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Expert
Posts: 1479
  
Location: Pacific Northwest | Greetings gentlemen,
I've been here for years, lurking, but I am working on my first forward look purchase. I've had three of Virgil's bas***dized 62's and I am ready to take the step back into the 1950s. I am in need of some advice though. A friendly nudge in the right direction you might say. I thought of doing a poll but figured I would show you all what I have found, (novice mistake perhaps) and just see what you would do if you were in my shoes.
I am currently in contact with fellow member and west coaster GUYMAN about his 1956 Dodge Royal Lancer. http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=53906&... Nice car! Unmolested and reasonably priced for the work he is telling me that it needs.
Second car is located in Georgia at a dealer and needs work as well. Wrong interior, sixties hot rod tires, missing hood ornaments and what looks like a ford blue painted engine. http://www.classicautosmith.com/1958_Dodge_Coronet_Marietta_GA_2349... I have not contacted the dealer on this car because I wanted to get your opinion first.
I like both cars equally. The 56 is unmolested, close to me, and I like the all black paint scheme. The 58 is further away but the paint, fins and the engine make up for the added air fare it would cost to fly out and inspect. Most of my experience is with early to mid sixties MoPars so I can tell if the arm rests are wrong or the car is missing a piece of chrome. The fifties MoPars are new and exciting to me and I look forward to any and all opinions on this subject.
Thanks, Andrew
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8444
 
Location: Perth Australia | This is a hard question
To me, they are totally different cars, chalk and cheeze :), its about the styling, I prefer the 58 over the 56, just as I prefer a 57 chev over a 55.
Both cars look good and seem to be priced simmarly, thats why I say this is a taste one and its your taste that matters, not mine
Good luck and I hope your new (old) car is all you hope for
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 836
Location: Layton, Utah | Not a big fan of pre 57s, they are all too round and blah. Got to be 57, 58, 60 or 61, but thats just me. You will find that the fins will bring you much joy, not only from the constant attention when you drive it, but every time you look at it in your garage you'll say Oh Yea !!! DeSoto lives !!! |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6502
Location: Newark, Texas (Fort Worth) | Me, I would buy a '58. Any '58 before a '56 hit my driveway. Search around, lots of car out there, look at a lot of images on google and such. Interiors are vastly different after 1956. 7,8,9 are fine! Ends in 6,1 and ohs are not as favored..by me. Slow down make sure it is what you want. Paying retail ensures you will have it a while. So choose wisely grasshopper. Marc. Oh here is one...Black and fins:
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/4725853779.html
ooh red and white, my favorite:
http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/4725675961.html
Edited by mstrug 2014-10-23 8:59 PM
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Expert
Posts: 3400
Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George) | To chime in my pictured 55 New Yorker is for sale. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 8444
Location: Perth Australia | Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, the black one dosnt appear to have a drive shaft
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 967
Location: Canada | Mines up for grabs too......
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Expert
Posts: 3155
Location: NY & VT | IMO the 57 and later cars are the ones to have style-wise and also mechanically (most have TorqueFlite, and they handle better). As for the '58 in GA, FLs aren't THAT rare, you should be able to find one in your part of the world. Also the dealer obviously doesn't know these cars, there's no such thing as a 361 hemi, unless it's a punched out 325 or 354 (the latter never found in Dodge).
Just be patient and wait for the right car., the survival rate for old cars in the NW seems to be fairly high, and you aren't all that far from Cali. My $.02
Edited by firedome 2014-10-24 9:36 AM
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Location: Parts Unknown | I would echo the sentiments above, with an emphasis on deciding on what you really want and then
going after it. No sense in wasting your time and money on a car you'll later look at with less interest
and wish you had and held out for something you like better, rather than settling for what "came along".
We all have different attraction factors, and I won't get into that. Just figure out what yours are and
follow your heart.
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Expert
Posts: 2490
Location: Kansas City, KS | The sticker in the back window of that 58 would be reason enough for me to run from it. |
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Veteran
Posts: 279
Location: Norway | As others have mentioned above there is a huge difference between these two cars and design is only a small part of it.
The 57-60 cars ride and handle like a 60's car while the earlier ones are way more "vintage" in the way they behave with soft springs, a lot of body lean etc. There really is a huge difference between 56 and 57 handling wise.
On the other hand, when it comes to quality the older ones are way in front. Build quality, steel quality, interiors, all the small details.. All better on the pre '57 cars.
Personally I have had 55-56-57 and 58 Mopars. Even if the '58 Plymouth will always remain one of my favorite cars I am actually partial to the 55-56's.
I'm after the "time machine feeling" and don't need my old cars to handle like modern ones. Just love the designs, ride and quality.
It all depends on what you want really. As the good Doctor says, find out exactly what you want and then start looking. Don't settle for something that just happens to be for sale. Maybe you should first of all decide if you want a 55-56 or a later FL.. The later cars are of course much more like the 62's you are used to. |
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Expert
Posts: 1479
Location: Pacific Northwest | Thank you to all of you who have replied. I am in a constant state of looking at cars. All kinds of cars. I can not get enough of them. I currently have a '62 dart I need to get rid of and a '62 Savoy I am about to start on but I want an earlier Exner car to drive. I've narrowed it down to the '56 and '58 Dodges.
The main reason I chose the '56 and '58 Dodge is the overall look of the cars. I prefer the look of the Dodges over the Plymouths and Chryslers. I agree with ttotired in that they are different but represent their respected years perfectly. I like the '56 because it is not another tri five chevy, 12 volt system and push button shift. I like the '58's because they've got fins, big grills with eyebrows over the dual headlights and an optional torqueflight. 55 Savoy was the sort of response I was looking for. You all have experience with these cars that I want to know about. So, give me the scoop, the low down, a behind the scenes look at what it is about the '56's or '58's that made you buy or shy away from them.
Thanks again, Andrew |
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Location: Parts Unknown | The two Dodges you have picked are my favorite two of the entire FL period. I am a big study of
aesthetic design, and these two were really way up there for good design for their respective periods.
I dig the 56 Custom Royal for it's size/proportions, ... it's "cute" (as opposed to the "sleek" of a 58).
The CR kick up trim and painted headlight rings really seal the deal for me. The overall interior feel
and comfort of the pre-57 cars is a real plus. The fact that the earlier cars are less sought after makes
finding cars and parts easier.
The 58 is slippery sleek 2HT form and being basically a 57 with an actual grille, is just an improved
version of the same. The wedge engine option is an added bonus. The torsion bar suspension gives
a stiffer, more responsive ride. You will likely face rust issues with a 57-58 car.
I have owned all years and makes of FL cars except Imperials. They all have their charms. Things
like Torqueflite supposedly being better than a Powerflite have never been so great as to be noticeable
to me. My 56 Adventurer kicked ass perfectly fine with a Powerflite. Which leads me back to the point
about going after what you like and just enjoying it for what it is instead of yearning for what it isn't.
I ultimately gravitated to the 58 DeSoto and Plymouth for their playful, George Jetson styling, foregoing
other assets I love about the other cars. The 60-61 DeSoto/Chrysler lack the dynamic color sweeps, yet
are the slipperiest of all FL cars. As my interest is more on the peculiar 50's styling themes, the color sweeps
won out. I can only afford so many cars. I have to draw the line for myself !
None of the above mentioned issues can't be remedied. You can fix the rust, you can rebuild this or
overbuild that to suit your tastes. It all really boils down to being happy with your end product and
finding the starting point car that will get you there.
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Location: The Mile High City | 1958 all the way! I was concerned about all the rust bubbles and the hemi engine, but it looks like fun to me - just go in eyes wide open! I would see each car in person. |
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Location: Indiana | '56 and '58 are my two favorite FL years.
Questions like these don't come with "easy" answers.
We're talking two entirely different eras, not just a mere "two years".
The '58s are the dawn of the "quad headlight" and cars took on a whole different look altogether, you can't really "compare" that look with the same "eye" as a '56.
The quad-lighted '58s have a whole new demographic to sell to, you can sell a '58 to a sixties fanatic, but those '56s will only sell to fifties fanatics, if that makes sense.
I personally discourage "sell factor" as a means to justify a "buy", it really boils down to which one YOU like best
Edited by FwdLk56 2014-10-25 12:20 PM
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Location: Indiana | You might want to look at it this way, which one of the two come up for sale more often than the other?
If you see '58s for sale three times a year but only see '56s for sale once every three years, then you better get the '56 or you'll have to wait three years for another one to be available.
(making years up totally out of the blue, i have no clue which of the two you will see for sale more often than the other...) |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1150
Location: Southern California | Selling my 1960 Plymouth $6,500 if interested
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1150
Location: Southern California | Another pic
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Expert
Posts: 1886
| I have a nice running 61 imperial, 15k
Edited by Mike McCandless 2014-10-25 11:13 PM
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Shopping for my first FL.
