Customs Wagon hunt may be OVER!!! 1952 DeSoto wagon is HOME!

Haha! I like both versions, and not ‘graining it will be much less work! Having it finished to her liking will make things much easier for me when I bring home a roadster project to put that 276 Hemi in anyway.


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I understand completely on all accounts

... but leave a good copy of that picture of the woodie out where Mrs. Flynbrian can see it all the time and "get accustomed to the possibility of the idea"

 

Hey FB (not face book) I have a buddy that bought a nice little speed boat with rounded transom sides that he had wrapped in a faux mahogany, it looks like a high end wood boat for next to nil. Just sayin. Wrap the wagon tastefully and then get a matching boat!

 

Oh, I'm definitely getting another boat to use while the Chris Craft gets a new bottom! I'd like a Malibu Skier or a MasterCraft, didn't give much thought to woodgrain wrap, I wonder how that'd hold up in the water?

 

^^^^If you clear coat over the top and stay off the sand bars, it ought too hold up.

 

The Hemi went back in the DeSoto today with new mounts and early Ford flathead style insulators. Tomorrow, on the transmission crossmember. The new modern transmission is a foot shorter than the "GyroMatic" and Fluid Drive, I have to make a new crossmember, even though the trans is shorter, the original mount is pretty much in the middle, and the new one is at the back end. I'll have to have a new, much longer driveshaft made. I wonder if it should be two piece with a carrier bearing?

 

How long is too long, it matters the material, diameter, length, and critical speed (rpm) of shaft. New gm trucks are pretty long, call a driveshaft shop and have a chat.

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Fender skirts? I think it's a yes. And, I like the stance with just 2" blocks in back. The front will come down a little with the sheet metal on...

 

I like short skirts, go for it. I know you already got ass ended in the tin indian (feather, not dots) but that rear bumper is due for a tuck buddy.

 

I LIKE skirts.. On cars, too. Looks good to me.

Ben

 

I know, I hate the bumpers on it. A buddy of mine offered me a front bumper from a '55 Chrysler, which I think will work great, I need to come up with a rear bumper. My first thought was '49-'50 Chevy/Pontiac. Slim, tidy, and cheap.

 

53 Plymouth suburban rear bumper might work.

 

Things I’ve been doing whilst sequestered: Got the steering done in the wagon. A couple of U-joints, some double D 3/4” shaft and a big Heim joint turned the trick. Bought a nice tool chest. Finally. Fixed my pellet stove so it's warm again. Fixed a rusted out fender on my cousin’s John Deere Model R. It’s a ‘48, so it IS traditional...


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Here's the '59 Imperial grill I'm going to use instead of the roached original grill teeth in the wagon. I never liked these Mercury grills... There's my extra dash too. I'm going to use some of the stuff on it, the trim, radio delete, and speaker grill cover.

 

I love where this build is going! In regards to your Explorer 8.8 rear: I don't know if you need the pumpkin centered in your tunnel but if you do I've seen those you-tube videos where they grab an extra passenger (short)side axle at the junkyard. The long side axle tube is cut down to passenger side length, re-welded & short axle installed.

 

I checked that out before I bought the thing, there's plenty of room, the driveshaft tunnel isn't an issue, and it's almost too narrow as is, so I'm running it. I had one problem initially, in that I thought it was an '03, and bought rotors, calipers, E-brake pads, and lines for an '03, and nothing was right. The rotors they gave me were vented (I didn't open the boxes to check), and turned out to be '03 front parts packed wrong. I got rear ones, which had the disk about 5/8" outward to far, and on investigating, found this axle is really an '01. Since I'm not going out and about, I ordered the correct parts, and will return the wrong ones when things get back to whatever the new normal is going to be...

Meanwhile, I got the gas tank in today, and started making lines, but I misplaced the new in line filter from Tanks Inc., during my shop clean-up. I ordered a new one which should be here tomorrow, so I can get the lines finished up, and I'm one step closer to having the Hemi make smoke and noise.

 

Do you have the tailgate hinges?

 

‘59 Imperial grill. How’s that grab ya?


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That looks pretty good in there!

 

I'm digging what yer laying down FB

 

That grill works!

 

Certainly better than this...

 

More better!

 

It works!... are you going to "lighten up" that front bumper as well?

 

Lighten up, as in, I'm not going to use it. A buddy of mine from Windsor has a '55 Dodge (I think) front that'll look much more better.

 

Nice!

 

You were SO right about that...

 

I'm painting stuff for the wagon. Here's one of inner fenders in "Kirker" single stage urethane, "Garnet Pearl". I bought 6 quarts of that, and 3 quarts of white for the roof, which will get "Arctic Frost" pearl over. Should be pretty. The front wheels looked about an inch too far forward in the wheel openings with the suspension dropped, so I moved the wheel opening forward. An inch in front, 2 1/2" at the rear, so it looks more balanced, and matches the way the rear wheels fit it the openings. Onward.

 

My first attempt at an exhaust system. Well, I did straight pipes under the '34, but it was super-simple. This is stainless 2 1/4" from Summit, I'm waiting for the stainless mufflers to arrive. Waiting too on the aluminum radiator, turns out '47 Chevy trucks are the same dimensions, and have outlets in the right size and location, whereas the original does not...

 

The new driveline looks good!

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