Regular
Posts: 59
| Greetings, Comrades
About to take delivery of my first forward look; I've some experience with another orphan brand and am smitten with my new wheels!
Advice on best place to pick up manuals (and which ones)? And can someone point me to where I can get a copy of the build sheet?
Car does not need any real work so I'll be focusing on the mostly cosmetic, maintenance, and updates/upgrades (e.g., discs on front, wiring harness replacement). With a probable return to original colors in the next several years...
Thanks -- and I'll post pics once it arrives!
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Expert
Posts: 3577
  
Location: Blythewood, SC | The best manual is a factory service manual. You can get them off ebay pretty easy.
The build sheet thing takes longer. You can send the VIN number with a copy of the title in your name (copy, not original obviously) to Chrysler Historical. Last I heard they were doing no work on the historical side during Covid. There is a fee, seems like it was around $20 or so. You can search here for the current email address to reach them. I don't know it.
For disc brakes, the best options are AAJ brakes, Scarebird, and I recall that there was a Wilwood kit but it may be out of production. The AAJ and Scarebird kits use common rotors, calipers, and brake lines so repair parts are easy in the future.
Why does it need a wiring harness replacement? These cars are not known for electrical issues. If the harness has been cut up or has fire or rodent damage then I get it. But it may not "need" a wire harness. If you do go that route, you will probably have to roll your own by modifying an aftermarket harness using the factory wiring diagram. I enjoy wiring so to me that would actually be a relaxing and enjoyable endeavor. |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 341
Location: Wisconsin | Congratulations on your new car and welcome to the site! I am assuming from your username it's a '57 Fireflite? If so, I would recommend getting in touch with Ed Petrus, who is the '57 DeSoto guru for the National DeSoto Club and knows those cars inside and out, including data plate decoding. I would also recommend joining the club! Below is a link with Ed's contact listed (7th or so paragraph) and you can click on "membership" in the menu to easily join the club. https://desoto.org/1957-2/ Regarding the manuals, by far the two most useful manuals you could get are the factory service/shop manual and also a parts book. I have a factory '57 service manual here. I'll take a look here in a little bit and send you condition and price in a PM. These cars typically don't have what is conventionally known as a build sheet (such as muscle cars often have tucked under a seat or carpeting), but as was previously mentioned, you can request a copy of the build card from FCA historical. Email Danielle at danielle.szostak@fcagroup.com. Just a fair warning, they are very backed up since they are mostly working remotely with limited access to the physical archives. You will need to provide your serial number and proof of ownership, such as a scan of your title with your name. They do not charge for this service anymore, but also don't decode them like they used to. Ed Petrus can help you there as previously mentioned. FCA can, however, provide you with the original selling dealer in most cases and that information is not found on the data plate. If you are looking for a correct wiring harness, typically YnZ's Yesterday's Parts or Rhode Island Wiring are the two go-to places for complete, correct harnesses. |
Yes, another Newbie (be gentle)
