50s De Soto

I just saw a De Soto sitting in a classic salvage yard and it got me
thinking. I need a daily driver. Yes I said it, a daily driver and a
50's De Soto in the same post! I was thinking about picking one up
and doing a partial resotoration along with a modernization. I am no
purist when it comes to cars. I like the modern conviences of todays
cars(powerseats, windows, stereos,etc..), but can a car like this be
made to be a reasonable daily driver? What would it cost? I do all
my own work and would only hire out the final body and paint work due
to the expense of the equipment. I am used to 13 mpg so if I can get
one of these up in the 18-20 mpg then I would be happy. If not, I pay
more for gas but man the style. There is no honda that compairs to a
classic desoto.

I have a Nash that I'm going the same route with.... Modern conveniences
make a big difference in terms of being able to use them... What year is the
Desoto? The early 50's cars aren't terribly desirable, but a late 50s 2dr
hardtop would make a great driver.

Kevin
www.huffreport.com
A Celebration of American Cars, Music and Retro Culture


"PullnOutHair" > wrote in message
om...
> I just saw a De Soto sitting in a classic salvage yard and it got me
> thinking. I need a daily driver. Yes I said it, a daily driver and a
> 50's De Soto in the same post! I was thinking about picking one up
> and doing a partial resotoration along with a modernization. I am no
> purist when it comes to cars. I like the modern conviences of todays
> cars(powerseats, windows, stereos,etc..), but can a car like this be
> made to be a reasonable daily driver? What would it cost? I do all
> my own work and would only hire out the final body and paint work due
> to the expense of the equipment. I am used to 13 mpg so if I can get
> one of these up in the 18-20 mpg then I would be happy. If not, I pay
> more for gas but man the style. There is no honda that compairs to a
> classic desoto.

I don't recall too much about it other than how pleased he was with it... my
grandfather had a '59 DeSoto with all the bells and whistles, which weren't
very many by today's standards. It ran very well with very little
maintenance until he sold it around '68 or so. Those late 50s ChryCo
products could take a lot of punishment, and I'd suspect "updating" some
aspects would be pretty easy, particularly if you have the right car to
start with.

Oh yeah, it's too easy to open the doors from inside when holding the
handles (pulling up opens). Granddad's best friend fell out one day. He was
OK, as the car was only going 15 or 20, but he kicked the windshield on the
way out, so the passenger side had a big spider web crack...

"huffreport" > wrote in message
gy.com...
> I have a Nash that I'm going the same route with.... Modern conveniences
> make a big difference in terms of being able to use them... What year is
the
> Desoto? The early 50's cars aren't terribly desirable, but a late 50s 2dr
> hardtop would make a great driver.
>
> Kevin
> www.huffreport.com
> A Celebration of American Cars, Music and Retro Culture
>
>
> "PullnOutHair" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I just saw a De Soto sitting in a classic salvage yard and it got me
> > thinking. I need a daily driver. Yes I said it, a daily driver and a
> > 50's De Soto in the same post! I was thinking about picking one up
> > and doing a partial resotoration along with a modernization. I am no
> > purist when it comes to cars. I like the modern conviences of todays
> > cars(powerseats, windows, stereos,etc..), but can a car like this be
> > made to be a reasonable daily driver? What would it cost? I do all
> > my own work and would only hire out the final body and paint work due
> > to the expense of the equipment. I am used to 13 mpg so if I can get
> > one of these up in the 18-20 mpg then I would be happy. If not, I pay
> > more for gas but man the style. There is no honda that compairs to a
> > classic desoto.
>
>

So I have done a little more research and I am actually thinking 40's
De Soto. I just love the veloptuous curves that the bodies had.
Something that I can pull the 6 out of and replace it with a
supercharged v6 or a v8. All new suspension with air-ride, and a
custom built cd/dvd player that will hide out of the way so that the
original dash isn't destroyed. I really love the old style cars and I
am hoping that this would be possible for under $10G. Don't laugh I
do the work myself except paint and I can get a great deal on engine
and drivetrain. All that is left is powdercoat and paint which I have
to pay someone for. Is is sacraligous to powdercoat all the chrome?
I don't think so but I don't like chrome.

PullnOutHair wrote:
>
> So I have done a little more research and I am actually thinking 40's
> De Soto.

http://classiccar.chooseyouritem.com...500/14669.html

George Patterson
A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that
you look forward to the trip.

Powdercoat the chrome????? You must be pulling my leg......

Kevin


"PullnOutHair" > wrote in message
om...
> So I have done a little more research and I am actually thinking 40's
> De Soto. I just love the veloptuous curves that the bodies had.
> Something that I can pull the 6 out of and replace it with a
> supercharged v6 or a v8. All new suspension with air-ride, and a
> custom built cd/dvd player that will hide out of the way so that the
> original dash isn't destroyed. I really love the old style cars and I
> am hoping that this would be possible for under $10G. Don't laugh I
> do the work myself except paint and I can get a great deal on engine
> and drivetrain. All that is left is powdercoat and paint which I have
> to pay someone for. Is is sacraligous to powdercoat all the chrome?
> I don't think so but I don't like chrome.

"huffreport" > wrote in message m>...
> Powdercoat the chrome????? You must be pulling my leg......
>
NOPE, I am not kiddding. I just don't like chrome. It looks good on
some cars but not one that I own. I really like a very dark looking
car that draws attention because it is just so evil looking. Chrome
just says flashy to me and that is no where in my heart.

I recall reading of a project where vinyl was stretched around
chrome parts, and vinyl was added to the paint, which was applied
normally to the vinyl-coated metal parts. That way, the finish texture
closely matched that of the bodywork, and the surface didn't crack
when the underlying metal flexed for any reason.

"PullnOutHair" > wrote in message
om...
> So I have done a little more research and I am actually thinking 40's
> De Soto. I just love the veloptuous curves that the bodies had.
> Something that I can pull the 6 out of and replace it with a
> supercharged v6 or a v8. All new suspension with air-ride, and a
> custom built cd/dvd player that will hide out of the way so that the
> original dash isn't destroyed. I really love the old style cars and I
> am hoping that this would be possible for under $10G. Don't laugh I
> do the work myself except paint and I can get a great deal on engine
> and drivetrain. All that is left is powdercoat and paint which I have
> to pay someone for. Is is sacraligous to powdercoat all the chrome?
> I don't think so but I don't like chrome.