Dick Koch's convertible

[Dick Koch]

Just in case anyone is interested, Alan Ralston, well known in the Desoto/mopar circles is now offering the following:

Ad in Nov., Dec., issur Desoto Adventures Magazine.

1947/58/59 Floor Braces and Supports: Seat Guide Reinforcement available now; $75.00 per side. Dies are being made for additional parts.
I plan to reproduce all the parts under the floor pans. Excellent quality reproduction parts. Contact Alan Ralston, P.O. Box 50652, Mendoa,
MN 55150. E-mail desotodriver@hotmail.com. Phone 651-686-8932.

Dick.

[Dick Koch]

John (Big M). - I fogot I will need the complete throttle/kickdown assy. All the way from the carburetor to the gas pedal. Including the firewall bellcrank, the kickdown rod, the gas pedal rod, including the plate (3 bolts) that mounts to the floor pan with the accelerator mounting piece.
Dick.

[Steve Storey]

Dick - I had horrible looking chrome garnish moldings . In desperation I wrapped and glued them in vinyl and was impressed with the results plus its a no burn the arm situation when and if the sun ever comes out here.

[Dick Koch]

Hi Steve - The Garnish mouldings in my Sport Fury's is chrome plated, but the belvedere convertible garnish is painted.
Dick.

[Steve Storey]

Yes-my top of door and quarter window moldings were badly pitted chrome and the vinyl worked out surprisingly well albeit not anatomically correct ..But I see your point-you're good to go with the painted molding on the belvie.

[Dick Koch]

Matthew - According to the Standard Catalog of Chrysler 1914 - 2000.
Plymouth I. D. Numbers: The Serial on my Belvie Convt. is M255104283. Series MP2-M, Body style 27. Factory price $2,814.00 Shipping Weight 3,580 lbs.
M = 1959
2 = V8 engine.
5 = Belvedere
5 = California. The book has no 3 or 4. My red car is M293 and my green car is M294. ???????

The book shows Mfg./assy. plants as follow:
1 = Detroit
2 = Detroit (Dodge)
3 = not listed
4 = not listed
5 = California
6 = Newark
7 = St. Louis, Mo.

What say you.
Dick.

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

Dick, Have you had a chance to order the IBM card info on your convert yet or are you still working on the title part?

I have to convert my Bill of Sale over to a Title very soon or I will have a done car but can't drive it.....

Once I get a title then I can order my IBM card copy and see how my car was put together. Are you going thru the Florida DMV or using a 3rd party source?

John Q.

[rogerh]

1. Jefferson Assembly Plant (Mich.)
2. Dodge Assembly Plant (Mich.)
3. Evansville Assembly Plant (Ind.)
4. Los Angeles
5. Newark (Del.)
6. Plymouth Detroit
7. Imperial
8. Valley Park (St louis), opened in 1960.
My Belv cvt was from Plant 3, the donor SF was from Plant 4.

[Dick Koch]

John Q. - A good friend and a car guy (54 Chev. Convt.) is a used car dealer, he is going to get a title for me, he said all he needs is a shadow copy of the Vin tag and a bill of sale, which I have.
Tell me about an IBM card, how and where do I get one???

Roger - What is the source of your plant list? I'm assuming 1 & 2 are Detroit, please explain 6 & 7.
Thanks,
Dick.

[rogerh]

Hello Dick,
The information was taken from the front pages of the 1959 Mopar Passenger Car Parts List.

"Plymouth Detroit" (#6) a.k.a. Lynch Road, where they built Plymouths exclusively from 1924-1980.
"Imperial" (#7) The 1959 and 1960 Imperials were built at Warren Ave (MI).

If you want to know more about Mopar factories past and present, visit:
http://www.allpar.com/corporate/factories
To order a build sheet, see my post in HOW TO section.

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

Hmmmm. Used car dealer eh? Would he do this for an out of state guy if I pay him? You can get it in your name and I will then for a price of a Diet Pepsi, get it from you...

Just asking if he is interested otherwise I will use one of the internet title companies in Las Vegas or Alabama (I think...)

PM me if he is interested, Doesn't matter who I pay as long as it is legit.


John Q.

[Dick Koch]

Let me ask him. Do you mean have it titled in Florida and then transfer it to Colorado.
Dick

[rogerh]

John, Before you spend any money on some far-off title service, verify with your local bureau as to what they will recognise as legal.
I've heard of people getting titles in Mississippi or somewhere, and then being turned down for a title or registration in their homestate.
The out-of-state title company can't personally inspect your car, so you could easily pull some fraudulent moves. Those companies don't care, as long as they get paid. Colorado may want you to have your car inspected in-state, then you apply for lost title or some such.

My belvedere cvt came from Iowa, with a title. I sweated a bit prior to going in to title it here in WA. I had just spent 15-20K on its blending and restoration but I hadnt thought about how to title it. Would they be sending me to the State Patrol for an inspection? i knew the frame number wasnt related to anything, and I had run the title thru a friend who worked at Oregon DMV who got it titled as a Sport Fury convertible n OR with no inspection. I told the gal at the WA. License Bureau it was a combo-car, and she asked which chassis it had. i said Sport Fury and showed her the OR title. The car had the SF vin plate, but she never came out from behind her desk. I think the OR title did the trick.

[big m]

It is a good idea to get the title in your name before spending much money or time restoring it.

A case in point-
When I had my shop in Reno Nevada in the eighties, a customer brought a '66 Thunderbird in for a laundry list of repairs, that included engine and trans overhaul, brakes, and electrical repairs. The car already had a beautiful, high dollar paint job on the exterior, and the customer bragged that he got it done for $6000. My repair bill came to $6200.

After notifying the customer, a stranger walked in the shop with a deputy Sheriff, saying, "that's my car"

I called the customer up, and he came right down, angrier than all hell, and the officer asked who had the title. The stranger produced a title with his name as legal owner, and the officer told my customer there was nothing he could do, but take the matter to court. The stranger then drove off in the Thunderbird, having gotten basically a free restoration, and my customer was left to pay my bill. He told me that he bought the car in Northwest Reno, where he had spotted it in someone's yard. It must have been stored there by the other guy, but who really knoows?

I don't know if anything else ever occurred with this, as I never saw either of them again.

---John
'

[Denver 59 Fin Convert]

John, Before you spend any money on some far-off title service, verify with your local bureau as to what they will recognise as legal.
I've heard of people getting titles in Mississippi or somewhere, and then being turned down for a title or registration in their homestate.
The out-of-state title company can't personally inspect your car, so you could easily pull some fraudulent moves. Those companies don't care, as long as they get paid. Colorado may want you to have your car inspected in-state, then you apply for lost title or some such.

Roger, Actually I did do that when I purchased my car. I contacted the Montana DMV and they said it had fallen off their computor system due to non-registration.

I had the car inspected here in Colorado by a Deputy Sherrif friend and he ran the VIN thru the Federal System (LEIN) and it came back as no liens and no theft report on it.

This was before I tore it apart. Wanted to make sure before I started the resto. I have done Colo Bonded title on other cars I have picked up thru the years, But it does take a bit of work to do. Just looking for a quicker way to get a title. The Internaional Title Service in Las Vegas does require a law enforcement report before they do their work.

John Q.