Back On The Streets After 30 Years–’60 Chevy Wagon For Sale!

Close to five years ago, a loving son gifted his Father with a derelict ’60 Chevy two-door station wagon for Christmas. The son knew enough about cars to recognize its rarity and purchased the hulk since his Father was working on a ’60 Pontiac nine passenger wagon. He thought the car might make a great running mate for the street.

Words & Photos: Aden Rush

The car was rough—front seat missing, headliner gone, cargo area floor covered with green shag carpeting, held down with extra long deck screws and filled with a buckets of nuts/bolts, several driveshafts, couple of  2-speed electric wiper motors, a late model power steering box, about a dozen windshield wipers and two late model bucket seats. The driver’s side window was non-existent and there were three large holes in the floor—30 years of weathering took its toll.

With the floor rusted, it appeared raccoons lived inside the car during the many winters. The steering column and steering wheel were also missing. There was no engine or transmission and the right front fender had taken a hit before it was parked. But, the son’s heart was in the right place and he knew his Father was up for the challenge, having built many cars worse than this one in the past.

It took his Father a couple of years to finish up the Pontiac so the car sat outside. In September of 2012, the car was cleaned out and the “good” parts stored for later use.  In the detritus of the spare parts, under a bucket, a license plate was found which was dated 1984. It appeared that was the last time the car was licensed. The wagon was then towed to his Father’s garage and parked in the spot reserved for ‘dead’ vehicles…the very spot several had been brought back to life and put back on the streets. The good son knew “Dr. Frankenstein” would prevail once again.

While work commenced on the car, of course, car guys, friends, and family spread the word that the car was being brought back to life. Several weeks into the re-build, the good Doctor received the following note about the car: It took me 25 years to be able to buy that wagon. I bought it for my grandson, who decided not to build it and sold it to your son. You are right about it being off the road since 1984. An Arvada fireman bought it for the motor and they were going to use the body as a sledge hammer car for their carnival. That’s when a friend of mine, also a fireman rescued it, parking it outside all those years. I’m glad you got it as it is now going back on the street.

Working on it was never a hurry-up situation. It was more like a weekend project. Things got done when they got done.  About six months into the build, Dr. Frankenstein  went to a local swap meet and lo and behold, ’60 Chevy station wagon parts just waiting for him: good front and rear bumpers, a wonderfully straight tailgate with absolutely no rust, the driver’s side floor in good shape, a steering column, and a piece of Brookwood side trim. The rebuild just got easier!

With the frame cleaned/painted, the floor LizardSkinned, suspension rebuilt, a  Big-Block Chevy and T-400 transmission purchased, an aluminum radiator bought, a wiring kit installed, a front seat acquired from a local enthusiast, new loop carpet installed, a ’61 wheel traded for the car was coming together. The column’s guts came from Eckler’s and as a matter of fact, Dr. Frankenstein, Eckler’s, and Classic Industries all got on a first name basis in the next few months.

It took a little over 19 months to put the car together, including all new interior. The car is virtually all-new other than the body and its 54 year’s worth of patina. The car is now up for sale, if interested, you can send an e-mail to [email protected] if you’d like a complete run-down of what’s new in the car and the price.

About the author

Andrew Almazan

Andrew Almazan is a graduate of CSULB with a degree in English and a passion for traditional kustoms and hot rods. His first exposure to out of this world vehicles was through the prevalent low rider, baja bug, and kustom culture of LA county.
Read My Articles

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