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Trim Code 471 does not show in the '55 DeSoto color and upholstery book but trim code 451 is a green striped cloth and light green vinyl code correct for the '55 Firedome sedan with green exterior combinations. Is is possible that your trim code is 451 and not 471? Please check again and advise.
Greg,
Well that's definitely 471. As I said, it's not in the '55 Color & Upholstery album or the dealer order code list. What is your car's serial number?
If you have the chance, remove the hog ring hooks holding the rear seat cushion covers in place and see what is underneath. It's likely the original rear seat material is under there and in better shape than the front seat.
Mark
If you have the chance, remove the hog ring hooks holding the rear seat cushion covers in place and see what is underneath. It's likely the original rear seat material is under there and in better shape than the front seat.
Now why didn't I think of that.... 
Original fabric is all there albeit faded and stained. One half vacuumed to remove old foam left by covers:
An up-close shot of the original unfaded fabric on a back corner - the camera flash washes out the original green color:
Greg,
Thanks for the photos. That pattern is definitely not in the '55 color and upholstery album. What is your car's serial number? It may be a west coast assembled car or a later production model with some sort of "spring special" interior trim.
Mark
I love this thread!!! I have a '52 and am going to be going thru this process. Luckily the fine advisors here have let me know that my paint and interior are not original, so I am not going to waste a lot of time and money going back to original but a darn good daily driver setup, but the wiring issues, steering wheel condition, floor pan….I have all those problems…
Keep up the informational flow here and I will gladly follow along!!!
Larry
Hi Larry, I got the original seat cover material for my '52 from SMS if you ever want to redo your interior back to original. I had to send them a picture of the pattern and they matched it. It wasn't cheap but nothing for these old cars is.
Les,
"It wasn't cheap but nothing for these old cars is." Except for the free advice on this forum!!!
Mark
What is your car's serial number? It may be a west coast assembled car or a later production model with some sort of "spring special" interior trim.
I assumed this was the chassis number on the data plate. Where is the serial number? Would this be considered the same as the VIN for a '55?
Greg,
The serial number on your 55 Firedome would be considered your VIN. Your serial number should be located on a tag fastened on the left front door hinge pillar. For Detroit built Firedomes, the serial number range was 55185000 to 55256392. The range for the LA built Firedomes was 64022001 to 64026847. The LA built cars seem to have more anomalies than those built in Detroit.
Mac
Looks like mine is Detroit car, serial number is 55216xxx.
The plot thickens..... 
...and it's not a very late production car either. The first '55 Detroit Firedome s/n was recorded to be 55,185,000 and the last was recorded as 55,256,392. Assuming all s/n's were consecutive, that's 71,392 Firedomes built in Detroit for the '55 model year. Your was 31,000 + into the run so approximately mid-model year.
Sorry to say that will all the documentation I possess I cannot identify the material on your seats. Send a sample of your material to SMS and see if they have any material that matches.
Mark K.
It wasn't cheap but nothing for these old cars is.
Tell me about it. I went to the junkyard today....
The lower hinge pin is broken on my right rear quarter window, scored this intact unit:
One of my headlight trim rings was damaged, scored two undamaged rings but they will need to be re-chromed:
Front fender trim with one small dent to replace my damaged one:
The donor had one door handle left, I couldn't resist:
Also saw this 1954 Kaiser Special !!!
Thank you for the update and those great photos, Greg!
Boy, don't many of us wish that we had the funds to bring that Kaiser back to life?!
Keep the data coming!
