Tim,
Once again I will address this dash one 4 door. In the recent posting on
eBay last month, Mike did state that the dash one 2x4 was added by the
previous owner, and he was unsure of the TorqueFlight being a factory
installation. The following is from old e-mails about this car.
I placed an e-mail on the FL list as a response another e-mail concerning
this car in Cars And Parts. After that, Mike (current owner) e-mailed me. I
gave him the history of the car from my firsthand knowledge. It is an
original factory D500 with air, PS, PB, P seat, and PW. I think from the Las
Vegas
area. I saw it in 1985 and was given a ride to demonstrate the difference
with a TorqueFlight and dual quads. The owner then in Las Vegas, Clarence,
and our mutual
friend Ray from LA, both said he put this equipment on the car. In fact, the
dual quad set up was offered to me in 1982 by Ray (I saw it on his dinning
room table), before it was sold to Clarence. (Stupid me, I didn't buy it
because I didn't have a 56 Dodge yet!)
Clarence didn't do it to clone a D500-1, but because he liked the added
performance. I had even once provided a piece of stainless trim for it. A
few years later, Clarence sold it to somebody in British Columbia, who
restored it. That fellow sold it to somebody in Washington state. When he
put it up for sale on the internet about a year ago (2000), a flurry of
e-mails bounced around the ForwardLook list. I said to the FL list the same
things then, and the Washington fellow e-mailed me. I told him the same
story. If he failed to pass it on to Mike, he misrepresented the car,
because he was informed.
Clarence and Ray have both installed TorqueFlights in several retired CHP
D500s back in
the 60' and 70's. This may be part of the origin of the rumored 56 Dodge
TorqueFlight cars in California. It is my guess that the factory never made
a "true dash one" with an automatic tranny or a 4 door. I would assume that
all dash ones were built as special purpose race only cars. The PowerFlight
2 speed automatic does not have the gear ratios and stall converter for good
off the line race starts. And probably not enough durability for serious
racing either, being only air cooled. The factory wouldn't want the slower
auto cars slowing down the image that the manual trans dash one cars built
up. They were the fastest factory cars ever built through 1956. There is
little documentation of what parts went into a dash one, other than the dual
quads, which are the only visible difference. They are not in the Parts
Book. It is generally assumed that all factory dash ones were also equipped
with Imperial brakes (wider drum, bigger bolt pattern, larger studs) and
wheels (wider and stiffer), which were even bigger than the New Yorker 12
inch brakes many D500s came with. And maybe even stiffer springs than the
normally stiffer springs of the standard D500. The dash one exhaust
manifolds were also much better and unique to the dash one, having a 4 bolt
flange to the exhaust pipe and larger ports. The cams were also bigger than
the street D500s. Tim Dupont has the only factory built dash one I know of,
and it is equipped with the Imperial brakes, unique manifolds, big cam, and
manual trans. I've driven it. It's fast!
Dave Homstad
56 Dodge D500
-----Original Message-----
From: Forward Look Mopar Discussion List
[mailto:L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of DupontTim@xxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2001 12:08 PM
To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [FWDLK] Dash One Clone Concerns
Greetings, First of all I would very much appreciate a chat with anyone who
has information concerning the codes for the 56 Dodges used on their IBM
cards (build sheets). Likewise if anyone wants help decoding their sheet I
will give them all the help I can. My inquiry to Chrysler Historical Society
on option codes netted next to nothing. Dennis Kennedy, a 56 Dodge expert,
has many codes, however there were certain codes on my build sheet that are
not known to him. I have asked the list previously and got no response at
all, but some time has passed and maybe new information has surfaced. Well ,
once again I feel compelled to comment regarding the reported D500-1 owned
by
Mike Squires, I have not seen any proof to dispute the information that was
gathered by list members in Titanic proportions (most well before Mike owned
the car) and carrying truly overwhelming weight leading me to believe that
beyond any reasonable doubt it is not in present form or past documentation
a
D500-1. While a very fine and beautiful car Mike is still representing and
selling it as an authentic factory D500-1. Can anyone, please, uncover one
piece of tangible evidence that will support his assertion. All I can say to
this point is, Buyer Beware. What's amazing to me is that only a handful of
list members have expressed there concerns over this. Ask yourself, would
advertised sale of a persistently misrepresented C300, which was by all
accounts incorrect and a probable clone, bring a minimal response from the
members of the list? Should a misrepresented D500-1 clone be viewed
differently? Please Help. Sincerely Tim Dupont
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