Craigslist Find – ’53 Pontiac Wagon

It’s going to take a little time to get this project fully caught up on here, but I’ll start with how I found the car.

I often use Google to search Craigslist for 1949–54 Pontiac cars and parts. Over the years, I’ve had good luck finding solid deals that way — that’s how I ended up with my 1954 Pontiac Star Chief from North Carolina, a 1951 Pontiac Chieftain from Nebraska, and a 1954 Pontiac Special out of Cambridge, Ohio.

Then, one day in 2019, while doing another parts search, a listing caught my eye: a 1953 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe Station Wagon in Hudson, Wisconsin, priced at $2,500.

This particular wagon originally came equipped with a 268 c.i. Straight Eight engine and Dual-Range Hydra-Matic transmission. It was also optioned with Power Steering — the first year it was available on a Pontiac — and an Autronic Eye, the automatic headlight dimmer (also first available that year). It had a handful of other common accessories as well.

The seller mentioned that the car hadn’t run since 1960, but that turned out not to be entirely true. After looking through the car, I found service records and other signs that it had actually been maintained into the early 1970s.

Like many Midwest survivors, the wagon has its share of rust issues — mainly in the front floor area (thanks to a broken windshield that let water in for decades), the lower rear tailgate, left quarter panel, and driver’s door. The rest of the car, though, is surprisingly solid and mostly complete.

After a few messages back and forth with the seller, I decided to buy it. Since I didn’t have a way to haul it myself, I turned to U-Ship, posted a transport request, and soon found a hauler willing to pick it up in Wisconsin and deliver it to West Virginia for $1,200.

Restoration Plans

My plans for the car aren’t for a full restoration — at least not initially. I want to focus first on restoring the mechanicals and making the car safe and reliable to drive. The body will largely stay as-is for now; I plan to preserve its current look and coat it with Poppy’s Patina for protection.

The floors and tailgate will be properly repaired, and I intend to completely rewire the car using a Rebel Wiring Harness. Over time, I’ll continue improving things as I go, but the goal for now is to get this old Pontiac wagon back on the road — running, stopping, and driving as it should — while keeping as much of its original character as possible.

And that’s where this long-awaited project began — the start of bringing a rare 1953 Pontiac wagon back to life.

Below you’ll find some more pictures from the original craigslist ad.