booster…

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vashonMike
Posted 2023-04-26 7:47 PM (#629196 - in reply to #629186)
Subject: RE: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible


New User

Posts: 3

data plate



(Desoto plate small.jpg)



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w.weiland
Posted 2023-04-26 8:02 PM (#629199 - in reply to #629161)
Subject: Re: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible


Expert

Posts: 1489
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Location: Lordstown, Ohio		UNREAL!!! NICE!!!
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frwl
Posted 2023-04-27 12:43 PM (#629220 - in reply to #629161)
Subject: RE: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible


Expert

Posts: 1889
1000500100100100252525
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Thanks a lot, Michael!
Here is what I know:

MODEL P – unkown yet
BODY 33 – Fireflite (3) Convertible (3); (Firedome Convertible would have BODY 23)
PAINT 425 – White Body Color with Shell Pink Insert Color
TRIM 561 – White Leather and Pink Cloth Upholstery

TR – blank – Powerflite Transmission as Standard Equipment
HR 5 – Heater MOPAR Model 702 – Hot Water
EC 1 – Electric Clock
FC – blank – Foam Cushion Seats as Standard Equipment
AR – blank – No Rear Center Folding Arm Rest (4 Door Models Only)

S FONO 33 – same as BODY 33 above
SCHED 103 – Scheduled on February, 1956 approximately (SCHED 133 is a March 6, 1956)
BODY NO 1860 – probably 860th Fireflite Convertible built (first was 1001)

EW 2 – Electric Window Lifts
SG 1 – Solex Tinted Glass at all Window Areas
PB 5 – Power Brakes
KI – blank – No Odometer Reading in Kilometers
DM – blank – No Rear Seat Speaker

PS 3 – Power Seat 4 Way
CT 1 – Originally Black Convertible Top Color (currently White Top should be coded “2”)



(Trim Code 561.jpg)



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Fireflite56
Posted 2023-04-27 5:00 PM (#629225 - in reply to #629220)
Subject: Re: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 341
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Location: Wisconsin		Do you also have the serial number from the driver's door jamb?

Just to clarify one point in the decoding, it's 860th non-pace car Fireflite convertible built in 1956. Because the pace cars are different body codes, they have a unique BODY NO.

Regarding the model code "P", pretty much every Detroit '56 DeSoto I have seen is either "P" or "TP". My best guess is that this correlates to it being a DeSoto.

Regarding the "DM" code, I was under the impression that was for "Dual Masts (Antennas)" as I have seen code 7 here on dual antenna cars and that's the code for that option. I could be wrong on this, but most codes are lower numbers, so 7 is pretty unique. Being standard equipment on a convertible, this code may not have been filled in.

Congrats on locating the original engine and the progress you have made so far!
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vashonMike
Posted 2023-04-27 5:41 PM (#629226 - in reply to #629161)
Subject: Re: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible


New User

Posts: 3

thanks



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Fireflite56
Posted 2023-04-28 11:42 PM (#629244 - in reply to #629226)
Subject: Re: 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Coup Convertible



Extreme Veteran

Posts: 341
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Location: Wisconsin		Thanks - I just checked the registry and I have your car already listed, but I also noticed that the next sequential serial number after yours also still exists. It's a mostly black with white sweep Fireflite convertible. Here's a link to a recent auction it sold in: https://www.mecum.com/lots/528643/1956-desoto-fireflite-convertible/
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