This 1953 Dodge Coronet 2 door hardtop had a Camaro subframe and rear end, the door handles are shaved as were the hood ornament and air inlets. No motor or steering gear, but a great project vehicle!
I acquired this vehicle along with several others in a trade in the summer of 2003. In December 2005 Jim and I started working on this project by removing the body off of the bad frame it came with. We had a donor, a 1967 Chevelle frame, waiting on being repurposed. It worked out great! We mounted all new body mounts and the rebuilt Dodge Charger 360 engine, added a new aluminum radiator, dropped spindles with new disc brakes, a donor gas tank, power steering and a nice steering column. Eventually we lowered the whole vehicle about 4 inches, which gives it a great profile!!
I test drove the Dodge and promptly knocked a hole in the oil pan :0 ! We repaired that and added a custom skid plate. Well, then Jim had to test drive it, I went along for the ride and kicked in that 4 barrel and there went the heater hose lines....Antifreeze was everywhere! We made it back to the shop (we only venture out 3 miles or so on test drives), and again repairs were made....
We made it to our first cruise-in with the Dodge in April 2006, and then began cruising to the local cruise-ins. Most spectators loved the car and were surprised to learn what it actually was! Eventually we plan on adding a paint job and a custom interior of course!
