Search the Community

This started out as the Johan Plymouth Police wagon. I bought as a built kit. with the intention of restoring it to its present form. Now, for those of you, not in the know, from the time the Mass Turnpike opened in 1955 until sometime around 1968, the Troopers patrolled in Kelly Green and white Chrysler wagons, that also doubled as ambulances. Clearly, this is not a Chrysler. But my objective was to take a glue bomb in dire need of restoration and make something of it. The chassis, suspension, entire drive train and engine compartment were all sourced from the '64 Dodge 330 kit. I disguised the 383 to resemble the 361/395 HP Golden Commando. The interior tub from the Johan kit was greatly modified. I removed the flat floor and transplanted the floor from the 330 kit, to get the transmission tunnel/hump. I also removed the third row, rear facing seat and "folded" down the rear seat for clearance for the gurney. I was able to save the original radio equipment, just detail it a bit. The rest of the emergency equipment came from the AMT rescue van, but some of the equipment appeared to be out of scale, so I had to modify them a bit, Most notably, the fire extinguisher. The wheels/tires, new front and rear bumpers, glass, rear view mirrors and tail lights all came from Modelhaus. PE'ed parts include the hood letters, window cranks and battery clamps. This was a difficult build, primarily because ref pics were very hard to find and all were B/W. I would like to recognize the following people for the their assistance in helping me give this car a new lease on life. When I post the "before" pics, you'll understand what that means. They are Tom Sheehy, Dan Danahy, Hervey Cote, Dave Mackay and from our MSP Museum and Learning Center Tom McNulty, Mike Slepetz and Bob Bricker.