It’s been too long since we had some shots by “Ralf K” (Don Kincl), but he just posted some new ones at the Cohort, all of them from Arizona. I love this one, a ’51 DeSoto that looks like it’s just about finished munching through its tarp cover with that very effective set of Choppers. This was shot in Tucson.
A sweet fastback Chevy parked at a well-preserved Shell gas station in Lowell. Reminds me of the Sunoco station in Towson where I worked alone on Saturdays, at the age of 15. Seriously.
I still wonder at how I got that job. My best friend’s older brother worked there, but he was off to Vietnam, so I just went to the station after school and asked the owner, who also owned a small cab company, if I could have that job. He looked me over and said yes.
I read an article the other day that said that entry level jobs for young guys were going begging because of all the draftees going to Vietnam. I’d never thought about that, but it probably was a factor. Or the owner just didn’t want to be bothered looking for someone else.
I love these Tri-five wagons; my favorite body style. It reminds me that the guy who owned that gas station also bought the ’57 Chevy sedan that my brother’s friend owned and needed to sell. It seemed a bit odd that this guy would buy an eleven year-old Chevy, but it was in very solid shape and he drove it for some time. Also in Lowell.
Now here’s a perfect rig to make a fab camper bus: a Crown bookmobile. Tall roof, straight sides, and presumably a big noisy Cummins under the floor. Found in Wilcox.
A solid original gen1 Barracuda, and apparently a six, given the lack of a V8 badge. Shot in Tucson.
Is the Corvette dead and ready to be hauled off by the Cadillac hearse to the graveyard? Rather seems that way.
Last but certainly not least, a sweet little Comet, a ’62, I believe. Another Tucson find.
That Comet in the last photo is proof that those early 60s FoMoCo compacts will rust in the lower quarters even in Arizona, as long as they are given enough time. And I have always wondered what would possess someone to keep an old mattress, especially like the one under that carport roof.
And boy don’t the wheels on that Barracuda look dinky! Are those 13 inchers?
Probably 13 inchers. Back in that time they weren’t exactly generous in tire sizes. Unless of course you paid extra or added something aftermarket. The full sized models sitting on 14 inch rubber also looked a bit – different.
1964.5 Barracudas came with 13″ rims. in `65, they went with 14″ rims.
It’s amazing how good those ’58 Plymouth hubcaps look on that Comet!
Uh, those can’t be ’58 Plymouth hubcaps because the ’58s had 14″ wheels, and the Comet has 13″. That ’62 Comet is an S-22 (like my first car) and it appears to have the correct S-22 hubcaps, which are now very hard to find. However, I see these little slots around the hubcaps’ edge, and mine didn’t have those slots.
And re: JPC–My Comet rusted in the exact same way, although even more so. But the rocker panels will never rust . . . because they’re galvanized!
Back then 13″ tires had a larger circumference (like 185/80). These are hard to find now so you see much smaller tires like 165/80 or 185/70.
Considering how dowdy Chrysler styling was back in the first half of the Fifties, I’ve always found the DeSoto’s of that period rather attractive. I always got the feeling that Chrysler (understandably) and DeSoto got the first pick of front clips all thru the Fifties, with Dodge and Plymouth getting whatever was left over. Probably had something to do with the most expensive car being done first, then going down the price range.
Great photos. I particularly like the one of the Shell station. Great colors.
Shades of my dad’s 3rd car: a slightly used ’52 DeSoto, with a, IIRC, 125 hp Hemi! To say these pre ’55 MoPars were dowdy, is to put it mildly. Frumpy n dumpy come to mind as well, and I thought that as a kid riding in the back seat where no heat ever reached during Wisconsin WINTERS!
Not one of my favorite cars, but the engine….. 🙂 DFO
The ‘52 DeS hemi claimed 160 bhp, gross of course. “America’s most powerful engine design!” as the admen spun it.
Those early 50’s hemi’s were no slouch ~ we had a 1953/4 Dodge dump truck with one and it easily hauled three yards of gravel, dirt or whatever we filled it with .
-Nate
Love that DeSoto!
I lived in Towson from 1950 to 1968, where was that station Paul? I can’t place it.
Was that Jimmy’s cab at the corner of York/Allegheny and Dulaney Valley? iirc that one was an Atlantic station, so maybe not.
No; Adams cab. White cars. They eventually folded. Their dispatch office was on Chesapeake(?) just on the east side of York Rd.
This gas station was down on York Rd, just a bit north of Towson Town Blvd, just one building or so north of Smetana’s Deli. The gas station building sat there boarded up for decades, and wasn’t torn down until not that long ago.
I remember Smetana’s really well!, and now, vaguely that station. One thing I do remember about Jimmy’s (I think, given that it’s 54 years in the past) at that convergence of York, Joppa, &c is iirc their cabs were blue! I loved the Gino’s that was up kinda behind it on York… Gino Giants ruled!
I also love the bookmobile. Even though there’s a wagon photo in this group, the bookmobile IS the vehicle here I’d most want to have. I’m just sayin’
I do wonder what’s up with the collection of glass gallon jugs in front. Moonshine? Cider? Long road trip? 🙂
I have seen that Comet for many years now. I drive by that house several times a week on my way to work, and that car has looked like that for years. It used to be parked on the east side of the house, but several years ago was moved to its current position. I’ve been driving along there for a good twenty years now, and that Comet has always looked the same.
Nice vehicles ! .
Hard to choose just one, maybe the book mobile, I could go touring…..
-Nate
Wow, didn’t realize the 62 s22 had six taillights like my 63 does.. My quarters are redone and yes the rockers are solid as hell… I had a 63 Monterey vert and those rockers and rear 1/4s were shot… Great pics in the article…