John is undertaking a ground-up resto of a '59 Wagon. In his own words:

I am 52 years old, and live on a farm outside of Neillsville WI. I am married to Rose and have two great kids, Jake and Becky. I have been raising Special Fed Veal for 30 years. I was born in Milwauee WI and grew up drooling over cars, especially cars with fins and the Mopar symbols.

My Dad bought a 59 Plymouth Suburban, six cylinder stick with overdrive in 1961. It had a little over 5,000 miles on it when he got it. The original owner traded it in on a 61 Chevy wagon 6 stick and told my Dad he wished he never got rid of the Plymouth. It was funny, because my Dad was at the Chevy dealer looking at the 61s when this car was rolled on the lot and the original owner was leaving with his 61 Chevy. My Dad's car had very few options... a radio, heater, two-tone paint... Flame Red and Iceberg white, and overdrive. No frills 6 passenger family transporter.

At the same time my Dad had his 59 Suburban, our neighbor kid got a 59 Sport Fury convertible. I was hooked on 59 Plymouths from then on. My dream car is to own a Sport Fury Convertible someday. Actualy, I did own one a year ago, but it was so far gone, I sold it and decided to wait until I can buy a completed ragtop.

About 6 years ago, I bought my first 59, a 2 door hardtop Belvedere in Eastern IN. A big black rusty 318 torqueflite car that is really too far gone to restore. I then bought a 59 Belvedere 2 door hardtop in AR...originally a CA car... needing full restoration, but nearly rust free. Both of these cars sat for 12 - 15 years, and I got both the 318 and the 361 running.

I then bought a 59 Fury 4 door hardtop in SD...a parts car. Next one I got was the 59 Suburban I now have, from KS. Next one was the 59 Sport Fury convertible from right here in WI. I paid $400 for it, and my wife and neighbor asked me if I was nuts. You could see through it in all directions. I think it shed 600 lbs. of rust hauling it home 100 miles. I have since sold all but the wagon and the orignal black parts car.

I bought the wagon on Ebay. It was in a junk yard in Western KS. I have been working on it for about three and half years. Of course, it sat for a year without a thing being done, except searching for parts and scanning Ebay constantly.

My plan is to have a car that looks like Dad's, but not act like it. It will have a 1975 440 engine, a 1965 torqueflite with park, and a 1969 Chrysler Newport convertible's rear end.

No more brake woes...I hope. It is to have a disc brake conversion and a complete new interior, not stock, but using 1998 Plymouth material, new carpets and door panels. Swivel seats from the 59 4 door Fury.

I may do a complete rewire to accommodate AC in the future and other electronic goodies... remember, I have teenagers! Wheels and tires are to be stock 59 rims, modern radials and full hubcaps to start out, but I plan to put some mags or chrome reverse with much larger tires on in the future...