Good Morning Forward Look Members ?
My name is Robert Tittle, User Name Colorado Firedome. I
joined Forward Look at the suggestion of Lancer Mike who I met at a Sonic Hot
Summer Nights in Aurora Colorado. I was enjoying the cars when I saw Mikes ?59
Firedome Convertible cruise by. Wow, it was stunning.
I have a 56 Firedome I have owned since 96. I found her in
a Storage Lot & was able to buy her for the Outstanding Storage Owed,
$800. She had been in storage since 84. 12 year old gas, oil like mud, F speed
rated tires with weather cracks. They quit using the letter ratings in 80,
they still held air.
I asked the Counter Guy if it ran & he said, ?Let?s
find out.? We jumpered her to my van, squirted a little Starter Fluid down the
2 BBL & she fired up 1st time. Lots of smoke at first but she
settled down right away. That was the good news. The bad news was, NO
BRAKES.
My buddy & I limped her home, I nearly crashed through
the Garage Door. That started a love affair which has gone on for 14 years. I
refer to the Firedome as ?She? because my wife complained I was spending a lot
of time & money on it. I suggested that it was better than a real mistress
& she agreed. At that moment the Desoto became Delores
Desoto.
The first order of business was to get the brakes working.
I?m sure you have all dealt with this issue so I won?t bore you with the
details. I discovered that someone had figured out how to deal with this,
White Post in Virginia. They bored & sleeved the Master Cylinder & all
6 of the Wheel Cylinders. She can smoke all 4 tires to a stop
now.
The next issue was the Transmission. Shifting was slow when
cold & sometimes stuck in Neutral. I located a shop in the area, Classic
Transmission, who would even talk about working on her. It turned out that the
owner?s father-in-law, retired, volunteered to come in & do the job. It
worked great for 10 years. He did say I would be back. It?s time now, I?m
afraid.
I replied to Lancer Mike?s Rapid City thread with details
of the last trip in Delores, 2002. Today she is stranded in my driveway. Stuck
in Neutral & with a stuck Cam follower. I got busy with work & allowed
her to languish, but never forgotten. She calls me everytime I walk past.
In Aurora, you can?t park a car in the street or in your
driveway unless it is Licensed & Insured. I have kept the Plate &
Insurance current, against the day I was able to restart the Project.
I work from home now, I don?t travel as much as I used to
& Retirement is only a couple of years away. I want to get her back on the
road again but I have some hurdles to get over before that can
happen.
The 330 Hemi was bored & rebuilt in 00 & now
has a ¾ Street Cam & Carter 4 BBl carb with original Cast Iron Intake
Manifold. The Brakes & Suspension have been rebuilt. 6 leaf Station Wagon
Springs really firmed up the ?Floating on a Cloud? ride 50?s cars were so
famous (infamous) for. Thank you Springs & Things. The Electrical
problems, courtesy of Mice & Squirrels, were solved by a period
correct Wiring Loom from A to Z. 3? wide White Walls Radials from Coker Tires
look great & handle even better. The Desoto Hub Caps are so heavy they cut
the Valve Stems under braking. Flat Tires in the morning, I thought I had a
vandal problem. I replaced them with Steel Stems. Problem
solved.
I?m looking forward to a more local group than my previous
affiliation & to learning from the members/owners who hang out at this
site.
?It?s Delightful, It?s Delovely, It?s Desoto.?
- The Andrews Sisters.
?Say the Magic Word & Duckie will reward you with a
cash prize.? ? Groucho Marx
Happy Motoring.
Robert Tittle.
