There was a post a couple of weeks ago about your daughters first car. This is going to end up my daughters in a round a bout sort of way. My dad bought me my first project for my 13th birthday, 14 years ago I returned the favor and bought him a '50 Saratoga Highlander, as the only Mopar engine he had never owned was a straight 8. Over time the straight 8 has been replaced by a 440 with an OD auto trans 4 WDB etc.. He retired 6 years ago and I thought he was getting bored, so I bought him a 53 Plymouth Suburban wagon project. Car was from upper Michigan and pretty rough. This February we found another in Pahrump Nv on E-bay, but the roof had been cut off "el Camino" style. We drove out to get it, and weve been playing with it all summer, cut the roof off the first one, welded it to the Nevada shell, and today, finally dropped the body onto the rolling frame. The third generation part is, he's decided to paint it Pink, and give it to my daughter. (She is 8 now, and actually helped put the body back on the frame today) I know its not completely traditional, but its gonna be a driver, and a pretty sweet first car for her. I know, I know I'm worried about the Shaggin Wagon already. Here are the specs: Offy intake with 2 Carter B&Bs Langdons split exhaust Head milled .070 4.3 GM HEI GM 1 wire alternator Aluminum radiator Mustang World Class T-5 ( Home made adapter) Explorer 8.8 (4.10 gears limited slip Disc brakes) fat man Spindles Explorer Rotors( On the stock Hubs) GM Calipers Home made Caliper brackets Enough B.S. here are some pics:
Nice work on the wagon... she's a lucky girl. 230 flathead? Should be a great driver. Tell us more about the willys pokin it's head into the pictures, is it a wagon? Lookn for one... Pete
Thanks, I figure it will be a good learning to drive car, I learned in my Dad's 49 Plymouth Business Coupe, driving up and down the alley. As for the Willys, it is actually a factory Chassis/Cowl I guess ther are pretty rare. I started a thread on it a while back: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267743 You can also see the 50 Saratoga in the backround. That car is a dream on the highway, It'll cruise all day at 75 MPH (Except for fuel stops) Its running a 505 Cu In 440 with Edelbrock heads and 11.5 to compression tuned for E-85 It gets about 14-17 MPG at 70 MPH cruise. 3.73 gears and a A-518 OD trans with a custom bellhousing to bolt to the B block.
Glad to see you are making progress on your Dad's now your daughters car. I talked to you last year and you narrowly missed out on a nice little 53 that I had here in San Diego...this will be a cool car for her...here are some pix of my 54 wagon (sedan delivery now) that is getting paint later this week
Looking good, I really like the DeSoto Hood Scoop. I was really bummed about the Wagon you were selling, and tried in vain to get the guy you sold it to to sell it to me/us. It all worked out so far.
I had a PM, so here is the answer for all, the replacement floor pans were made out of the spare roof panel from the second car, I figured it was the right gauge, and it was not rusted, so why not. I rolled the beads on this: Its a modified Woodward fab bead roller with power feed.
Yeah I was bummed too 'cause I don't think he's done anything with it yet and it was part of a package deal...oh well it looks like it worked out for you and your daughter
Sweet! I really like those Burbans, I helped a buddy of mine chop his this past spring we did it in a weekend. let me see if I can get some pics to work.
Unfortunately, no we were workin togeather at the same shop and he ended up leaving.He is still in the area, just havent seen the wagon itself lately and he is like the rest of us many projects at once so I believe it sits just the way it looks. Thanks Tyler
Very cool, i have a 1953 Suburban that one day i will get around to, i had a 1951 suburban that i sold and wish now i haden't, it ran and drove. They are neat cars. How much is that one chopped?
What did you do for a windshield for the chopped one? We were going to take about 3" out of the roof, but chickened out because its so hard to find windshields for these things. Odd Rod, what color are you going with? I really dig the 53-54 Burbans, I am happy to see a few getting built, to me it seems they are a very overlooked platform, easy to hop up, cheap to buy, and a pretty solid chassis to work with. The Explorer rear axle is within 1/4" per side of the original, and was 75.00 complete at the pull-a-part yard. We made a 1 1/2" spacer for the rear axle flange on the 8.8, and are using a stock Fox body 5.0 driveshaft (it came with the trans when I bought it) If it does not work out, all we are out is 1/2 hour on the lathe and mill. The engine was a fresh rebuild that the seller never mentioned when he sold the wagon to us. we pulled the head, and the pistons were still shiny and stamep as .020 over. It had sat for probably 15 years, so we put new gaskets and seals on it, milled the head and threw it together. As it sits weve got about 1,300.00 dollars in it including the 2 cars we bought to put it together. (I'm not counting the 1,400.00 in gas and Hotels to pick up the second car in Nevada, that was a "bonding" trip ) anyway we were able to haul a Jeep to 29 Palms Cali on the way out to pay for some of the trip.
Going with a Mazda Light Maroon Metallic on the lower portions and gloss black above the beltline (eventually will have a signwritten logo on the side panels maybe on a woodgrain background)...Think I am gonna run Salt Flat wheels on it but still up in the air...just got a nos grille bullet so all of that is now taken care of and the desoto scoop is at the platers getting restored...paint should be on by the end of next week
Sounds vey cool, I found this pictue on the net, and really like the two tone cut line, makes the car look cleaner than the beltline cut IMHO. Plus it has the salt flat wheels.. We are going with a Hot Pink from a 2003 Freightliner Color chip, and a black roof like pictured above, but I think we are going to black out the recess around the windows also, leaving a 1" or so strip of color below the rain gutter, while hiding the b and C pillars in with the tinted glass Just scored a NOS hood ornament on E-bay yesterday, so We are pretty stoked.
Wow!! I guess its time for the annual update Still waiting on the body guy, but she runs and drives! New shoes installed today. I just hope we get this thing on the road for her 16th B-day, she turns 10 next month, so I guess we are right on schedule. Anyway the wiring is complete as it can be, the dash is installed, the floors are done, the exhaust is done, and the brakes are bled. Sounds sweet with some cheap turbo mufflers and the split manifolds. Dropped the bumpers and misc pieces off at the Chrome shop last week, should be done Monday, now about the body guy....
From a fellow Plymouth 2dr wagon owner - that is sweet!! I don't think I could give my daughter anything called a 'Shaggin Wagon' though!
Well I don't want her preggo at 16, but I don't want her to be a 50 Y.O. Old maid either, so I'm a bit torn, all I know for sure is she will have the Koolest car in the High School parking lot, AND she will know how to fix it too.
Well I've renamed the thread as my Dad passed away in January of '11 and it has been hard for me to work on this project, but I have finally made it over the emotional hump and my daughter and I have started back in on it. I finished welding up some of the patch work the roof needed and POR15'd the bottom side of the roof. We then insulated it with the peel and stick foam/foil stuff from Loews. I bought a Singer sewing machine and I'm going to try my hand at stitching up a headliner. I have never done paint or body work, but I'm gonna give it a shot as well. If any local Hamb'ers are willing to give me some pointers or help I'm all ears. Here are a few pics of recent progress:
Very sorry to hear about your dad. Just wanted to know- are you running stock fuel pump with those headers and also what kind of air cleaner is that( I have same set-up) Thanks
First of all thanks. I have found in the last couple of days working on it have been very therapudic. Yes it is the stock pump, I made a stainless heat shield to keep some of the heat away as it is pretty close. The Air Cleaner is something my Dad made on the our milling machine. I was not a big fan of it when he made it, but it is not going anywhere now...
I have a quick question... I was pretty set on running skirts on the ass end, but seeing this pic of a 53 Dodge wagon ( The Dodge used the Plymouth Wagon body in 53/54) And I'm thinking I might radius the rear wheel wells so they are even with the fronts (not quite as high as the car pictured above) I ended up going with these tail lights My other thought is either putting the fuel filler behind a door, or using a 53 Chrysler bezel like the Dodge wagon above. What says the Hamb crew?
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