Dosmo

Rusty, I could not pull up the name of that auto tranny when I was replying to the earlier post. You're right, it was Powerflite, not Torqueflite. Thanks for the info.

I owned a 54 NY T & C wagon from 1990-99. 331 Hemi w/180 HP, Torqueflite AT, PS, PB. What a great, great road car. Slower than Christmas from takeoff, but man, on top end could get up to between 90 & 100. These old hemi's are amazingly quiet & smooth, long-lasting. That Saratoga club coupe should be a really nice performer, as it would be noticeably lighter than a wagon. Rusty is right - unless you plan on upgrading the brakes & suspension, don't modify the engine, because you can't use the extra power safely. That is a rarely seen body style, and it looks to be well worth saving. Enjoy it.

great photos, Wayne - that was a of work to get all that done. thanks for the effort.

PRICE LOWERED FROM $4500 TO $3500 - this posting 10-4-07; original posting Labor Day - no responses in that time - offers considered - My mother bought this brand new in May 1977 and drove it regularly until the early-mid '90s when she inherited a later model car. Orig. no.'s matching 350 V8 automatic - car has 107000 miles FROM NEW. She had the car serviced regularly at R. T. Clapp's in Knoxville, TN. She made arrangements thru them to have the engine replaced, but they ended up shipping the engine off to Jasper Engines who rebuilt it. Note: NO PAPERS TO DOCUMENT THIS - but, the car ran beautifully afterwards, and mileage since rebuild could only be in 4000-5000 range. Auto. tranny has never been rebuilt, but seems to work & shift well. The car got hit a couple of times on left 1/4 panel and after getting engine built, she had it repaired and repainted at considerable cost to her in late '90s, then had new headliner, carpet and seat covers installed. This was her baby - she got sick in January 2000, can't drive anymore - car was always garaged until January 2001, has been outside since then. Now - there is an issue with the engine. Had the car at a detail shop, where they were moving the car around the lot - finally got to where it wouldn't start. I had the car towed to a different location, found that oilpan is full of gasoline. Don't know if diaphragm in fuel pump let go. Car is NOT RUNNING. We don't want to put more money into it, so it is for sale as is for $4500. I've included a link to photobucket: http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff253/bullet_nose_stude/ Car is located 7 miles from Gatlinburg, TN. I've tried to show most of the good points and possible problems that I'm aware of. If interested, e-mail me @ the following: alpo@chartertn.net cell 865-659-4694

I believe the day Toyota and/or Nissan starts producing 3/4 ton and larger type trucks is the day it's game over for Ford, Chevy & Dodge

I really love Buicks of this area, but I'm not an expert by any means. I've never seen a 1950 with the short chrome spears/fins on the rear fenders. I was thinking that 1951 or 1952 was the first years for these. Are the ones on your car original as far as you know? I'd just like to know for future reference.

My mother bought this brand new in May 1977 and drove it regularly until the early-mid '90s when she inherited a later model car. Orig. no.'s matching 350 V8 automatic - car has 107000 miles FROM NEW. She had the car serviced regularly at R. T. Clapp's in Knoxville, TN. She made arrangements thru them to have the engine replaced, but they ended up shipping the engine off to Jasper Engines who rebuilt it. Note: NO PAPERS TO DOCUMENT THIS - but, the car ran beautifully afterwards, and mileage since rebuild could only be in 4000-5000 range. Auto. tranny has never been rebuilt, but seems to work & shift well. The car got hit a couple of times on left 1/4 panel and after getting engine built, she had it repaired and repainted at considerable cost to her in late '90s, then had new headliner, carpet and seat covers installed. This was her baby - she got sick in January 2000, can't drive anymore - car was always garaged until January 2001, has been outside since then. Now - there is an issue with the engine. Had the car at a detail shop, where they were moving the car around the lot - finally got to where it wouldn't start. I had the car towed to a different location, found that oilpan is full of gasoline. Don't know if diaphragm in fuel pump let go. Car is NOT RUNNING. We don't want to put more money into it, so it is for sale as is for $4500. I've included a link to photobucket: http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff253/bullet_nose_stude/ Car is located 7 miles from Gatlinburg, TN. I've tried to show most of the good points and possible problems that I'm aware of. If interested, e-mail me @ the following: alpo@chartertn.net

My mother bought this brand new in May 1977 and drove it regularly until the early-mid '90s when she inherited a later model car. Orig. no.'s matching 350 V8 automatic - car has 107000 miles FROM NEW. She had the car serviced regularly at R. T. Clapp's in Knoxville, TN. She made arrangements thru them to have the engine replaced, but they ended up shipping the engine off to Jasper Engines who rebuilt it. Note: NO PAPERS TO DOCUMENT THIS - but, the car ran beautifully afterwards, and mileage since rebuild could only be in 4000-5000 range. Auto. tranny has never been rebuilt, but seems to work & shift well. The car got hit a couple of times on left 1/4 panel and after getting engine built, she had it repaired and repainted at considerable cost to her in late '90s, then had new headliner, carpet and seat covers installed. This was her baby - she got sick in January 2000, can't drive anymore - car was always garaged until January 2001, has been outside since then. Now - there is an issue with the engine. Had the car at a detail shop, where they were moving the car around the lot - finally got to where it wouldn't start. I had the car towed to a different location, found that oilpan is full of gasoline. Don't know if diaphragm in fuel pump let go. Car is NOT RUNNING. We don't want to put more money into it, so it is for sale as is for $4500. I've included a link to photobucket: http://s236.photobucket.com/albums/ff253/bullet_nose_stude/ Car is located 7 miles from Gatlinburg, TN. I've tried to show most of the good points and possible problems that I'm aware of. If interested, e-mail me @ the following: alpo@chartertn.net

Cars that I can personally remember: Grandparents: 53 Olds 88 4-dr Parents: 48 Ford Conv 54 Merc 2-dr sedan 59 Ford 2-dr sedan 50 Nash Rambler wagon 53 Nash Rambler wagon 53 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe 56 Studebaker Champion Pelham wagon 59 Pontiac Bonneville 2-dr HT 67 Chevy Caprice 2-dr HT 77 Pontiac Firebird Esprit Twin Uncles: 1951 Mercury Monterey 1936 Ford 5-window coupe 1936 Ford 2-dr sedan 1955 Chevrolet conv 1934 Ford Phaeton 1946 Plymouth conv 1934 Ford panel truck 1937 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe 1950 Olds 88 Coupe 1960 Nash Metropolitan conv 1959 Pontiac Bonneville 2-dr HT 1960 Pontiac Bonneville 2-dr HT 1960 Pontiac Bonneville conv 1963 Pontiac Grand Prix 1964 Pontiac Bonneville 1965 Buick Riviera GS 1971 Buick Riviera 1978 Cadillac El Dorado 1959 GMC pickup 1946 Chevy Pickup 1951 Chrysler T & C station wagon 1952 Chrysler T & C station wagon 1954 Chrysler T & C station wagon 1934 Packard 4-dr 1949 Willys Jeepster My cars: 1959 Ford 2-dr sedan 1957 Chevy 210 wagon 1960 Studebaker Lark VII wagon 1960 Pontiac Bonneville 2-dr HT 1955 Dodge Pickup 1973 Chevy Malibu 1950 Studebaker 1951 Studebaker 1952 Studebaker 1954 Chrysler station wagon

Well, I had a 54 NY T & C wagon, 331 V8, 180 hp, 2 bbl carb, powerflite tranny, PS, PB w/booster. Ran & drove out great, but it SUCKED gas. 10 mpg was what I averaged, and I got only slightly better on trips. Drove it to PA from TN, gas gauge didn't work, and car only had 17 gallon tank. I knew I had to fill up every 150 miles or so. Also complicating things were the speedometer & odometer being off somewhat, registering around 95 when you were only going a little over 80. A great car, loads of fun, but I couldn't afford to drive it these days. So, your mileage sounds about right according to my experience.

Located near Knoxville, TN - 85 Eldo Biarritz - 32,000 actual miles - 1 family owned - purchased from Rogers Cadillac as a demo w/5000 miles in 1985 - white exterior, white interior - gonna be brutally honest here. This car has sat outside more than it should. White paint is bleached, not shiny at all. White vinyl top looks nasty, is stained, dirty looking, and the stitching is letting go around the rear window. This has the stainless steel top on the front half w/moon roof. The headliner is hanging in shreds, completely rotten, exposing insulation behind it. A/C not working, radio & antenna not working, P/W not working - in other words, a typical Cadillac from the period. It does have a nice running 4.1L V8, and runs and drives out amazingly well. Had braking system rebuilt last year, including 2 of 4 brand new disc calipers. Now for the worst - my daughter pulled out in front of a car last week, damaged on left front fender, hood, bumper, grill broken out, left headlights drooping slightly. Car still runs & drives well, but we aren't going to fix it. Some say this car is considered collectible, some don't - all I know is the only online price I could find was by looking in collectible cars. Price is $2000 obo. Call 865-659-4694

Located near Knoxville, TN - 85 Eldo Biarritz - 32,000 actual miles - 1 family owned - purchased from Rogers Cadillac as a demo w/5000 miles in 1985 - white exterior, white interior - gonna be brutally honest here. This car has sat outside more than it should. White paint is bleached, not shiny at all. White vinyl top looks nasty, is stained, dirty looking, and the stitching is letting go around the rear window. This has the stainless steel top on the front half w/moon roof. The headliner is hanging in shreds, completely rotten, exposing insulation behind it. A/C not working, radio & antenna not working, P/W not working - in other words, a typical Cadillac from the period. It does have a nice running 4.1L V8, and runs and drives out amazingly well. Had braking system rebuilt last year, including 2 of 4 brand new disc calipers. Now for the worst - my daughter pulled out in front of a car last week, damaged on left front fender, hood, bumper, grill broken out, left headlights drooping slightly. Car still runs & drives well, but we aren't going to fix it. Some say this car is considered collectible, some don't - all I know is the only online price I could find was by looking in collectible cars. Price is $2000 obo. Call 865-659-4694

On Old 25W in Knoxville, TN, rests the remains of the Airplane Filling Station. Built in 1930, at one time there was a little fried chicken stand next to it and they sold Schlitz beer in there to wash it down with. Sometime in late 50s-early 60s, it became a used car lot, then closed for good 25-30 years ago. The station is now on the historic register and has received a federal grant to be restored. Click on the link below to check it all out. http://www.powellairplane.org/index.html

A buddy of mine had the sickest, slowest 64 Mercury Comet 6-cyl 3-spd ever. The shift linkage was messed up, and every time you started from a complete stop, there was something odd you had to do with the shifter, something like put it in neutral and go to high before you could shift it into low. Also, if the car had been sitting for a little while, it just would not run without warming up for several minutes - it would just choke down or something. One Friday night, we were running around with this guy we knew from school who knew lots of girls and really had a way with them. He was also known as a pretty tough dude, with a reputation of being a fierce fighter who was scared of almost nothing. We were sort of prould to be seen running with this guy, especially me, as I was more than just a little nerdy. There was a rough neighborhood in Knoxville called Vestal. We knew that a couple of girls that lived there had another girl spending the night. So, we were sitting on their front porch about 10PM talking. Two loud cars came screaming down the road, squealed tires and stopped, and all the doors on both cars flew open. I'm not sure how many guys came pouring out, but one was screaming at us, calling us names I won't repeat here, and he was holding a broken beer bottle. He informed us in no uncertain terms that something unpleasant was getting ready to happen to us. Me and my buddy looked at JB, the tough guy on our side, to see what he was going to do. He had a look of absolute terror on his face, and panic started to get a real hold on me. Betty, one of the girls, jumped off the porch, ran out to the guy with the bottle and whispered something to him. There was about 30 seconds of silence while she talked to him. As she headed back to the porch, he screamed that they were going around the block and if we were there when they circled back, it was all over. Both cars took off, tires squealing. Betty warned us to get out as quickly as we could. We hopped into the Comet, and Bill started it, tried to take off and it died. JB and I were screaming at the tops of our lungs for Bill to get the thing going. It would start, take off, go about 20 feet, and die again. He must have had to start that thing half a dozen times before it stayed running. I remember the way that engine sounded as he would rev it up trying to get gone - I'm surprised it didn't blow every rod it had right there. I'm pretty sure those guys must have given us more time to get gone then we figured they would, and I'm thankful they did, because it was sure as H--- no quick getaway!

In early Jan. 1970, driving a 60 Lark wagon full of 16-yr. old guys on old Knoxville Hwy toward Maryville, TN, I was behind a line of maybe 4-5 cars, rounded a curve into a long straight stretch. The Lark had a pretty good passing gear, nothing coming in opposite directon, so I floored it and went around the car in front of me. As I started passing cars, I didn't realize that the car at the head of the line was slowing down to turn left. One of the guys in the car with me noticed that a car we had just passed had it's brake lights on, and he had the foresight to look ahead and saw the head car with its turn signal on, getting ready to turn left. They certainly didn't realize that I was in a position to T-bone them in the left side. I barely managed to lock up the brakes and skid back into the line of cars I was passing, just barely avoiding slamming into the back of the car that was stopped directly behind the car turning left. A month or so later, wheeling Mom's 59 Pontiac HT, I stopped at a traffic light. The guys in the car with me begged me to keep my foot on the brake while mashing the gas pedal, trying to "jack the car up", causing the rear wheels to break loose and start spinning. Well, a 59 Pontiac is a pretty heavy car, and I couldn't get the rear wheels to break loose. But, I apparently did cause a motor mount to break loose. Trying to take off normally from a stop, suddenly the gas pedal went to the floor and the car was accelerating like crazy, nearly running into the car in front of me. The pedal didn't come off the floor till the automatic transmission shifted out of low gear into second. Talk about scary. On top of that, I neglected to mention this to my mother, who had this happen to her as she drove the car to work the next day. She didn't immediately make the connection between what was causing her car to do this and the fact that I had driven it the day before, but the mechanic that fixed the car did, and he told my dad about it. Needless to say, I didn't get to drove the Bonneville for a good while after that. Man, the ignorance of youth.

Well, if you purchased the car from the state you live in, you could give the VIN to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles and let them do a search on it, would cost you a small fee. With the info you get from that, you might be able to contact some past owners and get a lead from one of them, and just keep tracing it backwards that way. I purchased a car from Arizona, but found out from the seller that it was an original Iowa car, so I gave the VIN to Iowa DMV, and they gave me a list of people who had registered the car in their names. I did contact one of them, and he filled in a few blanks for me

Born in 1953, I?ll be 54 later this year. Old enough to remember that some car-related things about the good old days were indeed really good, while other things definitely weren?t that good. Some of the good; nice, wide bench seats of a 60 Pontiac ? wide enough to be able to lay completely down comfortably and stare up at the stars with favorite babe; my Dad teaching me to put a car into a controlled slide on a gravel road, and the looks on my buddies faces the first time I did it with them in the car; the stunned look on the face of the guy I took $20 from after outrunning his 1970 Chevy Pickup w/six banger with my 55 Dodge Pickup w/V8. Some of the not-so-good; a 59 Ford w/223 6-cyl 3 on tree worn completely out with less than 45,000 miles, driven by my mother ? what a cheap, cheap, cheesy car, I hated that thing; the gas pedal linkage on a 60 Stude Lark falling completely through the floorboard after foolishly flooring the car nearly every time I got the chance ? it wasn?t easy to fish that thing back up through the hole and straighten out the little rod that inserted into the back of the pedal, especially at night; the weak rear axles on that Lark, one of which snapped unexpectedly after I slung the car around a curve ? the look on the guy?s face walking down the shoulder of the road as he realized the broken-off wheel of the Lark was about to run him down from behind was priceless. Yes, most of the things I?ve talked about here were a result of my own behavior - I do think that the cars of yesterday had more personality and character, but I actually feel better that my kids are growing up driving cars from today?s era. I think they are safer and better-engineered

In 1969, my first street legal car was a 59 Ford Custom 300 with 223 six banger/3 on tree. Wouldn't pull a greasy string - well you know. Drove it for 3 weeks till it had a rod knocking. Had engine replaced with 292 V8 out of a 56 2 dr. wagon, don't remember if it was Parklane. Never ran well from that point. Dad finally bought a 60 Stude Lark Wagon w/V8 and auto tranny, paid $75 for it. Man, I was completely mortified till I took it out and drove it. It would run rings around the Ford. I had it up to nearly 100 MPH on four bald tires, passing cars on a 2 lane hwy, had to hit brakes quick, and pedal went to floor. One of countless close calls in that car. Met a cheerleader from a rival high school while I was driving the Lark, got a date with her. Went to pick her up in my mom's two tone Coral/white top 59 Bonnevile 2-dr HT, thought it would impress her. She got mad, wanted to know where the "Stud" was - that was what everyone called the car, not me. Drove that car for about 8 months before blowing the engine - ran it dry of oil. It was a fun car to own and drive. That was 38 years and 160 pounds ago.

Those Chryslers are well engineered quality automobiles. Solid as a dollar, very smooth, quiet, and, for their time, peppy with the Hemi V-8. With that being said, I'd be cautious about buying the car for the purpose of "flipping" it. Chryslers of this era are not particularly collectible. They do have their fans, but most collectors of this vintage are known for their frugality. I mean, $5000 sounds like a pretty good buy for a car in this kind of shape, but I'd say you'd be lucky to pay that for it and then re-sell it for any meaningful profit, especially with a 4 door sedan. I had a 54 NY T & C Wagon that I had the hardest time selling for $4000 in 1999, and I had put a ton of money in the car bringing it up to snuff mechanically. It was in need of some rust and dent repair, but it ran super and had decent interior. The T & C Wagon is a much rarer and more desirable car than a 4 door sedan, but I had a hard time selling it. Pushing a car like a Chrysler is much different than selling a 57 Chevy or a 65 Mustang, there just aren't that many people looking for one. If you buy it, buy it to enjoy for what it is, not to make a profit on.

man, talk about luck - very few people are lucky enough to ever even FIND a 57 Roadmaster Conv, yet you've found one and you don't even know how the starter works - if I'm not severely mistaken, ALL Buicks of the '50s start by turning the ignition key and then fully depressing the accel. pedal - I'm making a wild guess, but I'm guessing you really aren't that much of a Buick guy

I can only imagine the adrenalin-like rush you must have felt when you realized you had found a bona-fide 53 Skylark rusting away in a forgotten salvage yard. I read about this with a sort of fascination. I can't imagine anyone questioning your motivation regarding selling the car as a whole or for parts. Further, the reserve price that you had on your e-bay listing does not seem all that out of line to me, considering the rarity/desirability of such an exotic model. You obviously sell a lot of vehicles/parts on Ebay. I checked your customer rating approval, and it was a solid 94+%. There was only one negative comment out of many, many positives. This speaks volumes about your credibility, and I don't blame you one bit for getting ticked about someone raising questions about how and why you do business. People in this world can be so narrow-minded and singular of purpose when they try to find reasons why they won't spend the necessary moola on any particular item that catches their fancy. I enjoyed your rebuttal to the poster that brought up this subject. Good Luck in your future endeavors, and I hope to read more about exciting salvage yard finds. Al

That is one flashy-looking ride there, Randy. Very nice - I am impressed. It would appear you have done an excellent resto on the Packard. What is it like to drive regarding modern traffic? Keeping up, handling, braking, etc.? Al in Tennessee

Powerflite auto tranny came out in mid-year 1953, it was optional - power windows were another option - these are fun cars to travel the interstate with - the way they are geared, it is easy to keep up with modern traffic - of course, the braking systems aren't up to stopping with modern traffic I owned a 54 NY wagon from 1990 to 99 - drove it from Tennessee to Carlisle, PA for the fall car show one year - what a blast - I'd hate to make that trip now, the way gas prices are - that thing absolutely sucked gas, about 10 MPG I have to admit, I think the fender skirts and cont. kit help the looks of this car - others may disagree, just a matter of taste, I guess

Thanks for the input. Your comments make a lot of sense. I really was inclined to change the coolant & tranny fluid, but the mechanic talked me out of it. I'm going to go ahead and change the stuff pretty soon. Thanks Al

Peter, Thank you so much. He is just a super guy - my Uncle Jack went up there once or twice after 98, but he hasn't spoken to Jerry in at least 3-4 years, so I don't know if he is still attending. I sure hope he is doing well, and I appreciate your willingness to check on this. Have fun @ the car show. Alan