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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Thought I had posted these before when I joined. Car is from Ariz./Ca. Bought through internet site,not ebay. Car came with some unexpected issues, nothing too serious, but should be driving this year.
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Location: Parts Unknown | Are you wanting correct (all chrome) headlight bezels for your Suburban ? I need what you have and have the correct ones for your car.
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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi, checked my wagon brochure and seems only on real early ones, without fins, do I see the chrome bezels. I'm surprised yours has them. Anyway, I think my car has way too much chrome on it already,JMO, so I'm going to pass on your generous offer, it's not everyday you get to trade painted for chrome. Thanks. Why can't you just get a painted set from BigM, and paint to match your car? You could always sell the chrome ones. Art. |
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Expert
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Location: new york | Congats and welcome! Im in Staten Island and the wagon is super and 2 door to boot! I use to have a 4 dr 56 dodge wagon it was tri tone grey,yellow and white , If I can dig out a photo I will scan it and post it! Great driving cars i'm sure you will love it. HAPPY MOTORING! Victor.. |
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi, and thanks. Would love to see pics. Art. |
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Location: Australia | welcome to the sub club! adriana  |
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Location: Missouri | Art, that's a very nice wagon! What mods have you done besides the mag wheels? Harold |
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Location: Parts Unknown | RTwagon - 2010-02-12 4:25 PM
Hi, checked my wagon brochure and seems only on real early ones, without fins, do I see the chrome bezels. I'm surprised yours has them. Anyway, I think my car has way too much chrome on it already,JMO, so I'm going to pass on your generous offer, it's not everyday you get to trade painted for chrome. Thanks. Why can't you just get a painted set from BigM, and paint to match your car? You could always sell the chrome ones. Art.
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As I understand it, there was no such thing as a Custom Suburban Dodge, ranking the Suburban on par with the Sierra and in the Royal trim range with the chrome headlight bezels and non-louvered rears. Only the Custom Royal and Custom Sierra got the painted headlight rings and louvered tail light bezels as OEM trim
I did get a set of the painted trims from Big John ! But extras never hurt and since I have the un-needed chrome jobs, I thought I'd offer .....
It looks to me like your tail light bezels are the correct solid side chrome dudes.
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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi, Thanks, there is a wagon like yours here on Long Island, NY. |
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi, Thanks, The interior was redone tastefully by previous owner. I am replacing the rearend with a 69 Coronet one,NO more tapered axles,which I had narrowed an inch on each side, moser axles, and green bearings installed, added a leaf to rear springs, rear air shocks, and want to put a trailer hitch on it for towing some classic boats. Next will be either ECI or AAJ disc brakes for front. Still debating a 325 hemi or 340 small block with 904 trans. The 340 will probably win. Would like to add AC if I can figure out where to mount a unit. I have the surfboard and racks, but not sure of that idea yet. |
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi, Again Thanks for offer. Just got 1 set of NOS rear bezels/lenses, and hoping to get one more set. Really want to put the slotted ones on, but they are real pricey. Also looking for a set of mirrors. BTW, any ideas how to get front mirror mount chrome pieces off w/o removing fenders/doors? Art. |
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Location: Under the X in Texas | Great wagon! Colors, interior w/ red piping, your choices to date, everything.... GREAT. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Brent, remember, last week, when I sent you some factory brochure images on the 1956 Custom Royal, and some images
of the '56 station wagons?
I wasn't aware of 'this', either, until then, but, according to the factory brochure(s), there WAS a "Custom Suburban" wagon,
in 1956, and it was externally tricked out to look like a 2-dr Custom Sierra wagon.
Dunno how its interior scheme looked; probably just like the regular 2-dr Suburbans, but, its exterior was trimmed out like
a 2-dr Custom Sierra wagon.
Art's rare-car, soon to become a full-on hot-rod,but, hey.....appears to be a 1956 CUSTOM Suburban
station wagon.
Edited by d500neil 2010-02-12 7:51 PM
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Location: Parts Unknown | I claim to be no expert on this. Still on the learning curve with 56 Dodge. Have been given lots of "advice", but some times that advice is less than fact, as we all know. Also, even if it was "written in stone", the factory likely had an off day or someone with influence got a special request squeaked through ...
I did not know there was a Custom Suburban. My all-grey D-500 Suburban (owned long ago) also had the painted headlight rings and the solid Coronet type tail light bezels. I always figured the headlight rings got swapped onto the car at some point. Hmmm .....
Well, this is a fun thread !
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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Neil, my wagon brochure has me asking alot of questions. It seems they must have used 55 wagon pics for many of the pics. Most of them have 55 door handles. Pics do show a different interior styling for seats, two-tone cardograin, and the interior previous owner installed seems to mimic it but uses vinyl and roll/pleat in some sections. My motor is the 315 2bbl. I have the suburban emblems for the side panels, PO filled holes, and the're in need of serious rechroming. The paint scheme does not match anything in brochure, but I do like it. Was going to change the red, but growing on me. Your comment about hotrodding is noted and welcomed. Buying the car the way it is and some minor difficulties since ownership, plus original intentions for buying, have led me to think seriously about my change plans.
I guess the rearend problems could be overcome, but eventually I would like to have E-brake to rear wheels for possible boat launching safety, Also for boat safety would like a park for transmission. Any E-brake is not enough rearend downhill holding. Ruling out a 518 and using 904 should be easy fit in car without having to modify floorhump. If the 340 goes in I will make mounts that will fit like originals do, so original stuff can always be put back in. Front disc brakes just make sense, and even more with the trailering. The wheels came on the car but I also got originals/hbucaps. I really like the wire type wheels also. AC unit may just have to be underdash one, although that wrecks my plans for a highway hi-fi box with new stereo inside. I have gotten the right radio/bezel for the original dash that would be correct for record player..Car was ordered radio delete. I've had many cars/trucks in the past, some stock, most rods, but this one is special. I plan to go slowly and input like yours is welcomed and heeded. Thanks, Art. |
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi Doc, Seems the custom model was the painted headlight bezels and the interior. The custom has door panels with chromelike square rectangular horizontal panels, mine has, and extra squares of material on the seats. Maybe carpet instead of vinyl flooring? Nothing says custom suburban anywhere? Maybe 315 2/4 bbl for custom where 270 in reg?
I wish I had your option though, D-500, which is NOT listed in wagon brochure. |
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Location: Parts Unknown | There is no "Custom" badging in 56 like there was in later years, so we are left looking at equipment as evidence.
As I understand it, the Custom wagons got the heat pleated white vinyl inserts and the real "Googie" vinyl fabric.
They also got the Mylar side panel inserts you describe. They should have the Custom Royal toothed grille bars and
the CR light bezels fore and aft and likely the two-tone plastic steering wheel is part of the package. Since I have
learned in THIS thread that the Suburban also came with Custom trim, .... I would have to assume the same goodies
extended to the 2-door, although I have made no effort thus farly to verify any of this.
I have only two minor mods I want to do to our car to really get it where I want it .... the roof luggage rack for
maximum "Goin' to Yellowstone" look, and the accessory bumper guards. It really is a solid statement in 50's
wagon curb appeal.
The D-500 is just icing on the cake.
I am really torn on finned Mopar wagons .... the ones that really should have been off the charts - the 57-59 cars -
got the fins lopped off them like a bad pruning job. Imagine an Exner hardtop wagon with full fins in those years !!!
As it worked out, the 56 Dodge is about my favorite bone stock wagon of the lot ... small and perky, wire wheels,
tri-tone paint and over-the-top 50's interior fabric .... they really were cool !
I am really enjoying this thread.
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Expert
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Location: Farmingdale NJ | whats the diff between 55 and 56 door handles ? do you mean inside or out ? |
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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi Bob, outside handles, 55 had pushbutton and 56 had pivoting,swingout handle. My wagon brochure shows pics of cars with both styles. My Facts book says swingout handle new for 56. My Large brochure says the same for swingout handles, new for 56. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Well, depending how soon my-man Sir Clive can post a couple pics for you, I've got some interesting information
on the 56 Dodge, to show y'all.... |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Location: .Norfolk..Mafia.. ,England UK | d500neil - 2010-02-15 11:00 PM
Well, depending how soon my-man Sir Clive can post a couple pics for you, I've got some interesting information
on the 56 Dodge, to show y'all....
OK, as you can seem these guys are taken from a 1956 Dodge brochure.
I'd sent Brent a couple different views of the Dodge cars, from another
brochure,
but this image shows the Custom Suburban the 'best'.
Note how it externally looks like a 2-dr Custom Sierra wagon, or the
2-dr wagon
version of the Custom Royal Lancer.
THIS would be one RARE surviving car, nowadays!!!
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Location: new york | photo
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Location: Farmingdale NJ | I've noticed that a lot of artist rendition brochures are stylized and or not correct. Not just 56 either. For example; there were at least two different types of mirrors available. There are no mirrors at all shown on the brochure models |
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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi, meant to thank you for saving the pics of my car when you took them off ebay almost 2 yrs ago. I copied them after losing them last August when my harddrive went. The pic in the facts brochure, the real wagon brochure, and the large 56 brochure, I have all 3 also, show basically my car as it is today. It is a custom suburban. I don't think it is as rare as we think because we all just stumbled upon what makes it a custom suburban. Cory's red/white one may be one also, sounds like Doc's gray one was too. Also need to check JerseyBob's and other one in upstate NY. Key outside points seem to be 6 extra ornaments on top of parking light chrome,and painted headlight bezels. Early models witout fins or swingout door handles may still be custom ones. Inside seems to be mylar on all side panels, seats with special panels on each side of seatbacks, from my wagon brochure, seems like rear area/tailgate is carpeted, maybe map light. What we need to find is someone who has a salesman 56 dealer option book for code and list of available options for the custom package. My car came radio delete but may have 2 spd wipers. My front bumper has the guards,maybe part of option pac, rear would be standard as license plate lights are on side of them.
My car came with only one sideview mirror, but will soon have both. No power options on my car, seats, windows, PS or PB or AC. Who's got a salesman book? Art. |
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Location: Long Island, NY | Nice wagon, Victor, but a convertable is nicer. |
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Location: Long Island, NY | Hi Bob, can you look over your car and give us a report? Thanks, Art. My wagon brochure says 6's still could have custom option. |
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Expert
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Location: Farmingdale NJ | my car came in two tone; aqua on the bottom, black from the side trim up. (same paint as the Custom Sub in the color brochure). 6 cyl, three on the tree, no radio. Chrome headlight bezels, no "teeth" on the grill bars. Chrome fins, swing out door handles, one "peep" mirror on the drivers side A post. Rubber mats front and back with a light color fake woodgrain kinda vinyl shelf liner covering on the cargo area. vinyl seats and door panels that I will take a picture of and post later. all original. |
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Member
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Location: Long Island, NY | Thanks, you have a regular wagon, not custom. Glad we have someones to compare to. Thought I might be right about the carpet setup. Art. |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | Yes, Victor's car is a Sierra 4-dr wagon, NOT the rare Custom Suburban.
Bob, yeah, mirrors and antennae tend to detract from a car's appearance, and both the mirror(s) and
the radio were optional equipment, anyway.
E.g.: on the 57 Dodge brochures, 1956 nameplates are shown, and other illustrations are inaccurate, because
when the brochures were created, and prototype cars are photographed (around MAR-JUN of the previous model year)
not all of the new-models' design features were either finalized or available to appear on the new-cars.
Also, e.g.: the prototype '57 Plymmies have the Corp-style new-4-57 pull-up door handles on them, but, when their
production was finalized, for economic reasons (what ELSE??) it was decided to continue with the 56 style pull-out-lever
handles on them.
The examples of factory illustration and 'documentation' mistakes are almost endless, because the Corp only wanted to SELL
the "units" and then have the "Prospects" buy another one, a couple years later!!!---it didn't really care about 'authenticity'
or 'restoration'[???!!] of one of the 'units', years/decades later.
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Expert
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Location: Farmingdale NJ | OK, here are the pictures of my front seat, passenger dr panel and radio delete. The white horizontal ribbing in the seats continues around the back of the car along the sides. not on the tailgate though.
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Location: canandaigua, ny | WAIT where is the head light switch??, is this a heater deleate car?
my original seats were the same color and design, sms has the material to redo those.
is that a new style transmission  ????
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Expert
Posts: 1303
Location: Farmingdale NJ | its got a Fred Flintstone transmission right now !  |
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Exner Expert 19,174 posts. Neil passed away 18 Sep 2015. You will be missed, Neil!
Posts: 19146
Location: bishop, ca | The photo-pics which I've sent to Sir Clive, to post on that 'other' 56 Dodge wagon thread, will show a FOUR-door, 9-passenger
"Suburban" wagon which has the same style of door trim panels on it, as seen in Bob's photos, above, and which are very
DIFFERENT from Art's car's "fancy-style" trim panels.
Edited by d500neil 2010-02-17 9:34 PM
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56 Dodge Suburban Wagon
