Growing up in the 60s we had a 4 door finned Desoto that was 2 tone, coral and white. We would up load 7 of us and go from Minnesota to the east coast on family summer vacations to my grandparents in Maryland and other destinations in other years. Great memories for all.
My dad's friend had a Desoto, he opened the garage door one day, heard a bang and the Desoto leaned to one side. The torsion bar picked that exact time to break.... thanks Steve another interesting episode!
@@eugenepiurkowski6026 That's funny. Same thing happened to MY Dads '58 Plymouth too! My brother still has the torsion bar and uses it for chopping ice in the driveway.
@@eugenepiurkowski6026 Wow, ouch!. It likely woulda snapped at some point. I'd love to know the percentage of '57s & '58s that broke. It was a problem with the metallurgy I think got rectified by '59, though they can still break after then but rarely.
Same thing happened on my ‘66 Newport convertible, while I was driving! It leaned to one side and ripped the exhaust Y pipe apart but it kept going and made it home.
@@danh2134 They had a form of rustproofing back then, but it wasn't as good as it is today. Typically, the rubber undercoating they used (which was the only underside protection) would get brittle with age, break off, then the car would start to rust as you see here.
When I was very young, we would drive to my grandparent's camp on the lake in the summer and there were lots of old farms along the way with a lot of very old cars, pickup trucks and big old farm trucks sitting out in the fields and some near the barns. In one field, all by itself, was a '57 DeSoto, with the rear end facing the road. The car sat there for decades. Years later, when I was of driving age, I went up there and kind of trespassed into the field to take a very quick look at it. I just had always wanted to see it up close. I had my Polaroid camera with me and took a photo of it (I don't know whatever happened to the photo). It looked like it was complete. It was a very cool looking car. I would imagine, like most situations back then, it was a small mechanical issue and the car was parked for good. And back then there were probably no laws against unregistered cars on your property, or if there were, they were not enforced like they are now. One day, I went up there again and I knocked on the door of the big, run down farm house and this beautiful girl answered the door. I asked her if the DeSoto was for sale. She said she wasn't sure, or something like that, so I gave her my phone number and asked if they would please call me if they decided to sell it. Some time went by, and one day, my @sshole landlord calls me out of the blue and (sounding very confused and shouting obscenities at me on the phone) says that there's some guy out here and he wants to know "something about .. a CAR"... He sounded furious! (I guess he thought I was having the guy dump an old car onto his precious, manicured property). Anyway, this guy had bought the DeSoto but he only wanted the engine (I have no idea what was under the hood), which he had already pulled, and wanted to know if I wanted the rest of it. I asked him how much for the body (which was all I wanted anyway) and he says $50. I told him I wish I could, but I just moved to this God forsaken place so I have nowhere to store it and that he should really get the hell out of here before we both get the hammer dropped on us by my greasy hair landlord.The guy took off and I never saw the DeSoto again. Some time later, I had driven by that field. It sure looked different without the old DeSoto sitting there.
Looks very similar to the 1957 "Miss Belvedere" (Plymouth Belvedere) that was unearthed in 2007 after being buried in the Tulsa, OK town square in 1957 to commemorate 50 years of statehood. They look to be in similar condition. LOL. The 1957 Fireflite had the engine prefix of "S26" and they were either made in Maywood (Los Angeles), CA with a serial number starting with 62,053,001 or in Detroit, MI at 8505 W Warren Ave Dearborn, MI 48126, in such case the serial numbers started with 50,306,001. The Maywood plant operated until 1971. Mr. Exner was instrumental in the development of the Stutz prior to his death in 1973. No, Chrysler had torsion bars on rear wheel drive cars through the late 1980s (1989) with the "M body" cars (Gran Fury, Diplomat, 5th Avenue and Caravelle sedan for Canada), and yes later into the 1990s on the trucks, such as the Dakota. This would be code "A" black exterior paint, Ditzler code 9000.
As soon as I saw the DeSoto, I thought of one of my favorite automobile ads.... " This baby can flick it's tail at anything on the road!" I saved that ad from an old National Geographic magazine over 30 years ago. Glad to see it featured in the Exner book. And, great job, as usual, Steve!
We have one up in NH thats been in the family since new, a '57 Firedome sedan. It needs a restoration but it's overall complete with the original Hemi. As far as the trim piece on the door and "hokey" construction, I would say that's a trait of the era where things weren't as refined in any brand. I would not be surprised to see exposed trim screws on an early BMW.
When I was a kid a neighbor had one, he worked for Chrysler as a pattern maker. Remember in winter the exhaust steam would come out the bumper, thought that was very cool
Another GREAT video by Steve Mags. My wife sent me a picture of a car she saw at the gas station on Friday September 2nd and asked me if it was Christine from Stephen Kings book/movie of that title. I said almost but was not sure of what it was exactly. She was too far away to be able to read the name on it. But I knew it wasn't Christine from the tail lights. So she said it must be her "tarty" little sister running around topless ( it was a convertible car ) And today I see this video. I yelled at her to come see. It's almost like when you never pay attention to a particular model of car until you own one yourself, then you see them all over. Any way, Thank you again for doing the Junk Yard Crawl in the heat to bring us these GREAT vids.
The "Fire Sweep" had the shorter wheelbase it shared with the Dodge, the Dodge looking hood, and a Dodge 325 poly V8. In 1957. Check out the RU-vid video from the era where the sales office is telling DeSoto dealers to push "the 'Sweep" in their sales efforts.
My Dad had Two 58 DeSoto. One was a Fire flight 4 door pink and white, and the other was a two door I believe Adventurer ( wasn't born yet). He made comments about that being his favorite car to drive.
I wish nothing but success for Steve and his channel here on RU-vid. It really irritates me that Motortrend didn't stick with Steve and Junkyard Gold. Just think of how many failures Motortrend has put on TV in the last year, and they couldn't stand beside a proven commodity like Steve. Junkyard Gold was simplistic nostalgic and never failed to bring back memories of a bygone era in Detroit. The theme of the show was truly fantastic
I love the taillights on these Desotos, more than even the iconic Fury or 300’s. But if I remember correctly not all states allowed quad headlights back in 57, so depending on the state it was sold in even the top trim came with either a filler panel or a marker light in it place
"Well its got some corrosion..but it could still be ok." is what i was thinking right until you leaned on the rear fin Steve... Oof that car is rotten. Still love to get my hands on it though 😂
@@SteveMagnante Steve sit down for this... my grandfather came from Italy. He was an arborist not a mechanic. When his rocker panels developed rust holes....he filled them with mortar! We joked he'd never get stuck in deep snow in NY with all that extra weight. True story.👍 Lol
Gotta like how some cars rust away different than other cars,that one rusted away under the doors, Some rust the trunks, or fenders and Quarter panels, and other panels last a long time, and the wheel cover looked perfect,great video
A lot of water traps in 57 Mopars due to them skipping an entire development generation. Suddenly it’s 1960, but by 1960 rot was already beginning to set in if you lived where they salted the roads.
Having a Hemi sealed many of these car’s fates early on, within a few years their engines had been pulled to drop into dragsters and the rest of the car was junked. Hope someone saves the glass and chrome on this one, it’ll fit virtually any four-door Mopar from 1957 to ‘59.
@@CycolacFan possibly, but not the same doors. I know that the Plymouth quarter panels were shorter, the roof may have been too. Oddly, while Dodge and Plymouth shared door structures, Dodge had recessed door handles while Plymouth had refrigerator style handles so the door skins were different. Also, Dodge and Plymouth had steel upper door frames, not extruded aluminum.
@@danielulz1640 outer details were almost always different but I believe it’s the same basic structure underneath, wagons rode a longer wheelbase and Imperial tended to go their own way but I believe coupe glass fits any coupe, door frames are same size, sedan glass fits any sedan etc.
Absolutely love a DeSoto! I knew someone in high school who's stepfather had a pink one in their back yard. Virgil was truly a visionary, I wish I was alive back then just to see the new models as they came out.
I always knew of and liked these De Sotos since I was a boy as I have a Dinky Toy model of one finished as a cop car in black and white. Front torsion bar suspension was also on the Jaguar E type I used to own.
@ Daniel Salyers , you mean that he wasn't mentioned in your history classes?🤯 Decades ago, when I was in school, De Soto (and many other explorers) were taught about. At least in the school that I attended. But that WAS during the 1970s, and early 1980s.
@@danieljay247 interesting.😎 And thanks for the reply. I knew that schools began teaching differently, sometime during the late '80s to early '90s. My youngest is 31. And I recall that (even though he attended the same school that I once had), there was already a lot of topics that were no longer being taught, that were being taught in my era.
Desoto followed Chrysler’s theme of pioneer-influenced naming. Plymouth obviously being named after Plymouth Rock/Plymouth colony, significant in the founding of America as we know it today
I'm a big fan of the fins. My youngest daughter whose 32 is just like her dad she loves the fins,her favorite is the 59 Cadillac with the big find and bullet taillights. Me love any of the cars with the fins. Hate to see such a classic die like that.
Wow not much left to the poor old girl...what is left seems to mostly be above the beltline...some unobtanium trim. Even the four door sedans of the Foward Look era had some streamlining to them...it wasn't all tall roofs with upright posts like Ford and GM. I saw a custom '59 Imperial sedan which really highlighted the swept design of the pillars...it was drop dead beautiful
In the U.S. and Canada, the plural of the noun antenna is antennae when the word denotes the flexible sensory appendages on insects and other animals. But when the word refers to a metallic apparatus for sending or receiving electromagnetic signals, American and Canadian writers usually use antennas. from Grammarist
I remember in the sitcom “Happy Days” patriarch Howard Cunningham made reference to the family car, a DeSoto. Don’t recall ever seeing the car, but I would suspect based on how it was presented, it was one of the earlier flathead six versions. My late granddad had one of those parked in his collection - late 40s or very early 50s as I recall - though I wasn’t terribly interested in it old four door sedans at the time.
Yes. It was from around 1948. It was a big tall stodgy looking sedan. The links below DeScribe the model as a Suburban, a body style that had what we'd call a hatchback rear today. The car was featured in an episode where Richie ends up being challenged to street race. The Fonze of course comes to the rescue by hot rodding the DeSoto. They don't give the details of the modifications. The highlights of this episode are on RU-vid.
@Sombra In the intro for the show, they showed the car every week. A blue tub with the whole family in it I think. I'm about 100% sure you can find that opening on YT.
Man that's about as bad as I've ever seen rust eat a car...... sealed the doors to the body, and the entire side of the car separates and flexes from the chassis when you pull on them lol
Our family car was a Desoto when I was born, if I had to guess I'd say it was a 57 Fireflight, but can't swear by it. Dad traded it off when I was 2 or 3, but due to the pics I've found the two chrome knobs on the front bumper is the only thing I could go by. 😁 Like I said I was very young, but Dad was washing the car one day, and as he was wiping it down I went to the front and started, rubbing the chrome knobs like a pair of boobs, and he grinned a little, shook his head & said don't do that. 🤣 Of course being that young I didn't get it, I was just playing around.
Thanks Steve!! After seeing the non-existent floor pan, the Flintstones theme tune is stuck in my head!! Flintstones,.. meet the Flintstones, They're the modern stone age fam-i-ly, from the,.. town of Bedrock, Their a place right out of his-tor-y!! Now you do too! 🤣 ✌️from Iowa
Oh and by the way!! I will be in OKC for a few days the week of the 1st? Hope to meet you in person!! Thank you again for all of the knowledge shared with us peasants!! 😉
There is a 57 Firedome Sportsman 2 door hardtop in the woods behind the house I lived in in Mass. . Not much left of it now but it was a beautiful car when it was new . Property owner dosen't know why it was put there but it has been in place since the mid 60' s . Original Mass. car with the single headlights .
Hello Jim C, I saw the trunk key too but when I twisted it, it was stuck and the decklid remained sealed despite some gentle prodding. These cars aren't mine so I never bust 'em up to get the goods. Anyhoo, THANKS for writing, Steve Magnante
I always found styling on things like door handles and trim on the off- brand cars to be some of the most profound pieces in Automotive History like the door handles on this car would look great on another hot rod that might have had cheesy looking handles
Those 57 - 59 Desotos made for some wild customs. Google it. (my last comment included a helpful link but was summarily deleted). But who knows, the upper portion of the rear quarters and fins and that deck lid are still usable and could still find a new life.
IIRC, those DeSoto Hemi engines used the poly block. If you had the Hemi heads and entire valvetrain from camshaft up, you could bolt them on to any LA block up to a Magnum. All that's needed is to add an oil drain system from the heads to the oil pan, just like bolting poly heads onto an LA block
The way this one is rusting it too will be missing as it gives itself back to the earth. What a beautiful car though. You can tell it has been of the road for at least 50 years based on the design of the tires. My dad had a friend who had one of these at his home. It had been rear ended hard . Could have been an Adventurer, not sure because it has been 48 uears since I saw it which was only one time. It was a four door sedan and had every option that you could have. AC, power windows, seat etc.
My wife’s Uncle had a beautiful Desoto. Turquoise & white. All I saw was pictures. It was his car cruise baby up until he passed in 2012. No idea what happened to it.
The DeSoto was a victim of the the short lived 1958 rescission and the country's rejection of bigger is better attitude of Detroit at the time. This is around the time that Volkswagen started making real inroads into the American auto market along with Peugeot and Renault and suddenly cars like DeSoto became superfluous and even the GM reintroduction of LaSalle was cancelled . When Detroit iron got so big they wouldn't even fit in standard home garages people had enough.
Above the windshield a 2 inch brow was added for 1957. This did not help the top speed of Chrysler products in NASCAR and the rules did not allow removal of it. To make matters worse, there was not much in the way factory or private sponsorship of Chrysler products in those years.
With the block off plate on the dash by the glove box where the clock was installed. And the horn ring center missing it was probably had a Benrus steering wheel clock that wound itself while driving.
Wow. I actually have a '58 Fireflite 4 door sedan in slightly better shape. The hemi is nice, but I like the 361 that's in mine. B motor parts are easier to come by, in my experience.
