Body Numbers

[pflaming]

I lost the records on my Suburban parts cars in the shop fire, I did find these two tags

one tag number is 517 - LA.   4225,   Chrysler Corp. Detroit, Michigan.  

The other tag reads 317 - LA.     6406      Briggs Mfg. CO,  Detroit Michigan. 

Any way of placing them with a specific body. And why is one Briggs and the other Chrysler?  They had to come from these bodys since I have not had any other MOPAR cars.  

[pflaming]

In 1954 Chrysler bought out Briggs and evidently then discontinued the use of the name on their body tags, so then the red tag goes to my 53 Suburban.  This may be old news to some, but new and interest to me. Today I'm reassembling the doghouse so I can permanently run those wires and then test the entire harness. I used an EZ kit, but electrical is not easy for me.  

Its very hot out here these weeks, always 100 + by noon. Attached a before now pic of my car.

[medium_jon]

Looking good

[knuckleharley]

I'm always surprised to see any stationwagons from the 50's survived. They weren't very popular cars to start with,and hotrodders and customizers didn't want them. The only stationwagon from the 50's that I even remember seeing back then was the 55 Ford stationwagon a neighbor bought new,and a 55 Ford stationwagon a friend of mine bought for 75 bucks in the early 1960's.

[BigDaddyO]

45 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

I'm always surprised to see any stationwagons from the 50's survived. They weren't very popular cars to start with,and hotrodders and customizers didn't want them. The only stationwagon from the 50's that I even remember seeing back then was the 55 Ford stationwagon a neighbor bought new,and a 55 Ford stationwagon a friend of mine bought for 75 bucks in the early 1960's.

Had a neighbor that lived in N.Y.C. and had a summer place up the road from us. He had a Green 1954 Ford wagon that he kept at his summer place and used it when he was up for the summer. I can still see that old Ford in my mind. He was still driving it well into the 70's when I left the area. Don't know whatever became of that old beast. The guy's name was Sal Sirugo. He became a famous artist after convalescing from being burned during WW2. He was in a tank and was severely burned. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. I worked for him a couple of summers. Probably the nicest guy I ever knew. He passed 4 years ago. He left quite an impression on me.

[knuckleharley]

1 minute ago, BigDaddyO said:

Had a neighbor that lived in N.Y.C. and had a summer place up the road from us. He had a Green 1954 Ford wagon that he kept at his summer place and used it when he was up for the summer. I can still see that old Ford in my mind. He was still driving it well into the 70's when I left the area. Don't know whatever became of that old beast. The guy's name was Sal Sirugo. He became a famous artist after convalescing from being burned during WW2. He was in a tank and was severely burned. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. I worked for him a couple of summers. Probably the nicest guy I ever knew. He passed 4 years ago. He left quite an impression on me.

Maybe you can contact his relatives to see if they still have the Ford and if it's for sale? Good memories related to individual old cars only add to the pleasure of owning and driving them.

US tanks during WW-2,and probably the Korean War were death traps with those gasoline engines. I was shocked to discover they weren't diesel-powered in the 1970's after talking with a family friend that had been a tanker during WW-2. Started out as a draftee,and then got a Silver Star and battlefield promotion to 1st LT and tank platoon leader during the invasion of Africa. He was with Patton all the way to the Rhine River.

Interesting guy. He was a childhood friend of my father,and I had no idea he had ever spent a night away from home until the mid-70's,when he was having physical problems and asked me to help him move a bad refrigerator out of his little house,and a new one in. Which was pretty odd because he knew when I joined the army,knew when I went to and came back from VN,and knew I had been a professional combat arms soldier. WW-2 was the only exciting thing that happened to him his whole life,so you would think he would have talked to another ex-soldier. Especially one he had known since the day I was born.

 

Anyhow,when I went into his tiny house for the first time to move refrigerators was when I spotted all the WW-2 photos under glass on his kitchen table. When I asked him about them I learned that being the independent and literal cuss most commercial fisherman that worked alone tend to be,he ended up getting an undesirable discharge from the army. He told me that he was drafted "for the duration of the war" when the US entered it,and remained in uniform and serving until the war ended. The "points rotation home system" didn't mean squat to him. The war ended,so as far as he was concerned,his obligation was over,so he bought a boat ticket and came back home. Didn't think he needed permission. His war record either kept him from getting felony desertion charges and a Bad Conduct Discharge,or his status was changed during the 50's because after I learned all about this he told me he had even been to the VA for medical treatment.

His girlfriend married someone else while he was off to war,and AFAIK,he never even kissed another woman after coming home to find out she had married a guy that was 4F and had a good job. He worked every day fishing,crabbing,or eeling in season,and was home every day before dark. Didn't even own a tv. He would walk up the road to our house on Saturday afternoons to watch pro wrasslin on tv with my father,and then go back home before dark. I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't know him.

He died alone as a blind man in a rest home a couple of years ago.

[medium_jon]

31 minutes ago, knuckleharley said:

I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't know him.

What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing @knuckleharley