This 1956 DeSoto Firedome Sedan has been languishing in this barn since the 1980s. When it was recently dragged out of hiding, it packed a bit of a surprise. Classics from this era were renowned for developing some pretty horrendous rust issues, but this car has minimal rust that could potentially be addressed with patches. With a Hemi hiding under the hood, this is a car that has all of the makings of a great restoration project. Located in Trenton, New Jersey, the DeSoto has been listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has only reached $1,400, and at that price, the reserve hasn’t been met.
The DeSoto is finished in Shell Pink with a Plum Poly flash down the sides. The roof looks to be wearing something akin to Sunny Yellow, but I’m not sure that it is original. That paint seems to have deteriorated significantly when compared to the rest of the car, so there is a possibility that this section of the car has received a repaint at some point. The panels look nice and straight, and the trim and chrome look like it would restore quite nicely. Some of the trim around the windshield has been removed, but it is included with the car. Onto the subject of rust, and things aren’t anywhere near as bad as they could potentially be. The lower rear quarter panel and drop-off on the driver’s side both have some rust, but it isn’t extensive, and I think that it would be a fairly straightforward repair with a patch. There might be other small spots in some of the panels, but anything that might be present would be quite small. The trunk pan and spare wheel well look extremely solid, with no problems evident. The floors are also a surprise. There is a small hole in the rear floor on the passenger side that could use a patch, while it looks like there is also a hole in the front floor beside the gas pedal. Otherwise, the news seems to be pretty good.
Any classic car with a Hemi V8 under the hood has to show some promise, and with the Firedome, it is a DeSoto 330ci producing 230hp. Hooked to the back of this is a 2-speed PowerFlite transmission, while the car also features power steering and power brakes. This combination gave the DeSoto pretty respectable performance figures, with the vehicle capable of romping through the ¼ mile in 18.5 seconds. The Firedome doesn’t currently run, and it would seem that it probably hasn’t since it was parked in the 1980s. Rather encouragingly, the owner has checked, and the 330 does turn freely. Looking through the photos, the car does appear to be complete. Given how robust these classics are, I wouldn’t be surprised if the car kicked back into life with some fresh fuel and a bit of tinkering.
If the next owner wanted to get the car back on the road reasonably quickly, then they could definitely drive it with the interior largely untouched. Someone has fitted a slip-cover over the front seat, but the original upholstery underneath is in reasonable condition. It does have a couple of holes, but these could potentially be repaired by a good upholsterer. The rear seat is original, and the upholstery on it is in really nice condition. The door trims seem like they might look quite good with a decent clean, and while the top cap is missing off the passenger-side front door, there is a good chance that it might be present. The owner mentions having a few loose parts to include with the Firedome, and maybe the cap is amongst those pieces. The dash is going to require some work because the pad has deteriorated beyond salvation. There is also a hole where the radio should be, but with any sort of luck, this might also be sitting in that stash of parts. One item that will require restoration or replacement is the steering wheel. It has plenty of cracks on show, and it might ultimately be more viable to send it for restoration because a nice replacement might prove to be a bit difficult to find.
A DeSoto might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but with values increasing at a reasonable rate over the past year or so, it is obvious that they do have their own strong following. It is extremely common to find these with significant rust issues, but this one seems to be very solid. The fact that it is also essentially complete and still has a Hemi under the hood are great points in its favor. I hope somebody takes this one on because after decades sitting forgotten in a barn, this is a car that deserves a second chance at life.
Cool find. That 1st pic, so sad, flat tire peering out the door in the rain. When you say “hemi”, images of fire-breathing monsters come to mind, but in reality, this is what most the hemi’s I saw looked like. Oily, messy, poor running slugs. In this form, hemi’s weren’t any better than any other V8. Not a big call for these, but an affordable classic, that once running( and stopping) right, this baby will float down the road, just like it did in ’56.
Floating down the road is exactly how these road! Had a 56 22-door ht, blue and white, that I got from my grandmother when I was 16. Oily and messy, yes. But I managed to keep it maintained. Loved that car – would pass everything on the road except a gas station!
I like the opening pic., remove the boxes and you have a poster! Then what Howard said.
Way too nice and complete to wind up a parts car.
Ummm…did anyone else notice the ‘Cuda in the garage?
Good to see an cool old Mopar that should go at reasonable price, if the reserve isn’t crazy, that likely won’t need a huge additional investment to be a nice driver. Tired of seeing tons of them that are extremely overpriced rusted out POS that need another 20-100k to be on the road. I love the two tone look on the 1950s Chryslers.
That engine brings back memories. Back in the 70’s a friend had taken a 55 Dodge pickup as part payment for a job done when the customer didn’t have the money for the job. His wife was tired of it being in their garage for years, and he offered it to me. I got it running and the cherry on the sundae was it had had a 56 Desoto Firedome Hemi transplanted into it by the previous owner. It took very little to get it running again. The truck was rough but it had alot of oomph to it due to the engine. Unfortunately I had to sell it to get the down payment on my first house. Wish I’d kept the truck.
This one looks interesting but don’t have any room for it at this time.
A nice car overall that seems like a decent candidate for a restoration. It does need a complete paint job and a good bit of work to the interior. Rust repair will be the biggest issue as I think the floor pan, especially near the doors, will require a good bit of repair. Then there are all the areas that will need to be addressed on the lower exterior. I guess it all depends on how much you can buy the car for. It seems you can buy a nice 4-door for around $15,000, give or take a few thousand so you’d have to get this one pretty cheap for the restoration to be financially viable.
Nice DeSoto, but I seriously doubt anyone’s buying projects right now, given this country’s current situation. Folks, stay safe, wash your hands, keep your distance, and hopefully we all will get past this soon!
My take is a bit different. I had a Dinky Toys version in the early 50s, pretty much in these colours I think. . No-one in Manchester UK had any idea what a De Soto was in those pre-Beatles days, when nothing remotely exotic or fashionable troubled your life.
The De Soto held the promise of a life beyond drizzle.
Interesting car, but it needs a total restoration and does not run. Sure would be nice when done, but it is a 4 door sedan and will never bring much money.
’56 Desoto 330 ci hemi = 230 hp
’56 Dodge 315 ci poly = 230 hp
Hemi’s have come a long way!
Oh hell yeah anything Hemi. However, Adam Clarke, ‘salvation’ maybe used in improper context here. “Salvageable” or “salvageability” may work better. Salvation is usually reserved for the soul, Maybe a restoration of this Desoto would be its Salvation…if it has any soul! It would be gone if it was two door.
Hello
I am interested in this Desoto
How much is the asking price
gi