|
|
Member
Posts: 34
| I thought that I would share the story and some pics of our 55 Royal Lancer with you all, here goes;
I was always brought up on old cars - fixing them, going to car shows, and one of the favorite pastimes of my brothers, dad and I was to tour through wrecking yards. In 1986 I was 17 and had my first car - 69 Barracuda. That summer we were on holidays in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia and we went for a walk through a wrecking yard in Oliver that had a bunch of vintage cars. After spending an hour or so walking around I spotted an old Dodge sitting in the back corner of the yard beside a house. We had a look at it, it was a 2 door hardtop, green and creme, nice colors, the engine was in it but the top end was not there and there were puddles of water and severe corrosion in the cylinders. Some of the trim was missing and someone had sanded the paint on the front end so it was covered in surface oxidation. The Okanagan valley is very dry - almost desert, so there was very little other deterioration and no rot.
On our way out we asked the proprietor of the yard about the car, it turns out that it was his car, all the trim and engine parts were in the trunk, and he said - oh yeah, its a hemi....you can imagine the excitement that this brought to a 17 year old. When asked if it was for sale he said that it was. By this point (before I knew it was a hemi) I had told dad that we should buy it and go halves. We settled on a purchase price of $1000, and hauled it to Penticton to a piece of property that my parents had just bought to build their retirement home.
It turns out that the car was sold new in Penticton, and in 1968 the owner the wrecking yard bought it, drove it for a few months and when it developed a rod knock he pulled the top end off with the intention of fixing it in the car, and pulled off some of the trim as he wanted to paint it. Then it sat, forgotten for almost 20 years and remarkably well preserved. When we bought it the car still wore its 1968 licence plates.
That fall we returned home and left the car in storage under a tarp. we had by then determined that the engine block was scrap (in retrospect we could have sleeved it, we still have the original block) and the search was on for a replacement engine core.
 (rsz_8_20140616_140615.jpg)
 (rsz_img_20140603_141609.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
 rsz_8_20140616_140615.jpg (250KB - 212 downloads)
rsz_img_20140603_141609.jpg (195KB - 201 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| We ended up locating another engine core in Saskatchewan and made the treck out there that fall to pick it up, and have it sent to a machine shop in Penticton.
 (rsz_img_20140603_141227.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
rsz_img_20140603_141227.jpg (436KB - 206 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| The engine is the 270 Super Red Ram Hemi. The Dodge line first had a Hemi in 53 or 54, it was 241 and called the Red Ram, then in 55 its displacement was upped to 270 and it was called Super Red Ram. The way I understand it 55 was the last year for a first gen Hemi in a Dodge, except for perhaps a D500 optioned car, but I could be wrong on that.
The engine was rebuilt to stock specs over the course of a year, and in the summer of 88 we installed it. By this time I was attending college in Vancouver and would make weekend trips to Penticton to hang out in the sun and work on the car. I tried to help out with the costs as much as I could.
The transmission is the 2 speed powerflite automatic and the rear resembles an 8 3/4, but I think there are some differences. It has a 3.55 ratio. The car had, when we bought it, just turned over 100,000 miles. The drive train, other than the engine, is 100% original and has, to this day, never been opened up and works great. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| The interior was in remarkable original condition when we bought it but the years sitting in the sun and heat had deteriorated the stitching and fabric on the seats, so they quickly became threadbare. They were recovered about 15 years ago, but the rest of the interior including door panels, headliner and dash are all original.
 (rsz_img_20140603_141636.jpg)
 (rsz_img_20140603_141647.jpg)
 (rsz_img_20140603_141239.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
rsz_img_20140603_141636.jpg (392KB - 223 downloads)
rsz_img_20140603_141647.jpg (242KB - 207 downloads)
rsz_img_20140603_141239.jpg (364KB - 213 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| As you can probably tell this car holds a fond place in my heart. My beautiful wife and I were married in it (well, not literally, LOL, but it was our wedding car), we celebrate 20 years this month! Both of our children rode to their christenings in the car and I drove it to my college graduation. It has sat dormant for the last bunch of years as life was busy and dad had other projects (that's fodder for another story...) but she recently awoke from her slumber with a splash of gas down the carb and a charged battery and runs great. We brought her out of storage, as our daughter wanted it to be the car that she rode to her high school graduation in last month. Brings tears to my eyes.
One thing that we need for the car is the plastic interior light covers if anyone has spares.... the only other thing that was AWOL when we bought it was the original distributor, but I now have a core for it. It currently has an old Mallory aluminum dual point in it that seems to work quite well.
A few years back dad had the car at a show and the original owner walked up and introduced himself, he even came back with some pictures of the car when he owned it.
In my searching the internet for similar cars, I have never seen another one in the blue green / creme color combination, and personally I think it is one of the prettiest 55 Dodges that I have seen. Mileage to date is just over 100,000, but now that it is on the road again perhaps we will roll up some more.
I have bought, built and sold many A bodies over the last 30 years, but have no intention of parting with this car!
Hope you enjoyed my story.
Edited by d55dave 2014-07-15 11:22 PM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| I forgot to add that there was no major body work done, we just removed the rest of the trim, prepped it well and had it painted, that was shortly after the engine went in, more than 25 years ago, and it still looks great. All trim and chrome are original, except for the rear bumper which was re plated several years ago. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1172
 
Location: Georgia | Great story and a super nice car! It's always good to see stories of long-owned cars that become like family members.
Thanks for sharing, Dave!
Pete |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1384
Location: Ocala, Florida | Good story! Nice car.. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2905
 
Location: little rock, AR | I've said it more than once Chevrolet can trash talk all they want about the tri-5's but the pictures don't lie!!! That is one fine ride even if it does have a Hemi. LOL
|
|
| |
|
Expert 5K+
Posts: 7807
Location: Williams California | That is one clean Dodge. Nice story to go with it too.
---John |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 792
Location: Buena Park, CA | Very Nice! |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2244
Location: Yorba Linda, Ca | " The way I understand it 55 was the last year for a first gen Hemi in a Dodge, except for perhaps a D500 optioned car, but I could be wrong on that."
The last year for the "first generation Hemi" in a Dodge was 1957, as was it for the Desoto. Chrysler's last year for the Hemi was 1958.
Nice car, My Dad bought a new one in 1955. Custom Royal, and as I recall with at 315 CI Hemi.
The car was 2 tone green, (light and dark green).
Gary
|
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 440
Location: Vermont | What a great story and a beautiful car. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 792
Location: Buena Park, CA | And I forgot to mention, you can get those dome light lenses (reproductions) from George Laurie in Australia. I can post a pic of them if you like. He can be contacted via email georgelaurie@bigpond.com. They do occasionally appear on ebay, but not very often. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| Thanks for all the compliments guys, I will look into the dome light lenses.
Cheers |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1730
Location: Michigan | I did enjoy your story... it's a beautiful car. One point though. Your rear axle is probably an 8 1/4 like mine was. (55 Chrysler Windsor) They had not come out with the 8 3/4 until a few years later. This is my understanding anyway. It's a tapered axle setup and you need a drum puller to get to the brakes for inspection... etc. Oh and left and right turning bolts hold on the rims/tires. This would be the 8 1/4.
Very nice car. So glad you preserved it. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| Yes, thanks. While the axle resembles an 8 3/4 (removable center section) I thought I read long ago that it is not. I had assumed all 8 1/4 axles were of the type Chrysler introduced in the late 60's with non removable center sections. You learn something new everyday.
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1819
Location: Vancouver, BC | d55dave - 2014-07-15 11:12 PM
The engine is the 270 Super Red Ram Hemi. The Dodge line first had a Hemi in 53 or 54, it was 241 and called the Red Ram, then in 55 its displacement was upped to 270 and it was called Super Red Ram. The way I understand it 55 was the last year for a first gen Hemi in a Dodge, except for perhaps a D500 optioned car, but I could be wrong on that.
The engine was rebuilt to stock specs over the course of a year, and in the summer of 88 we installed it. By this time I was attending college in Vancouver and would make weekend trips to Penticton to hang out in the sun and work on the car. I tried to help out with the costs as much as I could.
The transmission is the 2 speed powerflite automatic and the rear resembles an 8 3/4, but I think there are some differences. It has a 3.55 ratio. The car had, when we bought it, just turned over 100,000 miles. The drive train, other than the engine, is 100% original and has, to this day, never been opened up and works great.
American Dodges offered hemi engines through 1957, but for the Canadian-built Custom Royal, 1955 was the final year for a hemi. The 1956 Custom Royal offered the new A block poly 303 and followed that with an A block poly 313 in 1957 and a Chrysler poly 354 for 1958. No Coronets or Royals were built in Canada from 1955 through 1959. And no Canadian-built D-500 models in any year.
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| Thank you for the clarification Chrycoman |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 279
Location: Klein, TX | Hi Dave, You have one great car there. Nice that you and your Dad were able to do the work together. Thanks for sharing the pictures and the story. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 272
Location: Missouri | Very nice '55, Dave! Harold |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 907
Location: Magra, Sweden | Appreciated your nice story and good pic's of your 55 Custom Royal Lancer. Thanks for sharing. |
|
| |
|
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Dave, here's some interesting (hopefully) information on the 1955 Dodges.
Beginning sometime between 5/26/55 - 6/2/55 Dodge began installing Paint & Trim data plates on the upper-passenger's side of the
firewall.
Even so, the options/accessories information on those P/T plates is not great.
You should buy a copy of your car's IBM Build Card, as discussed in the two 'Sticky' messages, at the top of our Fender tag Decoding
message board; the Historical Society will provide you with a nice car information page, plus a copy of the factory's IBM card,
which will reference all of your car's OEM options and accessories.
There were some notable running-changes that were made to the 55 Dodges, which can be used to approximate when a car was built.
The following is from the extensive 1955 Dodge research which has been confirmed by Mike Petersen.
Your Custom Royal does not appear to have been built with the small, gold "Custom"-crown emblems on its fenders.
Those emblems first appeared sometime between 4/22 - 5/11.
Your car's PRESENT engine has "Super Red Ram" -embossed valve covers.
Those guys appeared on the 'early' models, and were replaced by S.R.R. decals on the valve covers, sometime between 1/31 - 3/29.
You should check the valve covers' appearance on your car's OEM engine.
Now, as to where your car was built: Detroit Custom Royals have VIN's beginning 3474001
LA Custom Royals have VIN's beginning 42518001
Mike Petersen's research indicates that a grand total of 89,304 1955 Custom Royal models were built.
The Custom Royals have the 2-barrel Super Red Ram engine as standard equipment.
A 4-bbl/dual exhaust "Power Package" was optional on them.
The "Power Package" option (270 Hemi/4-bbl/dual exhausts) was also optional on the Royals and Coronet models.
The Coronets & Royals ONLY had the Poly-head engines as standard equipment in them.
The Super Red Ram engines (both versions) had stampings D553-1001 - D553-91873 = 90,873 Hemi head engines in 1955.
As there were 90,873 D533- Super Red Ram engines built, and 89,304 Custom Royals built, there had to have been 1,569 Super Red Ram
Coronets & Royals that were built (with all of them having the 4-bbl/dual exhausts installed).
Unfortunately, we do not know how many of the 89,304 Custom Royals built had the optional "Power Package" option on them.
|
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 272
Location: Missouri | My Coronet had the Power Package Hemi and Powerflite when I bought it in '73. Went in and swapped a 383/Torqueflite a month after deciding this car would be a street machine. Good info Neil! |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 907
Location: Magra, Sweden | I've found month and date stamped to the Power Steering housing that indicate when it was built. It's 2-14 on our La Femme. |
|
| |
|
Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Thord, did/have you bought a copy of your car's IBM Build card?
If so, it would be interesting to compare its official Build Date with the date that's stamped onto its power steering housing.
Harold, your car's OEM engine is probably long gone, but it was one of 1,569 Hemi "Power Packages" that were installed in BOTH the Royals
and in the Coronets.
Probably, there were more Power Packages put into the Coronets, but the absolute total-breakout between the two models is unknown.
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| d500neil - 2014-08-05 5:47 PM
Dave, here's some interesting (hopefully) information on the 1955 Dodges.
Beginning sometime between 5/26/55 - 6/2/55 Dodge began installing Paint & Trim data plates on the upper-passenger's side of the
firewall.
Even so, the options/accessories information on those P/T plates is not great.
You should buy a copy of your car's IBM Build Card, as discussed in the two 'Sticky' messages, at the top of our Fender tag Decoding
message board; the Historical Society will provide you with a nice car information page, plus a copy of the factory's IBM card,
which will reference all of your car's OEM options and accessories.
There were some notable running-changes that were made to the 55 Dodges, which can be used to approximate when a car was built.
The following is from the extensive 1955 Dodge research which has been confirmed by Mike Petersen.
Your Custom Royal does not appear to have been built with the small, gold "Custom"-crown emblems on its fenders.
Those emblems first appeared sometime between 4/22 - 5/11.
Your car's PRESENT engine has "Super Red Ram" -embossed valve covers.
Those guys appeared on the 'early' models, and were replaced by S.R.R. decals on the valve covers, sometime between 1/31 - 3/29.
You should check the valve covers' appearance on your car's OEM engine.
Now, as to where your car was built: Detroit Custom Royals have VIN's beginning 3474001
LA Custom Royals have VIN's beginning 42518001
Mike Petersen's research indicates that a grand total of 89,304 1955 Custom Royal models were built.
The Custom Royals have the 2-barrel Super Red Ram engine as standard equipment.
A 4-bbl/dual exhaust "Power Package" was optional on them.
The "Power Package" option (270 Hemi/4-bbl/dual exhausts) was also optional on the Royals and Coronet models.
The Coronets & Royals ONLY had the Poly-head engines as standard equipment in them.
The Super Red Ram engines (both versions) had stampings D553-1001 - D553-91873 = 90,873 Hemi head engines in 1955.
As there were 90,873 D533- Super Red Ram engines built, and 89,304 Custom Royals built, there had to have been 1,569 Super Red Ram
Coronets & Royals that were built (with all of them having the 4-bbl/dual exhausts installed).
Unfortunately, we do not know how many of the 89,304 Custom Royals built had the optional "Power Package" option on them.
That is great info, thanks! My VIN is 99019928 which doenst make sense with your numbers. Where there any built at another plant?
My car is definitely an early build, the embossed valve covers are original to the car, it doesnt (and never has) have the emblems that you mention and it has the early frontend steering knuckles.
Also, I have noticed other 55's that have a doubler on the outside of the frame for the steering box mount, my car does not have it.
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 3480
Location: Montreal, Canada | This post you are responding to, Dave, was made by Neil Vedder, who sadly passed away on September 18th 2015: http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=59104&...
His post here, once again, demonstrates the incredible wealth of knowledge Neil was on old Dodges. He will be missed very much.
Although, in this case, Neil missed the fact that your car is Canadian, built in Windsor, Ontario. The data he posted is for US-made Dodges, that is why your VIN seems odd.
You have a beautiful car, by the way!
Edited by soiouz 2015-10-03 8:32 AM
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1819
Location: Vancouver, BC |
The serial numbers for the Canadian-built 1955 Dodge Custom Royal, D55-3, began at 99,017,701 and ended at 99,021,350, for a total of 3,650. Only the Custom Royal sedan and hardtop were built in Canada, with the convertible imported. No Coronet or Royal models sold in Canada.
You car, 99,019,928, is the 2,228th D55-3 built at the Canadian plant in Windsor.
There should be a tag on the firewall of your car, somewhere around the brakes master cylinder, with the following information -
Model No (probably has D55-3 Special Coupe)
Body No
Paint Code
Trim Code
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 34
| It is sad to hear of Neil's passing, it seems that he is missed here at forwardlook.
That makes sense about Canadian production, thanks. Yes, my car has the data tag on the passenger side firewall, it does say D55-3 special cl coupe.
My car has emblems on the fenders that say Royal Lancer, why do you never hear of these cars referred to as Lancers?
Where does the whole Custom Royal thing come from?
Thanks!
Edited by d55dave 2015-10-04 4:21 AM
|
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 907
Location: Magra, Sweden | Yes, Neil is missed!
Last year I wrote about the month and date stamped to the Power Steering housing as an indication when the car was built. Date stamped is 2-14 on our La Femme and Neil had a question about the actual build date. Unfortunately Neil never got to know the actual build date of our La Femme.
For all others I've got the build card and got to know the La Femme was actually built on 3-9 in Detroit. This date in relation to the build date stamped on the coaxial steering 2-14 they where produced separately and held in stock until ordered.
Dave, "Lancer" was added to the two-door hardtops and convertibles in all 3 series in 55. But Later during the model year "Lancer" trim was made available also for 4-door Custom Royal and Custom Sierra Station Wagon.
Pic with wifes La Femme and my US-built Custom Royal Lancer that got the Lancer shield together with script on front fender.
Edited by 55CRL 2015-10-04 4:05 PM
 (La Femme6.jpg)
Attachments
----------------
La Femme6.jpg (124KB - 193 downloads)
|
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 272
Location: Missouri | Sad to hear about Neil's passing, I was going to tell him that I had a Custom Royal Lancer 2-door hardtop in Oregon when I found and bought my Coronet there, in the same city, Bend. It had the S.R.R Hemi with factory 4-barrel and dual exhaust like my Coronet. Both had the Powerflite as well. The CRL had a rubber boot connecting the air cleaner to the valve cover so I guess it was built in LA. I don't recall or have a record of the VIN #. |
|
| |
My 55 Royal Lancer Story
