. Roger included some decent front fenders with the tan parts wagon and they will be going on my black two door wagon when the time comes to work on it. The wagon's interior is loaded with parts, so I placed these fenders in position (well, sort of) on their new "home."I had purchased some reproduction outer rocker panels for this wagon before acquiring the parts wagons. There are enough solid sections of original rocker panels between both to patch this one with original sheet metal. These pictures show why I needed the Solex windshield from one of the parts wagons. There is also enough glass between both parts wagons to add Solex to my four door wagon.This photo clearly shows the vandalized windshield, as well as the damaged passenger side door. I am looking for another door, though John will fix this one if we have to use it. That is not a dent on the passenger side of the hood. It is a reflection. The guy I got this wagon from told me the guy he got it from had sanded off the paint from the hood, most of the roof and some of the body. Then he let it sit, bare metal exposed. The dry climate where the car has resided since then stopped the rust from going out of control, though we may deal with it soon to prevent further deterioration. I like how the wagon stands on those fifteen inch rims and may use fifteen inchers when I get this wagon back on the road.The '58 parts wagon lost some more sheet metal on February 20th.Since the bottoms of the rear quarters were rusted through, my plan was to simply cut them up for scrap. One of our fellow Forward Lookers, however, needed them for a project.John brought out the torch to remove the quarters. I asked Jimmy (4wardlook) to snap this photo while I went for the water bucket.I don't believe this is what the Pointer Sisters were singing about in their song, "Fire."Look at all that roof post rust which was hidden under the stainless trim. I may use the trim on my blue '59 after its next repaint.....after treating my wagon's posts with POR-15!The solid passenger side front fender. The bondo at the bottom was to cover a dent. Hard to believe I couldn't sell, nor even give away, these fenders last year! They now belong to Roger of AAJ Brakes.The passenger side quarter. Jimmy also needed the rear doors for his project. He needed only the outer skins, so we gutted them at my place before loading them on top of his wife's Neon. (Yep, he took two rear quarters, two rear doors and a rear bumper home with a Neon!!!!)If you ever replace your '57-'59 wagon's quarter glass or window gaskets, I'd recommend removing the "C" pillar outer panel and checking it for rust damage or trapped dirt which can retain moisture. Sand and dirt can blow into every nook and cranny of these cars. And we have plenty of wind and sand in the Southwestern United States.This is what's left of the '59 parts wagon. That's a pretty nice trunk floor. I am happy I haven't scrapped it. I had planned use this to repair Pink's rusted through trunk floor. Instead, I traded the pink wagon to Big M for a B body Plymouth. I sent this section along with the car. If you want this trunk floor, call him.
. Next to go are the remnants of the '58 parts wagon. This wagon's floor is rusted through in many places and is "paper thin" in most of the rest. Disassembling these two wagons, especially the '59, has been a good experience for when I get to restoring the black '59.Getting ready to cut off the roof.That is daylight you can see through the passenger side door jamb. John used the torch to persuade a door that refused to unlock.A 1958 Plymouth open touring car? Note the saw resting on the floor board in front of the left rear wheel well.I haven't seen this puppy in person, but it is a straight, solid overdrive two tone Southern California car.Looks like the front valance is either missing or crushed, a common fate for these vehicles.Hmmm, I wonder if it had those round bumper pad thingies (steps) instead of the metal plugs? In any event, the holes in the top of the rear bumper are exposed. Notice one of the bumper pods is missing, too. The tailgate seems to be rotting at the bottom (common, even with "dry" examples, due to dust, leaves, pine needles, etc. getting down there and holding moisture.)Another flat head six! I like these engines for their smooth and reliable operation. But their ability to accelerate a 4,000 pound vehicle in modern urban traffic leaves much to be desired. Being an overdrive car, it should have a 4.10 differential instead of the usual 3.73, which may help.I have yet to see a stock 1959 Deluxe (Savoy trim level) Suburban that did not have a gray interior, regardless of exterior color(s). The guy I bought it from said the horn button is in the car.Well, at least I won't be bumping my head on falling cardboard panels or snagging my clothes on split vinyl and torn cloth. Why must some people smash windows out of old vehicles? C'mon, now...did Beavis and Butthead ever "score with chicks" by wrecking other people's property?Looks like the overdrive handle is attached to a welded tab just to the right of the ignition switch. It is actually mounted under the dash. This is just an illusion due to the camera's angle. But there are sometimes subtle differences to be found in these cars. I have noticed minor differences among '59 Plymouth wagons depending upon which plant built them and when during the model year.Some obvious rear quarter damage. Also obvious is this wagon doesn't have an exterior spare tire compartment.A bad case of sunburn. Common with vehicles left out in the Southwestern sun. Add natural sandblasting by the wind and soil erosion, hence surface rust.This doesn't look good...
. Looks like the trailing edge of this front fender and the leading edge of the rocker panel are damaged. Still better than patching serious rust.The tailgate looks promising. Ever notice how most surviving Forward Look wagons seem to come from Oregon?Here it comes...another project car! I told Tracie to think of it as "pre-packaged spare parts."Please don't ask about the '58 Plymouth fenders. They are spoken for. I need to find a way to get them up to Oregon.Yes, the front valance is missing. From the look of things below the bumper (as well as the bottom edge of the bumper itself), the separation may have been violent. No damage to the core support or the frame, thank goodness.I wish it was paved back here so I could place the wagon on casters and roll it to one side. Concrete is way too expensive these days.Rats! The windshield is damaged. From the inside. Weird.I wonder where the hood spring went?None on this side, either.The overdrive relay, along with its external fuse holder.The overdrive switch, still attached to the harness, was tucked into the driver's side dash corner of the engine compartment.The coil lead from the overdrive harness.
