Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

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GaryBitner
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Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by GaryBitner »

Greetings, all. Pleased to find this forum. I bought Hank Davis' '59 Belvedere last summer and shipped it from Mansfield to Boardman, Ohio, just south of Youngstown. Now that the weather has warmed up, I'm hoping to get the Plymouth out of the garage more often. Here's a photo of the Plymouth in front of my 1959 house.
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Faulkner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by Faulkner »

Gary, welcome to the Forum! What a beautiful car, I don't recall seeing pictures of it before. But I would love to see more! Please, post them. Need help with anything? You've come to the right place!

Dan
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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william0431
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by william0431 »

Welcome Gary!

Always great to have new blood and fresh oil around here! I recognize your 59, I think there are some really great shots on Instagram. She is a true beauty! That is about as picturesque as it gets!!! Love the home and driveway eye candy to complement the look. Mid-century modern design at it's finest all around. Please post more photos and details!
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william0431
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by william0431 »

I never forget a 59 Plymouth! The white sport deck really pops against the body color, also the 59 Dodge Lancer hubcaps are a fancy touch. It looks like it has Solex glass!!!! I just spent MONTHS tracking down a replacement original green tint Solex windshield for my 59 Sport Fury "Jade". Yours looks to be in beautiful shape. Really excited to hear more about it.
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GaryBitner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by GaryBitner »

Thanks, Dan and William. Appreciate the Plymouth praise for my '59. I bought it last summer from Hank Davis, serious Edsel collector and longtime co-owner of "The Car Guys" auto lot outside of Mansfield, Ohio. Hank thought he was the third owner and the car was a barn find from near Grand Rapids. Odometer shows 57K miles, which I suspect to be real. 318 engine and Belvedere 2-door sport coupe body style, as you can tell. Hardtop is the original white (now off-white) but the body is a decent repaint over the original blue. Interior has period seat covers that may have been put on when the car was nearly new; I have yet to inspect the original seats. Engine compartment is cleaner than expected. I owned a '69 Dodge Charger in college with a 318 engine, so know how the engine should sound. (Wishing I still had that car!!) This one needs a tuneup or timing belt fix. Looks like new spark plug wires so guessing the plugs are good. I'm seeking a mechanic near Youngstown who knows how to change points. Hope to get that done soon to get the engine running a bit more smoothly. I divide my time between Florida and Ohio and will be spending more time in Ohio (with the car) now that the weather is better. Hank put on the Lancer Flippers and I bought those plus the original pointy Plymouth hubcaps, which are in perfect shape. He also put on the whitewalls. The windshield is likely original; didn't realize it was a hot item. Appreciate any and all suggestions and helpful info, as I am new at this. I was watching Hemmings for a '59 for more than a year. It's a Peter Gunn thing, plus the house needed a '59 Plymouth parked out front. The neighbors all think I'm crazy. Will send more photos in the next reply. --Gary
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GaryBitner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by GaryBitner »

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Faulkner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by Faulkner »

OMG, Gary! I half-expected Edie to come sauntering out of that house. How cool is that!
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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william0431
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by william0431 »

Gary!!!!! AMAZING! Truly amazing! The house and the Plymouth! I have a huge thing for every thing Mid-Century Modern and you have truly achieved the dream. Funny Dan just recently posted a collection of the best clips of Peter Gunn's 59 under the Ephemera category. One of my all time favorite shows too and the reason for my love of the 59 Plymouth. One other funny thing, my other current (well waiting till I finish my overseas tour of duty) is a 69 Charger with a 318 in it (soon to be replaced by a stroked 440). I also watched a lot of Dukes of Hazard as a kid. You Sir are in the right place :mrgreen:

A good tune up, fresh fluids, fresh hoses and belts, a carb rebuild or at minimum a good carb disassembly and clean up will do wonders for her! Has she sat long? Todays modern gas tend to go completely bad in under 6 months so maybe a tank clean and a fuel line flush might also be a big help. She sure looks ready to hit the road cosmetically! Such a gorgeous car.

You cant beat the factory original Solex bubble windshields for our hardtop's, There are repro's on ebay and from a few sources that are pretty pricey but they are the standard clear glass with a tint strip across the top and from what I hear depending on the batch the quality is hit or miss.

What part of Florida do you frequent? One of our most prominent forum members Dick Koch lives down that way with his collection of award winning 59 Plymouths.
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GaryBitner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by GaryBitner »

Dan and William (or is it Bill?), you guys are the best. Feels like I've found some new friends. Thanks again for the good words and helpful hints about the Belvedere. It already feels more like fun and less like an overwhelming challenge.

I'm in Pompano Beach, just above Fort Lauderdale. Heading up to Ohio (via Pittsburgh) in a couple of weeks. Wish I could make it to Carlisle this year, but it conflicts with my Mom's 90th birthday, which will be a big family celebration. So next year for Carlisle, and hopefully with the Plymouth.

William, where are you serving, and where is your home in the states? Dan, where are you based? Any Forum members in the Cleveland-Akron-Youngstown-Pittsburgh belt?

One more specific question about the car. The insert in the one of the window tracks is crumbling and needs to be replaced. Is there a good source for something like this? Thanks for whatever you can suggest. --Gary
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Faulkner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

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GaryBitner wrote: Thu May 17, 2018 7:29 pm So next year for Carlisle, and hopefully with the Plymouth.
You gotta bring it, Gary! Next year is the 60th Anniversary - I'm going to beat the bushes, and get out as many '59's as I can for the bash. I'm hopeful I can hook up with Carlisle Productions to get some ink. Please come with your Plymouth!
GaryBitner wrote: Thu May 17, 2018 7:29 pm Dan, where are you based? Any Forum members in the Cleveland-Akron-Youngstown-Pittsburgh belt?
I'm in Upper Darby, just on the outskirts of Philly. I work at the University of Pennsylvania, but my career is winding down.

Here's are a few folks on the old website that lived in that area - I haven't been in contact with them lately, though. I can provide email addresses if you would like to try to contact them. I will eventually move this content into the Forum Showcase:

http://59plymouth.net/showcase/kimberlin.html

http://59plymouth.net/showcase/lavin.html

http://59plymouth.net/showcase/walker.html
GaryBitner wrote: Thu May 17, 2018 7:29 pm One more specific question about the car. The insert in the one of the window tracks is crumbling and needs to be replaced. Is there a good source for something like this? Thanks for whatever you can suggest.
Forward Look enthusiasts used to count on Gary Goers for all kinds of parts - but sadly, he is in poor health and shutting down his business. He may be still selling inventory, but I don't know. I've bought these U-channel weatherstrips from him, he may have some left.

I also checked Restoration Specialties, thinking they might have them - but I didn't see them on their website. It might be worth a call.

I'll continue to look!

Dan
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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Faulkner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by Faulkner »

Oh yeah: I love those pix of your car in front of that '59 house, I took the liberty of assigning it to you as your avatar! Hope you don't mind :(
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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ChippLake1
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by ChippLake1 »

Beautiful car, Gary! I remember seeing this on Ebay back in the late summer/fall and if I hadn't bought my Sport Fury in March I would have been all over that. Especially since I'm in Cleveland and Mansfield is only not that far from where I grew up. Funny you spend time in Florida since that is where my Sport Fury came from. I'll be getting my car out of storage hopefully around Memorial Day and ready for some summer cruising, maybe I'll see you around?!

-Steve
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william0431
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by william0431 »

Gary if my geography is correct I think you and dick might be neighbors! I believe he lives in Palm Beach FL, probably not to far from you. He has a the most drop dead gorgeous 59's around.

I go by Will, I am a Gunnery Sargent in the US Marine Corps but will be getting promoted to Master Sergeant in a few weeks and I am about 2 years in to a 3 year tour in Okinawa, Japan. I am part of Command Staff and the Operations Chief for 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company (5th ANGLICO) and am originally from a very small farm town in central Nebraska but was stationed at Camp Pendleton CA (North San Diego) for several years, bought a home near the beach there and meet my wife there. She is from there so that is where I am calling home, really hoping for orders back state side in the next few months. Been using this last 2 years to order a stock pile of parts in preparation of a full resto for "Jade" my 59 Sport Fury.

The aftermarket for our Forward look cars is pretty slim but in addition to the good sources Dan mentioned you can try MoPar mall or Andy Bernbaum and for sheet metal and hard parts the best friend to have is John Fowlie at Big M Auto in Williams CA he has tons of good parts cars to pull from. Rockauto is good for lots of the mechanical parts and for all the technical advice you'll ever need just search these forums, if it involves a 59 Plymouth you will most likely find how to fix it or restore it here. Lots of good reading.

http://www.moparmall.com/
https://www.oldmoparts.com/parts-weathe ... -1959.aspx
http://www.bigmauto.com/index.html
https://www.rockauto.com/
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Faulkner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by Faulkner »

Good call, Will! Bernbaum has the window channel:

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It looks like Roberts may have them too.
"If it's new, Plymouth's got it!"
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GaryBitner
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Re: Proud '59 Belvedere Owner

Post by GaryBitner »

Wow, you guys are great. This is too easy! Thanks for the leads on the window channel insert. I'm ordering it today.

Dan, the avatar is perfect and exactly what I would have done, thanks. Carlisle is definitely on my calendar for next year. Hadn't realized the 60-year anniversary will be upon us. Thanks for the info on other Ohio Plymouths.

Steve, thanks for your post and the good words. Hank Davis is at "The Car Guys" in Bucyrus and has created his own Edsel Museum, which he gladly opens for interested passersby. He's got a dozen or more flawless Edsel cars and an awesome collection of everything Edsel. Check it out if you get down there. I got lucky when he decided to sell his one and only Plymouth.

And Will, thanks a million for your service and best of luck getting back to SoCal. Now I get your MCM connection. Have you been to Modernism Week held in late February in Palm Springs? I've gone twice and it's amazing. 75,000 people hooked on everything modern. I'd love to truck the Plymouth out there for a spin or two down Palm Canyon Drive. In the meantime, I'll see if I can connect with Dick Koch and check out his cars. Thanks for that lead.

I can't wait to get back to Ohio and everything Plymouth.
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