Have you ever wondered how a car has survived even after being exposed to the elements, and other hardships? Well this ’53 Chrysler Windsor Town and Country has spent some time outdoors, and thankfully after all the years of neglect, this wagon appears to be a worthwhile project. Missing a few parts, and having some rust to show for its time spent outdoors, this wagon could be a very fun project for the buy it now price of $3,995. Check out this classic wagon here on ebay out of Bozeman, Montana.
At a quick glance the engine compartment appears nice but the radiator is missing, and the wiring harness looks a bit chaotic. The factory 265 cubic inch L head 6 cylinder is locked solid, so you would need to source another engine, or perhaps this wagon would be a good candidate for an engine swap? Equipped with a factory 3 speed manual transmission, this wagon could be a fun swapped car with a modern inline 6 or V8.
Despite the fact that the driver side vent window, and the rear window are missing, this wagon has a very reasonable condition interior. The dash is in fair condition, and the seats are present, but will certainly need to be recovered.
Although the seats need some attention, I find it surprising that the interior is so complete. The door hardware is present, and with some time and materials, this interior could be reworked nicely. The rear storage area had a wood base much like a truck, but the elements sped up its deterioration. Although much like the rest of the interior, the wood planked storage area could be rebuilt.
Although there are several positives about this Chrysler, there are a few negatives as well. There is a rather large rust hole in the drivers floor. The seller believes it’s from snow that stuck to the drivers shoes over many years of use. While that may be part of it, the missing vent window has allowed moisture into the car and to collect at the floor. Also there are some pin holes in the spare tire well where water has collected from the missing rear window. These two areas of concern appear to be the worst of it, but there may be some questionable rust along the bottoms of the doors and in the rocker area. Obviously there is some surface rust to be found, but the body appears very reasonable. Also a few dents are present, but the strangest issue is the missing door trim, and missing door handles. Although this wagon may not be compete or rust free, it still seems like a great candidate to rebuild or perhaps hot rod to get it back on the road. Would you revive this Town and Country?
This is a job for Jonathan Ward at ICON.
Definitely worth saving.
Oh great… another ‘fun project.’ The fun of rust falling into your eyes. Shredded knuckles, perma-grease embedded into your hands. And the rat crap. By the way, dryer sheets have worked great. No more mice or racoons inside the cabin interior.
Oh yeah, the fun of getting those rear hubs off. Ford 9″ or 8.8 cures that agonizing feat.
Count me in.
Very cool car and restorable, but I think it a 52 or even a 51 the 53’s did not have a removable rear fender. These are solid well made cars and I think that there is a new popularity with wagons. As for that engine don’t count it out yet pull the plugs and fill the cylinders up with a mix of oil and diesel fuel then leave it sit. If need be pull the head and put a block of wood on a couple of running mate Pistons with a crossbar on the wood block and threaded rod in the head bolt holes. Go out once a day and give the nuts a turn while keeping the cylinders filled with the lubrcation. You might find that it will free up and be very salvage able. These were good engines not to powerful but long lasting and reliable.
I really like your idea for freeing the engine. I’ve also pulled the head, gently heated the pistons with an oxy torch, and then filled them up with diesel. The expansion and contraction of the metal combined with the diesel will free them up with no damage to the block or the pistons.
I’ve had two (still have one). NOT easy to find parts for. Bumpers are a different width than the sedans – even the windshields are a one-off.
I’ve stored the pristine interior from a ’53 Town & Country, and have the rust-free body of a ’54 in primer. If anyone wants to take this project off my hands, give me a holler.
looks like the rear window is gone too.
Definitely saveable, although a bit more of a project than I’d want to tackle at the moment (especially with four – count ’em – four in the pipeline)
Add a 331 Hemi for more go..!
Yes very unusual, worthy of bringing back, whether its a modern drivetrain or fix the six. I bet if you can get that flatmotor unstuck it will run- it will be straining trying to move that wagon around. I’d fix the few rust issues and not touch the outside since it has weathered so well. No P word here!!!
Art Morrison chassis and a Hellcrate?
This is the first one that I have seen. Really cool!
I just hope cars like this are preserved for our younger generation.