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Bargain Basement: 1955 Chrysler Windsor Deluxe

You never know where you’ll find an old car, or what you might find in the basement of a jewelry store. This Chrysler was stored in the basement of the Bunn Jewelry building in Lenox Iowa and was last registered in 1974. It does not run or drive. You’ll find it listed on craigslist in Independence, Missouri for $3,500. It appears complete and original except for the light blue repaint.

The missing radio is in the trunk along with other bits including it appears the right hand kick panel. The Deluxe was the base model Chrysler so the interiors were rather plain. It all looks very serviceable and ready for a good cleaning.

It looks complete and original under the hood. There were two engines offered, either the 300.5 CID Spitfire 2bbl with 188 hp or the 331CID with 225 hp. The engine will only turn about half a revolution. You would think with the plugs removed they would have tried putting their favorite oil in the cylinders and let it soak. Perhaps they have discovered a serious issue. There are lots of interesting possibilities.

If there’s no rust and the engine can be salvaged, this could be an inexpensive driver. Could it be worth the gamble to purchase this old Chrysler with the state of the engine unknown? It looks like a very well preserved original car. Chrysler was completely redesigned their cars back then every two years, so this example is not rare it is uncommon. What do you think this car might be worth? It will be interesting to see what readers think of it.

Comments

  1. Avatar John H. from CT

    Not worth much. The New Yorker St. Regis is the one to have. 331 Hemi powered and much more elegant 2 door. However, lots of interchangeable parts here so may be worth it as a donor car.

    Like 0
    • Avatar JimmyinTEXAS

      WOW! An almost automatic “comment hidden due to low ratings” if you don’t fall in line with the main stream commenter..
      Let us take a close look at John’s comment. 1) Not much. Sounds about right, seller isn’t asking much, so he must agree. 2) He expressed his opinion on the New Yorker St. Regis being his choice. Maybe the statement “the one to have” didn’t sit well with the crowd?
      3) Interchangeable parts comment. I can see where that may be the bone of contention, but it probably is factually correct. If bought for a maximum of $3500 it might be parted out for a profit, and there is no reason to believe the seller might just take a few dollars less so raising the possibility of profit.
      Man-o-man, I can’t see a reason for more down votes than there are total comments. Reply and disagree, don’t just blindly down vote.
      Hey John, I will probably be joining you in “Poorly Rated” purgatory before long. Keep the beer cold.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Chad O.

    I actually like it. Neat looking car and as the writer says, if the engine can be made operational, it could be a good runner, just the way it is.

    Like 1
  3. Avatar Royal

    Hell no. This car needs to be saved. I would add A/C and rebuild the motor.

    Like 1
  4. Avatar Mark S

    The first thing to do is roll it back ward and see if it’s stops again. Then pull all the plugs and run a scope into each cylinder to look for obvious problems. Worst case you’ll need to pull the heads or pan to find out what is going on. This does not mean the engine is done. Without digging in and spending a little time diagnosing the condition on the engine is an unknown. These were great cars tough and reliable worth fixing.

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Ed P

    Solid body, decent interior. The engine needs work but $3500 buys a good body and that is worth something

    Like 1
    • Avatar John D

      Being from the south shore of Lake Erie in the snow belt, I see plenty of rust. So I agree with Ed P, $3500 with a good body is worth it. I would be a player if I were in the position to play.

      Like 1
  6. HoA Howard A Member

    While this car clearly doesn’t have the zing of the one featured earlier, it is much more representative of what a car like this should go for. It’s a great project, that doesn’t require a 2nd mortgage. It wouldn’t take a heck of a lot to make this car look just like the other one, which was admittedly, very nice. Cars like this keep the old car hobby alive, and probably keep the significant other happy too. Great find.

    Like 2
  7. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Donor car? – Jesus, some people just don’t get it – great find – must be saved

    Like 3
  8. Avatar Steve H

    I would fix what it needs, get it running and drive it like the proud old Mopar she is. Donor car, this is not.

    Like 3

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