Customs Wagon hunt may be OVER!!! 1952 DeSoto wagon is HOME!

Brian, the last time I wood grained the dash was in a friends '37 Lincoln Zephyr, a trick a old timer gave me was to use a wadded up cloth to apply the grain if you are trying to emulate a burl look along with the roller or brush.

Your right, it is time consuming but when you are happy with how it looks it's a great feeling of accomplishment and anyone can do it, It's not rocket science you just have to be willing to keep at it until it's right! HRP

 

In a misguided and pointless attempt to clean up (even a little ) the rusty blinks stalk I instead broke it. Not the steel stalk, but the fragile, delicate little sheet metal holder/self cancelling plate screws into. Ugh. 3 hours later I have it welded back together, drilled and tapped the stalk and the little bung it goes into on the plate for a 10/32 stud to reunite the two and back together. I swear I’d be driving it right now if I didn’t do stupid stuff like this...


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Notice I also buggered up the threads on the shaft? That was fun to chase with a tiny three sided file too...


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Thanks Lippy! It’s got some bark.


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That steering wheel is gorgeous!

- EM

 

Behold, the glory, the CLASS, the STYLE , the smooth power of the 1952 DeSoto FIREDOME wagon! How much do we LOVE an ivory steering wheel an matching radio? I KNOW!


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Dash (and wheel with matching radio) looks great!

 

Thanks! Behold, the $2,000 dashboard!

 

Brian, the dash looks fantastic! Great work.

 

Turn signals are delicate and complicated little bastards.

Can't remember why, but I had to disassemble my add-on unit years ago. Never worked on one before. I literally spent all night getting that thing put back together correctly.
Got it right, though. LOL

 

Be OLD !!!

I mean... BEHOLD !!!

 

One park lamp cut up and bolted to the grill, one to go.


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I just said to my wife that I need to fill all the holes in the gravel pan under the new grill, she suggested screws with skull heads. Killer idea, how about some spider web made of round bar too? That would be awesome...

 

Great build. Hope you don't let it drive off the tracks. Ha. Ha.

Phil

 

Shirley, you jest!

 

Lock up the wimmen an chirrun, it’s OUT!


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Don't call me shurely...

 

Stop calling me Shirley.


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I can hear Gene Wilder shouting “It’s alive!” “IT’S ALIVE!”

 

Matching the front there’s a ‘49 Chevy bumper out back, narrowed a bit, and a Drawtite frame hitch in progress.


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The 1980s movie “Desert Hearts” featured a 1951 DeSoto 6-cylinder wagon. When I first became aware of this thread, I wondered if you had purchased the same car.

Certainly not the same car, but enough alike to warrant a closer look. The V8 emblem on your car distinguished a key difference between the two.

Bet that 6-cylinder DeSoto wagon is a real slug.

 

PLENTY of mounting spots for some LED light bars- let EVERYONE know you're coming down the road

 

I'll bet so too. This car is HUGE and heavy, it'd have been a turtle even with the Hemi, saddled with the Fluid-Drive and Gyro-Matic trans. Mine should be, ahem, adequate as Rolls Royce used to say, as power goes.

 

It's having people see it from the rear that concerns me. Once bitten, twice shy as they say. I think an LED light bar intended for a pickup (between the bumper and tailgate) is a great idea, mounted inside just at the top of the rear window opening.

 

How about 2 of these 12" LED light bars:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/upd-38947b

Mounted in the upper corners of the rear window opening. Wire so that both light on stop and Right and Left flash when you turn (I remember that you have reason to be paranoid).

Also available in 6" and 9" lengths.

Also recommend a momentary contact toggle switch (or push button) to flash these lights when tailgated.

 

I have SERIOUSLY considered wiring a pair of horns on the back end of my truck to "wake up" the driver behind me

 

The front bumper arrived today and I hung it along with the new license guard from Speedway. Less is more.


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Your bumper and grille choices really spiffed that sucker up, looking good!

 

Enjoying the build up, as always.

 

Bumper looks so much better than the original.