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I agree that 36 is nice (as-is) and that 26 I like to think that color on the fenders is off due to the photo but unfortunately just gives that impression of someone saying it needs paint, what do we have on the shelf?

I was able to snag the 52 200 in post 5112 at a nice discount and was happy to bring it home. Weathered, you bet, but the odometer reads 37K and all the details of the car from sill plates to door rubbers, steering wheel paint, and pedal pads all say it is only on its first time around.

Seller got it from the estate of someone who took cars apart to restore and then never finished them.

But he did get this far: The engine was painted green all over and new freeze plugs were evident. Although sitting for 15 years with an oily rag shoved in the intake manifold, I was able to turn it two full turns by means of the fan. So we pulled all the plugs and poured in plenty of PB Blaster. Then I noticed that the tips of the otherwise crusty looking plugs were pure white. They had never been fired. I peered in a plug hole and saw the top of a shiny new exhaust valve. The engine had never been fired. So I rounded up a carb from the magic basement and bolted it on. I ran the starter long enough to spray Blaster everywhere and for the oil pressure to come up. Popped in the plugs, sanded the points, hooked up a gravity feed lawnmower gas tank-----and fired it up. After clearing out the Blaster it ran pretty darned smooth. Parts wrapped in newspapers in the trunk point to 1985 as the likely build date. The engine is a 53 so I assume the original suffered some sort of catastrophic failure. So they had this one built and put it in aaaaand that's all. A bunch of interesting paperwork came with the car including the bill of sale. Google earth shows me that the gentleman's house was a nice brick rancher facing the golf course of the local country club. That sounds about right.

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Are there plans for and drawings for this car yet?

Nice find, Ross! I really like the 200's rear roof line even though I've never owned one, the closest being a 1953 Clipper which, of course, was quite different. I believe that this is the one that I pointed out the 1951 grille, hood ornament and even the parking lenses are 1951. Otherwise it appears to be a good solid car and great on the engine firing right up!

I once traded a 5-main 1954 engine for a 9-main 1953 and it turned out that the 9-main I got was virtually new and wasn't even stamped with an engine number! Of course, the engine my friend got had been rebuilt too so we both came out ahead in getting the proper engine for our respective cars without any expense.

Hi Ross. Congratulations on your purchase. Glad to see that one of my Facebook Marketplace finds went to a good home. Good luck with your project. Please post some more pictures as work progresses.

Nice cruuuuiser Ross.

Here's an idea for ya: a station wagon with a tailgate, and removable top on the rear half. So you could have a fair-weather pickup truck configuration with a 2nd row "rumble" seat that folds into a carpeted bed, or fold that up and throw the top on to have a station wagon. Dividing glass would double as a rear wall on the cab in the "truck" configuration.