I am mega excited to be posting about my latest acquisition, a 1967 MS47 Crown wagon.
There had been much discussion on the forums and at club meetings about this nice old Crown wagon at Centre Rd Wreckers that needed saving. I didn't think much of it, assuming it was a rusty bugger or in dire straits, if it had made it to the wreckers.
Then on a sunny Thursday afternoon, with a does of the CBF's at work, I decided to go for a wander around the wreckers yard to see what was new. It was then I came upon this beauty. It was straight, almost completely rust free, and just too good to be sitting in the wreckers slowly getting pulled apart. I had to have it, especially as I have been dreaming of Crown wagon ownership for many years now...
So within 24 hours I had convinced the better half that it should come home with me, then gone back to the wreckers, did the deal and then towed it home.
Here she is on the trailer:
In the glove box Hendo had found this note
So naturally I called Don. Old bloke and was happy to have a chat. I didn't quite work out how the car got to the wreckers, but given the Manheims sticker on the window, I guess he sold it at auction, and the wrecker bought it.
He had owned it for the last 25 years and it had sat in his shed all that time! It was going to be a project he said, but he just never got around to doing anything.
That makes this sticker the last time it was registered I suspect!
He told a tale of getting it off someone he knew, who had got it from someone else when it was left in a workshop. The story was a bit muddled, but he invited me to go visit to collect some bits he still had for it, so I will try and get the story straight then.
He also told me he had rebuilt the engine bottom end, using a different block, and that he put in a different auto transmission as well, which led to him changing the gear indicator on the steering column. Clearly its a bit ass about!
Anyways, today I spent the morning getting to know my Crown a little better.
This how she looked pre-washing
Inside
That yellow shit you can see in the last photo is all the seat foam disintegrating and falling on the floor.
This is how she looks after a wash, which isn't really a lot different but its a bit better. A cut and polish is going to work wonders though!
I was so stoked to find these buried in the foam pile under the front seat last night
They meant that I could test the electric back window this morning, which to my joy goes up and down with a turn of the key, just like its meant to! If you read the writing, its the RACV membership from 1979, indicating the owner had been a member since 1966, and the original rego was KGE751.
Still has its membership sticker
And has this bit of history on the passenger rear window too
Here is an engine bay shot.
And here is the ultimate goal
So the plan is something along these lines:
Clean up interior and retrim seats
Overhaul brakes
Replace missing bits in the engine bay and see if she will fire up
Cut and polish
Find missing side trims, or remove them all
Slam it
Fit Hiace front disks
Cruise.
There is a few bits missing - steering wheel, grille, side trims, radio blanking plate, coil, radiator, badges - so if any one has any of these or spots them, I would be eternally grateful if you could point me in the right direction.
I only worked this out when I went to put some fuel in it and it quickly ended up on the shed floor! So out she comes to be patched and welded up....