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1958 DeSoto up in flames
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scooter0910
Posted 2016-07-21 1:00 PM (#517249)
Subject: 1958 DeSoto up in flames


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Posts: 157
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Location: bountiful, Utah		On the west side of Salt Lake city, a man has horded several hundred old cars. I have been his good friend for many years. He will not sell anything, but just a few weeks ago, I almost convinced him to trade me this 58 Firedome hardtop for another collector car. I have been quite excited thinking that there might be another Desoto roaming the streets.
2 weeks ago, I noticed flames directly south of the SLC airport, and I watched the evening news, expecting to hear about an airplane crash. To my horror, I saw the ariel photos and knew it was Rick's yard. Apparently, he had a small fire that he thought he had put out. He went to lunch and came back to an inferno. He had a continual theft problem and had just stacked empty 55 gallon jet fuel barrels 2 high as a perimeter fence to secure his property. As the barrells got hot, the jet fuel vapors caused many explosions as they burst.
He had some very valuable cars including a 70 Judge, 69 Z28, 58 Impala, 70 Roadrunner and the 70 Challenger pictured.
Show these pictures to the next car hoarder you talk to who is," going to restore it some day" and perhaps it will motivate them to save the car by selling it to you before it is too late.
This fire closed 2 major freeways and almost closed the airport.
This is one Desoto that will never live again.



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Attachments 20160709_122536_resized_1.jpg (346KB - 141 downloads)
Attachments 20160709_121241_resized_1.jpg (287KB - 135 downloads)
Attachments 20160709_122305_resized.jpg (370KB - 136 downloads)
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mikes2nd
Posted 2016-07-21 1:32 PM (#517253 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames


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did he have insurance? :/
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scooter0910
Posted 2016-07-21 1:53 PM (#517257 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames


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Posts: 157
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Location: bountiful, Utah		Nope. Plus the fire departments may charge him for the services they offered.
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Viper Guy
Posted 2016-07-21 2:17 PM (#517259 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Branson, MO		Wow! It looks like if it weren't for bad luck, this guy wouldn't have any at all. What a mess and to think there will be little, if any, compensation.
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big m
Posted 2016-07-21 2:54 PM (#517261 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Williams California		That's sad, indeed. Judging by how fully destroyed some of the car are, he must have had flammable materials like plywood and such stored around some of them.

---John
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-07-21 3:45 PM (#517264 - in reply to #517261)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: The Mile High City		What a pity!
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mikes2nd
Posted 2016-07-21 6:08 PM (#517274 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames


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he would have been rich had he insured.. wow... that's insane.

Well obviously it wasn't arson by the owner. Just insane, that was a lifetime of hunting probably.

looks like the judge and Camaro were only sindged.
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-07-21 6:17 PM (#517276 - in reply to #517274)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: So. Cal		That Firedome looks mostly parted out. I don't see bumpers or any trim on it. Do you have a before picture?
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2016-07-21 6:43 PM (#517278 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: The Mile High City		Scott, what is the car in picture 122536? It looks like a '56 Chrysler or De Soto that melted into a Facel Vega.
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matte
Posted 2016-07-21 7:05 PM (#517281 - in reply to #517278)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Lancer Mike - 2016-07-21 6:43 PM

Scott, what is the car in picture 122536? It looks like a '56 Chrysler or De Soto that melted into a Facel Vega.


It looks like somehow it is on top of another car.. Ws it stacked on to it after the fire?

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hemidenis
Posted 2016-07-21 9:07 PM (#517287 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Northen Virginia		he probably felt the pain more than everybody else..,.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2016-07-21 10:50 PM (#517295 - in reply to #517287)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Parts Unknown		That DeSoto has the high back glass .... making it a Fireflite or Adventurer.
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-07-21 11:13 PM (#517296 - in reply to #517295)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: So. Cal		That would be true if it were a '57, but the high glass was an option for a Firedome in '58.
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spinout
Posted 2016-07-22 4:33 AM (#517309 - in reply to #517296)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Bjorneborg, Finland
Powerflite - 2016-07-22 8:13 AM
That would be true if it were a '57, but the high glass was an option for a Firedome in '58.


I thought it was an option for a 1959 Firedome 2-dr Ht only. The '58 sales catalog doesn't mention it, but the '59 catalog says, that Vistarama
rear window is now available on Firedome 2-dr Hardtop. I suppose "now" means it's the first time available on Firedome.
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scooter0910
Posted 2016-07-22 11:51 AM (#517326 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames


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Posts: 157
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Location: bountiful, Utah		The guy built shipping pallets at the same location. I suspect that a spark from the woodworking started everything. The Desoto was a complete car, and the bumpers had been removed by the prior owner. He bought it a sa partial restoration. It had a lot of bondo in it, but was still very salvageable. It was only missing the front seat. I never got photos of it "before" because it was packed in so tightly. Now that I think of it, the VIN number was for a Fireflight. What a pity.
The 55 was sitting on top of another car and the fire caused it to collapse over the car below. I believe it was a Windsor. There was everything from a chopped top 50 mercury to a 69 Judge, to an 80's Rolls Royce that were destroyed. I drove out there yesterday to see what the status is, and many of the vehicles had been hauled away.
Here are a couple of photos of the carnage.



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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2016-07-22 12:12 PM (#517329 - in reply to #517296)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Parts Unknown
Powerflite - 2016-07-22 8:13 PM

That would be true if it were a '57, but the high glass was an option for a Firedome in '58.


==========================================

Show me the paperwork. I have never seen one and never seen paperwork
to support this claim. Now Scooter is saying it wore a Fireflite VIN.

It was true at Chrysler, but I have never seen it for DeSoto.
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Powerflite
Posted 2016-07-22 2:39 PM (#517348 - in reply to #517329)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: So. Cal		You got me. It was definitely true for Chrysler in '58, even for the lowly Windsor. But it seems that Desoto didn't step up to that option until '59.



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Attachments 9843680_4.jpg (44KB - 126 downloads)
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Viper Guy
Posted 2016-07-22 3:25 PM (#517352 - in reply to #517348)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Branson, MO
Powerflite - 2016-07-22 1:39 PM

You got me. It was definitely true for Chrysler in '58, even for the lowly Windsor. But it seems that Desoto didn't step up to that option until '59.


I'm probably an "odd duck" regarding the HUGE rear window - but I just plain don't like them - not only the looks but also the way the rear passengers get "baked" in the sun. And going in another "backward" direction, I prefer the non bubble windshields, and the single headlight design of the early '57s before the quads became the standard on the larger Chryslers, DeSotos, and Imperials. I don't know why other than it's just a personal thing - but that's just me.
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udoittwo
Posted 2016-07-22 6:25 PM (#517367 - in reply to #517249)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto up in flames


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Posts: 1348
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Location: Valley Forge, Pa.		That's a shame to happen to any old cars but I see a 67 GTO in there that reminds me of my black 67 I recently sold.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2016-07-23 2:29 AM (#517402 - in reply to #517367)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Parts Unknown		My first FL car was a 57 NY'er coupe with single headlights. I too thought
the duals looked odd. But over time, my aesthetic reversed and now I find
the single headlight to look ill fitting to the recess and the duals to fit the hole
better.

I remember the first time I saw a single headlight 57 Imperial .... thought
it was HIDEOUSLY ugly !!!! But to this
day,it is the only one I have ever seen in the flesh and probably a dozen others
in photos ... they are rare as hen's teeth, and as I guy who likes the unusual,
I have come to like them better than the dual headlight versions.

I too prefer the non-bubble windshield. The rounded form is contradictory to
the angular form of the rest of the car. As the ragtops only came with the bubble,'
... I guess I am stuck on that one.

On the low vs. high backglass, ... I like them both. The low backglass looks
more formal, and also a holdover design cue from the 56's. I think it looks better
on the thicker 56 bodies, but still holds up on the lighter, airier 57 bodies. I think
the high backglass might look excessive from the rear, but the side profile is dynamic ...
especially on a 57 Fireflite. The roof is a direct replication of the forward thrusting
side sweep pattern. For this, I give 57 DeSoto Fireflite coupe the top slot for best
FL design ever.

No one will ever have to worry about getting baked in the backseat of my DeSoto.
We do that just as well in the front seat ! So such comfort considerations are off
the table at Doc's house !
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2016-07-23 11:03 AM (#517427 - in reply to #517348)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto up in flames



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Location: Parts Unknown
Powerflite - 2016-07-23 11:39 AM

You got me. It was definitely true for Chrysler in '58, even for the lowly Windsor. But it seems that Desoto didn't step up to that option until '59.


===============================================

I hope you don't take that as me trying to "get" you (or anyone). I am interested
in learning new intel as much as the next guy here. If this was the case, I'd love to
see the evidence. 58's have been my bag for a very long time, and there have been
occasions when people on this forum have shown me a new trick or two. It's a happy
day when I get to learn something about my favorite subjects ! It's also just good
to pass around solid intel. We all share in the benefits of expanded knowledge.


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