57 Plymouth Savoy

[57fury440]

When I converted to discs on the 58 hardtop I had, I was told that they didn't fit. It is nice to know that they do. It would have made it easier to find the parts I needed at the time. I have discs on my 57 for about 20 years now but I have an Econoline axle on the front, so it is a different setup. The discs do stop the car a lot better. It is amazing how many parts interchange on the old Mopars. An 8 & 3/4 rear from an E body Barracuda will bolt fight in a 57/58 Plymouth. I did that to get rid of the tapered axles that need a puller to get them out.

 

[AlecB]

When I converted to discs on the 58 hardtop I had, I was told that they didn't fit. It is nice to know that they do. It would have made it easier to find the parts I needed at the time. I have discs on my 57 for about 20 years now but I have an Econoline axle on the front, so it is a different setup. The discs do stop the car a lot better. It is amazing how many parts interchange on the old Mopars. An 8 & 3/4 rear from an E body Barracuda will bolt fight in a 57/58 Plymouth. I did that to get rid of the tapered axles that need a puller to get them out.

That’s what I want to do next is swap in a later model axle. I’m not dealing with tapered axles lol

 

[LocuMob]

It is amazing how many parts interchange on the old Mopars.

A guy told me an Aspen front end dropped right into his '37 Dodge like it was made for it.

 

[AlecB]

I finally got around to changing the oil and filter on the 57. Found a replacement Wix filter for a good price on eBay. I then threw some roller wheels on the car just so I can putt it down the street. The shifter was super sloppy and I couldn’t find gears with it, so I found a larger diameter metal rod, peened one end and drilled out the shifter and shifter slot. That, along with a flat piece of copper as a shim, took most of the slop out and now its much easier to find the gears. Lastly I kicked out the broken windshield. I really need to remember to take pictures for the forum. Videos can be found on my Instagram @alecs_automotive_adventures

I also made a tiny fire pit out of the old single pot master cylinder and the metal screen of the old oil filter.

 

[67NewportFastop]

Well I am excited to share that I just bought my first Forward Look car, a 1957 Plymouth Savoy. I saw this car at Pick N Pull and could not believe it was there. I negotiated with the yard and got it for a good price. It does run and drive, but needs tuning up as it has sat for a long time. It has no options, not even a radio, just a 3 on the tree and a poly V8.

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What a score! Looks like a good cleaning and buffing will produce a clean, presentable driver! Decent interior too, love it!

 

[WikedPlymouth]

It's always great to see the progress you are making. I wonder how hard it would be to convert a factory automatic car to a manual? Is it just a transmission and pedal swap? Were all the V8s drilled for a manual?

 

[AlecB]

What a score! Looks like a good cleaning and buffing will produce a clean, presentable driver! Decent interior too, love it!

It has just the right patina, it will look great with some buffing. I will be redoing the interior with new seat covers and homemade door panels. The carpet and headliner are presentable.

 

[AlecB]

Here are some pictures of the window channel. What do you all recommend I do to stop the rust? Rust converter? POR15? The gasket looks to be in decent shape so I’m going to clean it, use Goop hand cleaner to rejuvenate the rubber. I also plan on cleaning and repainting the dash and inner window trim just for a cleaner look.

 

[57fury440]

I would sand it, prime it and paint it before putting the windshield back in. It looks like surface rust. As far as the transmission, there is a good chance that it was not drilled for a standard transmission. I've had quite a few 1957/1958 Plymouths with 301/318 polys and none of the ones I had that were automatics were drilled.

 

[AlecB]

I popped off a valve cover just to see how the inside of the engine looked, surprisingly not sludgy like I was expecting. The valve cover gasket came apart like brittle plastic so I have some cork ones on order.

 

[AlecB]

I started the cleaning and painting job on the windshield channel. I wired wheeled all the loose rust and then began hitting it with black rust converter paint. I also finally got nee tires for the car and it looks super cool with those hubcaps.

 

[57fury440]

Those wheel covers look great. I always used the cork gaskets on the poly engines I had. I would use some spray gasket on the cork to stick them on the valve covers. It made it easier to put them on and get a good seal.

 

[AlecB]

I finished painting the windshield channel with rust converter paint. Looks pretty good and should stop any rusting for a long time. I also got new tires mounted on the original wheels. Boy does that look good with the wheel covers. She is getting close to being road legal.

 

[57fury440]

The car is really shaping up. The door panels are flat, and you can make new ones with a little work. I did that on one of the cars I had. The paint looks good overall. I'd buff it to get it cleaned up and maybe repaint the roof. I've always liked these cars. I'm not a fan of the "Christine" thing. I think a lot of people that do that "Christine" thing do not like the car so much as they like the whole movie thing.

 

[67NewportFastop]

Here are some pictures of the window channel. What do you all recommend I do to stop the rust? Rust converter? POR15? The gasket looks to be in decent shape so I’m going to clean it, use Goop hand cleaner to rejuvenate the rubber. I also plan on cleaning and repainting the dash and inner window trim just for a cleaner look.

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I would first knock out the loose scale and old glue with a wire brush then hit it with some 80 grit paper, then carefully brush some POR15 over it.

 

[floatinglc]

Love the hodgepodge. It's really looking good. I used 76 dodge dart rotors with 76 montecarlo calipers, and a '73 Dodge Dart master cylinder for my '57 Belvedere.

 

[57fury440]

I have Lincoln rotors and GM calipers on the Econoline axel on my 57. They have worked great for about 20 years. One of the Barracuda E bodies we have still has factory drums on it. I keep them in good shape, and it actually stops really good. Drums, when working properly are nowhere as bad as people make them out to be. However, the original drums on the 57/58 Plymouths were not the best and going to discs on those is the way to go.

 

[AlecB]

Here is a short video of me driving my 57. I recently installed some beefier springs, new shocks, and a new master cylinder.

 

[AlecB]

Been a while since my last update, a lot has been done to my 57 Plymouth. To start I pulled off the cylinder heads and rebuilt them. While removing one of the heads the exhaust manifold threads pulled out completely. Thankfully I was able to visit John at Big M Auto and get a new cylinder head, as well as a driver window. A friend and I spent about 3 hours installing a windshield, also from Big M. After that, I started putting the car back together and dialing it in. Got it registered and insured. It was in a friend’s wedding that was also a car show. Just this last weekend I drove it 100 miles to Turlock for a swap meet. She did great on the highway, didn’t have so much as a hiccup on that trip. Up next I need to pull the gas tank to clean it and fix a leak.

 

[57fury440]

Nice job with the windshield. I did one with a friend about 50 years ago and they are not that easy to do. The 301 poly is a nice motor and makes pretty good power. Back in the sixties you could get a lot of speed parts for them. The 318 poly I had was the 2 four barrel version. I added an Isky cam and kit, Hedman headers and a Mallory dual point distributor. It was pretty quick. Your 57 is coming out nice and it is nice to see that it is not going to be turned into a 58 and be another "Christine" clone.