Body manufacturers

["Bill Watson" <wwatson@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ionia built 4-door station wagons for Dodge in 1954 by taking the
Chrysler-built Dodge 114" wheelbase 2-door wagon and stretching it to 119"
inches and convertiing it to 4-doors.   The book, "Cars of the Fabulous
'50s" has a photo on the bottom of page 184 showing a truck load of Dodge
4-door wagon bodies ready for the drive to Detrot.  Not sure how Ionia fit
in for the 1950-52 Dodge / DeSoto / Chrysler or 1953-54 DeSoto / Chrysler
all-steel wagons, though.

As for Packard, Ionia did the Caribbean model for Packard in 1953 by taking
the Chrysler-built Packard convertible body, modifying it and finishing the
car (paint, interior, trim, etc.).   Body modifications were basically
confined to the rear quarters of the car - opening the rear wheel openings
and grafting on the taillamp housings from the larger Cavalier/Patrician
series.  The regular production convertible used the taillamps of the
smaller Clipper series.    Ionia did the same in 1954, except for the rear
wheel openings.

General Motors was, perhaps, Ionia's largest customer, as Ionia built the
station wagon bodies for Oldsmobile and Buick from the ealy 1940's into the
1960's.

Derham did a fair amount of conversion work on Chryslers during the late
1940's and into the early 1950's.  But the bodies were Briggs/Chrysler units
supplied to Derham to do their work.  I also read somewhere (can't remember
where, right now) that Derham did the interiors on the Crown Imperial
limousines.  But the completed bodies were supplied by Chrysler.  The Crown
Imperial body was shared with the long-wheelbase DeSoto and Chrysler until
1954 and the long-wheelbase Dodge until 1952.

Bill
Vancouver, BC



----- Original Message -----
From: "A. Foster" <monkeypuzzle1@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2002 2:30 PM
Subject: Re: IML: Body manufacturers


> Bill;
>  Where did Ionia Manufacturing fit into the picture? It was my
understanding
> that they did a lot of body work for Parkard and also made the earlier ste
el
> station wagons for Chrysler. On an Imperial note, wasn't it Durham that
put
> together the Limousine bodies in the late forties and early fifties.
> Best Regards
> Arran Foster
> 1954 Imperial Newport
> Needing A Left Side Taillight bezel and other trim parts.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bill Watson" <wwatson@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2002 10:26 AM
> Subject: Re: IML: Body manufacturers
>
>
> >
> > Budd made bodies for Dodge Brothers until 1929 or 1930, and they were
the
> > first with an all-steel body (touring car) and the first all-steel sedan
> > (Dodge Brothers, 1928).  The unitbody on the Citroen Traction-Avant was
> the
> > work of Budd and they had a hand in developing the unitbody on the 1941
> Nash
> > 600.
> >
> > Budd does make a number of the larger stampings for both Chrysler and
> Ford,
> > and used to do quite a bit of the body stamping for Studebaker.   They
did
> > not (and do not) make the whole bodies, though, just the stampings which
> > manufacturers like Chrysler, Ford, et al would use, along with stampings
> > made by themselves and other outside suppliers, to make their own
bodies.
> >
> > One small footnote here, when Chrysler bought Briggs Body, Briggs was
also
> > making bodies for Packard.  Chrysler gave Packard a two year notice when
> > they took over.  Thus the 1953 and 1954 Packard bodies were built by
> > Chrysler for Packard.
> >
> > Bill
> > Vancouver, BC
> >
> >
> > > I have an ad that I posted a link to some time ago when I
> > > won it.  It is a 1953 Natl Geo ad from Budd touting thier
> > > wirk making Chrysler bodies.  Where do they fit into the
> > > current thread?
> > >
> > > =====
> > > Kenyon Wills
> > > 6o LeBaron - America's Most Carefully Built Car
> > > 73 LeBaron - Long Low & Luxurious
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> >