1955 was a breakout year for the Chrysler Corporation. After living with the stodgy, upright shape that had been around since 1950 (and the reputation as a boring, milquetoast bit of kit to drive following right along), the company unveiled the Forward Look cars for the 1955 model year. Forget bathtub cars, there were fins, there was a V8 in the mix for all of the brands, and there was a reason to celebrate: sales were up, and not in a meager way, either. For Plymouth, the Belvedere was the hit, filled with either a straight-six or one of six V8 options. Forget the old ladies’ car, a Plymouth could now be as much of a surprise on the streets as any other ride out there. They compared well against Ford and Chevrolet, but most of these cars are cosigned to history. The Forward Look era had problems, most involving rust that would horrify even the most jaded Rust Belter. They just didn’t last.

Except, somehow, this example, and it’s managed to look near-mint in Hawai’i, of all places. How, we don’t know. But forum member “fatguyzinc” scored this Plymouth, and he’s got plans in place for a gasser. Other than tires and a master cylinder, the car was pretty much original and the rust was limited to two areas the size of silver dollars…or, on one of these old Mopars, virtually none. His plan: a gasser, with a built Chevrolet mill and a four-speed, straight axle and all. Why the Chevy mill? Because this is a relatively low-buck build and he has the engine all ready to go. We dig the original body choice, we dig the idea of another big-power straight axle car roaming around, and we wish him well as he tries to convince the Forward Look fan club to not make the trek to his front yard with pitchforks and torches at the ready.

BangShift Project Files: 1955 Plymouth Belvedere