The Forward Look Network | ||
| ||
How rare are these parts? Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
Forward Look NON-Technical Discussions -> 1955-1961 Forward Look MoPar General Discussion | Message format |
58Donnie |
| ||
Account Suspended Posts: 2827 Location: At "The Rock" in upper East Tennessee | I picked up a '57 Savoy to use as a parts car for my '58. When I got it home I found that the car came stock without a heater. This makes the car have an almost slick lower dash trim except for the ash tray, and the fire wall under the hood has a block off plate where the blower box should be. Someone has added what I call a "western auto heater" that has one off/on switch and a rotating high/low switch these are mounted along the lower edge of the dash. The heater itself looks like a small round blower motor and is mounted under the dash. These parts may not be rare or worth a dime to anyone. I didn't know that a heater was optional by '57. | ||
Mike M |
| ||
Extreme Veteran Posts: 409 Location: Tampa, Florida | Actually, I believe that a heater is not required to this day. but in the mid sixties, a windsheild defroster was a required safety item so heaters became standard equipment. In my first car, a 1956 Ford Victoria, my heater was a can of sterno sitting on the hump. | ||
forwardlookparts |
| ||
Expert Posts: 2721 Location: Minneapolis | Heaters have been optional since at least the thirties, dealer add-ons and factory installed. The way vehicles are pre-packaged with "standard" equipment nowadays, I dont think that a new car could be bought without a heater since the seventies. | ||
58Donnie |
| ||
Account Suspended Posts: 2827 Location: At "The Rock" in upper East Tennessee | I knew that prior to around '55 heaters were optional but I guess I just assumed that they pretty much came standard on passenger cars. So I guess this is not so much rare parts as they are just unique. I went down to where I have the car and found an extra set of heater hoses ran back to a housed fan that is bolted to the floor under the seat on the passenger side. (this is for the "western auto heater") Was "no heater" common for a savoy in '57? If a person was building a drag car or the like out of any eary mopar that used the '57-'58 plymouth type box, then the firewall block off plate would be great. The lower trim on the dash that is just slick where the cig lighter and heater controls should be would also be great on a custom dash. | ||
forwardlookparts |
| ||
Expert Posts: 2721 Location: Minneapolis | They would depend on the region it was in. I have never come across anything up here in Minnesota (from the late forties on up) that didn't have a heater. Regardless, I think that those dash plates you have no problem selling. (Heater delete plates are in high command for the '62 and up MoPar strip runners, hard to find for the guy building a 413/426 clone.) | ||
Kenny J. |
| ||
Inactive by user's request Location: Las Vegas, Nevada | I seem to recall G.M. started some sort of "pyramiding" of "required options", i.e., if you ordered a full size Ch3vy with a V-8, you had to have radial tires, if you ordered radial tires, you had to have disk brakes, if you ordered disk brakes, you had to have sway bars, if you ordered sway bars, you had to have full wheel covers...well, not exactly as I have listed, but something like that. This began during the early 1970s. There were also other packaged groups of options from all domestic manufacturers for many years. I do remember that Cadillac dealers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin kept non-A/C cars in their inventories for the all the cheapskate older people. This was well into the 1970s, probably until A/C became standard equipment. There was a local myth among these oldsters that using the A/C frequently would "use up all the Freon" and it would cost a fortune to refill the system. Ask them how often they had their home refrigerator refilled and they'd look at you like you were crazy. So they'd drive for years not using their A/C. When they deemed a "special occasion" reason to run the A/C, all the dried seals would fail, the refrigerant would escape and the system was rendered useless. So they thought A/C was a scam to make you get your car serviced at the dealer. I also remember people removing their A/C compressor belts to save "three or four miles per gallon." I guess nobody told them about the compressor's clutch. They'd also claim running the A/C once a month during winter to lubricate the seals would cause the engine to freeze up and crack the block. Really. Sorry about hijacking the thread.:O K. | ||
roadkillontheweb |
| ||
Expert Posts: 1357 Location: Iowa USA | Both my 1956 Desoto and Plymouth do not have a heaters But they were also sold new in Australia. Plus the standard American style heater would not work since the steering column is right where the heater box went here in the states. They also do not have radios, clocks, turn signals, power steering, power brakes, or any other power accessory! My Desoto has one option tinted windows My Plymouth has two options. overdrive and sunvisor Seems strange since my last car a 57 Adventurer ragtop would have had almost everything including steering wheel clock and Highway HI FI record player | ||
Lancer Mike |
| ||
Location: The Mile High City | Hi, Donnie: If you are intereseted in selling the heater delete plate on the engine side of the cowl, under the hood - I am interested in buying! I have a couple of posts under "parts wanted" and "desert southwest region". Please let me know. Thanks, Mike | ||
57Furykay |
| ||
Veteran Posts: 209 Location: Denton , Texas | Mike M - 2006-01-10 9:41 AM Actually, I believe that a heater is not required to this day. but in the mid sixties, a windsheild defroster was a required safety item so heaters became standard equipment. In my first car, a 1956 Ford Victoria, my heater was a can of sterno sitting on the hump. [/ Mike , Now you are beginning to tell your age . Ha, Ha HAQUOTE] | ||
58Donnie |
| ||
Account Suspended Posts: 2827 Location: At "The Rock" in upper East Tennessee | Mike, Make me an offer, I can send you a picture tuesday, ( I am a Paramedic that works 24 on 48 off) after I got off the parts that I could use on my '58 I let my wife have the '57 stuff to sell so the money will go to her to help fund her over the top gardening and landscaping hobby. | ||
Lancer Mike |
| ||
Location: The Mile High City | Sounds good Donnie. Let me take a look at the photo and I'm sure we can reach an agreement. I think you have my e-mail address. If not, please make another post and I'll get it over to you. -Mike | ||
57burb |
| ||
Expert Posts: 3966 Location: DFW, TX | In case you didn't already know, here's what one looks like. (caps 029.JPG) Attachments ---------------- caps 029.JPG (64KB - 322 downloads) | ||
Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [50 messages per page] |
Search this forum Printer friendly version E-mail a link to this thread |
(Delete all cookies set by this site) | |