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Nathan's Classic Mopar Album
Author: Nathan D. Manning (Show all albums)

This album contains pictures of my ForwardLook cars. And before you ask, No... None of these cars have a Hemi. Here is a brief description of each: I'll begin with my 1956 Dodge Coronet, 4-Door Sedan. The '56 is powered by a Red Ram 270 V8, coupled with a PowerFlite Transmission... Options include a windshield washer, heater, back-up lights, dual side-view mirrors, and dual exhaust. Over the years, the ‘56 has been kept in mostly original condition, with only 83k miles on the clock when I took ownership... Here’s the story I bought with the car… The '56 was sold new in North Carolina. Upon the original owner's death, the car was stored in a barn for 26(+ / -) years. In the year 2000, the car was brought out of storage, cleaned, tuned-up, and sold to Randall Gordon of Bean Station, TN. Mr. Gordon kept the car for a few years before selling it to me on December 15, 2002. Next is a 1959 Dodge Royal, 4-Door Sedan. I bought this car shortly after finishing high school... It was my first venture into the world of classic cars, let alone ForwardLook machines. The '59 is powered by a 361 V8, coupled with a TorqueFlite Transmission. Options include a heater and back-up lights. The '59 was bought new at Kerr Motor Company on Gay Street in Knoxville, TN on November 19, 1959... It then remained in the same extended family until I purchased it in 1998 from Rev. Mike Holifield of Dandridge, TN. Interestingly enough, both Rev. Holifield AND his wife have a history of this particular car in each of their families. I bought the car from Rev. Holifield on his 40th Birthday - after seeing it alongside the well-traveled State Hwy. 66 in Sevierville, TN (At a house located just across from Floyd Garrett's Muscle Car Museum). Since then, the car has been undergoing a slow, yet rather intensive restoration as finances will permit. The plan is for this car to eventually become a mildly customized cruiser. My third ForwardLooker is a 1960 Chrysler New Yorker, 4-Door Hardtop. Under the hood, the New Yorker has a 413 Wedge hooked-up to a TorqueFlite Transmission. Features of this car include the factory air conditioning, power swivel seats, power brakes, power steering, power windows, windshield washer, 7-button radio, and Imperial-style FliteSweep (Doughnut) decklid. This car was sold new at Hardcastle Motor Company in Columbia, Tennessee… In addition, it is rumored that this was the second ‘60 New Yorker sold in the state of Tennessee (The first allegedly having been registered to then Governor Earl Ellington).
The ‘60 remained in Middle Tennessee, coming to Pulaski under the ownership of my wife’s family... That’s where my connection with the car begins. The New Yorker was previously owned by two of my wife’s uncles, Danny and Brian Martin. Danny first purchased the car, later trading it to his younger brother in exchange for an ATV. For a few years, Brian drove the car regularly… but eventually lost interest in the restoration. The car was then parked outside and generally neglected for about 5 years. In November of 2005, still 6 months prior to our engagement, my wife and I received the car as “an early wedding present.” The New Yorker is a very solid car, needing mainly paint, interior, and a little TLC. In fact, I was surprised to find that the car started easily and ran strong after only a few basic field repairs (i.e. changing out the plug wires, hooking-up a new battery, and wetting-down the carb with fresh gas.) I was able to drive the ‘60 onto a trailer with no problems – aside from dead brakes. This car is now slowly being restored for my wife, who encourages my hobby / obsession with finned cars. I've always had a certain soft-spot in my heart for the old MoPars, 4-Doors and station wagons... These vehicles are becoming harder to find with each passing year. I don't necessarily consider myself as an "owner" of these cars... Instead, I feel more like a caretaker to these finned relics from a bygone era. Hopefully, these machines will still be cruising the streets long after I leave the driver's seat. Thanks for looking and sharing my enthusiasm.
Show Newest Photos First | Show Oldest Photos First53 Photos - Page : [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]


Rear-View photo of the '56... Taken at the "First Annual Greazy Getdown"... This show was held at the Parkway Drive-In Theatre in Maryville, TN. The show was hosted by a rat-rod club known as The Greazy Hubcapz. (Photo by Al Turner)

Ah, The joy and optimism of youthful car ownership... Here I am just days after entering into the world of classic cars. Note the wide smile associated with being young, carefree... and totally oblivious to the amount of time, patience, and money required to maintain this love affair with Fins and Chrome. The '59 will someday cruise again. But for now, I must rely on the memory of days before the restoration began. Unfortunately, I made the common mistake of tearing the car completely down in pursuit of the mythical "Quick" resto. LESSON NUMBER ONE: Take time to ENJOY the car BEFORE you dive head-first into the restoration. If possible, fix a piece here and there... This will enable you to drive the car throughout the process. (Thanks to my brother, Taylor, for continued inspiration - and taking this picture... Not bad photography for such a young man.)

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A menacing, full-on frontal shot of my '59 Dodge... With headlights ablaze (at the suggestion of my younger brother Taylor, then age 8).

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A Driver-Side view of my 1959 Dodge Royal... These pictures were taken at my parents' house during the late summer / early fall of 1998... about a week after I bought the car.


A Black & White photograph of my '56 Dodge Coronet... taken on the Foothills Parkway in Cocke County, TN.

Just a simple Black & White photograph showing the front corner of my '56 Dodge.

Here's a picture of me... Stepping out from behind the helm of this mighty Land-Yacht.

Yet another low-angle shot of the '56. Again, taken on the Foothills Parkway near Cosby, Tennessee.


Another Foothills Parkway shot taken by my friend Brad Davidson. I rounded a curve to see Brad lying motionless in the roadway... As I slowed the car to see what was going on, he snapped this picture and sprang up from the center line just in time to avoid becoming roadkill.

A Partial-Color photograph of my '56 Dodge Coronet... This picture was taken by my friend (and non-biological brother) Brad Davidson, of Blacksburg, VA. We set out for the Foothills Parkway in Cocke County, TN to capture some mid-morning black-and-white shots of the car. This particular 7-mile stretch of the Foothills Parkway can be found off Tennessee's Interstate 40, Exit 443. With skill rivaled only by Ted Turner's video laboratories, Rob Adolfson (another friend - and coworker) partially colorized this photograph.

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Another shot of the interior on my '56 - complete with Fuzzy Dice... Note: My daily driver (a 1995 Ford Escort with 190k+ on the clock) in the background.

A view from the Driver's Seat of my '56 Dodge Coronet... This car still wears complete factory-original seat upholstery... Only the carpet and and headliner have been replaced inside. Two aftermarket front seatbelts have been added for safety. I plan to install four more seatbelts in the future... Three for the back seat, and another for the front bench.
Show Newest Photos First | Show Oldest Photos First53 Photos - Page : [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

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