For Sale If I Were Younger.................

[saforwardlook]

1958 DeSoto Adventurer 2dr ht-GOOD DRIVER
These are very rare cars and this one deserves to be restored, although Carsten would probably drive it as is a little while longer........

Amazing that the owner has managed to keep it running in San Francisco no less with its Total Contact Brakes. He has to have nerves of steel and have a lot of luck given those steep hills and those miserable brakes!

The seller has had a lot of Forward Look cars for sale over time, including a 1958 Dodge Regal Lancer, and a very nice 1958 Chrysler New Yorker 2 dr ht and seems to have a 1959 Chevrolet in the garage too. I don't know how many have actually sold.

Note the 150 mph speedo and "only" 81K miles on it apparently...............

 

[GJS]

Gorgeous car.

 

[Snotty]

One person's "Gorgeous" is another's "Nightmare." I was wondering what the trunk looked like? It's not as bad as the grist '58 DeSoto I looked at to buy, but still, this would scare me away:

 

[crv]

Is this another Mr Brown special?

 

[fc7_plumcrazy]

Hi,

the seller, Nick, is a real enthusiast and a diehard.
He prefers to drive the Desoto "as is"(and like I would at least consider it).
He owns it since a long time and drives it regulary.

I am on the fence of not knowing what to do if it would be mine
I do love original paint. I guess I would try to save it.

But both dented/warped bumpers disturb me heavy and would need to be replaced at least by straight decent bumpers.
But the interieur is totally bad with wrong front and rear seat covers on one hand and too rough door panels on the other side. So the interieur needs to be redone totally and back to correct original materials without any exception and compromises. But that is a very though and difficult job.

Fixing the trunk floor and inner floors (gone, too) is easy but the hood, trunk lid and doors are rusty, too and I wouldn't want to touch the outside.

Finally a complete new interieur doesn't match the used outer look.
Difficult difficult

@Steve: he still owns the Dodge AFAIK

Carsten

 

[Big_John]

But both dented/warped bumpers disturb me heavy and would need to be replaced at least by straight decent bumpers.

I've seen this said a couple times. Don't any of the shops straighten bumpers anymore? We used to have the local bumper and chrome shop (still in business) straighten/fix bumpers much worse than that. They always said, it was best to start with as good a core as possible, but they could do a lot with anything.

 

[GJS]

One person's "Gorfeous" is another's "Nightmare." I was wondering what the trunk looked like? It's not as bad as the grist '58 DeSoto I looked at to buy, but still, this would scare me away:

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't get 20 ft from it with out a tetanus shot ...

 

[saforwardlook]

My body and paint guy would not be deterred by the rust, as it is the moisture entrapment kind rather than the salt induced mostly, but he would complain a lot while he was doing a great job. The thickness of the metal used in the trunks of those cars was paper thin, and almost none of them survived the rubber mats. But the floors are not hard to reproduce. I have a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker 2 dr ht that is almost that bad, but it is fixable says my helper.

If I could convince Gary Goers to help me redo the interior, it would be perfect. But he has the same overall problem I do - as indicated in the title. A dashpad from Sweden (RD Autoline) and I would be sailing. Chrome would be the most expensive endeavor.

It deserves to be restored IMO. If I did it, it would look like my 300C when done (I know I have posted it many times, but once again for the newbies who might need inspiration! ):

And the current new car model year (2017) marks its 60th anniversary! Let that sink in! I used this car in a wedding recently and it still drives well - sure footed and fast. The wedding guests had no idea what it was and really enjoyed it. To me, these cars reflected timeless styling and outstanding engineering way ahead of their time. A pinnacle in Chrysler's history.

 

[GJS]

My body and paint guy would not be deterred by the rust, as it is the moisture entrapment kind rather than the salt induced mostly, but he would complain a lot while he was doing a great job. The thickness of the metal used in the trunks of those cars was paper thin, and almost none of them survived the rubber mats. But the floors are not hard to reproduce. I have a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker 2 dr ht that is almost that bad, but it is fixable says my helper.

If I could convince Gary Goers to help me redo the interior, it would be perfect. But he has the same overall problem I do - as indicated in the title. A dashpad from Sweden (RD Autoline) and I would be sailing. Chrome would be the most expensive endeavor.

It deserves to be restored IMO. If I did it, it would look like my 300C when done (I know I have posted it many times, but once again for the newbies who might need inspiration! ):

View attachment 101774

Now THAT is gorgeous.

 

[crv]

My body and paint guy would not be deterred by the rust, as it is the moisture entrapment kind rather than the salt induced mostly, but he would complain a lot while he was doing a great job. The thickness of the metal used in the trunks of those cars was paper thin, and almost none of them survived the rubber mats. But the floors are not hard to reproduce. I have a 1961 Chrysler New Yorker 2 dr ht that is almost that bad, but it is fixable says my helper.

If I could convince Gary Goers to help me redo the interior, it would be perfect. But he has the same overall problem I do - as indicated in the title. A dashpad from Sweden (RD Autoline) and I would be sailing. Chrome would be the most expensive endeavor.

It deserves to be restored IMO. If I did it, it would look like my 300C when done (I know I have posted it many times, but once again for the newbies who might need inspiration! ):

View attachment 101774

A '57 300C AND a '73 LeBaron, 1st and 3rd on my list (2nd being the 1960 LeBaron Southampton), now that's one garage I'd like to visit.

 

[sixtyf]

I would agree that this DeSoto needs saving. The juice has to be worth the squeeze thou but I think it would be here.
Now, if only I could bounce a ball and throw it through a hoop...

 

[saforwardlook]

A '57 300C AND a '73 LeBaron, 1st and 3rd on my list (2nd being the 1960 LeBaron Southampton), now that's one garage I'd like to visit.

Well, I do have my 1960 Crown 2 door hardtop (not quite a Le Baron, but close!), but it still is in the queue to be restored. Gathering parts at this time first. So in awhile, hopefully, I will have#1, almost #2 and #3 for you to see. Put me on your list when you visit the U.S. next time.

 

[tbm3fan]

This guys cars have even made it into Curbside Classics as there is a guy in the city who sees these cars and knows the area. I also know the area just below USF. Looks like Turk and the cross street behind is Rossi.

He must not have kept the car in the garage all the time given the rust. Only about 50 blocks from Ocean Beach and the Pacific Ocean. I am very familiar with the fog in that area as I was on 22nd Ave which put me 24 blocks from the ocean. I remember a few 70's trucks out there that were dissolving away on the streets back in 1991-98. Used to drive down Turk many a day to get home after getting off around Civic Center and then taking my shortcuts west through the Western Addition, past Lone Mountain (USF), then Inner Richmond to the Outer Richmond. I'm sure I've seen this apartment building.

 

[saforwardlook]

This guys cars have even made it into Curbside Classics as there is a guy in the city who sees these cars and knows the area. I also know the area just below USF. Looks like Turk and the cross street behind is Ross.

He must not have kept the car in the garage all the time given the rust. Only about 50 blocks from Ocean Beach and the Pacific Ocean. I am very familiar with the fog in that area as I was on 22nd Ave which put me 24 blocks from the ocean. I remember a few 70's trucks out there that were dissolving away on the streets back in 1991-98. Used to drive down Turk many a day to get home after getting off around Civic Center and then taking my shortcuts west through the Western Addition, past Lone Mountain (USF), then Inner Richmond to the Outer Richmond. I'm sure I've seen this apartment building.

Good input, as I wasn't sure how far it was from the ocean or whether it had been stored outside very much. The hills in the photos of San Francisco just seem like just the wrong place for a car like that to be driven much with its marginal brakes. I did hedge my original post by saying moisture entrapment kind rather than the salt induced mostly. But from what I see, I would still not be deterred, as my 1961 New Yorker has never been near the ocean from what I have been able to gather and its trunk and quarters and some floorboards are not a whole lot better than this Desoto (and mine has sat outside though in California) and I still intend to proceed with it. I chose mine because of its numerous options and desirable colors, and because it actually runs still with the original engine apparently too.

 

[tbm3fan]

Actually you can drive around the city and miss most of the hills. Where this guy lives it is flat all the way to the ocean. The west end of the city, Richmond and Sunset, are flat. You're hills are Potrero south of the city, Nob and Telegraph north of downtown, and Twin Peaks west by south west of downtown. One can drive around them easy enough but if in a hurry then you need to go up and over. There are a few where you start your left turn and see nothing but air as the street drops off so fast you don't begin to see it till you have started down. Not a good place to drive a stick. Nonetheless, I drove a stick there for 10 years and consequently am pretty good with one. A far cry from going backwards down 1st St. three times in a row while in a 911 back in 1974. I learned about hills that Sunday and it was a mild one with the stop light at the top. Hit the damn light three times before I hung back and timed my take off as I crawled up the street to get to the Bay Bridge.