1958 Firesweep Cruiser – Living Room on Wheels
– 1958 marked the first year for the new line of Chrysler family “B” engines with wedge-shaped combustion chambers
– Firesweep editions were actually the plain-Jane “junior” DeSoto in the 1958 product lineup
– This car originally came from the factory without a radio, requiring a ”block-off” plate on the dashboard
Some 7,646 Firesweep 4-door sedans were built during the 1958 model year and according to the National DeSoto Car Club, it is believed only 300 survive today. When this Southern California car is taken out to a car show or for a cruise, most onlookers have no idea what a DeSoto even is and are eager to learn the story of these “forgotten” Mopar® classic machines. “It’s just too much fun to leave parked in the garage, better to take it out to street cruises and for drives, roll down the windows and listen to oldies,” reflected the owner of this vintage 1958 Mopar sedan. It has become known as a “4,000-pound living room on wheels” and when older folks encounter the finned beauty, they instantly remember the DeSoto brand from way back. All the while when younger people view it, they clearly have no idea what the hell it is, but they like the looks of it. It makes people smile!
One area of the car that was very important to the owner was the sound system, and as it turned out, when the DeSoto was at the upholstery shop getting work done there, next door was an professional audio shop that did up a splendid system for the car incorporating Pioneer components. The basic system was based around a P660 6-disc CD changer, located under the passenger’s front seat. It included a pair of 4-channel amplifiers (RF1500, RF4), twin 10-inch subwoofers (located between the rear seat back and truck area), 6 x 9 speakers on the tray plus 6.4-inch marine speakers fitted in the lower front doors. With the head unit located inside the glove compartment and the addition of a wired remote control on the inside of the driver’s sun visor, the system (complete with XM tuner capabilities) provides what’s needed for some serious tunes while parked or driving!
A pair of Smitty mufflers were added for the desired deep rumble exhaust tone (but not overpowering to the car’s sound system). Overall, the car is stock but slightly “enhanced” in areas that were felt to need improving, but not to lose sense of it being a user-friendly cruiser that has been given a few upgrades.
DEBUT OF BRAND-NEW “B” POWERPLANT
While a 361-cid V8 engine was used on the higher-priced models in the DeSoto line, producing 295 horsepower with a 2-barrel and 305 hp with 4-barrel, a slightly smaller 350-cid version of the same engine was standard equipment in the Firesweep line, fitted with a 2-barrel carburetor worth 280 hp. In addition and built in limited production for the up-level Adventurer series, a 2×4 intake system and a bump from 10.0:1 to 10.25:1 in compression delivered an impressive 345 horsepower @ 5,000 rpm (all horsepower ratings on the others listed were at 4,600 rpm). There was actually an ever more potent engine offered, the Adventurer mill with electronic fuel injection, rated at 355 ponies; however, severe reliability issues developed for the few that were built and the factory called them back to be retrofitted back to carburetors.
BULLET CENTER LANCER WHEEL COVERS
A set of Diamond Back Classic Radials with extra wide white sidewalls were added, sized P235/75R-15 and 1959 Dodge Lancer full wheel covers (reproduction with bullet centers added) complete the revised rolling stock.
TWO-TONE PAINT
In typical 1950s flavor, the car features two-tone paint combination, the chosen hues were PPG Lilac Mist used for the body, and Pearl White for the roof and side spears. Distinctive but not over-the-top flashy!
PADDED DASHBOARD
Not immediately noticeable is the design of the instrument cluster, it was canted at a slight angle where the left-hand side sits one-and-a-quarter inches closer to the driver than the right-hand side, no help eliminating sun glare. Back in these days, Chrysler Corporation cars featured the interior rear-view mirror mounted on the center of the dashboard. Stewart Warner volt and oil pressure gauges augment the stock instrumentation.
On the extreme left-hand side of the dashboard next to the A-pillar post is the shifting buttons for the TorqueFlite® automatic transmission, an extra-cost option of $40.00 over a PowerFlite 2-speed automatic. All automatics were shifted via these push button controls on the left-hand side of the driver (safely away from children passengers). TorqueFlites went on to become one of the strongest automatic transmissions in the industry and were widely used on drag-race Chrysler-based vehicles for years to come.
This car originally came from the factory without a radio so it had an original radio “block-off” plate on the dash (which was long gone when the restoration of the car began). After deciding to build a new sound system for the car that used a hidden faceplate located inside the glove compartment, the search was on for a NOS (new old stock) block-off plate and after fours months of searching in eBay, one was finally located.
ROOM FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
Lots of seating space for driver and passengers! One of the challenges of restoring the DeSoto was finding all the necessary small parts and pieces, things that more popular makes and models have readily available in the aftermarket. Case in point: the weather stripping rubber for the doors was a challenge, it took five different tries to select a suitable material that would work and provide the proper sealing.
CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY
There was no desire to restore the interior to exact factory specifications (original type upholstery) so to remain loyal to the theme of making it a fun ’50s cruiser, the decision was made to give it a traditional custom look inside: tuck ‘n’ roll upholstery using white pearl vinyl material. Light blue seat piping was added and dark blue carpeting was fitted for a contrasting appearance. Provisions were made in the front door panels for the installation of the Pioneer 6.5-inch speakers.
MODERN SOUND SYSTEM
Hidden away inside the glove compartment is the head unit for the Pioneer 6-disc CD sound system. When the door is in the raised position, there’s no visual indication that the car has a full-blown surround-sound audio system, unless it’s turned on blasting 50’s tunes at high volume.
When you flip down the driver’s side sun visor, you’re greeted with some modern technology – the Pioneer CD-MR80D Marine Wired Remote Control with Display, normally used for boating applications to operate the sound system. With a 6-disc CD changer under the passenger’s seat and XM radio controls very accessible, cruising down the road and listening to great tunes is only a finger’s reach away!
VALUE LEADER OF THE LINE
The large size of the sedan and all the chrome made the DeSoto look like a pretty flashy car of the late 1950s; however, back in the day, these Firesweep editions were actually the plain-Jane “junior” DeSoto in the product lineup, and rode on a 122-inch wheelbase (same as Dodge) as compared to the larger Firedome and Adventurer DeSoto models that featured a 126-inch wheelbase. Body-on-frame construction was used and all Chrysler passenger vehicles during this timeframe featured Torsion Bar front suspension. Chrysler Corporation cars were not too resistant to rust in those days, and that is why today there’s really not a whole lot of DeSotos, Plymouths, Dodges or Chryslers around in big numbers from the era. But thankfully this one survived!
UNIQUE FRONT END
The unique styling aspect of the Firesweep model is at the front: the entire front clip was different from the other cars DeSoto sold, as a Dodge hood was used and the front fenders were nearly identical with the Dodge, slightly revised to blend to the standard DeSoto grille and front bumper. This arrangement of swapping around body components from different makes within the corporation made it possible to keep the price low, a 4-door Sedan 1958 Firesweep had a base price of $2,819.00, which was $266.00 less than the Firedome models, and $764.00 less than the top-of-the-line Fireflite. What the objective was for the product planners was to provide a means for medium-price customers to purchase a car that basically looked like the larger DeSotos. In general, the DeSoto line was positioned right in the center of the Chrysler Corporation lineup: Imperial and Chrysler above, Dodge and Plymouth below.
FINS ARE IN STYLE
DeSotos of this era featured towering tailfins with three taillights per side, and in order to complete the restoration, the search went all the way to Tewantin, Queensland, Australia (George Laurie), to get a set of six exact reproduction taillight lenses, nothing was overlooked on this project!
PLENTY OF CARGO SPACE
35 cubic feet of available cargo space and the custom upholstered panels can be removed to fill it to full capacity.
Thank goodness for the emergency brake, as these early model cars relied on the single master cylinder braking system.
INFORMATION GUIDE
Zeroing in on the barograph-type speedometer, the automatic transmission pushbuttons and the easy-to-operate heating and ventilating switches, the 1958 DeSoto brochure cover has a happy housewife behind the wheel all ready to conquer the highway!
DEALER BROCHURE
“The exciting look and feel of the future” is how the DeSoto copywriters presented the 1958 brochure, with full-color artist illustrations and specifications listed to help persuade new-car buyers to make the move to DeSoto, be it a Fireflite, Firedome or Firesweep model.
This two-page spread in the brochure shows the three different 4-door sedans offered by DeSoto for 1958, Firesweep (top), Fireflight (bottom) and Firedome (left). Two-tone paint was the rage around Detroit during this timeframe and DeSoto was right in the thick of things in that regard.
VINTAGE MOPAR PARTS
While searching to locate some of the required parts during the restoration, the owner was fortunate to find some NOS (New Old Stock) Mopar pieces, including these switches. “Should replacement parts ever become necessary, make certain MoPar parts are used as they are designed for your car and are your best assurance of full satisfaction.”
Author: James Maxwell
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