I’ve come to really appreciate the styling of these finned Mopars. They have a cool look and for some reason they always remind me of the original Batmobile (which was actually based on the 1955 Lincoln Futura Concept). I’m sure the fins have a major role in that, but the paint on this particular one looks a bit like the Velvet Bat-Fuzz Black used on the Batmobile… This car is going to need some extensive work, but it sounds like Bob, the seller, has already acquired many of the parts needed to fix it back up.
Bob bought this car from Southern California many years ago. It’s going to need some rust repair, but things could be worse. Bob mentions that the dog legs to rocker panels, rear quarters, trunk floors, and some of the floor pan will all need work. There are plenty of photos in the gallery that should help you get an idea of what you’re getting into. The doors are solid with the exception of one hole in the bottom corner on the passenger side. The front end doesn’t have any rust though and inner quarters and inner rockers are solid. The body mounts and frame are claimed to be solid too.
It looks like the taillight has been pushed in a little on the right side and caused some damage to the panel and chrome trim. Bob is including a patch panel and upper trim piece that he found off a four-door. That bit of chrome will need to be spliced into the existing piece. He also has the lower strip and spear needed to complete the repair. Other spare parts include the original hubcaps, a re-chromed rear bumper, tail and stop light lenses with gaskets, and even a faux spare tire deck lid from a Fury!
The Powerflow 6 is reported to run well, but when the transmission is put into reverse, it goes forward! These cars featured a push button gear selector so Bob thinks there may be an issue there. He is including a spare button assembly so hopefully that can be fixed without too much expense. The car can be driven onto a trailer, but the radiator is bad and the brakes need work so it shouldn’t be taken out onto the open road just yet.
If you look on the left hand side of the steering wheel, you can see those push buttons that operate the transmission. That may not seem like anything special with all our electronic gizmos today, but it was a novel feature back when this Plymouth was new. Besides fixing those buttons, the inside could use some help too. The front seat is not original and the windshield is cracked. These two-door hardtops are getting hard to come by so this one deserves to be saved and luckily there are still quite a few sedans out there who can donate the needed parts.
We sure appreciate Bob’s honestly in his descriptions and photos. He isn’t hiding anything and that’s the kind of seller you want to have when purchasing a project over the internet. After looking at the photos below, you should be able to get a good idea of what you are bidding on. Be sure to leave any questions you may have in the comments below though. Thanks for listing this Belvedere with us Bob. We hope it finds a good home where someone will get it back on the road. If any of you have a classic that needs a new home, please consider auctioning it off here on Barn Finds!
Location: Michigan City, Indiana
Title Status: Clean
VIN: M154100616
Bid On This Auction
Jan bid $1,000.00 2017-08-22 14:52:55
fujimo51 bid $900.00 2017-08-22 09:59:54
Kevin bid $800.00 2017-08-16 20:53:38
Blake bid $700.00 2017-08-15 23:01:18- Kevin bid $600.00 2017-08-15 21:23:06
Lawrence bid $500.00 2017-08-15 20:55:58
Sergey bid $370.00 2017-08-15 20:34:35- Blake bid $266.00 2017-08-15 17:34:46
Gord bid $165.65 2017-08-15 12:53:37
Christine’s younger, less atttractive & less menacing brother.
Just how tall are those fins?
Restored, these bring big bucks, like the outstanding example from the other day. http://barnfinds.com/finned-mopar-1959-plymouth-belvedere/
and there’s no reason this couldn’t look the same, for a hefty restoration cost. The 6 clearly would have to go, it was ok, for 1959 ( and even then a bit dated) but just won’t cut it today for the kind of car this is. It just looks like it could go fast, fins and all. The trans buttons were troublesome, especially in the cold, but not too complicated. I believe, it’s a cam device that pulls a cable to different lengths. Great to see one without the headlights falling out. That was a bad spot for these. Cool find.
Sometimes they can bring the $$ but sometimes not.
I had a customer with a near pristine 59 Fury, BB dual quad car.
He lost his backside when it sold for 28K in 2015 or so, a year later the buyer resold it at the same auction ( BJ, Az) for 27K. Look it up ;) if you desire. The posted car is a MONEY PIT IMO. As was the one that sold for 22K,
No offense meant :)
Hi TJP, none taken. You are right. I know I’d hate to try and sell a classic today. Almost a guaranteed loss, compared to what you might have into it. I suppose this car could be a money pit, and will probably never look like the other one, but it doesn’t have to be. The mechanic’s on this could be made useful and a quick cosmetic tinkering, and you have a halfway decent, almost extinct ’59 Plymouth 2 door, and you don’t have $20g’s into it. That’s how the hobby used to be, anyway.
Howard you are correct this hobby was at one time a do it yourself hobby and it was for the love of the car. People were into the hobby not the investment. As for the car it is very cool but will need a ton of hours put into it to bring it back. It is very much the shape my 51 Mayfair was in when I started. One thing I’d like to point out is this was the last year of the flat head 6 cyl in any dodge and would rarely have been put into a hard top when this was built and for that reason if it was mine to restore I’d be leaving that engine in the car. This engine will pull this car along at 70 mph on the highway all day long no need to turn it into a hot rod.
In before the inevitable Christine comment…. oh, crap.
Flathead six…too bad..
Who put that boat anchor under the hood of this car?
That flathead can be made to go fast, although is not everything. There is 300 HP or more in that thing. I would assume it is a two speed Powerflite automatic, so who knows, maybe there is some magic for that thing.
John D, I’m with you on this thing, why does everything HAVE to have a V8 in it ?? When you’ve got speed limits everywhere and high gas prices why do you have to go fast, it’s too bloody expensive, especially if you get pulled over all the time, and a car like this stands out from the crowd. I know we all like to remember when we were all ‘boy racers’ but times have changed and it’s nice to sit back and enjoy the drive in these pieces of motoring history, I seem to be slowing down at my age but perhaps it’s about getting to the end before I want to, there’s still some life left in me I think.
I can make new patch panels for that car using the old damaged panels for templates. I do them for AMCs now. Ready to branch out.
Hi John,
Very interested in your patch panels.
Would like to go ahead and get your contact information.
I have 2 projects I will be starting this winter.
(Getting my ducks in a row)……..
Thanks
Hi Horace, I left contact info in a reply last night but it appears to have been removed. You may have to go through the moderators to get my contact info. Meanwhile I’ll see if they can’t relax the rules a bit and somehow let people contact me.
The idea is to help people restore the cars they buy on here. I can’t do everything but there are some things that can make the difference between saving a car and not saving it. Particularly with floors and rockers. I’ll try and contact the moderators and see what can be done.
Go to my website: rebelmachineparts.com
Scroll around and enjoy yourself. Contact info is there along with lots of parts listing under Rebel.
I don’t do front fenders, roofs or hoods.
I have all the parts to convert this ’59 Plymouth to a 3 onda tree. A flattie with a automatic is way to slow. I drive a ’59 Dodge with a flattie and 3 onda tree and it will keep up with traffic. John Newell I know a bunch of folks with these type of cars that need metal work. Go to the “Forward Look” section of FACEBOOK AND INTRODUCE YOUR SELF
Never heard of forward look on Facebook but I’ll give it a shot when I wake up.
Had a 59 hardtop like this….yes rust kinda comes with the territory….still getting hard to find nice ones….
Something is drawing me to this car. I would love to have it. Get it going and stopping well, hose it down from head to toe inside and out, put some money into seating and carpeting, an “uh oh, better get maco” paint job, dual exhaust with rumbling mufflers and drive the fun out of it. If only I had the time, money and space.
Would one of you MOPAR heads explain the heater hose routing to me, please? I have noticed the same thing on other Chrysler products of similar vintage.
Rodent, from what I understand the water runs to the htr. core from the pump, through the core then out and into the thermostat which controls the flow to raise or lower the heat, depending on the speed that it passes through the core, and then back into the head. Experts please correct me if this is wrong.
cut off the fins
I hear they are used for medicinal purposes, or for belvedere fin soup.
Love the car, really do!!
Had no clue flapheads were OEM as late as ’59. Very retro-cool, especially in upscale hardtop body. Agree…I’d leave it…dare to be different.
i found a 59 thats all origanal factory color was grey but now its kinda a copper color. the guy has title and its a complete none wrecked lil rust car for $2500.usd would i be paying to much?