For some odd reason, these Nash wagons seem to all look alike, at least for the most part. They all have a similar paint finish or lack thereof, They all look like they were just found in a barn. Hey, what a great concept for a website! Wait a minute.. This patina-rich 1952 Nash Rambler Greenbrier wagon can be found here on Craigslist in beautiful Klamath Falls, Oregon, and the seller is asking $3,900 for this cool project. Thanks to Ikey H. for sending in this great tip!
We rarely see a second-generation Nash Rambler two-door wagon that looks like this photo, why is that? Did these cars not have owners who took care of them for the long haul? Or, maybe when they passed away those original owners’ sons and daughters inherited these cars and thought they were just too weird so they put them away for decades and here we are – faded paint and surface rust everywhere but somehow still looking very, very cool. That’s the mark of a timeless design. If we’ve learned anything in the last few years politically, is that half of the population loves something and the other half loves the exact opposite thing. Although, at the core, there is still a single entity holding us together: a country that we all love. Whether it’s a heavily-modified restomod Nash Rambler wagon with a blown 454 V8 or one that’s restored back to original spec, the original design is what draws us back to these cars, no matter how they’re restored or modified.
The seller says that this is a “complete car ex, missing a few trim pieces. No dents, surface rust”, and it sure looks good to me, body-wise. It’s hard to argue with the partially-covered wheel openings, a classic feature of Nash from this era. A couple of weekends of sanding and body prep and bickety-bam, you’d have this thing looking good again, at least on the outside.
Then there’s the interior. And, thank you, thank you, thank you, seller, for providing at least one interior photo and even, gasp, an engine photo! The interior needs help as far as some welding on the floors and upholstery work goes. I just had some interior work done on my Renault GTA and drove it home yesterday and I was amazed at how a great upholstery shop can work wonders. I’m sure that this one can be restored. And, at least with a metal dash, there are no cracks in it! (not so much for your noggin if you aren’t buckled in, though). I have heard that two-door wagons were popular because the parents could make sure that the kids in the back seat wouldn’t open a door while the car was moving. Fact or fiction? Let’s hear your wagon stories. Here’s what it should look like in there, from a photo on Hemmings. And, the same car showing the rear cargo area – beautiful, eh?
Speaking of engine photo, here it is and it looks much better than I thought it would. And, truthfully, it looks much better than my 1997 Subaru Outback engine does at this point in its trusty but very rusty life. This is the Nash Six, 184 cubic-inch inline-six which would have had 85 hp and 150 ft-lb of torque. And, here is what it could look like again if a person were bent on restoring rather than restomodding. A little over 4,400 Greenbrier wagons were made in 1952 and they don’t come up for sale too often, but when they do it seems like they look like this example. Which isn’t a bad thing at all given the reasonable asking price of several times less than what a restored one would bring. Have any of you owned a two-door wagon, or better yet, a Nash Greenbrier wagon?
Great find Ikey H ! And a great write up Scotty! I really enjoy the comparison photos of the restored car. Boy, this rig is super cool, I do not think I have ever seen a Nash Rambler two-door wagon. I can’t tell what that device below the clock is, radio, heater control? I have owned a 2 door wagon, back in 1973 I owned a Ford Taunus, 4 speed on the tree. And my current ride, 1960 4 by 4 W/O utility wagon. It has the side sliding windows also. Great wagon, thanks, Mike.
Pretty sure those knobs and buttons under the clock are for the radio. And yes, this car is way cool! I’d love to restore it…. When I was a wee lad, a neighbor had one of these, and I wanted it even at age eight or so.
Of course for me there’s a real temptation to yank that “six” out and replace it with something that has more suds and would probably be, at worst, no heavier. A moderately beefed-up SBC, for instance. But I wouldn’t change anything else, except for minor safety upgrades — trans., brakes, etc. — that would be as invisible to the onlooker as possible.
HiRay I agree with your safety up grades but I’d be inclined to keep the engine an transmission. One think I do know about these is that the turning radius was terrible because of the skirted front wheels. Looks cool but the wheels don’t have enough room. They sure look amazing restored, nice post guys.
As with the 1958-1963 Rambler American (which is really the same car), you’d be very hard pressed to find a mill other than the 195.6 family that’s going to fit in that short, narrow engine compartment. At least not without a huge amount of custom fabrication. I’ve seen it done, but definitely not a job for the feint of heart.
Maybe not so hard to fit a SBC considering the floor is swiss cheese & the job might lead to a body transplant anyway?
I have a 1960 (similar body but without the wheel-skirt design) and would agree– it’s pretty tight in there. I was considering putting in a Ford 2.3 from a Ranger, just so I didn’t have to do so much fabrication (but I wasn’t looking for big power).
There are no skirts on these cars.
A skirted wheel housing has a detachable metal [or fiberglass ] skirt.
Those are enclosed wheel wells, part of an “envelope” style body.
those silver button looking things below the clock is actually the radio speaker holes.
Yes, I agree, nice write up Scotty.
A guy in town had one pretty much like it but was a complete restomod. If I remember right it was hot pink and stood out from a mile away.
It was in excellent condition I wish I could remember what he wanted for it. I’m not sure whatever happened to it just disappeared one day.
After seeing pictures of this one, the edge goes to restoring to its original state.
Would be a ton of fun to drive around.
Yes unusual body style but that was American motors style of the day.
With it’s unique body shape and low desirability, this one seems a prime hot rod candidate. 390/401 AMC motor with exotic induction sticking out the hood, tub the rear end, maybe chop an inch or so out of the roof. Oh Oh Oh!
hardly low desirability. Wayne Carrini paid a small fortune for one that was on desplay in AACA museum in Hershey PA a couple of years ago. A convertible sold for $36,000 at Barret Jackson.
This is the first generation not the second which was from 55 to 59 also the turning radius was not terrible like some think , it was surprisingly good as the narrow front tracking ensured
I wonder if the GM overhead cam six would fit? Lots of potential here and the lines are just timeless.
That dashboard is beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever been tempted to buy a car on account of it’s dash before, but this…
To me, this is begging for a Tesla/ Volt/ something electric or hybrid conversion.
Who ate the seats ?
Be a cool rod.
Ah, Nash “suppository styling” at its best. So turd-like and ugly, it is awesome !
If a person likes that “tub” look, it doesn’t get any better than this. I can only imagine the attention this thing would get ANYWHERE it went ! Every woman I have ever met that has even a passing interest in old cars thinks cars like this are the “cat’s pajamas”. Leave it as built and have the ultimate chick magnet. Paint it loud colors and make it go fast, a real dude magnet. Your choice.
Cutting away the inner fenders and firewall to put in a larger engine is risky on these cars, and require some engineering prior to cutting. The firewall and inner fenders are part of the Unibody frame.
I knew a guy who cut away the inner fenders to install a V8, only to discover the weight of the main body shell resulted in the remaining “frame” visibly sagging in front of the firewall!
Yes, unibody engineering is the same thing used to build aircraft. You don’t just go cutting away metal and not expect the rest to collapse. Can it be re-engineered to house bigger components ? Yes. But it will require some serious
engineering to maintain structural integrity.
This same car has been for sale for ages. An acceptable driver but a much more rare version Greenbrier Deliveryman was for sale 3y ago on BAT @ USD9800 / best offer. This seems pricey when compared to that
Maybe there is a reason why this is not selling
It’s not selling because it takes a special kind of car fool to dig something this toady/ugly for the “cool” it is. Most car people want fast, glam, bling and glitz. This is the antithesis of all that.
I hunted 30 years for a monotone Buzzard Puke Green 1958 Plymouth Plaza four door sedan. The polar anti-sexy opposite of the movie car Christine. You’d think it would be easy to find one. 45,000 of them were built. But it took a lot of years and a lot of searching for this ugly duck. It is restored to all its original anti-bling boringness and chaps the hides of every go-fast car guy I park it next to, because it gets all the attention, while their Compensation Red Corvette or Chevelle gets passed by. Pretty funny, really. But that is how most car guys see cars …. all chrome and horsepower.
It needs a Ferrari powerplant and a nice red paint job!
. . . and some big wheels & tires
Back about 20 years ago Orion car sound systems did a heavy customizing on one of these wagons, it was black with some red. Was featured in Hot Rod magazine, centerfold picture, I had that picture and article up until about a year ago when I had to clean out my magazine collection. I see that some folks posted some pictures of these cars all hooked up, maybe someone has the picture I am referring to.
Just strip the car of glass, trim, and drivetrain. Sandblast the whole thing and then primer two coats. Dump a cheap smallblock GM & Powerglide + a Ford 9″ rear end. Tub the rear wheel wells and buy some used slicks and a couple of cheap radials for the front.
Remember to go flat black.
Cheap restomod & low insurance rates for daily driver in summer.
P.S. The Ferrari guy two posts up wants a trailer queen with base coat clear coat red which is expensive. Don’t put lipstick on a pig like a NASH wagon.
Bob
Look at all of the floor rust, and this is a uni-body car. I would run the other way, fast.
Why always small block V8? There are a bunch of powerful inline 4 engines that would fit just fine. Ecoboost Mustang engine woul fit and be fast. Honda S2000 Mill?
Why does it need to be fast at all ? Why not retrain the brain to enjoy the 1950’s charm of a REAL 1950’s car ? If you want a car that drives like an Acura, BUY an Acura !
How about a 4 cylinder cumins diesel?