Fellow NHRA announcer and pal of mine Alan Reinhart sent this gem along for all of you in BangShift National desperately seeking a hemi but without major league fundage. You are looking at a 1955 DeSoto Firedome with 292ci of little hemispherically headed fun. The car is located in Tucson, Arizona and it appears to be perfectly desert weathered. Yeah, it is a four door but it has the little 292ci hemi in it and you could drag it away or Roadkill style drive it away for the $3,500 asking price…or less depending on your bargaining skills.
The Firedome was relegated to “entry level” status in 1955 and 1956 by the leadership of Chrysler. It was never a “bottom wrung” car until that year and it did not maintain that status for too long as the lineup was changed again in 1957 moving the thing back to more upscale digs on the lot. For 1955 the 276ci hemi got a bore job and that resulted in the 292ci displacement. While the world is clamoring for 392 and 426ci versions of the famed Chrysler V8, you could get your hands on this thing for a comparative song. No, it’ll never make the big power of its larger elders but at least you’d have the killer looks and with the right hot rodding touches an plenty punchy engine for your hot rod or street rod. Or, if you are a patron saint of lost causes, you could restore this desert rat.
What do you think? $3,500 for a core hemi. Stupid? We don’t really think so.
CL Link: This 1955 DeSoto Firedome could be your ticket to a cheap hemi
Just remember .No parts from The Desoto will fit a Dodge or Chrysler hemi.For some reason back then Chrysler had 3 completely different HEMI engines .The Desoto is the smallest ,by measurement. I have had a few of the first gen Hemis . They like there older big brother are still high dollar to work on.And I don’t understand why . They made a jilloion of them .But still anything with a Hemi in it has a much greater Wow factor
If you buy an old Hemi like this, you better have “Hot Heads” on speed dial !
Cheap way in expensive way out as with all projects
We had a 55 Desoto when I was a kid. It was light yellow.
hey, i have a 260ci “polyspherical hemi” in the 55 belvedere.
anybody want it? 1/3 this guys price and id be ecstatic! sadly,
its probly going in the dumpster, hawaii is full of ‘craiglist effect’ guys….