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Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo
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56D500boy
Posted 2020-09-10 1:15 PM (#603074)
Subject: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo



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While I am still looking for an original of the previously "mythical" March 9th, 1956 memo from Byron J. Nichols, V-P Sales, Dodge Division regarding the "D500 Special" to "All Dodge Dealers", an un-named but reliable source sent me photos of the two pages that he has (he is missing the other one or two pages regarding ordering and pricing). I am sharing a portion of the memo (which also has comments about the normal D500 "Heavy duty series" and the D500-1 "Extra heavy duty series") that pertains to just the D500 Special. (The source did not want me to share the entire memo to the forum).

Bottomline is the D500 Special was like the normal D500 with the 315 cu in 260 hp, dual rocker, dual exhaust, engine equipped with the 12" Chrysler "CenterPlane" brakes *BUT* it did *NOT* get the heavy duty suspension, just the normal 56 Dodge suspension. I have been wondering whether my 56 D500 Special built on May 15/56 got its 12" brakes because an order-form box was ticked or just because they normal came with the D500 engine. It is the latter.





Edited by 56D500boy 2020-09-10 1:20 PM




(D500SpecialMarch9th1956Memo_Header.jpg)



(D500SpecialMarch9th1956Memo_D500SpecialDetails_1.jpg)



(D500SpecialMarch9th1956Memo_D500SpecialDetails_2.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments D500SpecialMarch9th1956Memo_Header.jpg (37KB - 265 downloads)
Attachments D500SpecialMarch9th1956Memo_D500SpecialDetails_1.jpg (76KB - 249 downloads)
Attachments D500SpecialMarch9th1956Memo_D500SpecialDetails_2.jpg (51KB - 253 downloads)
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ToMopar
Posted 2020-09-11 4:16 AM (#603099 - in reply to #603074)
Subject: Re: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo



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Dave, thats a valuable information
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chryslerman101
Posted 2020-09-12 3:28 PM (#603132 - in reply to #603074)
Subject: RE: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo


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56D500boy,

                I see that you have downloaded your 1956 Custom Royal D500 car's IBM build card onto this website. Why does your factory IBM build card show that you had originally 11" centerplane brakes and wasn't the 11" brakes also available for the 1956 D500 special car models ?

 





(56d500boy- 1956 dodge D500 Build Card_trimmed_small IBM card.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments 56d500boy- 1956 dodge D500 Build Card_trimmed_small IBM card.jpg (235KB - 255 downloads)
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56D500boy
Posted 2020-09-12 4:44 PM (#603133 - in reply to #603132)
Subject: RE: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo



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chryslerman101 - 2020-09-12 12:28 PM Why does your factory IBM build card show that you had originally 11" centerplane brakes and wasn't the 11" brakes also available for the 1956 D500 special car models


I believe that, despite what the IBM car suggests, the brakes on my car have been 12" CenterPlane since it left the LA factory in May 1956. There were no 11" CenterPlane brakes. I do NOT know why the IBM card suggests that there were. LA IBM cards are difficult to intrepret and LA cowl tags are worse.

Here are some photos of my 12" x 2.5" brakes with spindles from a senior car, e.g. 56 Windsor.





(DaveFs56DodgeD500FrontBrake_BackSide_FromRear_2.jpg)



(DaveFs56DodgeD500LeftFrontBrakeSuspectedOfLeaking_Nope.jpg)



(DaveFs56DodgeD500LeftFrontBrakeNewShoeWithStrangePattern.jpg)



(DaveFsD500DrumWidth.jpg)



(DaveFsD500BrakeShoeWidth.jpg)



(56DodgeD500FrontBrakeDrumAndHub_InnerSide_DrumDiameter.jpg)



Attachments
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Attachments DaveFs56DodgeD500FrontBrake_BackSide_FromRear_2.jpg (190KB - 252 downloads)
Attachments DaveFs56DodgeD500LeftFrontBrakeSuspectedOfLeaking_Nope.jpg (163KB - 264 downloads)
Attachments DaveFs56DodgeD500LeftFrontBrakeNewShoeWithStrangePattern.jpg (126KB - 258 downloads)
Attachments DaveFsD500DrumWidth.jpg (120KB - 252 downloads)
Attachments DaveFsD500BrakeShoeWidth.jpg (119KB - 250 downloads)
Attachments 56DodgeD500FrontBrakeDrumAndHub_InnerSide_DrumDiameter.jpg (142KB - 258 downloads)
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chryslerman101
Posted 2020-09-12 8:00 PM (#603140 - in reply to #603074)
Subject: RE: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo


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56D500boy,

              Interesting information that you have presented. But, if you say that the 1956 D500 cars never had 11" brakes, didn't the other 1956 Dodge car models (except police cars) use 11" x 2" brakes ?

Also, by looking at your car's IBM build card, it also looks like it is marked off with a 10" or 11" clutch, weren't that apply that your car had originally a manual transmission, instead of an automatic Powerflite 2-speed transmission that you car had when you first purchased it used ? Could you please explain ?

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56D500boy
Posted 2020-09-12 8:36 PM (#603141 - in reply to #603140)
Subject: RE: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo



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Chryslerman101: Please review this four page thread about my 56 Dodge and its IBM card and cowl tag:

http://www.forwardlook.net/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=67614&...

Ask your questions there.

After almost 4 years and many people trying to help me figure things out, we still have not unravelled the tangled mess that is the 56 Dodge LA plant IBM cards and cowl tags. We know now that the cards were based on 1955 Detroit Plymouth build cards and all the slots that pertained to that car. Why the LA 56 Dodges got these cards and what they really mean can only be answered by people who worked in the plant and now are likely very dead.

We should arrange a séance and get to the bottom this.



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chryslerman101
Posted 2020-09-13 12:01 PM (#603156 - in reply to #603140)
Subject: RE: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo


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Location: California

56D500boy said the following ....

"Bottomline is the D500 Special was like the normal D500 with the 315 cu in 260 hp, dual rocker, dual exhaust, engine equipped with the 12" Chrysler "CenterPlane" brakes"

"I believe that, despite what the IBM car suggests, the brakes on my car have been 12" CenterPlane since it left the LA factory in May 1956. There were no 11" CenterPlane brakes."

The above two statements that you have made in regards to the 1956 Dodge D500 "Special" cars is not entirely correct.

As per the partial 1956 Dodge Division bulletin dated March 9th 1956, it specifically states the following ...

"The D500 Special will be furnished 100 per cent with 12-inch CenterPlane Brakes unless you specifically advise to the contrary." That means that the 1956 D500 "Special " cars were available with either 12" Chrysler or regular 11" Dodge brakes, which its other 1956 car models had used. And maybe that is why the LA plant, who probably was the main plant designated to build the 1956 D500 "Special " cars instead of the Detroit plant, had used the 11 inch brakes in one of the columns of its IBM Build cards. So it looks like either your factory IBM Build card has "errors" in it or your 1956 Dodge D500 "Special " late production car did indeed had orginally the 11" Dodge brakes and someone had converted it later on with the 12" Chrysler brakes ?

Allpar website also said the following about the 1956 Dodge D500 "Special " cars ...

"On March 9, 1956 there was an announcement that boded ill for the D-500: the D-500 Special using standard Dodge suspension springs and 11-inch brakes ..."

Also, the same is true with the 1956 D500 "Special " car's dual exhausts which was not exclusive, for a customer could of elected to have the single exhaust system as well - per March 9th, 1956 Dodge Bulletin. It also looks like the 1956 Dodge D500 "Special regular suspension cars was just a watered-down version of its originally introduced 1956 Dodge D-500 HD suspension cars and in my opionion there was nothing "Special" about its later production introduced model car.

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chryslerman101
Posted 2020-09-15 12:11 PM (#603218 - in reply to #603074)
Subject: RE: Extracts from the March 9th, 1956 D500 Special Memo


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Posts: 40
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Location: California

56D500boy, I have found some additional information on the Jalopy Journal about the 1956 Dodge D500 "Special" cars, which also states that the 12" (Chrysler) brakes available for this later produced (March) model could be deleted, which means that the customer could ofordered the regular Dodge 11" brakes with the regular Dodge suspension for this later produced 1956 Dodge D500 "Special" cars and it was also available for all of its 1956 Dodge V-8 car models ...

 "Sometime in early March of 1956 the D-500 option was made available across the entire Dodge line-up, even including wagons. About a week later, Dodge announced that the D-500 could be a power option on any V-8 model. by adding dual exhaust and 12" brakes. The optional 12" brakes could be deleted. and it did not include the specific chassis hardware in response to customer complaints that said the D-500s rode like trucks. Dodge referred to these power-option cars as D-500 specials."

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1956-dodge-custom-royal-lancer-convertible-value.715071/

Do you think that you are still correct with the following statement that you had made ?

56D500boy said the following ....

"Bottomline is the D500 Special was like the normal D500 with the 315 cu in 260 hp, dual rocker, dual exhaust, engine equipped with the 12" Chrysler "CenterPlane" brakes"

"I believe that, despite what the IBM car suggests, the brakes on my car have been 12" CenterPlane since it left the LA factory in May 1956. There were no 11" CenterPlane brakes."

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