Our barn find
 

My wife and I have been looking for a year or so (although not very seriously) for an old station wagon to build for her. Funny how things happen when talking with people. We had new mattresses delivered to the shop for some bunk beds we put in the loft. My wife and the delivery guy were talking cars and trucks when she mentioned her desire for an older station wagon. Guy says he knows someone with one that has been in his garage for 20 plus years and is thinking of selling but wasn't positive on what kind of station wagon it was. Phone calls and texts were exchanged. We went to look at it Wednesday and brought it home Thursday. Here is what we found in a small town 25 miles away. Crazy!

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Nice!

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Wow!!! What's the story? What do you need to do to make it a driver? More pictures???

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great car good luck with it

goes to show you person to person talk is very important something the internet wizards lose out on

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outstanding find!!!! cdowns you are very right about person to person communication and the relationship built

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Now that right there is just plain cool !

Good luck with git'n er go'n......

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I'm impressed!

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I just told my wife that you think I am a wizard! Sadly she is not impressed. :uhmk:

Wagons were so not cool growing up. Now that I am posing as an adult, wagons are so cool! So how does THAT happen?

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Holy cow, what a great find! It always pays to just talk with folks.

What are the build plans?

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That should be just about right for a daily driver. Nice score

Why'd you put a birdhouse on the roof in the fourth pic?

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Good job Wayne.

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I have a '57 Chevy 4 door wagon that I bo't from the original owner back in the early 80's. It's on the back burner for a while. Seems like even the 4 door wagons are getting harder to find. You made a nice score!

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Where is all the rust and rot that need to be fixed ? You guys down south have to be thankful for all the old iron that remains intact.
Nice find. You gonna make a Nomad out of it ?

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That thing is pretty sweet.

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I know – Crazy.

Here’s the story - The gentleman we purchased the car from oldest brother bought the car in the mid 1960’s and died after a couple of years of ownership. The grandfather bought it, drove it, and did a minor restoration in the early 1980’s (paint/interior). When he passed the grandmother gave it to her grandson – the man we bought it from. The car was last driven to a car wash down the street in spring of 2014. He, like so many of us, didn’t have the time, or funds to keep up with the car. He felt it was time to let someone else enjoy it instead of slowly rotting away in his grandmother’s garage. When we first met his first question was – “You guys aren’t flippers are you? I mean what are your plans for the car?” When we told him we wanted the car to rebuild for my wife and to be able to take the grand kids for ice cream someday he seemed relieved and now wants to be updated on the progress. Made a new friend.

The engine will crank and run with fuel down the carb. I think it will take the usual things to get it moving on its own – clean fuel tank, possible carb rebuild, change fluids, check/replace hoses, belt, and brakes. It will definitely need new tires, shocks, and new muffler/tailpipe before being a driver. There is some minor rust in the floor pan on the passenger side and I’m sure some more rust hiding in other places as well as a few other surprises, but overall, the car is clean and probably 90 to 95% intact. Has the original engine as the ID number matches the title. I recently learned vehicles from 1955 and back used the engine ID number (instead of the VIN) on a Texas title for the VIN – weird huh?

The wagon is a 1955 Chevy 210 Townsman with 265 v8 and powerglide transmission. We will most likely upgrade the suspension, add four wheel disks, modern LS drivetrain, air conditioning, etc. I don’t want to say “resto mod” but I guess that’s what it is. We do want to keep a real sleeper look to it.

Thanks for the compliments on the ride. I still cannot believe how fortunate we were to be able to stumble across the wagon. The old saying is true – Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

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X2! Yhea, how does THAT happen?

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Ha! Didn't notice that until you pointed it out. The purple martin house is on a pole behind the car & truck. Sure does look like it's resting on the roof of the wagon though....:lol:

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Nice find

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That sucks, cuz I'm sure you weren't thinking on anything that nice. But alas, once the guy went through all the trouble of putting you in touch with his friend you felt obligated to buy it anyway. I'm sure you find a way to make do.

In the '80s when I first got together with the gal I was married to, who had two little ones from previous marriage, I got all in family mode. I went out and found a '55 Chevy 4dr wagon for us. It was a hit everywhere we went. You'll enjoy this one for sure!

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Wow Wayne ,that will look cool in that new shop ,looking forward to seeing more of this one too.

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That's awesome.
Looks like a keeper.

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Way cool! it really takes me back , about 50 yrs....yes, I am getting old! I saw my dad stick his fist through a wing on a 55 chev, after locking the keys in the car! Mom, was raising he!!....what you going to go now? Dad showed her, how to fix the problem.....give me you glove "little woman"! Longhorn

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You nailed it Tim............We really had our expectations set very, very low. Definitely a nice surprise.

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Wow, awesome score! That is a sweet wagon to say the least. A pro touring ice cream getter sounds like a great plan to me. :lol:

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Not me. I would just check out all the safety stuff, wash it, and drive it the way it is. Luckily I don't have to go too far for Ice Cream...:)

LockDoc

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Nice find! My wife is looking over my shoulder here and says..."I wouldn't change a thing. Just wash it and drive it to the Walmart!"

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I like yours way better than the one I had. Mine had all the trim removed and gone and it was painted root beer metallic. None of the tri-5 parts places dealt in 4drs, let alone station wagons. A '75 Monte Carlo had donated it's 350/TH350/floor shifter and rallye wheels, it had a green metal flake steering wheel, and a Lincoln electric seat. Since it was a 4dr I wanted a more stock look. If mine was like this one I would still own it

We're on the same wave length. That's exactly what I would do. Around here we call them grocery gitters. Out local ice cream place is where the cruise-in happens, so lots of pro-touring (do those guys get paid?) stuff there.

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Getting the car in shape to safely drive to town will be my first priority. Well, maybe a bath first. :lol:

The pro-touring mods are a couple of years down the road. I’ve got a Jeep to finish, then I will be starting on Greenie, my ’72 GMC ¾ ton 4x4. I know we put the “wagon” in front of the horse, but we couldn’t walk away from this find.

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Awesome find! That's a nice ride there

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I'm jealous! My 13 year old daughter has been looking for Tri-5 to fix up so she can drive it to school if a few years... at least there is hope for those of us still looking! In my area, your ride would have brought a significant price, but you never know, there is always the little old lady from Pasadena... right?!

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I have to say SD, there is hope. I would have never in my life thought this would have been presented to us. So yes, the little old lady from Pasadena is still around for all of us. Good luck on your search. Very cool a young girl would be interested in any older ride, especially a Tri-5.

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I'm sure that car will be just fine sitting in that nice shop waiting for it's turn

My only brother is 15 years younger than me. My folks had moved back up on the mountain after I left home. Once he became driving/working age I knew he would need a vehicle to be able to work and my parents wouldn't have been able to help. So, I gave him the wagon for his first car. He's a drummer and I got pleasure in knowing he was hauling his drum set to gigs in that wagon.

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Wayne, my wife loves the wagon and the story about finding it too. Sometimes you gotta strike while the iron is hot.

Ok, this should be obvious to me...I've never noticed the rear bumper with the dished in area before. Thinking it is for a continental kit though I don't believe I've seen one on a wagon. Gonna have to do some Googling now.

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Answered my question...the dish makes room for mounting the license plate so it isn't mounted on the tail gate. Just never noticed that before.

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Hey Doug!

When I first glanced at the rear bumper I thought it was damaged. Further inspection said no, but like you I thought it strange, and like you a quick google reveled the answer. Boy, do I have a lot to learn about the Tri-5's.

I am happy, but surprised that women are digging the ride too. I thought my wife was the only gear head at heart and appreciated these old rides. I thought I was the only lucky one.....I have been proven wrong which is really very, very cool!

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I was able to absolutely confirm the engine ID today. I was only able to see a few numbers (the sequence numbers) when inspecting the car last week, but knew the few digits I saw matched the title. This is definitely a matching numbers car. Does anyone know why GM used an 'I' to represent the number '1' when stamping engine blocks?

Our dog, 'Bandit' is digging the ride too.

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Good thing you already have a map of possible body/ suspension repair. ;) :lol:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=564201

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Wayne ,PM me your address and I will send your wife something for Her 55 .

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I think the tri five wagons look even better than the regular 4 doors, what a great find!


I grew up with "home improvement" and love the 55 Nomad used on the show.

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Bad ass!!!!