|
 A Big Thank YouJump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
| Forward Look NON-Technical Discussions -> 1955-1961 Forward Look MoPar General Discussion | Message format |
Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
    Location: Parts Unknown | Johnny's Auto Wrecking used to sit along the old Woodinville-Duvall road. Over the hill behind the shop a road ran east and west with three roads then branching north up the hill toward the back of the yard. On the most easterly road, up near the crest of the hill sat two finned Plymouths. I knew little about old cars back then, even less about Plymouths, but these two cars caught my attention and many times I leaned up against a car across the aisle and studied the details of each. I would later learn one was a 57 Plaza 4s, the other a 58 Belvedere 2HT, but back then all I saw was one had quad headlights and a matching grille above and below the bumper, the other looked kinda goofy to me, ... like someone had put a home made grille in the lower part and added a strange parking light where the inside headlight was supposed to be. I find this memory funny, because it shows how little I knew about these cars back then. I had just got my driver's license and my "new" 60 Buick had me on the fast track to learning all about them. That 60 Buick led me to all sorts of backwater wrecking yards that kept the oldies around. The next big find was Ray's Auto Wrecking out near Silver Lake, south of Everett. Unlike Johnny, Ray stacked his cars, in some places 5-6 high. Massive columns of cars, all tottered against each other, one could climb into the pile and snake through the air space between the cars for hours. I don't think I was sure I had seen them all even after years of climbing through them. Up toward the front of the high pile, in the center of the yard sat a 60 Invicta that I took a flawless interior out of. It sat near another one of those cool little Plymouths, this one a 58 Plaza 4s in a pretty light green. As time went by, so did the interest in Buicks and soon it was all about Mopars. The little Plaza at Ray's proved to be an interesting car, as it was a real stripper that no one had touched because it had none of the desirable parts or options on it. It also was a scary car to mess with, as it sat under 3-4 cars, on the bottom of the pile. But for whatever reason, Ray had left a small open space near that column and one could actually step back and look at this car from the driver's side. I took a real shine to this car, even though it was hopelessly buried under a mountain of cars. Back then, no one wanted a sedan. Certainly not a seafoam green one, but there was something very charming about this car. Back then my big chase was for the 58 DeSoto ragtop I have had for years now, but that little Plymouth always stayed in the back of my head, thinking if I ever came across a Plaza like that, I'd buy it. I even began to think about it seriously enough that I returned to Ray's to retrieve the body tags off that Plymouth and build one from scratch, only to find a housing development where Ray's had been. I was bummed. I fell victim to the bad attitude that sedans weren't worthy of making any special effort for, and that little car and all those unique parts found on an el Strippo were gone forever. Fast forward 30 years from when I first noticed that car and BINGO! http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=35685&... My interest in el Strippo cars has grown even more over the years, and something like a dumpy black- walled four door sedan in puke green with dog dish hubcaps has sounded better and better with every passing year. It pays to make your interests known, and I want to thank all my friends here on the forum for a lot of laughs, pleasurable hours wasted, and in this case, a big thanks to David for posting the above eBay listing, as I came out on top with the help of my dear wife on the bid key, and this toady little green Plymouth will be coming home to my house and saved from becoming a parts car or painted red and white. It will be preserved as a nice example of those cars so shunned and overlooked by the car hobby that favors flash and glitter. Big M has offered help in staging the car until I can get home from Afghanistan. Thanks John. The timing could not have been worse. How to buy a car from a dusty outpost in the Afghan desert with only occasional chopper traffic ? I guess this will all be part of a great history to go with the car. Again, thanks all. Doctor DeSoto / (Professor Plymouth?)   | ||
| |||
| Lancer Mike |
| ||
 Location: The Mile High City | Alrighty, Professor - first off, a sincere congratulations. Now for some ribbing - I feel like the Dennis character in Christine. Everytime he would say "Hey, I tried to talk him out of it!" Everyone who heard the line had a snappy comeback along the lines of "you should have tried harder."  | ||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | Why ? Because it is a sedan ? ... a real bare bones stripper sedan in a color typically considered ugly ? ... because you know the feeling of owning "too many" cars ? ... or just cuz the line from the movie works well ? Funny thing is, I have been doing finned cars for so long now that I have seen them viewed as nothing but hideous eyesores by the public at large, to now where they are highly appreciated and can bring serious coin. I like this car because it is the extreme opposite of what my DeSoto is. The Fireflite likely occupied a front row spot in the window at the dealer showroom. The Plymouth was probably hidden on the back lot and only shown to the ultra frugal prospect who came in with no money. The two will look very good together. | ||
| |||
| jaggerman |
| ||
Veteran Posts: 168 Location: Leeds, England | |||
| |||
| di_ch_NY56 |
| ||
Expert Posts: 1530  Location: ZH, Switzerland | Dear Doctor Big congratulation to your new aquirement! It's a stunning car with a history. A very rare 4s, absolutely stock and low opt. I appreciate your plan to keep it as a good wittness of time. Most of the cars like this wonderful green Plymouth all around the world were used out of the show room with an absolute minimum of maintenance, no care about growing rust and ran until they died. You received a graduation from Doctor to Professor - Big congratulation! Happy motoring! Dieter | ||
| |||
| Great Lakes Belv |
| ||
Veteran Posts: 225 Location: Michigan | |||
| |||
| 57plybel |
| ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 594 Location: Melbourne, Australia | |||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | Thanks, you guys. I like the seldom seen stuff, and even among the seldom seen Forward Look cars, some stand out as even more weird. These super plain jane utility cars were as seldom seen as the flashy ragtops and go-fast cars, but with zero sex appeal, no one cared. For years they have been chopped up for parts to restore the flashy cars. This one was just too exceptional to see go to those ends. I agree, there has to be some good history behind such a toady car getting the V-8, T/F, and PS, PB. Gov't car ? Moonshine ? Little Old Lady From Pasadena ? "The Boss" was pretty impressed with your car, Colin. Credit given where credit due, Amigo. At first she poo-poo'd it when I brought it up, but when I explained what I wrote above, she was all for it. She likes these cars and all things Googie, so it does not take any arm-twisting. Romance advice for all: Choose well, treat kindly. Step one can be tricky. If you get step one right, step two is easy, as is life with a good "partner". Edited by Doctor DeSoto 2011-04-07 4:48 AM | ||
| |||
| soiouz |
| ||
Expert Posts: 3480 Location: Montreal, Canada | I was watching the auction, hoping you'd win it, and you did!! Congratulations! I'm glad I could help and happy for you that this 30-year quest is over! | ||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | Yes we did ! ... and again, thanks for posting ! Still waiting to hear from the seller about getting $$ to him. Once that is done, gotta get it moved. One step at a time. | ||
| |||
| hemidave |
| ||
Expert Posts: 4654 | |||
| |||
| Lancer Mike |
| ||
Location: The Mile High City | Doctor DeSoto - 2011-04-07 12:10 AM Why ? Because it is a sedan ? ... a real bare bones stripper sedan in a color typically considered ugly ? ... because you know the feeling of owning "too many" cars ? ... or just cuz the line from the movie works well ? Just the last two, Perfessor! I definitely know the feeling of having too many restoration projects. There is enjoyment in restoring a car and enjoyment in driving a car. I know you will have fun with both. Just giving you a lil' ribbing. | ||
| |||
| big m |
| ||
Expert 5K+ Posts: 7809 Location: Williams California | |||
| |||
| Lisa P |
| ||
Veteran Posts: 260 | |||
| |||
| slimwhitman |
| ||
Elite Veteran Posts: 988 Location: Kansas City, Kansas | |||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | Back when they were new, of all the finned cars, my most prominent memory of any of them is of the 58 Plymouth tail lights. As a little kid, they looked just like upturned lollipops to me ! Another car that contributed to my interest in this car was a 1960 Dart el cheapo ... can't remember if that was the Seneca or the Pioneer ??? Which one was the bottom of the line ? Anyway, my friend John and I used to take several day road trips, hitting every backwater wrecking yard and looking for cars wherever we might find them. Parked out front of Belfair Auto Wrecking was this el Cheapo Dart 4s in that same soft light green, ... body color wheels, dog dishies, slant 6 with 3-onda-tree, a spotless grey interior, ... just the cutest little Grandma grocery gitter you ever saw. It was a real low miles original that had just come in - Grandma prolly croaked and the kids had that old, ugly car hauled off - but the yard had not decided what they were gonna do with it, if I remember correctly. I got busy and never followed up on it. Hope it got saved, but given the anti-sedan attitude back then, I'll bet it got parted or crushed. I like 60 Dodge, but consider the 58 Plymouth to be one of the top FL cars ever built and THE BEST looking Plymouth ever built. This one may not be the super slippery 2HT, but I can live with that. It is one of those cases of "It's so ugly, it's cute!" kinda things. That is one reason I have held out for one in this color. Edited by Doctor DeSoto 2011-04-08 1:02 AM | ||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | big m - 2011-04-08 12:34 PM Glad to hear that you came out on top in the auction, Brent! Keep me posted, so that I can arrange pick up of the car for you. ---John ************************************************ Payment has been sent. As soon as it is confirmed as received, we can move forward on transport. How do you want to do this ? I will send a PM Thanks John. | ||
| |||
| slimwhitman |
| ||
Elite Veteran Posts: 988 Location: Kansas City, Kansas | |||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | |||
| |||
| big m |
| ||
Expert 5K+ Posts: 7809 Location: Williams California | |||
| |||
| dukeboy |
| ||
Expert 5K+ Posts: 6203 Location: Big pimpin' | |||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | Funny, but I don't think I'd like this green color very much on a two door HT, but the less sleek lines of the sedan really work well with it. The combo was enough to catch my attention back when I really had no interest in Mopars and stick with me all these years. The dog dishies and body colored wheels are the ultimate selling point for me. | ||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | |||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | John Fowlie emailed saying the hauler delivered the car to his place, as arranged. John will be tossing an expert eye on it for missing parts and giving all the body cavities a thorough flush to prevent rust. Desert cars develop a unique rust from dust accumulating in the lower body and turning to a heavy mud when it rains. Thanks John for orchestrating this and being such a help. | ||
| |||
| fintastic57 |
| ||
Veteran Posts: 249 Location: Spencerport, New York | |||
| |||
| spider89119 |
| ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 475 Location: Las Vegas, NV | |||
| |||
| big m |
| ||
Expert 5K+ Posts: 7809 Location: Williams California | Doctor DeSoto - 2011-04-18 11:22 PM John Fowlie emailed saying the hauler delivered the car to his place, as arranged. John will be tossing an expert eye on it for missing parts and giving all the body cavities a thorough flush to prevent rust. Desert cars develop a unique rust from dust accumulating in the lower body and turning to a heavy mud when it rains. Thanks John for orchestrating this and being such a help. I'm glad I could be of assistance to you, Brent. ---John | ||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | fintastic57 - 2011-04-20 8:26 AM Hey Doc, congrats on your purchase. My first 58 Plymouth was a Savoy 4 door sedan in metallic blue and white. First purchase that was not a 58 Plymouth was my dad,s 60 Dodge Dart Pioneer 2 door sedan slant six automatic. I know we don't agree on the "Christine" thing and some of the back in the day music, but still have similar tastes in the Forwardlook department. Best of luck with the new purchase, and THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! Dick ********************************************* Thanks. Don't read me wrong. I like ANY 58 Plymouth in any color. I just encourage more emphasis on being different and using original colors. Also, I dig the early rock-n-roll as much as the next guy here. My point of argument is that it was historically "kid's stuff" at the time our cars were new. Kids weren't the ones buying new cars, ... it was their parents and grandparents. And these people were not real impressed with Elvis, if you know what I am saying. Far more likely to be tuning into Xavier Cugat or Sinatra than any of that "delinquent punk" stuff ! Kinda like putting a spoiler on your 58 Plymouth if historical / period themes mean anything to you. | ||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | Gonna move all future updates on the car to the PNW region board down below. Thanks again, John. | ||
| |||
| Dave L. |
| ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 340 Location: Tacoma, WA | |||
| |||
| Doctor DeSoto |
| ||
Location: Parts Unknown | My friend John and I found a lot of little Mom-n-Pop wrecking yards out there in that vast expanse of uncharted territory south of Puyallup going towards Eatonville, Yelm, and on down to Centralia. Will keep the Region board updated. | ||
| |||
| Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page] |
| Search this forum Printer friendly version E-mail a link to this thread |
| (Delete all cookies set by this site) | |
