We have a thread dedicated to street spotting. And a thread on fellow wagonites. But sometimes we may come across wagons that aren't on the street, or being driven by fellow wagonites. I figured this was as good a place as any to share unclassified wagon finds. So, yesterday I was passing through Prosser and I decided to visit one of my favorite old yards because I am in search of a tailgate for an old FORD pickup I'm working on. It was a quick jaunt through all of the fantastic old iron with the owner of the yard and he and I were talking as we went along. He has a large number of wagons scattered throughout the place and I told him I'm a wagon guy and that I have a 64 Plymouth wagon. He says "Oh, well then I gotta show you this one" This thing is amazing. I want it. Unfortunately I just bought three trucks. So I can't have it. Yet.
I believe that's a CANADIAN Chrysler, most likely a 1963 model. The fender badge and grill don't match with the '63 U.S. Chryslers. The lower-line Canadian wagon was called the Windsor (Newport in the U.S.), so I think this is a Windsor. Grill seems to match this '63 Canadian Chrysler Windsor, shown here: http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/Cana...e Brochure/slides/1963_Chrysler__Cdn_-04.html
So my friend Steven discovered, not one, but two Mercury Colony Park wagons at a local Pick-n-Nose that went out the day I arrived in Washington, August 4th. A '76 and a '78, both the same color, although one had a blue interior, so I figure that one was a repaint. Leadslead paid him to snag as many parts as he could get, which he delivered early last month. Unfortunately, the really important items, such as the tailgate hardware, could not be accessed because the idiots put them back to back with other vehicles, so the tailgates could not be opened. They set one car flat on the ground, so the rear disc brakes could not be removed, along with the rear springs, and the other has been set up on welded wheels, on the rear axle, so once again, couldn't get the rear springs out. And, right after Steven got back home, they had disposed of BOTH wagons, so no windshield for Joe's '73 Galaxie cop car.
Marshall, that very well could be. Believe it or not, I'm not really up on all of the Chrysler models for every year mid-late 60's. It said Newport on the dash. I didn't take a picture of it though.
Shame about those Mercuries. They looked like someone cared about them at one time not too distantly in the past.
It's my theory that one was going to be used to fix the other. I don't have anything to back that up, but judging by the amount of patina and missing grille on one, and how complete the paint and interior was on the other, it was fairly likely. The maddening thing was that they had arrived there within the week before I flew there (August 4th), but we're not advertised or out before then, so no one had a chance of buying them. In Washington, a car does not become 'salvage' until DOL receives the title, and the person who owns them, or an estate representative, are the only ones who can sell them to the junk yard. So rescue was possible, but fairly hampered.
I've never been a fan of Washington's title laws. They really hose older cars and fans of them with regards to trying to get anything back on the road that isn't already a running and driving car that's been registered for years. Even California understands the hobbyist mindset and has procedures in place to title older abandoned cars.
Here's another I have been meaning to share for a week or so. It currently belongs to the girlfriend of the fellow who is restoring my Father-in-law's Bronco. I stopped by the shop the other day to drop some stuff of and when I pulled in I was like
The only thing I don't like about it, is that it is a 4-door, but the rear door hardware's removed. Otherwise, it's very cool.
I went to the bank the other day and in an attempt to avoid the incredibly long line going up to the window I swung into the ATM lane. There was a van in the lane and as I pulled up I realized there was a fellow working on the ATM. I sat for a moment trying to determine if he was about finished or if this was going to be a while. A few moments later the fellow got in the van and shut the door. I thought "alright, time to abort this mission" just as I was backing out an SUV pulls in behind me. Then a UPS truck was trying to get past the SUV. After jockeying around for a bit and some horn honking I was finally able to get out of the ATM lane and wound up driving down a little street in an old neighborhood I never go down. And that's where I found this: I was on a mission, so I didn't get out to investigate. Just goes to show what you can find just off the beaten path.
You need to go back, knock on the guy's door. Be prepared to proselytize about the forum, as well as show pics of yours.
1968 was the first year for the Road Runner (beep beep). (And no, there never was a Road Runner wagon from the factory.....)