Though I was not looking for it, this kinda fell into my lap. Mopar Ricky (Rick Clapham) and I went up to Boulder a couple weeks ago to check out a 2 door 58 Plaza that had been parked in 1987. It was on a small farm in a long Chicken Coop barn like structure. It is a straight 6, 3 in the tree two door. with around 52K on the odometer,
The two sisters who we met had driven it to HS in the 80's and then their Dad parked it in the barn. After a little bit of hangling, I bought it for $800 dollars. Could not pass it up at that price.
I feel like I am cheating on the 59 Forum by getting an 1958 model but I still have my 59 Convert that I will never give up.
Dan, I do like the new look, very up to date look.
I will not do a Christine Clone out of it. but am thinking of taking out the Straight six and find a 392 First Gen Hemi to but in it, or maybe the newer Hemi's as they seem to more plentiful. But I will enjoy driving it around as a Survivor car first. Once I clean out the gas tank and have Mopar Ricky rebuild the carb on it.
I am still working on my 70 Cuda Convertible right now as I have put on new quarters onto it and Rick Clapham has helped me put in the 340 small block and transmission into it. Still needs final paint but that just takes dollars. I had my daughter get married last year and that drained the available cash fund. Here is a Pic of my Cuda Convertible.
Also, Rick Clapham and I are flying out to the Mopar Spring Fling in Van Nuys, CA on 4-15 and 4-16 for the car show and swap meet.
If I can twist his arm...maybe to Carlisle this year. I will take my car out there in 2019 as it is the 60th Anniversary of our 59's!!!
I am also going to change the way I show the 59 Plymouth this year (2018) which I will spell out in my "Colorado Belvedere Convert Progressing" thread or a brand new thread but also here.
Since I had been running the 413 RB 4bbl Golden Lion for the last 4 years and late in the car show season out here, Rick Clapham and I put in the dual Quad 300E intake on he sourced for me from the 300 Club and Rick's rebuilt the Carter AFB carbs I picked up on Ebay a couple years ago and he fine turned them extremely well, a drove on late in the car show season of 2017. Rick also has a set of 300E heads that flow better, that I will put on my car this Spring once we freshen them up a bit at a local machine shop. That will complete the notion that it is a 300E power plant engine.
With that being said, I am going to do a Variation of Tom Fox's theme of " The car that Chrysler should have built" by mimicking an Rumored Drive Train test mule car that might have existed back in 59, of doing what I did in having the largest Corporate Engine available (the 59 300E 413RB Dual quad) in a smaller wheel base car.
Kinda the thought of what would later be the start of the everyday man's muscle car in a lower trim level and smaller wheel base car. Arguably Chrysler was the first 'Muscle Car" maker in 1955 with the Chrysler 300 but it was in a large wheel base, top of the line trim package, The Banker's Hot Rod"! Good for bankers and stockbrokers but the common man needed a big block and a lesser trim level package they could afford. John Delorean's Pontiac Division did this a few years later in 1963 ,(with this same notion I just mentioned) in the 63 GTO and Dodge/Plymouth later did in 1968 (five years later) with the Super Bee/Road Runner Packages in an medium trim line (RM and WM).
Such a notion like this by Plymouth, would have been vehemently opposed by the competing Dodge Division's offering of the D500/D501 high performance cars that Plymouth should not be the performance line leader as it belongs to Dodge . My take is that Chrysler product planning might have (strongly Might) gone ahead with a actual prototype of such a car to show to the Chrysler upper management in Highland Park, of a big engine car in a small wheelbase, lower trim level offering. None of this existed but "What if"..
So I will work on snazzing up the front end of the grill with paint similar to the 300E in a reddish orange accents in that area. And also putting under the Front Plymouth vertical emblem in now a black mesh the "500 Emblem" that I have from a 68 Coronet 500, to make a "One of None" 59 Belvedere "500" with a '59 300E 413 RB 2 x 4BBL Proto-type car that never existed other then in my twisted and dreamy mind.
Well, that is a mouthful of letters and words to describe what I am doing but I will display this car as a "What if" car 2018. It is the only way to explain the 59 300E power-plant in it. And when I bring this to Carlisle in 2019 it will be presented there also, (after I have it repainted next fall) so it will be more presentable to a bigger audience.
I also will be putting back on my Clear Acrylic deluxe wheel that I procured two years ago and the dual antennae's onto the car this winter (also sourced to me by Rick Clapham) and the all important "Matthew Keij painted rear Wheel well skirts. So stay tuned for those changes but wanted to let the Forum know what I was doing for 2018 with my Belvedere convert. I will cut and past this again to the Show Your Ride section when I get some of the changes made to start an new thread.
Comments, suggestions and sarcastic remarks are welcomed but won't be acted on...sorry!
Denver 59 Fin Convert wrote: ↑Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:54 pm
So I will work on snazzing up the front end of the grill with paint similar to the 300E in a reddish orange accents in that area. And also putting under the Front Plymouth vertical emblem in now a black mesh the "500 Emblem" that I have from a 68 Coronet 500, to make a "One of None" 59 Belvedere "500" with a '59 300E 413 RB 2 x 4BBL Proto-type car that never existed other then in my twisted and dreamy mind.
John, you might want to try something like this!
Check out page 4 of the "Forward" article I uploaded here. And if you subscribe to the Plymouth Owners Club Bulletin, look for an upcoming article on the Great Dual Quad Debate, with contributions from Forward Look Frank, Bernie Brouillet and Ed Eckerson. Just sayin'!
I like!!! I can not find any badging like that would say 413 2 x4bbl or 300E Powered. I do have a complete set of SF mouldings and tiffany plates but no 300 stuff unless I buy it from Gary Goers or Year One. IF I do but anything on the rear quarters it will be on a magnetic backing like the "500" emblem for the new, 1 of none, Belvedere 500!
Oh, and I forgot I will be hooking up the 59 Plymouth over the counter dealer AC unit that goes on the drive shaft tunnel and also the recently purchased under-dash RCA AP-1 45 RPM record player that will go above the AC unit for some additional bling. That is once I send it to Forward Look Frank to get it overhauled and the receptacle put on my Plymouth 630 radio that is needed as it needs to play thru the Radios amplifier to work.
