>I just want the Plymouth as a showpiece, really; something to keep in the garage and to show off with all the other classic cars at my town's annual Gala. And to hear the engine purr
Start off with a '57 Chevrolet or '59 Ford, both of which offer decent mechanics and a ready supply of replacement parts, before making the leap into the rare when new and impossible to repair now '58 Plymouth. That era in Chrysler history is not remembered fondly. The '57s were the car that everyone wanted-they were longer lower wider and faster than anything else on the road that year - but the engineering was so poor and the assembly so shoddy that word of mouth made what should have been a record breaking year for the company merely a Big Success as sales tapered off amid a chorus of complaints from miserable owners. The '58s (among them Christine) were redesigned 1957s and sold poorly, as did most Chrysler cars through 1964: in the wake of catastrophic 1957, the company conducted an owners' survey and, to their horror discovered that the vast majority of those who bought the flashy '57 dream cars had no intention of purchasing another Chrysler product, ever. It took the better part of a decade to regain consumer confidence. If you do find a '58 with a functioning engine and a non rusted frame, you are well off buying three others in non-running condition to use for spare parts. You'll need them
(My parents 1957 DeSoto rusted from within and unexpectedly split in half after only a few years of driving. It still looked shiny and new, but as often happened with the '57 Chrysler products the evil worked its way to the surface)
>And to hear the engine purr
They knocked a lot as the oil leaked out. The lubrication system wasn't what it should have been, so expect a high pitched whine to develop. The last 1957 Chrysler I was in ( A New Yorker I was interested in buying) miraculously did not have a spot of rust on it but gave off a rhythmic, metallic, 'click' from within the engine compartment. "Purr" is not high on the list of noises emanating from '57 or '58 Chryslers.....however, some find their tubercular gasp to be appealing
especially in a convertible with the roof down.
>Is this what King is referring to when he constantly mentions 'The musty, death-like stench', or something along those lines?
Most likely.
