52 saratoga, worth anything??

I am buying a complete running 52 saratoga with a running 331 hemi. I am thinking of taking out the hemi. Does the remains have any worth or just s**** metal?? Thanks Dan

 

yeah its s****, you should just give it to me... ok seriously hows the body? if its in decent shape its always worth something to someone, dont scap it.

 

Is it a 2 door or 4 door? How good a body? The 2 door version was used in the the Mexican Road Races. The Saratogas were a little lighter than the New Yorkers of the day.....actually the fastest of the early hemi Chryslers....first of the Muscle Cars. For an old Mopar buff, a 2 door Saratoga would be a desireable find.

Further, I am no fan of the early integral bellhousing hemis as engine swap material for most applications. When they were introduced they were the only choice and both Olds and Caddy had the same integral bell setup. But for most modern transmissions, and most especially automatics, the '54 and later blocks are far more compatible with a variety of transmissions and adapters.

All that said, if the body is really rusty and/or battered, liberating the engine is probably the right thing to do.

Ray

 

pic's! dude, pic's!
Whats wrong with building up the Saratoga? Transmissiom adaptors.com can set you up with a modern ******. And Hot-heads early hemi stuff is not that far from you. Do a front brake up grade and relocate the upper front shock mount from the upper control arm to the frame. Swap in a different rear end and drive the snot out of it.

 

it will be here in a little while. I will ***es the rust etc. It suppose to have all the chrome etc. I bought it with only briefly seeing it once. Been after it a while,I just didnt know if the saratoga's are desirable. How much of a POS is that stock auto trans??? I know they make adapters for a t5. But could that trans work good on a budget swap??

 

I will post pics soon as it gets here.Thanks Dan

 

I have to load pics. Floors are rusty,4 door, no back or front gl***. Doors,deck front end looks pretty solid. Looks like all the trim is in the trunk. Just wanted to know if any hambers want the remains before I s**** it.

 

If it's not a wreck you should leave the engine in the car and fix it up. They were about the hottest performing car of their day, with the legendary Hemi in the lightest car. The engine was only available in the Saratoga, 125" wheelbase, or the New Yorker and Imperial, 131" wheelbase ch***is.

If it is a wreck not worth fixing then without the engine, its only value is for parts to someone fixing an early fifties Chrysler.

The transmission may have some value, it was used on many Chrysler, DeSoto, and Dodge cars and trucks in the late 40s and up to 1953.

Try some ads and see what response you get. But don't junk it.

 

Not to me "cept the motor

 

You could hire a couple of grandmas at the local nursing home, dress them up in poodle skirts and film your personal version of "Grease III".
Honestly, nice motor- the car not so much. Would take some major restyling to make this thing look decent. Probably hard to sell off parts.

 

I wonder what the shipping would be on the rear fenders and trunk lid. They got less bondo than mine. That visor is worth a few bucks too! I've seen them going for $150-$200 depending on condition. How is the wiper motor? I need one.

 

I "might" want them wheels!

 

A shame since it's so solid, but the car without the engine probably is only worth s**** weight, being a 4 door and being so far apart. At the very least, save all the trim, steering wheel and dash ****, you'll be able to resell all that stuff on eBay or elsewhere, probably recoup a lot of the money you spent on the car.

The auto trans in these things is dog**** in my opinion, I think the '52 still has Fluid-Drive which I hate p***ionately. It works but don't expect to go more than 50 mph. Plus you still have to hook up a clutch pedal. If I was swapping that motor into something else, there's no way in hell I'd use that transmission.

 

Jesus H Christ.. stick a junkyard motor and trans in it enough so it will go and flip it, you won't get rich, but it aught to be worth $1200 or so that way.

 

As for the stock ******, this car being a hemi V8, it is more likely the Chrysler M6 4 speed semi automatic than it is the Fluid Drive model. They will do substantially more than the 50 mph suggested above. Nonetheless, while okay for using in a basically stock car, I agree it is not something you would want to transplant with the hemi into something else.

Ray