Have you ever owned a car that survived a flood? This former beauty queen was whiling away the hours in a Florida collection, when hurricane Milton inundated the entire premises. The current seller bought the car with a salvage title and is offering it here on eBay in a no-reserve auction. Bidding has reached $7900. The car is now in Lutz, Florida, not exactly a flood-proof area itself but dry enough to put this car into working condition again. Yes, it does run and drive – a minor miracle – though the seller suggests it should still be viewed as a non-running project car. Let’s take inventory to figure out what needs to be done to bring it back to reliability.
We don’t know what ministrations the seller applied to resurrect the engine, but a driving video shows that the car will run around the block at least. The two nemeses of floods are salt and silt. Salt is a chronic disease, rotting from the inside out over time. Silt can create acute failure, as bits of grit infiltrate virtually everything that rubs against something else or creates a flow. You could roll the dice on the engine, but if your first 20 mile trip brings a breakdown, you probably know the cause. I’d take no chances with the brakes and fuel system – I’d rebuild or replace every component. A new wire harness might be on the list, and those delicate connections that make switches work probably need to be replaced or cleaned. The Special De Luxe sat on a 112″ wheelbase, with power supplied by a 201.3 cu. in. inline six. Output is about 87 hp.
The seller stripped the carpets from the interior – smart move. The upholstery survived surprisingly well, and even the gauges and other interior finishes don’t look bad. More than 300 detailed photos are included in the listing, showing close-ups of just about everything. Examination shows that the heads of fasteners have rusted, and the bottom edge of the driver’s door is rusty, staining the sill. But many of the flaws featured in the listing are likely previous age-related damage, including thin paint, chrome corrosion, a spot of rust here and there imbedded in the body. The top needs to be replaced, but that might simply be from being stored in the down position, and the seller notes that new canvas material comes with the car. In another minor miracle, the power mechanism for the top mostly works. Parts and undamaged literature, as well as a “birth certificate” from Chrysler enumerating its original specifications, are included in the sale. No doubt the prior owner was at least somewhat meticulous.
We also have to give credit where it’s due – the seller must have spent an extraordinary amount of time cleaning this car up for its photo shoot. Meanwhile, its doppelganger is listed here on another site in an auction that has yet to end, and this one – in the exact colors of our subject car – indicates the market was willing to pay $22,600 for a Special De Luxe convertible, though that wasn’t enough for the seller, back in ’23. Would you take a chance on this flooded Plymouth at the current price? Let us know in the comments section.
Sorry, no thanks, that fine silt gets into EVERY thing. Cleaned up a couple of trucks for a buddy after the ’85 flood in the Shenandoah Valley. Drain everything and start fresh, run a couple thousand miles and do it again and again and again. The silt is every switch, cable, crack and crevice. Unless you dismantle it 100% you never get it all. Again, sorry, no thank you.
Flood damage doesn’t matter as much on these old cars no computer junk yes you still want to take it apart and flush everything and clean and grease / lube everything that needs it and you will have on fine cruising machine
There are a fair few retired tinkerers who’s joy is disassembling old cars to the nut and bolt and restoring every piece to concours..if this can be gotten cheap is the perfect project for that class of hobbyist.
I you go on Copart’s web site you can still see a lot of the flood damaged classic cars from South Florida. It’s heart breaking to us car people. I hope somebody steps up to save this one (and the many others that suffered the same fate), it is going to take a lot of patience and elbow grease.
When we bought my wife’s Jeep the dealer was telling me about another Jeep he had that his son drove. Son called his father (who was away on vacation) to tell him there was a big puddle of water under the Jeep. He told son to just put a gallon of water in it, drive it home and park it in the garage. When he got back home a week later to look at it the radiator was still full of antifreeze. He asked son where he put the gallon of water and he pointed to the oil cap. The motor was full of water. He drained it, filled it with fresh oil, ran it a few minutes, drained and refilled again. Son put another 70K on it before it developed a bearing knock. Some of the older stuff is tougher than you think.
Splish splash you’ll be takin’ a bath. Unless you get this car super cheap.
It’s all ready at too much money. Flood vehicles are a total insurance write off. No matter the vintage, they need totally disassembled and cleaned. Water compromised or destroys many things and never is the same. That red leather interior will always be weird. I know this from experience from a heavy downpour and an open moonroof. All I see here is a headache and heartbreak. Sorry, but flood vehicles are trouble, hence a complete insurance write off. This car will never be right!
As I recall, You KNEW Milton was coming for days! And yet you STILL didn’t move your cars to north Florida?
If you have the money to own a car collection then you should have the money to move them in an emergency.
Is my cynasisum (sp?) showing today?
Wise lady! The owner was custodian to a piece of world heritage, why out there in the first place? Would the original manuscript of a Brett Harte poem be left in a flood prone area? Would a Rembrandt be left vulnerable to the elephants (sp)?
Does it seem likely that all the rust and bubbling on the door and trunk seams is from Milton, only about 6 months ago? Or could it be pre-existing, and hiding a multitude of sins?
Been through some standing water here in Florida and what most folks fail to realize that water is also waste water. Nuf said?
I don’t know what she’s worth, but she’s a cutie