I'll let Ken tell his own story about his amazing experiences with '59 Plymouth Suburbans, and their ilk - but suffice it to say, this is a copy of his album on The Forward Look Network, hosted by Dave Stragand. The commentary is dated at this point, but perhaps as time goes on we will receive updates from Ken.
Kenneth Josephson wrote:These are my '59 Plymouth wagons. I have owned the blue one since February, 1985. Until recently, I drove it frequently, usually three to five times per week. It has an AAJ front disk brake kit, an H.E.I. distributor and radial tires. Colors are 1973 GM medium blue metallic and 1973 GM light blue metallic. I have made no modifications that can't be easily reversed. I have a complete set of Solex glass & a tinted windshield from donor wagons. I plan to install the tinted glass when it receives its next paint job. It's overdue for a repaint (last painted in 1986.) I have included some images of it's 1986 partial disassembly and repainting. It's 1957 230 flat head six is very tired. Hank Dozier is modifying and assembling a 1956 DeSoto 330 V-8 which was to replace the six. but John Fowlie located a suitable, rebuildable 318. So the 330 will be used in the two door wagon. I have acquired some heavier duty torsion bars, an AAJ rear disk brake kit and will be ordering new rear springs, possibly from Eaton. I already possess the necessary perches for installing V-8 engine mounts and have a variety of rear axle ratios and three speed manual transmissions to match to the new powerplant, depending upon whether or not I install overdrive.
I have also posted some pix of my '59 Plymouth Suburban two door. It has a 318-stick. This black "beauty" needs some serious help, but should be a fine ride when it's done.
There are also some photos of the two "parts donor" cars. They were well picked over by the time I acquired them. They were both dismantled some time ago. I also posted some pix of my non-Forward Look vehicles.
During December, 2005, I acquired another four door wagon, a factory overdrive car. Initially, it appeared to be even more solid and much straighter than my blue wagon was when I first acquired that one. It turned out to have more rust issues than the blue one, plus some lower body damage. I removed the engine, transmission and manual transmission unique parts. I then traded the vehicle to Big M for a 1974 Plymouth Satellite Sebring Sundance.
Thanks for looking.
Egads, I had hair! Autumn, 1985January, 2004"Taking delivery." February, 1985. This photo was taken at Henry "Hank" Eliano's house. Hank owned the wagon from 1974 until I bought it. He passed away earlier this year. Those of us who knew Hank miss him greatly.An N.C.O. at Nellis Air Force Base was quite upset when he found out I bought the wagon. He wanted the front clip for his two door hardtop.Yeah, I'm wearing a yellow shirt with green shorts. My wife gives me a hassle about that whenever she sees this picture. This was the day my buddy picked up the car for the repaint. The harmonic balancer came apart some months before and since the engine was well worn, I removed it for rebuilding. We towed the wagon to his shop so he could begin the bodywork. I don't wish to disclose how long it took me to find another balancer. And there were no "Damper Dudes" in those days.The driver's side just before body work began. I didn't re-install the original side trim as it needed to be straightened and reworked. I used some aftermarket trim with vinyl inserts that matched the light blue roof color.A photograph from Summer, 2003. The paint is nicked and faded. After the next repaint, I plan to re-install the original side trim (after having it restored) and perhaps add the Sportone trim, rocker moldings and rear wheel well gravel guards. I will also two tone it correctly, but I will probably use the same 1973 GM blue paint colors.Since the rear window seals are shot and the windshield is pitted, it will be a good time to install the Solex glass.This is my other '59 wagon. It is interesting to note that the passenger side rear quarter panel was rotted, but the driver's side is solid. The cargo hold floor is excellent, but the interior floor pans are Swiss cheese. I was able to purchase a new set, complete with bracing from Bob McGee. I am very impressed with his product. I threw away the front fenders as they were beyond help. I saved the headlight fillers as they were excellent. Roger Howard, of Burien, Washington, provided me with a solid pair of front fenders. This would have been my next project, but I allowed myself to be sidetracked by a '68 Crown Imperial. As soon as I have that beast in good running order, I'll get back to working on this two door wagon. It is actually in better overall shape than this photo suggests (at least I keep telling myself that every time I look at it.)This view shows the poor condition of the side trim. I plan to get it refurbished for re-installation the next time I have the car painted.No, Christine's younger sister did not claim a victim of her own. I was removing one of the rear shocks to get a match up at the auto parts store. The overspray from the interior is evident.John working in the cargo area while I get ready to hold a wrench for him.The damage to the rear quarter is evident in this shot. The previous owner used the Plymouth as his "shop car" for doing repairs at his various rental properties. The kid he bought it from had used it as a surfer wagon. This '59 led a hard life.
. We carried the two tone metallic blue theme into the wagon's interior.Knowing what I know now, I would have disassembled the dash further for the repaint. Or maybe I would have had John paint it in the original two tone gray. Live and learn.Case in point. Rather than figure out how to disassemble the dash, I had John mask off what I was afraid to take apart. I didn't have the shop manuals at this point. Nor the expertise. Lars is right, having the books is the difference between night and day!Note the overspray. Some extra masking and a small air brush took care of it.The inside of the doors and rocker panel. Now on to the exterior!John getting ready to apply the initial coat of primer. Since these photos were taken, John has built two hobby shops, each larger than the previous one. His current hobby shop is nearly 1700 square feet and boasts both air piping and 220 VAC throughout!Before using a painter's suit and respirator for painting, John applies a light coating of primer to get started.The first coat of primer. This solid, but beat up Forward Looker needed a lot of block sanding and glazing to look reasonably straight.A close up of the front end. Notice the original factory blue, exposed after removing the trim, headlight hardware and masking tape.Ready for block sanding. John later removed the front valance for straightening. He still refers to that little project as a big pain in his....uh....back.After finding twenty seven years of dings and dents, John Glazes the low spots on the passenger side......while the driver's side awaits its turn for attention.
. Glazing is complete on the tailgate. A few years ago, some rust began showing up where the inner metal meets the outer. Sheet metal replacement will be in order.The driver's side wasn't as bad as the passenger side.The passenger side was a bigger challenge, particularly the rear quarter.In addition to the collision damage, the spare tire cover had been lying on the ground from about 1976 until 1985 and was rusted through. John had to patch it up as best as he could. It took me years to find a replacement. I found two. The better of the two was sent to another Forward Look enthusiast as a pattern for a patch panel for my two door wagon. The other is now on the car.Painted at last! The roof color turned out to be just a few shades off from the wagon's original color. Notice that the two tone application is not in the proper pattern. The upper door frames should have also been the darker blue.While neither the colors nor the two tone effect were correct, the results still looked pretty darn good!Considering the damage, this part of the wagon came out quite well. Since then, John has improved his welding techniques and can handle such repairs with less fuss and less body filler.Now to put the darn thing back together. Finding a replacement harmonic balancer was a real hassle. Over the next few years, I wound up rebuilding the engine, rebuilding the front suspension, had the bumpers and other components rechromed and then had to let the car sit for a while.Dead storage, 1990. After getting married in early 1989 and then moving from eastern North Las Vegas to the western side of Las Vegas, the car remained on the back burner. It wasn't until the mid 1990s that I finally found a new old stock harmonic balancer and got the car on the road.I forgot to post this image in sequence. It took four of us to carefully position this freshly painted "hatch cover" into place over the freshly painted cargo hold. We removed all the interior vinyl and simply painted the sheetmetal. All those years here in the desert Southwest had made it brittle beyond belief.The recently acquired '59 parts wagon leaving for Las Vegas from Roger's place in Burien, Washington.My '58 parts wagon. This photo was taken by the previous owner (Brandon Frame) before he finished removing the parts he wanted to keep or sell. That included, among other things, the luggage rack, side trim, power steering column and box. But it was worth it for the glass, rear axle and other components.
