1955 DeSoto FireDome Coupe Matching Numbers HEMI Well Kept Drives Great Reliable

Description

1955 DeSoto FireDome
Hello everyone and thanks for taking the time to view my listing. I bought this DeSoto from the original purchasers family a few years ago. This FireDome has spent practically all of its life in the South. The previous owners family now resides in North Mississippi, but was originally from a town just south of Atlanta, GA. This DeSoto still retains it's original 291 Hemi motor and it is surprisingly strong. This is a car you can drive anywhere just as it is. The odometer is showing 71k and is believed to be accurate. The original owners family stated that it hasn't rolled over and if you look at this DeSoto closely, it is fairly obvious that it hasn't. There are too many nice and original pieces left on the car for it to have 171k miles. It is very comfortable and rides like a dream. When I decided to sell it, I wanted to get it in as good of shape as I could for the next owner, so I did all of the maintenance and preventative maintenance that I could think of. It received new plugs, refurbed plug wires, new points, new battery, fresh oil, new filter, new brake shoes (serviced the whole brake system), new transmission fluid/filter, and whatever else that I saw that it may have needed. Although it has some rust bubbles and holes around the bottom, it needs nothing but a driver to enjoy it like it is. Below, I will try to describe this DeSoto FireDome as good as I can.
Exterior
The exterior of this DeSoto is in fair to good condition, but does need to be restored to be a show winner. It is a decent driver just as it is, but it does have several rust bubbles and scabs around the lower portions of the body. Please take a close look at the pictures below, so you'll know exactly what I'm referring to and I think you'll see just how nice this car actually is. The grill, front bumper, headlight bezels, and hood ornament are in decent shape, but would need to be rechromed if you wanted it to be perfect. There are a few minor dents in the chrome, but nothing major. The hood is in excellent shape with no rust around the edges or anywhere else. The cowl induction for the air condition still works and looks great when opened for ventilation. The fenders are in fair condition with minor rust at the very bottom of each. The drivers side was missing some of the white paint, so it was touched up. You can see this easily in the pics. The doors are excellent and are free of rust. They close just as they should and the upper chrome at the top that's attached to the roof that opens and closes as the door is opened or closed, is still functional and looks nice. The doors drain holes are still in tact and everything regarding the doors are nice although they do need paint to be a show winner. The rocker panels and quarter panels are fair with rust bubbles showing up at the bottom and can be seen in the pictures. It isn't major, but would need to be repaired for it to be perfect obviously. The drivers side quarter panel where the wheel skirt is attached, has about a 6-8" stretch of rust under the wheel skirt. It can't be seen with the skirt on, but is definitely there and noticeable with the skirt off. The roof shows no signs of rust, but was missing paint in a few places, so it was touched up. The rear glass is also in good shape. The trunk lid and trunk interior is in very good shape for its age. It isn't rusty inside the trunk, but it was scuffed up from years of use, so I reapplied the trunk spatter paint. The trunk looks excellent and even has the spare back there. All glass is original which is very hard to believe.
Interior
The interior of this FireDome is probably the cars best feature. The interior has been partially restored and looks very nice for its age. All of the gauges work as they should, the steering wheel feels nice, the carpet is new, the seat cover was replaced about 20 years ago, but its still nice, and everything works as it should. This DeSoto even has a factory power seat that works great. All of the switches work just as they should. The wiper switch turns on the wipers without issue, the headlight switch and dimmer work just as they should, the heater comes on like it should, and the gauge lighting works just as it should. When you open the door, the little light above the gauge cluster comes on just as it should. All of these little things attest to the fact that this car's 71k miles are true and haven't rolled over. The windows roll up and down just as they should, the vent glass opens just as it was meant to, the shifter looks and works just as it should, and the parking brake does exactly what it's supposed to do. The headliner is original and has some stains and minor tears in it. It was sprayed over in a few spots with fabric paint by the previous owner, but it's not terrible. The door panels are original and are very nice for their age even though there is minor fraying at the bottom of each. All in all, the interior of this FireDome is very nice for its age.
Drivetrain and Under Carriage
The original 291 Hemi is still intact and looks amazing after I freshened it up. The original radiator, generator, and most other parts under the hood are original and look great. The motor fires right up and runs as smooth as a sewing machine. It does have an aftermarket carb, but it still retains the original factory breather. It runs excellent and doesn't miss, but it does smoke a little. Underneath the car is a sight to behold. It is in very good condition with only a few rust spots. The floors are superb and it all looks very nice. There is one spot on the drivers side where there is a chassis brace that has a rust hole in it and there are a few other very minor spots here and there, but all in all, the underbody is excellent. It was blacked out during clean up, which definitely helped show what is good underneath the car. It had a lot of surface rust, but that was just that.....surface rust. The blacking out also helps protect it underneath as well. The suspension, brakes, rearend, and other driveline components look great under the car. I do want to mention that the rearend is a later model Chrysler rearend. I don't know the exact model, but I had a lot of trouble finding the right brake shoes for it. It was completely serviced and works perfectly with no whine or anything alarming. I will look up to see what rearend it actually is for anyone who's interested. I'll just have to go back through my notes.
Wheels and Tires
The wheels are original to the car and look great for their age. The original center caps are also original to the car and look great with only minor scratches and dents. They look the part of a nice driver. The tires show signs of minor dry rotting, but they hold air just fine.
Please take your time and view the pictures below, so you'll know just how nice this DeSoto actually is. Thank you.

As you can see, this DeSoto needs a little to some and a lot to others. It's rare to find a good car that you can drive and enjoy while you restore it. This is one of those cars. Iwouldn't be afraid to drive it home. I've personally put over 100 miles on it without any problems and have very much enjoyed the car. It is just a very cool old coupe that can be enjoyed just as it is. The buyer is responsible for shipping after the full payment is received. A $500 non-refundable deposit is required within 48 hours of the auctions close and the full payment is required within a week. This DeSoto is sold as-is, with no warranty obviously, but as you can see,it's sure to make the next owner happy ifthey're looking for a good driver. The car is for sale locally and will entertain all reasonable offers. It is listed on here with no reserve and I have every intention of selling it to the highest bidder if a dealisn't reached before the auctions close. Feel free to come by and view the car or ask any questions that you might have before bidding. My cell is 662-416-0900. Thanks so much in advance. Good luck and God bless.