1947 Chrysler Town & Country

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.