1953 Chevrolet Bel Air/150/210

Townsman Wagon

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

B53S30942

Gasoline

(Note: this car sold recently on eBay to a fine gentleman in North Carolina. Unfortunately, he could not find suitable shipping. This is the only reason it is now relisted. Thank you!) I FORGOT TO MENTION IN PAST AUCTION THAT IT HAS A RARE OPTION OF POWER STEERING. I ALSO ADDED A FEW MORE PHOTOS AT BOTTOM OF PAGE. CAR SOLD AS-IS AND DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR BUYER PROTECTION. BUYER TO ARRANGE THEIR OWN TRANSPORT. READ THE DESCRIPTION BELOW CAREFULLY! YOUR BID IS A BINDING CONTRACT. *****RESERVE HAS BEEN LOWERED CONSIDERABLY...Again!****** RARE 1953 Bel Air Townsman Wagon 210, 235 in³ "Blue Flame" I6 rated at 115 hp, Powerglide Automatic Transmission, Power Steering. For those that are not aware, they made only 8,000 Townsman wagons. Many more of the Handyman were made, but they share body and trim parts. This wagon was the upgraded Handyman 210, boasting eight passenger seating (three rows), woodgrain accent on outside and inside trim, chrome trim and more. (I've included a photo of one that was restored to the same color as this one once was...it is NOT the same car). ABOUT THIS CAR IN THE AUCTION: This car has had only three owners. The last owner bought it in 1966. I have the title from Tennessee but have not registered it in my name. I pulled this back from Mississippi last week (south of Memphis) while I was working there from California. It is now in Chico, CA (about 90 miles north of Sacramento). I have not done anything to this car...this is the way I got it. The body is in fair condition, with surface rust. The right rear quarter panel has had bondo work, but was not repainted. The rear tailgate is missing and the rear glass window frame has rust along the bottom edge. The roof, hood, front fenders, doors all look pretty good, with average rusting. The frame has lots of surface rust, but as you know, these cars have lots of steel and clean up pretty good. The wheels turn easily. It has all four original wheels (3 painted surf green and another red with pinstripes on all four). I have all four hub caps. Hood opens easily and latches well. BUMPERS & GRILL: Bumpers are as you see in the photos. The front grill is complete with three teeth. They will need to be restored. The license plate on the front is the plate that its registered in. ENGINE & TRANNY: The engine is the Blue Flame Inline 6. It is not rusted but does have some parts missing. Radiator, carburetor, air cleaner, thermostat housing, power steering pump (steering box and hoses are intact) are missing. The engine turns over with a wrench and is not frozen. The tranny is the infamous Powerglide, the same one put in the 53 Corvette. Yes, they did put the same engine/tranny in the wagons/Bel Air that came in the Corvette. The transmission gears work freely and park holds the car in place. I have not tried to start the engine, for obvious reasons, so its condition is completely unknown. If you think I've missed items that are missing, please ask and I will find out if it has it or not. There aren't any parts thrown in the car, so what you see in the engine compartment is what it has. INTERIOR: The interior dash looks real good. The original guages look clear and not damaged. The chrome dash trim and "Chevrolet" look great. The glovebox opens freely. The steering wheel looks real good and has the horn ring. Knobs all there. Radio missing. Antenna is still on the front fender. All wiring behind the dash is there. Floor pans are rusted through in front. Headliner is mostly there and can be used as a pattern during restoration. Windshield is unbroken. Glass that is damaged can be seen in photos. The back sliding side glass (between C and D posts) are intact. The sliding rear side glass was available ONLY on the Townsman wagon. Any wagon with solid glass was a Handyman, not a Townsman. Note that the second row seat (the 3rd row seat is missing) was only 3/4 long. It was designed to allow passengers access to the rear 3rd row seat. This also is an indication that this is a Townsman Wagon, and not a Handyman. All the door cranks are there. The driver's door is missing is door panel, but the window cranks are there. CONCLUSION: This is a rare piece of Americana. Not many of the Townsman wagons were made, unlike the tens of thousands of the Handyman. They share much of their body parts, grills, interiors, etc, so finding parts is not as difficult as you think. The numbers match on this car. The title is currently being sent to me, so you will have a legally registered car to deal with. Not sold just on Bill of Sale. I live in Northern California and the car can be seen on weekends only (Sat/Sun). Please email me to set up a time. I've tried to explain this car as much as I can, but I'm sure I've missed something. If you have questions or concerns, ASK BEFORE YOU BID!!! I reserve the right to cancel you bid if you have negative feedback or low feedback. A $300 deposit is MANDATORY within 48 hours of auction's end, or the car will be either offered to the next highest bidder or relisted. The balance of the payment is due within 7 days of close of auction. NO EXCEPTIONS. I will deliver this car within 300 miles of zip code 95926 for a fee to cover trailer rental, fuel and time. Otherwise, please arrange your own removal. You MUST have your own people to help load and unload. My body can't take the pain! :) I will hold the car on my property for 30 days after you make payment if you need more time to pick it up. CONTACT: Call John at (530) 520 - 0076. CASH ONLY. NO CHECKS, MONEY ORDERS, CASHIER'S CHECKS, CHICKENS OR PEACE PIPES. ONLY CASH. :) Thank you and happy bidding!!! THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS ARE OF A TOWNSMAN RESTORED AND ARE NOT THE CAR IN THIS AUCTION!!! Wheshew!! Got that off my chest. :) I HAVE MORE PHOTOS ON REQUEST. On May-19-11 at 08:40:24 PDT, seller added the following information: ADDED PHOTO OF ENGINE ON MAY 19, 2011 8:35AM PST. THIS PURCHASE IS SOLD AS-IS!