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1958 DeSoto Spring Special
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d500neil
Posted 2015-06-06 10:25 PM (#480604 - in reply to #480599)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!

Posts: 19146
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Location: bishop, ca		So, not counting the Spring Special shades, there are/were only FIVE colors that were specific to the Firesweeps???

The other confirmed (but not shown) colors were shared with the Firedomes and Fireflites(?)
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Chrycoman
Posted 2015-06-06 11:02 PM (#480609 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Vancouver, BC
Yes, the 1958 DeSoto Firesweep had five colours, plus a spring special that were not used on the other DeSoto models. Those five plus one colours were shared with Dodge, though. Eight colours were shared with the Firedome and Fireflite models.

In 1957 the DeSoto Firesweep had eleven unique colours (although shared with Dodge) plus two shared with the Firedomes andFireflites.

The 1959 DeSoto Firesweep again had eleven unique colours (again shared with Dodge) although an additional four were shared with the Firedomes and Fireflites. And of those four, three were also used by Dodge.
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d500neil
Posted 2015-06-06 11:42 PM (#480614 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!

Posts: 19146
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Location: bishop, ca		Bill, yeahbutt...the color-chip sheet says: "For additional colors, see color chips shown for models LS-2, LS-3
on the following" [listed colors, on the sheet...], so, it would appear that there are eight additional
DeSoto colors that were available, but which are not illustrated on the color-chip sheet(?).





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Chrycoman
Posted 2015-06-07 1:23 AM (#480622 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Vancouver, BC
The additional colours are for the Firesweep, and the eight colours were used on the Firedome and Fireflite. Therefore, the eight additional Firesweep colours, as listed on the bottom of the Ditzler sheet 5804, are included in the Firedome/Fireflite colours shown on the top half of the same sheet. All eight colours are shown on the top part of the sheet - just search for the colour names, which are the same regardless of whether it is a Firesweep, Firedome or Fireflite.
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2015-08-17 11:06 PM (#487428 - in reply to #480622)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1112
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Location: Wild Wonderful		more from the web



(w01627[1].JPG)



(wss_DeSoto58.jpg)



(wz4630758.jpg)



(y18426.jpg)



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Attachments wss_DeSoto58.jpg (139KB - 258 downloads)
Attachments wz4630758.jpg (143KB - 227 downloads)
Attachments y18426.jpg (107KB - 389 downloads)
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2015-08-28 12:45 AM (#488166 - in reply to #487428)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Elite Veteran

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Location: Wild Wonderful		Does anybody know anything about this one? Pretty neat.

Is that the engine we are hearing, or is that the rain? Wait, there is no engine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkwYTdwzzVM

Edited by 58DeSoDodge59 2015-08-28 12:47 AM
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2015-08-28 11:21 AM (#488196 - in reply to #488166)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: The Mile High City

A Firesweep. I wonder if the spring specials were evenly distributed among models?

I saw the next video clip too. Ken Nagel's convertible. According to that, the Firesweep was the most expensive De Soto ever!

 

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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2015-08-31 11:12 AM (#488417 - in reply to #488196)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful
Lancer Mike - 2015-08-28 11:21 AM

A Firesweep. I wonder if the spring specials were evenly distributed among models?

I saw the next video clip too. Ken Nagel's convertible. According to that, the Firesweep was the most expensive De Soto ever!

 





I'm sure they started out evenly, but I'm guessing that some models sold better than others.
So the dealers probably replaced them as they sold. Don't ask me what model that was.
Here are some production numbers. What do you guys think... maybe about 5 to 10% of each?





(prod.jpg)



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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2015-08-31 11:15 AM (#488418 - in reply to #488166)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		Here is the "runner up" to the Ad that made it in the papers.

Notice the different pose of the model.

Edited by 58DeSoDodge59 2015-08-31 11:33 AM




(spring1958.jpg)



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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2015-08-31 10:39 PM (#488489 - in reply to #488418)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Elite Veteran

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Location: Wild Wonderful		Well I'm not the first one that did a little modifying on the hubcaps.
Notice the green convertibles hubcaps have the little black squares, instead of the white.



(889378_n.jpg)



(9058_n.jpg)



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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2015-09-09 12:10 PM (#489320 - in reply to #488489)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		Someone was asking about 58 Desoto Assembly line photos.
These are not Spring Specials, but I did not know where else to post them.

So here you go,
enjoy the photo,
of the 58 Desoto.




(desoto173.jpg)



(desoto172.jpg)



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Lancer Mike
Posted 2015-09-09 2:16 PM (#489324 - in reply to #489320)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: The Mile High City		Very nice, Kurt. Thanks for sharing those.
I had always heard of the De Soto plant as the "Wyoming Avenue Plant"
These pictures refer to it as the West Warren Avenue Plant?
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Chrycoman
Posted 2015-09-09 5:10 PM (#489335 - in reply to #489324)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Vancouver, BC
Lancer Mike - 2015-09-09 2:16 PM

Very nice, Kurt. Thanks for sharing those.
I had always heard of the De Soto plant as the "Wyoming Avenue Plant"
These pictures refer to it as the West Warren Avenue Plant?


No, the assembly plant was at the Wyoming Avenue location. The author / editor who wrote the photo descriptions probably knew Imperials were built at West Warren after DeSoto vacated the premises, and assumed that DeSotos were assembled there before Imperial.

Chrysler purchased the Wyoming Avenue plant from General Motors in 1934. In 1936, the plant was expanded and began assembling DeSotos for the 1937 model year. Bodies were trucked over from the Kercheval body plant across from Chrysler's East Jefferson plant, or from outside suppliers Briggs, Hayes, or Murray. After DeSoto production ended, the plant was used for export preparation and shipping until 1980. In 1991 the plant was demolished and the land used for expanding the McGraw plant for parts production.

The McGraw plant was built next to the Wyoming plant in 1937 for stamping and / or manufacturing smaller items for production. After DeSoto production moved out, the plant was gutted and set up for auto glass production.

And the West Warren plant was purchased from Graham-Paige Motor Corporation in 1947. In 1950 the plant began building bodies for the DeSoto plant on Wyoming. In 1951 DeSoto Firedome V8 engines were built at West Warren. Engine production ended in the summer of 1957 and B block engines were shipped from the Trenton engine plant. DeSoto body production ended with the end of DeSoto assembly at Wyoming. The plant was then overhauled and Imperials were built there for the 1959, 1960 and 1961 model years. Chrysler sold the property later in the 1960's. Parts of the plant are still standing.

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bbrasse1
Posted 2015-09-09 6:11 PM (#489341 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special


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Location: Upstate NY		Very interesting and informative. I love those assembly line pictures.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-09-09 7:41 PM (#489348 - in reply to #489341)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		Note that the first ass'y line pic shows a Firedome hardtop being built
with dog dishies and body colored wheels !
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1960fury
Posted 2015-09-09 7:50 PM (#489350 - in reply to #489348)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: northern germany		hmm silver painted crank pulleys on bb's, never saw that before. has anti sway bar too.
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bbrasse1
Posted 2015-09-10 4:43 AM (#489365 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special


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Location: Upstate NY		I thought the 58's were gold and the 57's were silver?
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-09-10 11:47 PM (#489411 - in reply to #489365)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		Pulleys should be P&A Black.
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Powerflite
Posted 2015-09-27 11:36 AM (#490735 - in reply to #489411)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: So. Cal		Doc, I've never seen the DeSoto dog dishes. Are they the same as the Chrysler? Do you have a picture of one you would care to share?
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-09-27 2:45 PM (#490748 - in reply to #490735)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		They are unique to DeSoto. I will take a photo of one of mine and post it.
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2015-09-28 9:52 AM (#490818 - in reply to #489348)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: The Mile High City
Doctor DeSoto - 2015-09-09 5:41 PM

Note that the first ass'y line pic shows a Firedome hardtop being built
with dog dishies and body colored wheels !


Amazing. I thought only the Firesweeps could be had with hub caps. Well, there goes that theory.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-09-28 12:21 PM (#490836 - in reply to #490818)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		Full wheelcovers were standard only on Fireflite and, of course, Adventurer.

Do you have the dealer lit that shows the various graphs and charts of standard
and optional equipment as it relates to models ?

It makes the conundrum of decoding data tags at least "semi" understandable.
For example, the data tags for Dome-Flite-Adv are all the same, yet the code
number under any of the letters means different things depending on the car model !

So, if your Dome had a code number for Option X, my Flite would show no code
number because that option on your Dome was standard equipment on the Flite, and
thusly no need to notate it on the data tag.

Juggling all these different models, codes, and equipment packages is confusing !
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-10-08 12:53 AM (#491703 - in reply to #490748)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		1957-1961 DeSoto "dog dish" hubcap:





(dog dish.jpg)



(CAKernvilleCozyCorner.jpg)



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Powerflite
Posted 2015-10-08 9:06 AM (#491722 - in reply to #491703)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: So. Cal		Nice. Thanks. First time I have seen one not on a car in an old fuzzy photo like the second picture.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-10-08 9:55 AM (#491723 - in reply to #491722)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		Given how few we ever see in old photos (I never saw a car still on the road
or sitting complete in a wrecking yard type situation) wearing them, it is clear
that nearly all DeSoto buyers (even buyers of el Cheapo Firesweeps and strippers)
opted up the $19 and got the full face wheel covers. Only original car I ever
saw with with my own eyes wearing them was the 60 Fireflite coupe I owned.
Once I knew what they looked like, I have found a few more in hubcap piles
over the years. They are not common !
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firedome
Posted 2015-10-08 10:50 AM (#491728 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: NY & VT		When we were still living in MD out in farm country just S of Gettysburg PA, there was an old farmer who still drove a rusty, faded pea-green paint no option '57 Firedome 4 dr sedan with dog dishes. There was a Plymouth/DeSoto dealer on E Main St in Westminster (Carroll Co.) I actually knew one of the salesmen who had worked there many years before. Some of those old timey farmers were notoriously cheap so that wasn't all that unusual to see, except for the rarity of what he was driving. This would have been early or mid 1980s.

Edited by firedome 2015-10-08 10:53 AM
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big m
Posted 2015-10-08 1:04 PM (#491740 - in reply to #491703)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Doctor DeSoto - 2015-10-07 9:53 PM

1957-1961 DeSoto "dog dish" hubcap:



These were very popular in the early eighties when Devo painted them red and wore them as hats in a music video.
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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-10-08 1:14 PM (#491741 - in reply to #491740)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		I think it would be a real hoot to have a 57/58 Firedome convertible to put
these things on. The no-color-sweep 57 has a super clean side profile, and
with the dog dishies, would really stand out as different from all the other 57's,
especially the ragtops (where everyone wants to bling them out totally). The
58 single spear (no color sweep) looks awkward to my eye. Cool, but not clean
like the 57 version. I'd put them on my Fireflite, but full face wheel covers were
standard (as was side sweep), so it really would look cobbled.
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Paul Hettick
Posted 2015-10-08 2:53 PM (#491753 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special


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Location: California		Are we not men? We are DEVO
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Lancer Mike
Posted 2015-10-08 10:48 PM (#491779 - in reply to #491753)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: The Mile High City		c'mon guys. that's not even close.
the DEVO headware is much better looking than those poverty caps.



(DEVO 1980.jpg)



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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2015-10-09 12:15 AM (#491785 - in reply to #491779)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		The Devo boys took a college class assignment and turned into a
multi-million dollar sensation.
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2016-03-13 3:08 PM (#506694 - in reply to #491785)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		Has anyone seen this car?



(ss58desotoredred.jpg)



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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2017-05-07 10:26 AM (#539598 - in reply to #506694)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		What is the saying? What goes around, comes around. or is it, Good things come to those who wait.
Whatever it is, I got the car in the above picture.
I took this picture in front of the old Dealership of where we think it was sold,in Crown Point, NY. I will check CHS for sure.



(strongdesoto.jpg)



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mikes2nd
Posted 2017-05-07 10:42 AM (#539600 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special


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does it have the window through trim? maybe in the trunk?
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2017-05-07 9:40 PM (#539644 - in reply to #539600)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		It is missing the trim around the rear window, but I have everything else, even this original trunk mat.



(desototrunkmat.jpg)



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mikes2nd
Posted 2017-05-08 2:10 AM (#539666 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special


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no I mean the window trim along the roofline above the doors.
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2017-05-08 8:34 AM (#539679 - in reply to #539666)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		No, it never had any trim going down the drip rails. Just painted rails. Just like my other one.
Yes, I now have two 58 Spring Specials. I need to get rid of one of them. I like this one the best.
It was originally Haze Blue with a white top. The other one is Smoke Gray with a black roof.
Does anyone want a major project?



(desotohaze.jpg)



(inner 009.jpg)



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firedome
Posted 2017-05-08 9:30 AM (#539685 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: NY & VT		I've been driving by that dealership in Crown Point on the way to our summer place for over 40 years, in the mid-late 70s it was still in business. Every year I'm always amazed the building with it's original signs is still there!
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ToMopar
Posted 2017-05-09 12:58 PM (#539770 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1157
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Location: D-70199 Heslach		Could you post the adress or gps of that dealership in Crown Point, NY
By the way, I love the pictures of that 58 SS in front of the building

Edited by ToMopar 2017-05-09 12:59 PM
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2017-05-09 1:24 PM (#539774 - in reply to #539770)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Wild Wonderful		I don't know the address, but it is on Main street, at the end of Station Street. in Crown Point, NY.


Wait, I found it. It's 2605 NY-22.

Edited by 58DeSoDodge59 2017-05-09 1:33 PM
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2017-05-09 1:35 PM (#539776 - in reply to #539679)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1112
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Location: Wild Wonderful
58DeSoDodge59 - 2017-05-08 8:34 AM

No, it never had any trim going down the drip rails. Just painted rails. Just like my other one.
Yes, I now have two 58 Spring Specials. I need to get rid of one of them. I like this one the best.
It was originally Haze Blue with a white top. The other one is Smoke Gray with a black roof.
Does anyone want a major project?



Correction: It was Heather blue with a Pearl white top. Code XWW.
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ToMopar
Posted 2017-05-09 2:15 PM (#539780 - in reply to #539774)
Subject: Re: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: D-70199 Heslach
58DeSoDodge59 - 2017-05-09 6:24 PM

I don't know the address, but it is on Main street, at the end of Station Street. in Crown Point, NY.

Wait, I found it. It's 2605 NY-22.


Thanks. its on 43.947928, -73.417732
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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2017-08-13 10:40 AM (#546105 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Expert

Posts: 2308
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Location: The Bat Cave, Fairborn, OH

It took me some time to get a shot of my vin tag, but here it is. It is screwed to the passenger side of the cowl. 

Figures at the top appear to be: 434711

 

Lower Figures look like:

No: 300  Model: LS1L BT: 412 PT: EEE TR: 662

It is a Los Angeles built car as one would assume for a car that I picked up in New Mexico. The format of the tag differs somewhat to the other tag I saw in this thread, but it may have been the other car was built in Detroit. 

I'm curious to know what PT code EEE is. (I'm guessing green judging on what is underneath the Haze Blue Mettalic paint.) Any 1958 DeSoto gurus feel free to weigh in on decipering my tag.

 

 



Edited by 58 DESOTOS RULE 2017-08-13 10:45 AM




(Detail of De Soto Vin Plate.jpg)



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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2017-08-13 2:45 PM (#546113 - in reply to #546105)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		Let me knock the dust off my decoder hat and see if I can
remember how all these fall out.

The top row will show numbers for the specific option group,
as it applies to a given model. Being that your car is a Firesweep,
the codes would be different than for a big DeSoto, where those
options on a Sweep were standard equipment on others OR a
different grouping/pricing because of the model differentiation.

I'd really like to see this thing cleaned up a bit to read all the
finer markings before I comment on the top row. The numbers
will appear directly below the code above, as they are related.

All spring special 58 DeSotos I have studied were Detroit built.
No sure if coding was different. My car is Haze Blue Metallic, and
coded XCX, Arctic White being the sweep color and a white top,
that tells me "C" was the code for HBM, so your "EEE" paint code
certainly suggests a different color and ONE color. The aluminum
sweep inserts would have given the car a color sweep, so no sense
in painting that part a different color.

Giving this a little thought, it seems to me that most of the SS
cars I have seen have the roof painted the same color as the body.
Perhaps this was to accentuate the sparkly side sweep insert for
added "drama" ?

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

Lower Figures look like:

No: 300 Model: LS1L BT: 412 PT: EEE TR: 662

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

NO 300 is a Dodge code, because Firesweeps are actually Dodges.

LS1 breaks out as:

L=1958
S=DeSoto
1=Firesweep

The L is weird for DeSoto, and I am going to guess it is a Dodge/Plymouth
carryover, meaning LOW model.

BT = Body Type, and int his case it breaks down as:

4=DeSoto
1=Firesweep
2=2HT

TR means "trim", or specifically, the interior. In your case, 662 would indicate
what colors, and if it was all vinyl or had cloth inserts.

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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2017-08-13 8:57 PM (#546139 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Posts: 2308
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Location: The Bat Cave, Fairborn, OH

Upon closer examination of the picture, there appear to be some other numbers before the "300" . "722" is clear and then there looks like a space and a number which could be an "8". Then comes the "300". It isn't the car's vin as that number is LS1L-xxxx. Maybe it's a schedule/sequence number? I will have to put a little solvent on a rag and wipe the undercoating off to get a clearer picture. (I had the car rustproofed by Ziebart when I bought it in 1981. Still holding up well today 36 years later) That probably won't be possible though until November.

I still would be interested in what color the paint code EEE stands for. It was painted one color that much is certain and the aluminum insert for the sweep was what added sparkle to it. I still think it was originally light green. Edit: Yes it was. Sherwin-Williams paint code card says code EEE was Willow Green. I don't know if that was a color applied to Spring Specials only or not, but my car certainly left the Los Angeles plant with a bright coat of Willow Green.





(Willow Green.JPG)



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Doctor DeSoto
Posted 2017-08-14 12:54 AM (#546152 - in reply to #546139)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Parts Unknown		Yes, indeed .... Willow Green. Or for those of us who don't
mind a little teasing from our friends, "Buzzard Puke Green" ...
a name given for that same color on my 58 Plaza but good ol'
Canman.

Personally, I love the color and specifically hunted 30+ years
for a 58 Plaza 4 door sedan in that color because it is SO period
awesome !

I am visualizing an all Willow Green Sweep 2HT with a zippy
bright aluminum color sweep as the only interruption to that
green. I think it would be REAL purty, and even more importantly,
a REAL standout in a wad of finned Mopars. Wow. That would
be super sexy !
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58DeSoDodge59
Posted 2017-08-14 12:47 PM (#546175 - in reply to #546152)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Elite Veteran

Posts: 1112
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Location: Wild Wonderful		58 DeSotos Rule, Thank you for posting this information. I was not expecting a car from LA. Now we have to
figure out what they were thinking out there.
I noticed that there is a SEQ in the top right corner of the Plate, but no numbers below it. ?
The second L in LS1L, I think it just means that this car was built in LA.
The TR 662. It would make better sense if it were 632.
What are the numbers above the 434711 ? Maybe Z1 W2 M2 M3 M4 M5 . What are these categories?
LA always does things weird. I think you need a passport to go there.



(632.jpg)



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Powerflite
Posted 2017-08-14 1:24 PM (#546178 - in reply to #546175)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Expert 5K+

Posts: 9647
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Location: So. Cal
58DeSoDodge59 - 2017-08-14 9:47 AM
....
The second L in LS1L, I think it just means that this car was built in LA.
The TR 662. It would make better sense if it were 632.
What are the numbers above the 434711 ? Maybe Z1 W2 M2 M3 M4 M5 . What are these categories?
LA always does things weird. I think you need a passport to go there.


I agree with the meaning of the second L. My LA built '58 Dodge has the same L after it, but it is a low price car too, so it fits both ways. But the VIN has this second L in it too, which definitely describes being built in LA.

You don't need a passport anymore. Half the people here are illegals.
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Chrycoman
Posted 2017-08-14 3:34 PM (#546186 - in reply to #546113)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



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Location: Vancouver, BC
To sort out a few things -

The row across the top is for the various options on the car with the numbers below being the last digit of the sales code. Unfortunately, I have never come across any decoding for the top row. Will need a few body tags and their related IBM cards / Historical Services letters to figure it out. I suspect one of them is the code for the Spring Special sweep insert.

The "300" along with the number before it and the "0722" make up the "SO NO" , or Shipping Order Number. The "0722" is the scheduled build date, July 22, 1958, the missing number is the car line, and the "300" is the 300th car scheduled for "0722".

The model number, LS1-L, was the new model identifier system Chrysler Corporation adopted for 1958. The previous system, adopted in 1935-36, had a letter for the car line, a numeric model code, and the series, if any, were identified with -1, -2, etc. (1957 Chrysler Windsor - C75-1; 1957 Chrysler Saratoga - C75-2). The biggest problem with the this system was the lack of a model year identifier. (1957 Imperial was IM1 and not C77)

The new system -
L - model year
S - car line
1 - chassis / engine
L - price class / series

The model year was the Engineering Department's model year which used letters -
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, P, R, S, T, V - The "A" years were 1924-25, 1942, 1965 and 1982. There were three combined model years - 1924-25 for A, 1946-48 for B in the second series, and 1951-52 for E in the second series. The letter Q was used once - for the 1960 Valiant. The model year was added as a prefix to the paint code on the body tag for 1969. Now you could identify the model year that colour was introduced.

Car Line -
P - Plymouth
D - Dodge
S - DeSoto
C - Chrysler
Y - Imperial
E - 1958-1959 - 118" wheelbase Dodge - Canadian and export Kingsway (also labelled as Dodge Conversion)
F - 1958-1961 - 118" wheelbase DeSoto - export Diplomat (also labelled as DeSoto Conversion)
X - 1960 Valiant (one year only)
V - 1961-1976 Valiant
W - 1961 Lancer (one year only - used L in 1962)

Chassis / engine -
for 1958 DeSoto -
1 - 325-cid V8 or 230-cid 6
2 - 361-cid V8, 2-bbl carb
3 - 361-cid V8, 4-bbl carb(s)
Optional engines did not change the chassis / engine code. Thus the reason why the standard engine was not entered on the body tag - only the optional engines.

Not ForwardLook, but the 1965-67 US-built Dodge used the 383-cid V8 as the base engine and code D2. The Canadian-built Dodges with their slant six engines were D1. Base V8 engine was the 318 V8 with code D2 in 1965-66. For 1967 the Windsor plant started building cars for the U.S. - thus building US-style D2 383 models. The Canadian V8 Dodges with the poly 318 V8 as base engine were made code D3.

Price Class / Series
T - Taxi (6)
L - Firesweep (V8)
M - Firedome
H - Fireflite
S - Adventurer
The Taxi was announced and listed, but have no idea how many were built in 1958. DeSoto built 139 taxis in 1957 and was the reason for changing the prefix on the Dodge flathead six from D-72 to KDS (1957 Dodge DeSoto) as of January 10, 1957 beginning at KDS-9601.


1958 Dodge chassis/engine and price class -
1 - 230-cid six (L - Coronet)
2 - 325-cis V8 (L - Coronet and M - Royal)
3 - 350-cid V8 (H - Custom Royal)

The serial number used a prefix system similar to the model number. The last letter was for the assembly plant and not price class / series, though.
L - Model year
S - Car Line
1 - Chassis / Engine
L - Assembly Plant

The assembly plant list for1958 -
(blank) - the Detroit plants - Lynch Road (Plymouth and E/F models), Hamtramck (Dodge, Firesweep & Firesweep Taxi), Wyoming Avenue (DeSoto except Firesweep & Taxi), East Jefferson Avenue (Chrysler and Imperial)
E - Evansville - Plymouth and some E/F models
L - Los Angeles - Plymouth, Dodge V8 models, Firesweep, Chrysler (except 300-D)
N - Newark - Plymouth, Dodge
W - Windsor - Plymouth, E/F models, Custom Royal, Firedome, Windsor (actually Saratoga with Windsor nameplates)
At the beginning of the model year, Chrysler Corporation did list the Coronet 6, Firedome and Fireflite models as being built at Los Angeles, but they never did build them at LA.

Willow Green was available on all DeSoto models right from the beginning of the 1958 model year. It was also available on Plymouth (Misty Green) and Dodge (Mint).





(1958 DeSoto - Ditzler - 5803.jpg)



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58 DESOTOS RULE
Posted 2017-08-14 8:54 PM (#546209 - in reply to #428947)
Subject: RE: 1958 DeSoto Spring Special



Expert

Posts: 2308
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Location: The Bat Cave, Fairborn, OH

Thank you for the additional information, Chrycoman. ;-)

Do you, or anyone else have a current point of contact or link with FCA (Chrysler Historical) so that I can order my IBM card? I've had this car for so long and yet I never have gone all the way and found out more about it by getting the factory record. Now is the time. 

 





(The 330th GH On The Move Crop.jpg)



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Attachments The 330th GH On The Move Crop.jpg (82KB - 170 downloads)
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