1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

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318fins
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by 318fins »

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318fins
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by 318fins »

Out of sequece but earlier this year I bought a parts car, and dismantled it, all the window regulators were cleaned and treated and greased up I installed all the sideglass, so all these parts wouldnt be lying around and possibly getting lost, Ill very likely remove it again when im into the body/paint

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Denver 59 Fin Convert
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Denver 59 Fin Convert »

Very nIce! I like the picture with the car at night outside your garage....I think we have all been there....


John Q.
John Quinn
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"Chrysler Corporation-Extra Care in Engineering"
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big m
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by big m »

Looks great, Carlos!!

---John
In rust we trust!
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Dick Koch
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Dick Koch »

Great Job Carlos - My first new car was a 57 Belvedere Convertible, just keep plugging and before you know it you are at a car show.
Dick.
Life is Beautiful! Sex, Beer & Mopars.
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318fins
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by 318fins »

Thanks John Q Its incredibly hot here I often wait till the sun starts going down to work on it,I cant wait to take that ugly primer off of it, Thanks John (Big M) Im Still learning from your 59' build!
Thanks , Dick brand new 57' convert? Man that mustve' been something, I often wonder what It was like to drive these cars when new or even close to new ,In your opinion how closley does a restored 57-59 perform compared to when they were new?Does it get them pretty close to their glory years in terms of ,comfor drivebility? Thats a great color you have on your 59' and John Q's too thats one of my faves for these cars Very sharp.-Carlos
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Denver 59 Fin Convert
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Denver 59 Fin Convert »

318fins wrote:Thanks John indeed its the toughest part about these cars ,the rust repair, John what type of harness did you use on your 59'? I bought a universal type harness from jegs but dont know if I should move forward on it because of the plugs ect..
I used an after-market type similar to Painless type but I can not remember the name of it. Since my harness was chewed up by rodents, cracked insulation and cut in numerous spots I went that route. I also wanted a more modern fuse block arrangement with modern T type fuses.

Our originals only had a couple of fuses (one for the clock and one for the Heater fan switch) , and a couple circuit breakers (one for my convert top and one for the wipers) at least on 59's. An actual reproduction OEM harness is around $800, I spent $150 for one. Your choice on which way to go. Had to have some help as I got stymied on the Alternator switch from Generator and Modern Mopar (70's style) Electronic Ignition. Just a problem I had....I am very slow.

I did like the harness as it was initially easy to move wires to where they went due to the function of that wire had it printed on it every 10 Inchs. Most of the newer Hot Rod harness like mine are made for a GM steering column so that takes some translation a bit.

I just wanted some additional protection from fires and shorts so that is why I went the new route. I do wrap the wires in the non-adhesive black wrap to make it look like factory. If you are going to show the car for points and such, then go the OEM re-Pop route.

I have disc brakes added, a 413 RB in it so there is no way I could put it in for judging. Nor do I want to at this point. My choice..

You must be related to John Fowlie to take your car down to the smallest level and fab parts to replace rusted metal. Keep up the good work on it. When you finish this one, go find a 59 Plymouth and do the same on it. Bring it back to life!

John Q.
John Quinn
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(NW suburb of Denver)

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318fins
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by 318fins »

Thanks John Q Ive learned alot from watching Johns 59vert project in fact thats the project that made me take the full plunge on a project of this magnitude, I too bought a universal type harness from Ebay a few months back ill install it after paint, it too has with the GM type column thing, but ill go ahead and use it as your right the originals are way expensive and my car will never be a show car, Im trying to build a nice solid driver I can really put some miles on,especially country miles, the adavantage to the modern harness is you can add any accsesory easily like fuel injection,power windows ect..Im trying to stick to as original as I can afford mainly on the stuff thats easily seen exterior,wheels tires ect.Im doing a Christine car but Im seriousley considering painting her the original white, this car had a white body unsure of the top color, I actually wont make a final decision till im at the final stages of body prep work.In the final stages of the floor stuff,soon ill put the front clip on and start body/ paint.about 15-20 hours went into this rear seat beam worked on it this week,replaced some 90 degree sections as well as cleaned up and primerd the innermost parts.This part was supposed to be a breeze but proved a little laborious.

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Dick Koch
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Dick Koch »

Carlos - This looks so familiar. I do everything but the welding, upholstery and chrome plating. I got a lot of practice on "Charleen". Go to "show your ride" the look for DICK'S RED & WHITE SPORT FURY RESTORATION. Took 28 month.
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Steve Storey
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Steve Storey »

Nice work Carlos. I just finished installing a fits all harness in an mg I've been working on and it was time consuming. I had to utilize the mg schematic a lot when clipping/eliminating multi connections and got eye strain from all of that. I hope all my crimp connections stand up better than the lucus connections. There were a few mysteries that were hard to resolve, but I think the early mopar wiring is more down to earth.
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318fins
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by 318fins »

Thanks Steve I once had an Mg Gt It was a fun little car , I did a Summit universal Harness on a Nova I had and it was quite time consuming , but I agree the Plymouth hopefully will be more simple or at least more accessible.

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Ron Keij
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Ron Keij »

Looking good Carlos, your work is an inspiration for others! Just forwarded the link to this topic to a friend of mine in Germany who is currently restoring a 58 Fury.

Ron
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318fins
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by 318fins »

Thanks Ron I appreciate that, I know Ive been inspired and still do get inspired when I see fellow builders' threads theres some very strong builds here on this forum.

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Faulkner
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Re: 1958 Belvedere 2dr ht build

Post by Faulkner »

Wow... Over 11 years have passed since Carlos' last post on this topic. Will Walker was doing some similar work on rockers and asked if there were any related posts on the Forum, so I searched and found this topic. I took the liberty of downloading the PhotoBucket images and reuploading them so they'd appear here in Gallery style (and so that they wouldn't disappear when PhotoBucket decides to ditch them :evil: ). But it makes me sad to see Steve Storey's comments, and to realize he's no longer with us... :cry:

If Carlos' email account is still active, he should receive a notification. Still have the '58, Carlos? Any updates for us?

Dan
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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