Manufacturer rivalries are as old as the auto industry itself and while the subject of “horsepower wars” typically centers on the muscle car era launched in the mid-Sixties, Detroit’s automakers scrambled to raise engine outputs in the Fifties just as fervently as they tried to out-tailfin one another.
It was the new age of overhead-valve V-8 engines and Chrysler’s Hemi family was the king of compression. The company’s various brands, including DeSoto, had their own versions, but each shared common architectural elements.
Displacements and power ratings grew through the decade and, in 1957, Dodge increased the displacement of its Red Ram Hemi from 315 to 325 cubic inches, thanks to larger, 3.690-inch bores that complemented the 3.800-inch stroke.
The 1957 Hemi was also known as the D-500 option and it added a performance boost that complemented the new, Virgil Exner-directed “Forward Look” redesign of the Dodge lineup that year. With a single Carter WCFB carburetor, the D-500 produced 285 gross horsepower and 345-lb-ft of torque. The Super D-500 was also available and linked a pair of those Carter four-barrels to up the engine’s output to 310 horses and 350-lb-ft.
A glance under the hood of Diran Yazejian’s 1957 Dodge Custom Royal convertible shows the Super D-500 dual-quad induction system, but he’s quick to point out it was an upgrade he made on the otherwise stock D-500 Hemi engine. The rest of the car — dressed in Tropical Coral and Glacier White — is in stock condition, too, and is the recipient of a four-year rotisserie-type restoration that still looks show-ready a dozen years after it was completed.
“It was a rare find, but also a bittersweet one,” says Diran, a retired Chrysler designer who started with company at the end of the Fifties and worked through the mid-Nineties, contributing all kinds of details to Mopar production vehicles over the decades. In fact, he designed the iconic taillights on the 1968 Dodge Charger.
The Custom Royal came to his attention through unfortunate circumstances, in 2007, with the death of a friend and fellow enthusiast. His widow needed help liquidating a collection of about nine 1957 Dodge models the couple owned. All but one were in project- or parts-car condition and there were loads of additional parts to go with each.
The cars had been sitting for years at a former gas station the friend used for storage. Time and Michigan’s elements weren’t kind to them, but Diran did what he could, and all the cars and parts found new homes — including this Custom Royal, which he took on himself as a restoration project.
“All the cars were pretty rough, especially the convertible,” says Diran. “I’d restored a number of vehicles over the years, but it was going to need major metal surgery.”
That included frame work. According to Diran, there was a football-sized rust hole in the chassis, but a Coronet parts car came with the convertible, and it would donate its frame to the cause.
Diran farmed out the metalwork to a pro northeast of Detroit and it included replacing the front fenders, trunk floor, interior floor, and lower rear quarters. And when it came to the chassis, the X-style cross member that was a unique reinforcement on the convertible was cut out of the original, rusted frame and precisely relocated via arc welding on the sedan’s donor frame. When the sparks stopped flying, the revamped frame was painted semi-gloss black.
“I was really impressed with the work,” says Diran. “The rear powertrain mount dropped on to it perfectly after the shop was done.”
Thanks to the harvest of spare parts that came with the Dodge, few additional trim and otherwise hard-to-find parts had to be sourced. Additionally, Diran had turned to Sweden for a replacement compound-curve windshield. That’s also where the reproduction dash pad came from. Many of the other trim components were restored or re-plated.
In fact, Diran restored the instrument panel and all its trim himself. He also straightened and buffed all the car’s stainless trim, cleaned up the correct spinner-style wheel covers and installed new side glass and window trim.
The interior is the Fifties at its finest aesthetic, with multiple colors mixing with metallic trim to provide depth and texture that was mostly abandoned by the industry less than a decade later. Here, it’s forward-looking and optimistic, just like the sweeping lines of the exterior.
Those lines look even more dramatic when the black convertible top is lowered, and when it came to rebuilding it, including its hydraulics, and having new canvas installed, he again sought professional help.
“Convertible tops are beyond me,” Diran says. “I wanted it done right the first time.”
The same went for the powertrain.
“I knew rebuilding that early Hemi was something I didn’t want to chance as an amateur,” says Diran. “It was too important.”
What he did do, however, was dig into the Chrysler archives and locate the original build card, the data on which matched the number on the engine block. Good news! It was the original engine. It was rebuilt to factory specifications, save for the addition of the dual-quad setup.
“It runs really well,” says Diran. “It’s very smooth and powerful. Just wonderful.”
We can attest to that. As Diran started and restarted the car, moving it around our photo location, it fired at the barest flick of the key and purred satisfyingly, without hiccups or hot-start issues. Its complementing push-button TorqueFlite transmission also performed flawlessly.
That said, a dual-quad Hemi is nothing if not thirsty, especially when the throttle linkage isn’t quite adjusted to ensure the engine is breathing through only one of the carburetors at part-throttle — and you’re hustling down the freeway at 75 mph without the benefit of overdrive. It was something Diran and his wife Joyce discovered last summer, when they were driving home from the prestigious Eyes On Design event, at the former Edsel Ford estate, more than 25 miles from their suburban Detroit home.
“It ran out of gas on the freeway,” says Diran. “The gas gauge wasn’t accurate in the first place, but I thought there was enough in the tank to get us home. I was wrong. And I think the linkage was keeping all eight barrels open — we were really burning up that gas quickly!”
Such are the adventures of vintage cars, but the flip side of that anecdote is Diran and his wife drive theirs. This Dodge is a rare, concours-condition and blue-ribbon-winning classic that isn’t trailered to any of the events they attend. Diran doesn’t even own a trailer, but his garage is also home to a 1954 Chrysler Town and Country wagon, a 1934 Dodge coupe, and a 1940 Mercury (with a 3.50-inch chopped top).
“They’re all meant to be driven,” says Diran. “That’s where we get the most enjoyment out of them.”
Even when one runs out of gas.
“It comes with the territory,” he says.
That notwithstanding, the effortlessness of the Dodge’s overall driving experience is enviable, as Diran slips behind the wheel, touches the key and the Hemi nonchalantly comes to life. A quick button-push on the front edge of the dashboard and the car clicks into gear and rolls away.
“It’s so easy to drive,” says Diran. “It’s a joy.”
It may have been unfortunate circumstances that led to this rare D-500 Custom Royal, but more than a decade after its restoration, it remains an excellent representation of Detroit’s pre-Sixties’ performance skirmishes — and a beautiful example of Jet Age style.
Owner’s View
“I was thrilled this Dodge was an original and rare D-500 car, but it is another one that more-or-less found me rather than me seeking it out — and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. The car won a blue ribbon at its first concours and that was literally the day after the restoration was completed. That was in 2011 and we’ve continued to show and enjoy the car ever since, always driving it to every event.” – Diran Yazejian
Commercials Cooperation Advertisements:
(1) IT Teacher IT Freelance
立刻註冊及報名電腦補習課程吧!
电子计算机 -教育 -IT 電腦班” ( IT電腦補習 ) 提供一個方便的电子计算机 教育平台, 為大家配對信息技术, 電腦 老師, IT freelance 和 programming expert. 讓大家方便地就能找到合適的電腦補習, 電腦班, 家教, 私人老師.
We are a education and information platform which you can find a IT private tutorial teacher or freelance.
Also we provide different information about information technology, Computer, programming, mobile, Android, apple, game, movie, anime, animation…
(2) ITSec
www.ITSeceu.uk
Secure Your Computers from Cyber Threats and mitigate risks with professional services to defend Hackers.
ITSec provide IT Security and Compliance Services, including IT Compliance Services, Risk Assessment, IT Audit, Security Assessment and Audit, ISO 27001 Consulting and Certification, GDPR Compliance Services, Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), Penetration test, Ethical Hacking, Vulnerabilities scan, IT Consulting, Data Privacy Consulting, Data Protection Services, Information Security Consulting, Cyber Security Consulting, Network Security Audit, Security Awareness Training.
Contact us right away.
Email (Prefer using email to contact us):
SalesExecutive@ITSec.vip