Off-topic update. I bought a 1950's Tee-Nee boat trailer a couple years up in Wisconsin - think I paid 75 bucks. But only recently did I pull out a grinder and begin stripping and rebuilding it - including new shocks, tires, and all new fasteners. The plan was to remove the rollers, and add a deck to turn it into a utility trailer, and I'm just about there. I'll also be designing a removable rack for our pair of antique canoes. It'll be great to have the option to load them at waist-level, vs. the car roof (which requires a second person). I used Rustoleum truck bed liner on the frame and inside the fenders for the ruggedness. The fenders, coupler, wheel rims and other bits are done in gloss black. I picked up a piece of 4x10 red oak plywood this week, cut it to size and stained it to match the bed of the Chrysler. Better yet, I have a set of matching, stainless truck bed strips - also identical to the ones in the car. The last step will be a new, longer tongue to keep the canoes from hanging so far off the rear - a half dozen stainless "lifting eyes" salvaged from an old yacht - and of course running lights. I may also add a wheel chock so we can take our '59 Vespa GS to cruise nights, etc. Another fun project to pass the time.
I really like that trailer. Especially those fenders. Without going back to read why you were going to use a late model frame rather than the original I'll just ask again. Why? :confused: Your wagon looks and runs great and upgrading the running gear, engine, etc is so much easier than the frame swap thing. I also know why you want to update it and like the idea. Still it's such a nice old original wagon. Which brings up another question. Why buy another wagon for the frame? Is it just so you can drive yours original until the new chassis is finished? Actually those other two look pretty nice for a project. So many decisions.
LOL - it's my first excuse to buy/use a grinder, get crap welded, and have fun. It's been a blast, and I'm continually shedding a tear for the thousands of high school auto shops that have disappeared since I graduated in the early 1990's. Building and fixing our own stuff is what had defined America, gave us prosperity, and even won world wars. I believe we're far worse off for abandoning that, and failing to ensure those skills and values are instilled in young kids today (the 40 year old said, sounding quite old!). Thanks! Easy to find this kind of thing on Craigslist, and suddenly *poof* you've got a little redneck backyard project. Fun, though. Short answer - my frame looks like lace. With the added demands of towing the Airstream... it became obvious we needed a bigger engine, too - thus the idea was born to fix both frame and drivetrain problems with a single donor. Still not a bad idea, I don't think! Just got off the phone with the hot rod shop, and he concurs that if either wagon has a good frame, I'll be ahead of the game. He further theorized that if I get the $3K one (which has its glass, trim, etc) then I'll have a leftover wagon at the end of the process. We can then replace the parts we've taken for mine, get it running, and recoup a chunk of my investment in *gulp* 3 vehicles by reselling it as a driving project. Not to mention we'd still have a rolling Durango chassis to sell off, minus body, motor and trans. I'll be talking to these two sellers in Iowa quite a bit in the coming days, I imagine. News to follow.
Thanks for the reply... I may not be able to send this or stay on. Raining in the sunshine State?????????? Well here! That does sound like a good plan. the other wagon or wagons should sell at a decent price there. You could even sell one with the Durango running gear or what's left. Sadly what you wrote is true. Kids no longer are taught to work with their hands. Well maybe their fingers on IPods, Ipads, computers, etc. I'm continually shedding a tear for the thousands of high school auto shops that have disappeared since I graduated in the early 1990's. Building and fixing our own stuff is what had defined America, gave us prosperity, and even won world wars. I believe we're far worse off for abandoning that, and failing to ensure those skills and values are instilled in young kids today (the 40 year old said, sounding quite old!).
Good news. As I mentioned back here, I'd located a couple potential frames in Iowa to fit with more ease than the million-mod Durango option. That said, I'm fully aware the final result will still likely require a beefier rear end, airbag suspension, steering mods and other long-distance niceties - beyond the already-anticipated 12v wiring harness, Wilwood disc brakes, and more. After dismissing the $1700 example on eBay (which simply looks to have been in that field toooo long) and giving up on a '53 Wagon in Montana which generated more questions than answers.... I focused in on the remaining '54: a partially disassembled restoration, belonging to an older owner who simply lost interest. He picked up one end with a forklift a few days ago, and photographed the underside for me. I fired the pics off to my shop, and after a few more questions and answers... I offered to buy it technically sight unseen, for a touch more than the owner has invested. And just like that, I'm the proud papa of two vintage wagons. It's the New Yorker, meaning unlike our flat 6... there's a 331 Hemi and trans with a claimed 24K original miles on it: removed, but present. Also included is a rare removable 3rd row of seats: not particularly useful to us, per se, but would be fun to reupholster in matching alligator and toss in there for car shows, nonetheless. A few additional factoids: - It's from South Dakota originally, and the frame has fared better than ours because (according to him) they use ash instead of salt on wintry roads up there. Who knows. - He believes the car has just 24K original miles, though that paint job certainly makes you question whether to add a "1" in front of that number.. - He claims it was always kept on a cement floor garage, rather than in a field, barn, levee, or bottom of a lake. This is pretty easy to believe given the frame looking nice. Rust appears to be surface variety, though the area under that spare tire well looks as bad as all others I've seen. - Lastly, it has a clean title so that if we simply swap frames and throw the old Hemi back into this '54, it can potentially be sold as a complete project to someone else, albeit sitting on the not-so-great '53 frame. The only broken glass are the cheaper panels, and all trim and interior are supposedly present. Thus, the plan has shifted to: put the '53 body and interior on the '54 frame - and make it play nice with the '05 Hemi, trans and other various Durango parts. Then sell off the remaining wagon and rolling Durango chassis to get a little cash back. I'll be having lunch with the shop owner next week, and let you all know what happens next. Have a great weekend!
nice score. congrats on getting a HEMI. where are you finding all of these wagons? i am probably going to need new inner/outer fenders (both sides) and then both quarter panels (the part that bubbles out over the tires). i suppose i could score them from a desoto or other chrysler of the same year ('52).
Why is it that I have the very, very funny feeling we will soon be hearing about His and Hers Chrysler wagons in your shop? That 'parts' car looks like a really good, solid start for a neat project, and having the original Hemi makes it even better! Either way it is a real beauty. This is going to be fun to watch!
Still if there is no lift gate or tail gate he will need the third one for more parts. Will it ever end?
Possibly. Lots of little differences between models and years, and in the case of wagons, convertibles and limos... everything from windshields to gas caps are different. So I wouldn't be surprised if fenders were longer, doors shorter, etc. I bought re-chromed sedan bumpers last summer and they are 3" too wide for the wagon, even though the profile is identical. Very frustrating. I can certainly point you to another pair of wagons (one in Iowa - $1700, and a really good, complete one in Montana - $3500) that might be good parts candidates for you, depending on your level of desperation. God no. The new one (aside from paint and the interior needing a complete overhaul) is arguably in better shape than our '53. It has a ton of promise, and I'm planning on selling it as a ready-to-go project for someone else to finish. There were 50 zip-loc baggies full of screws, trim, knobs... each one clearly labeled with permanent marker. So I have high hopes that I can move this thing off my plate quickly and reinvest elsewhere. So... if you know anyone who's ready to jump into a big new project, my shop guy estimated $30-$40K for a show-winning restoration. The problem with that is: that's exactly what they sell for at Mecum, all dolled up. So what's the incentive to invest all that time and cash on a stock resto when you could just pick up a finished one instead? I'm not sure there is one. Thankfully, as I say, everything is there. Windshield is busted, which really sucks as I don't know of any sources for another. Beyond that though, it mostly, mooostly just requires paint, vinyl, chrome and reassembly. As you can tell, the donor wagon showed up this morning, fresh outta Iowa. The Durango will be delivered Monday morning... so things are finally moving! At that point, the '54 will be stripped to the frame, and they'll begin shoehorning the Hemi into the '54's frame. My shop guy is thrilled with this thing. I spent an hour collecting all the loose parts to take home (it'll be sitting outside for the next night or two) and he walked over 3 or 4 times to remark what a great deal it was. It's obvious that if I were willing to spend the extra money, he feels this '54 would be a far better car than the '53, bones-wise. Nevertheless, we're stuck on our black beauty. I'll be able to take advantage of this nice weather for several more weeks, participating in a local autumnal car show, and generally waiting for the call to bring up the body. It's gettin' exciting!
And a few more, including: - working tailgate, - the Hemi in the trunk (I noted this is likely the closest I'll ever have to a mid-engined sports car), - and the rare 3rd row seat - with special chrome escutcheons and hardware - which we'll reupholster to match our alligator vinyl, and take to car shows. More on Monday!
Met a tow truck up at the warehouse yesterday (which is slowly being thinned of its dusty old treasures, by the way). Helped load the Durango, and experienced a bittersweet moment saying goodbye to the crusty, grumpy ole' mechanic who I helped remove the Durango's shell over the past few months. He's a bit of a sad soul... and I promised to come help push cars around the place if he needs it (I suspect it's more about just liking the company). Besides, where else can I get a yearly quota of second-hand cigarette smoke in a matter of hours? Anyhow, the Durango was unloaded 40 minutes later at the hot rod shop, without much fanfare. The shop mechanics milled around and we discussed transmissions, mostly. I've already tracked down a couple of local, 2WD potential replacements. That will be mechanically simpler than trying to maintain the AWD gear, transfer case, etc. They don't seem to be more than a couple hundred bucks either, which surprised me given the high cost of rebuilt versions. Anyhow, here's the wagon being unloaded for its frame-otomy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff3HngdxUhw ...and the Durango being delivered for organ donation. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdHffbGy8mo That green '53 wagon its sitting next to is the reason I found my shop in the first place: it belongs to the broker who was selling the warehouse cars. Upon securing the deal for the DeSoto roof rack way back when... we got to talking and realized we were working on identical rides.
Boy, you're right. The latest: they've yanked the Hemi from the Durango. The shop guy hasn't seen the '53 in about a year, and admitted he has concerns about things twisting, bending, cracking when the body is free of the chassis (I asked him to place his fears out of 1-10: he chose 5). They'll pull the body off with their big hydraulic lift, and because there will be zero fitment issues on a matching frame... I'm either blissfully naive - or confident with good reason. I'll drive the wagon out to the shop either late this week or early next week to begin - and photograph - the most visually apparent stage of surgery thus far. Meanwhile, I haven't found a buyer yet for the '54 (which will include the entire running 53 chassis). The Durango chassis hasn't brought any interest either, and will be scrapped on Friday. My cost-cutting cleverness hasn't paid off in this situation - would've been cheaper to buy just the Hemi and trans I wanted: but I couldn't have known the plan would change so much.
