Nice story; welcome aboard , Robert!
I too, have put 6 'wagon' leafs onto my car, a 57 Dodge, but, they were
direct
take-offs from a 62 Chrysler--except that I retained my car's main-long
leaf, and stacked the wagon's shorter leafs onto it.
This "Daily List Server" is mostly about problem solving and research
questions, as
opposed to the conversation that occurs over on the Forwardlook website.
Are you looking for any specific restoration/repair parts, right now?
Neil Vedder
Bishop, CA
Robert Tittle wrote:
Good Morning Forward Look Members –
My name is Robert Tittle, User Name Colorado Firedome. I joined
Forward Look at the suggestion of Lancer Mike who I met at a Sonic Hot
Summer Nights in Aurora Colorado. I was enjoying the cars when I saw
Mikes ’59 Firedome Convertible cruise by. Wow, it was stunning.
I have a 56 Firedome I have owned since 96. I found her in a Storage
Lot & was able to buy her for the Outstanding Storage Owed, $800. She
had been in storage since 84. 12 year old gas, oil like mud, F speed
rated tires with weather cracks. They quit using the letter ratings in
80, they still held air.
I asked the Counter Guy if it ran & he said, “Let’s find out.” We
jumpered her to my van, squirted a little Starter Fluid down the 2 BBL
& she fired up 1^st time. Lots of smoke at first but she settled down
right away. That was the good news. The bad news was, NO BRAKES.
My buddy & I limped her home, I nearly crashed through the Garage
Door. That started a love affair which has gone on for 14 years. I
refer to the Firedome as “She” because my wife complained I was
spending a lot of time & money on it. I suggested that it was better
than a real mistress & she agreed. At that moment the Desoto became
Delores Desoto.
The first order of business was to get the brakes working. I’m sure
you have all dealt with this issue so I won’t bore you with the
details. I discovered that someone had figured out how to deal with
this, White Post in Virginia. They bored & sleeved the Master Cylinder
& all 6 of the Wheel Cylinders. She can smoke all 4 tires to a stop now.
The next issue was the Transmission. Shifting was slow when cold &
sometimes stuck in Neutral. I located a shop in the area, Classic
Transmission, who would even talk about working on her. It turned out
that the owner’s father-in-law, retired, volunteered to come in & do
the job. It worked great for 10 years. He did say I would be back.
It’s time now, I’m afraid.
I replied to Lancer Mike’s Rapid City thread with details of the last
trip in Delores, 2002. Today she is stranded in my driveway. Stuck in
Neutral & with a stuck Cam follower. I got busy with work & allowed
her to languish, but never forgotten. She calls me everytime I walk past.
In Aurora, you can’t park a car in the street or in your driveway
unless it is Licensed & Insured. I have kept the Plate & Insurance
current, against the day I was able to restart the Project.
I work from home now, I don’t travel as much as I used to & Retirement
is only a couple of years away. I want to get her back on the road
again but I have some hurdles to get over before that can happen.
The 330 Hemi was bored & rebuilt in 00 & now has a ¾ Street Cam &
Carter 4 BBl carb with original Cast Iron Intake Manifold. The Brakes
& Suspension have been rebuilt. 6 leaf Station Wagon Springs really
firmed up the “Floating on a Cloud” ride 50’s cars were so famous
(infamous) for. Thank you Springs & Things. The Electrical problems,
courtesy of Mice & Squirrels, were solved by a period correct Wiring
Loom from A to Z. 3” wide White Walls Radials from Coker Tires look
great & handle even better. The Desoto Hub Caps are so heavy they cut
the Valve Stems under braking. Flat Tires in the morning, I thought I
had a vandal problem. I replaced them with Steel Stems. Problem solved.
I’m looking forward to a more local group than my previous affiliation
& to learning from the members/owners who hang out at this site.
“It’s Delightful, It’s Delovely, It’s Desoto.” - The Andrews Sisters.
“Say the Magic Word & Duckie will reward you with a cash prize.” –
Groucho Marx
Happy Motoring.
Robert Tittle.
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