I am not an expert on 57 Plymouths, but I have seen this car several times
here in Minneapolis and am acquainted with the owner. He claims it is
factory and that he has documented it. I have not asked to see the
documents. The 392 is a very tight fit. Everything under the hood looks like
a factory installation. Nothing looks homemade or altered. The aircleaner is
the major visible unique item. All of the Mopar 2x4 carb performance
packages (300C, D500, Fury, Adventurer) I have seen in 57 had 2 aircleaners,
offset to opposite sides of the engine. This one is very different. It has 2
snorkels on the same side running into a common air chamber, with one oval
filter element. It is black with a very old decal says "Hemi Commando".
Dave Homstad
56 Dodge D500
-----Original Message-----
From: Forward Look Mopar Discussion List
[mailto:L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Marty Stewart
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 9:17 AM
To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Hemi Commando?
Now, I am not sure how the Mopar factories were set up but here's a little
not urban myth story for you. My uncle worked for G.M. Canada for a number
of years. The employees often took advantage of buying cars direct from the
factory. Now, if you had friends in the right places there were some tricks
to be pulled. G.M. had a special area that repaired major assembly line
gaffs that couldn't be fixed "on line". So my uncle ordered a 1971 4 dr
Acadian ( a Canadian Pontiac version of the Nova). He ordered it with a
Power Glide and standard V-8 (307). But it "accidently " got a 6 installed
in the assembly line so it had to go to the repair area. Most guys used
this trick to get a 350, or free a/c or upgraded stereo. He decided a 455
and turbo 400 were more appropriate. In 1971 G.M. had stopped putting big
blocks in the Nova, but they used mounts etc from the earlier models. As
far as G.M. records show and the build records,! the car left the factory
with a base V-8 and automatic, not the upgraded engine that actually went
out in the car. I had a little run in the car when I was young and it was
snappy, though he seemed more tickled with his free A/C. DOn't know what
ever became of the car, but he said there was a small number of the big
block cars made like this. I don't know how the accounted for the missing
engines. Perhaps someone knows if that type of midnight shift stuff was
possible at the mopar factories. Given that the Plymouth cars were the
designate export factories, there was likely a lot of custom building to
suit overseas needs.
Tuff Shift <nitekatt@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Yessir, and I am probably as big a skeptic as you are about it being a
"factory" job. But at least the rumors that it doesn't exist at all, are
dispelled for the time being. That was my only real purpose in mentioning
this.
Karl
>From: "Mark J. Hash"
>Reply-To: "Mark J. Hash"
>To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>Subject: Re: [FWDLK] Hemi Commando?
>Date: Mon, 3 Jun 2002 21:30:29 -0700
>
>Cool car and all, but I'd have to see a copy of the build sheet from
>Chrysler Corp before I'd ever believe it was installed by the factory. . .
>
>Mark mjh
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Tuff Shift"
>To:
>Sent: Sunday, June 02, 2002 4:40 PM
>Subject: [FWDLK] Hemi Commando?
>
>
> ! > Remember the discussion about the '57 Fury/Belvedere with a 392 Hemi
>being
> > nothing more than an Urban Legend some time ago?
> >
> > Well, you'll never guess what showed up at the Mopars in the Park in
> > Shakopee Minnesota this weekend. That's right, a cream colored
>Belvedere
> > hardtop with the 392" 2 4bbl hemi nestled comfortably in the engine
> > compartment complete with official looking decals which read "hemi
> > commando".
> >
> > The owner swears it came that way from the factory. Good show by the
>way,
> > over 400 cars including quite a few FWDLK fins, '56 Dodge D500 Hemi, '57
> > Fury, '58 300D, '58 & '59 Desoto, '58 Plym 2dr Wagon w Fury package, '59
> > Dodge 4dr, '61 300G, etc etc etc.
> >
> > But it was that "Hemi Commando" that really made my day.
> >
> >
> > _________________! ________________________________________________
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