Your ultimate wagon -a what if question

Okay, you've reponded to the other thread I started about listing your favorite wagons. Now heres another question. I'm curious if you could have one wagon of any kind, and had unlimited funds to build it to suit your own tastes, what would that wagon be and how would it look?

Would it be a 100 point numbers matching correct restoration or an all out custom, or a resto-mod??

Heres my ultimate wagon and how it would be fixed up:

67 Belvedere II wagon-bone stock looking from all angles, with all its original side and tailgate trim and rocker moldings.
I might go for a subtle medium tan metallic with tan interior or midnight blue with blue interior or even black with red interior. The wheels would look bone stock down to white walls and full wheel covers, though the wheel and tire width may be just a little wider than stock. Under the hood would be a 426 Hemi crate motor probably mated to a Kiesler 5 speed. Upon opening the hood, the engine would appear to be a factory installation. Suspension would be beefed up a bit and drum brakes would give way to disc brakes. So, while this beast looks like granny's grocery getter, it could spank most anything out there, and yet still be able to turn corners and stop.
Externally, the only way to tell that this wasn't granny's wagon, would be the little "426" on the hood ornament.
The one place where it would have a definite departure from stock in the appearance department would be the interior. While over at Ford, as early as 1963, you could order your Country Squire or Falcon Squire wagon with bucket seats and console, I don't think buckets and console were ever available on any Plymouth or Dodge wagons during the 60's. By 69 you may have been able to order front bucket seats with a folding center armrest on a Sport Satellite wagon, but certainly no console. So for my wagon, the bench seat Belvedere interior would be tossed, and the four bucket seat interior from a 66 Charger would replace it. The 66 or 67 Satellite & GTX upholstery kits would work for the front bucket seats, but Legendary Auto Interiors would need to stitch up matching Plymouth seat covers for the Charger's twin bucket seats for the back seat using the patterns that they have for the Charger interior kit. The 66 Charger's full length console would now separate the bucket seats front and back, and a stock looking shifter would extend out of the console and the entire 4 bucket seat interior would have the appearance of being factory installed. I could pretty much do this with any 66-67 Belvedere or Coronet wagon, but its the 67 Belvedere II that I like best.
So, whats your ultimate wagon?

 

I'd build my own wagon, like I described here:
http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1698

with a 100 HP Steam Engine, from these guys:
http://www.pritchardpower.com/Image of a Pritchard Unit in an Austomotive Application.html

I'd take elements of different manufacturers that built durable, classic and stylish wagons.

You can't speed anymore and get away with it, so endurance and comfort and total operating costs (maintenance, repair and updatability, fuel and emissions efficiency) are my hotbuttons.

A homebuilt car here is registered based on the grille. A 1936 Chrysler Airflow or a 1935 Ford grille.

 

It would have to be actually what I had, but only totally finished. I would want it to be a beautiful week-end cruiser, but not so nice that I would be afraid to drive it.

It would be a '56 Chevy Nomad. The body was totaly original, down to every last detail, but under the hood was a 327. It had a 4-Speed Muncie trans with a bench seat Hurst Shifter. It also had a 4.11 Posi Rear, but in this day and age, I would probably want nothing more than 3.70's. I would want the interior to be totally restored original, except for the Hurst Shifter in there. And of course a perfected body with a paint job better than new. It would also have a HD original type suspension and either Chevy Rally Wheels or my personal favorite Chrome Reverse.

One other additional would have to be upgrading to an M-22 Muncie trans. I had an M-21 in there.

Bill

 

Well I would like to have 2 since money is no object. First one would be a Mercedes AMC E55 wagon.


Then I would want an AMC Hornet wagon with the AMX treatment with a Chevy LS9 engine, 6 speed, with big brakes all around, and 17" wheels.

 

What a unique idea. I've never thought of using the Charger console in a wagon. Switch your idea to a Dodge Coronet, and you could build a Charger wagon, using the Charger front sheet metal with the retractable lights. I believe it would bolt right up.

 

OK, here's mine......

I guess you would call this a resto-mod.

I'd start with this, a 1957 Buick Century Caballero Estate Wagon......



All the mechanicals would be upgraded to modern specs - 4-wheel vented discs, ABS, etc., and an Air Ride Technologies air suspension system. The engine would probably be a modern GM small-block LT-1, with maybe a supercharger (plenty of room under the hood), although I wouldn't be opposed to using a early 60's nailhead Buick, if the performance can be improved upon sufficiently.

There would be very little in the way of body mods, maybe smoothing the headlight and taillight surrounds, simplifying the grill, etc. The paint would be custom, but probably sprayed in the original pattern you see above. Colors - tangerine and cream white.

I'd keep a lot of the chrome on the dash, install modern digital instrumentation in the stock openings, utilize power windows, seats, door locks, mirrors, etc. Might even put in a moon roof. Seats would be custom two-tone leather, buckets up front, bench in the back. Sound system would be nice, but unseen. I don't need no one bajillion gigawatt amplified thumpa thumpa. I want to hear 1) the motor, and 2/ the wind through those hardtop windows......

Wheels would be custom, but have a classic look about them.....

OK, what the bill on that one, maybe $200K?

 

Yes you could make the Charger wagon, and the front sheet metal would be the same allowing the use of the 66-67 Charger's hidden headlight grille, but duplicating the Charger's rear whell openings and full width tail lights would be more difficult. A Coronet 500 or RT type conversion would be the route I would go if putting the Charger interior in a Coronet wagon, and the Charger upholstery design is the same as a 500 or RT bucket set upholstery making the copnversion easier.
There is an interesting bit of trivia that is little known this side of the border. All 67 Coronet 440s and 500s built and sold in Mexico came from the factory with the 67 Charger hidden headlight grille. So far I have only determined that there were two door hardtops and 4 door sedans. I don't know if any wagons were produced with the Charger grille.
Since I own a 67 Coronet 500 convertible and a 67 Coronet 500 hardtop already (U.S. versions withouth the hidden headlights), I wanted to make my wagon a Plymouth B-body. I would consider a 66 Belvedere if the 67 weren't available. But there would be outward appearance changes if I used a 66. I would discard the 66 Belvedere trim in favor of 66 Satellite trim and name plates down to the spinner wheel covers to make it look like the factory built a 66 Satelite wagon with four bucket seats.

 

Yeah, $200K might be about right. But someone makes a 1/64 scale diecast of a 57 Caballero thats mildly customized as you describe, and I think you can pick it up for around $5 if you can find it still on the rack at Toys R Us or Target. I haven't seen that little diecast Buick on the shelves around here for about a year. Maybe you can find one on E-bay.

 

A 1972 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, original in every way; or stock, as one would say in the US.

 

2 for me too.

hmmm, i would give tiki an LS2 + 6 speed manual upgrade. big chrome shifter comming out of the floor(yeah...old school style). have the wood paneling redone with real wood, actually buy a surf board for the roof...probably a lost or al merrick board. upgrade the seats to a set out of a limited with leather and power lumbar. lower it 1 inch.

wagon#2
a dodge magnum r/t with either the nose off of a charger or the nose off a chrysler 300. (if i did the chrysler nose id have to do the rest of the chrysler treatment)

 

For home grown I'll go with Krash on the 57 Buick Caballero OR the 57 Olds Fiesta. I've always like the 57 Buick even better then the 57 Chevy. Both Belair AND Nomad.
For foreign born I LOVE the early 70s Volvo wagons.

 

This one has a certain appeal....

[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mehugtree/2888715750/sizes/l/"]Flickr Photo Download: Bad Ass 4x4 Wagon[/ame]

*edit* ignore the video window - the photo link in the title works.

 

^ ^ ^ ^

Yeah, that has a certain flair to it........and you're gonna be mucho bucks ahead compared to our picks!

 

If (when?) I win the lottery, my Mazda will be going under the knife and re-emerge a RWD chassis.....

I think I'd keep the stock V6 block and perhaps supercharge it. More original than just throwing a V8 in it.

There isn't a wagon currently sold in the US i'd buy. Maybe a CTS when it comes out. If the lottery thing comes in, perhaps I'll need to import an Audi RS6, Holden or Alfa.



And, oh yeah, Nomads and the like would be nice. Barret Jackson had a wicked, semi-custom Pontiac this year at Scottsdale. A bit overdone on the interior.
http://www.significantcars.com/cars/1955pontiac/

 

I've always had a thing for V12's and Jaguars.
With "unlimited resources" theme my submission would some kind of XJS V12 wagon and it's associated team of mechanics: