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

BTW those wrap around bumpers on that thing mean business. Holy crap.

 

Some info.

 

Great find, Brian. Will I see it at the red barns this summer? I just acquired a new project yesterday as well, but it’s OT.

Happy New Year.

Chuck

 

Good to know Billy! Are you enjoying your roadster? LOL, the most fun we had with ours was delivering to Rex in Lexington. Not that it wasn't a great little car, it just didn't seem to "fit", and after the wagon incident, we were both a little apprehensive driving it. Kim more than I , but it gave me pause. Thanks!

 

I hope so, if all goes well and it comes together. I really had ought to get busy on the T'bird and have that done by then!

 

A used car dealer has two Town and Country's sitting on the back lot....same color....go buy often just to check on them....he think's they're his 401K plan..........[/QUOTE]
Still runner, if you want to share one of them , just think of me. LOL. Bruce.

 

Save the station wagon! Bruce.

 

Just treat every part , fender and bumper as gold ,if production was that low .

 

I love wagons but with all due respect I just can't see you and the family in "that" wagon I would keep looking. You deserve better.................................................................

 

That looks like a viable candidate for a wagon replacement. As I said in another thread last week I have a 330 Desoto hemi out in the milkhouse and the main issue with it is very expensive stock rebuild parts.
That one looks like a good go over in the mechanical pieces, swapping transmissions and a brake upgrade and a good outside detail job and what ever the interior takes plus a good solid trailer hitch and you are in business until you decide if it needs more upgrades in the cosmetic department. The planned mods shouldn't negatively affect resale if it ever has to be sold so that isn't an issue.
Now we get to follow another Flynbrian48 car adventure.

 

440s power motor homes ,, hint hint

 

I know, right? I'm thinking freshening up the little Hemi, and putting a modern transmission behind it. Boom. Done. It runs now, well, according to the seller, so maybe just freshening it up will get 'r done. That's what I'd like to do.

 

Just what I need, another adventure! I've already had people saying the T'bird isn't gonna get done this year now either...

 

That occurred to me, I know of several free for the asking. I spent a summer tearing apart an old "free" motorhome a couple years ago for the 14,000 mile 454, and learned a valuable lesson. ;-)

 

join ..https://p15-d24.com/ lots of information

http://ecihotrodbrakes.com/index.html
https://www.qualityengineeredcomponents.com/

and Ill probably see you at the wpc swap meet February 9
http://wpc-glr.org/

https://www.icon4x4.com/derelict/pastprojects/1

 

Roadster turned out nice, didn't get a lot of miles this summer. I am not completely used to it yet. It is small and pretty quick off the line, faster than I thought that flathead would be. My wife rode in it once to a big car event downtown and she was a bit claustrophobic in it with the top up but she tolerated it. No way she would co pilot on a longer run though.

Sorry about the tin indian, glad no one was seriously hurt, that could have been nasty.

 

Check with 73RR he listed a 330 in December The tall deck Desoto gets you almost as many cubes as the Chrysler with less weight. If you have questions he's the go to guy.

 

neat project,..here's one I did a sketch of for a fellow HAMBer, (can't remember his handle,maybe he'll chime in)...

 

That sure looks like the one for sale in Seattle two posts up from yours.

 

I vote for doing the mopar wagon. I get more comments about my wagon and parts are out there. I had never done a mopar and once I found who to talk to and I even found performance parts. Couldn’t be happier

 

^^^ yup, sure looks like same car.

 

Beautiful! I looked a couple of the Dodge and Plymouth 2 doors, great cars, but a little small for our needs. We tow a 25' Spartan trailer, and occasionally an enclosed car trailer, so the shorter wheelbase 2 doors were out for us. Great job, and that six looks killer dressed up!

 

All due respect, but that's like saying that one shouldn't differentiate between Chevy, Pontiac and Olds, sedans, coupes, wagons or convertibles because they share a basic body shell, or floor, or count sedans in the production numbers because they all have 4 doors. That 550 number means that the likelihood of us seeing another '52 DeSoto wagon anywhere we are is effectively ZERO. The fact they share most important bits with sedans (aside from doors, roof, tailgate, rear bumpers, taillights, etc) means that there are replacement parts out there. MOPAR collectors are rabid about the specific color combos, trim levels, engine fitment, chalk marks on the frame, all manner of trivia. Those numbers matter, to me if only for exclusivity, and to "collectors" because numbers matter. A '52 DeSot wagon is not a '51 or '53 Chrysler, even though they share body shells. I've always wanted cars that I knew we'd never see another at any event, this fits that for us.

 

@flynbrian48... Your comments are not entirely unexpected. Fact is, I wrote and posted similarly worded numbers and comments three times, the first immediately following the initial mention of the 550, and then deleted each out of concern that my intent may be misunderstood. In the end, I felt following posts indicated the 550 number was not being seen in context and the perception created was more inaccurate than useful.

I did reinforce the point that your car was one of only 550 identical wagons (by model/trim/engine), still a notable distinction. I also said that "none of that information diminishes the appeal and uniqueness of this lovely Desoto. I would be proud to own it."

However, even limiting the production numbers to '51/'52 model years, Desoto wagons totaled 3077 vehicles, which differed only in engine and minor trim variations. All '51 Desoto wagons were six cylinder as were almost two thirds of the '52 models. That leaves 2527 that, at a glance, looked the same as the 550 V8 versions. Of course, attrition has severely reduced the number of surviving wagons of all trim levels.

As is often the case with an original survivor, especially a low volume model, any significant alteration affects it’s pedigree.. If, for example, you do choose to install a more powerful engine and/or a more desirable/useful transmission, a collector might consider it no different than one of the six cylinder models with an upgraded power train. As hot rodders though, that is no real deterrent to tailoring our cars to our personal tastes.

What I really hoped would be the takeaway from my post was that others who admired the car and were inspired by it, would be heartened to know there was reasonable chance they could find a very similar wagon from among the three brands that shared the unique wagon body. I can understand you may not see it that way, but it most certainly was not intended as a personal affront.

Nonetheless, it is your thread and I have deleted the offending post.

Ray

 

So looking at your profile page you had a 51 Pontiac If the Pontiac had a 8 and it was stock the Desoto would have 40 more HP and 30 more ft. lbs. of torque.

 

Looks good to me (kinda ugly, but cool) I'd give it a modernish drivetrain and brakes, a good long date with a buffer and interior detail, a little altitude adjustment and cruise it till the wheels fall off.

 

I think I'd paint the door frames above the belt line wood grain.

 

You needn't have deleted then post Ray, I took no offense, and I totally got your point. So, numbers aside, in the end, the fact remains that there were very few made, in either trim level or engine choice, and fewer remain today. It's like my '48 Diamond T pickup. From '38 to '49, they produced just around 10,000 of that model. So, do I have one of a few hundred '48 201s, or one of 10,000 38-'49? It doesn't matter, as it's not for sale either!

 

That was the plan from the get-go! Great minds think alike...

 

Exactly. The little Hemi can fund much of that too...