Vehicle Description
I purchased the ""car in a shopping bag"" as my wife called it, in
the late fall of 2003. The original engine and transmission were
mounted to the chassis. The salvageable parts were in boxes.
Fortunately, the impossible to find brightwork, such as trunk
hinges, door hinges, door latches & catches and trim rings were
all in the car. Enough interior leather & Bedford Cord were in the
car. That made copying the seat covers, including exact stitch
patterns a manageable exercise.
As per the build sheet (IBM type punch card supplied by Chrysler)
the car was sold new in Logan, UT. The story I was told when I 1st
saw the car was that made its way to the Midwest in the 50's and
sat in a field in Kansas for decades whereupon the wood almost
completely disintegrated. During the restoration, we found a pencil
with a Kansas company and address on it. The story was true.
Once I received the car in Dec '2003, I began the arduous task of
emptying all the boxes in my basement and cataloging EVERY
part-including screws and clips. In addition, I took hundreds of
photos. The shop I trusted with the restoration began disassembling
the car and the list of needed sheet metal and body panels was
surprisingly small. The T&C has its original hood, fenders, and
rear quarter panels. The wood, of course, was a different matter
entirely. Not a single
piece of the ash structure or the mahogany panel inserts was
useable; not even for templates.
The mechanical and cosmetic work was done mostly by American Muscle
Car Restorations in North Kingstown, RI. The engine was rebuilt by
Promar Engine of Patterson, NJ. All the woodwork was done by
Glazier Pattern & Coachworks in Houston, OH. Steve Glazier has been
known for decades as the finest Town & Country woodwork shop in the
USA. The interior work was done by a shop in Piqua, OH with special
attention paid to the correct ""hog's hair"" carpet, including
the Town & Country correct brown color in the trunk and floor mats.
The headliner is the correct aircraft type synthetic material. The
chrome and stainless was restored by The Finishing Touch of
Chicago, IL.
The 12-year restoration was a labor of love for me with
incalculable help from my Dad. He made endless phone calls hunting
down parts and making friends along the way. Before he passed away,
he saw the car win 1st in class at Greenwich. The car also won best
in class at Hilton Head, Keenland and Ault Park, among other shows.
The car was awarded an almost impossible to attain perfect 100
points by the CCCA (Classic Car Club of America). With 182 test
miles, the car starts, the ""Fluid Drive"" semi-automatic
transmission shifts. Overall, the T&C stops and runs like a new
1947 car. The radio & NOS
clock work. The doors lock, the windows operate, the lights all
work as new. The list goes on and on. Original owner manual, sales
brochure and Chrysler mechanical books go with the car.
This Town & Country is 1 of less than several dozen left in
existence. It is, without doubt, the finest example of this most
unusual automobile. This T&C will very likely be the only one
of its type you will ever see. I will miss the car once it finds a
new owner.
