"Loaded" '56 4-door Sportsman parts car

Thanks for the lead, Mark. I just committed to buying this heap!

Anybody wanna go on a road trip?

Not a bad buy if it is all there. I have paid more for worse and hauled it further. It is likely rusted beyond practical repair. The trim is 4 door hardtop only behind the front clip.

Have a nice day
Steve

Steve,

Glad to see this found a new home. So many such cars end up at the crusher. If you're passing through Louisville on your way to Vincennes to get the car, PM me with your schedule. It would be fun to ride together to get this car. I know of another '56 4-door hardtop in a wrecking yard west of Louisville in southern Indiana if you want or need extra trim. The wrecking yard car is a Firedome so some of the trim will be different.

Mark

Oops, Mark. I bought this car, and will be coming from the west on 1-70 until St. Louis, then a jog south and east again.

Thanks for correcting me Tim. If you want to visit the wrecking yard with the '56 Firedome Sportsman 4-door, it is near Corydon, IN. E-mail me for details.

Mark

Well, I would have hated for you to be disappointed when I showed up instead of Steve.....

This car begs a few questions

Surf White was offered as a new color in 1955 with the provision that it could not be applied as a single color. In 1956 could a DeSoto be ordered all white? The answer is probably yes as Jimmy Steward's Firedome in Vertigo was all white and had a sweep

On 1956 DeSotos with a constrasting sweep, the front fenders were painted a solid color with the sweep color achieved by a painted insert piece fitted btween the chrome lines.

This all white car appears to have a white insert on the left front fender.

Looks like we need a data plate check

I'll be sure to post the information when I have the car.

Bob,

The ordering information for the 55 DeSoto stated that "SURF WHITE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE AS SOLID BODY COLOR". If a customer wanted a solid white color, it could be ordered although not recommended. The paint code for this color was 355. There was no recommendation of this type on the ordering information for the 56 DeSoto. A solid white 56 would have a 356 paint code.

It's hard to tell the color of the 56 Sportsman Jimmy Stewart drove in the movie Vertigo but it did appear to be a solid color with the molding for the color sweep. These would have been rare I think. It is odd that as he is supposedly driving his in the movie, one just like it appears in the background. It makes me wonder if this was done purposely or maybe they had a double for his car. Part of this background car can be seen here under the 1948 Oldsmobile 76 picture: http://www.imcdb.org/movie.php?id=52357

Mac

Tim,
If you decide you don't want this car please let me know. I had been in cotact with the seller as well about purchasing it.

Thanks. Tim Michel

Are you from the Branson area? That might explain why he thought he'd talked to me already. We're both named Tim.....

I am intending to part the car after utilizing everything we need for our current and upcoming restorations. We just received a contract on another '56; this time a Firedome 4 door hardtop. The owner wants "a little more" horsepower, and we are leaning towards simply installing the Fireflite motor/trans into his car for the extra 35hp.

The factory air will provide us with the definitive answer on all parts we need to complete the installation on our '56 Adventurer restoration. Most of it is redundant, however, and will be for sale.

Other parts will be available in short order from the car. If you were interested in it for parts, let me know in a PM where your interest lies......

hooooo-weee! What a rusty piece! Good thing it had a lot of options. I'm pretty sure that the '57 Plymouth that was entombed in Tulsa for 50 years is less rusty than this car.

A buddy and I are currently in the middle of misery..... oh, wait I mean "Missouri" on our way back from a non-stop round trip to retrieve my latest pile of '56 parts.

the rear bumper was laying on the ground when we got there, and I thought "hmmmmm I wonder why they took the bumper off". Then I noticed that the rear frame member was still attached to the bumper brackets...!

Picts tomorrow.

the rear bumper was laying on the ground when we got there, and I thought "hmmmmm I wonder why they took the bumper off". Then I noticed that the rear frame member was still attached to the bumper brackets...!

Picts tomorrow.

Holy crap!!!

Welcome to the upper Midwest Tim. Where an ad reading "a little rust" quite often means just a little around the edge of the holes where the metal used to be. Les