Chrysler didn't buy the stampings from Briggs in 1954. Chrysler bought the
whole American Briggs auto body outfit in 1953.
I did a little digging through my files and came across an article printed
in the February 1954 issue of "Automobile Topics". Chrysler purchased the
U.S. body-building operations of Briggs for $35 million. What was Briggs
became the Automobile Body Division of Chrysler Corporation. Briggs built
the bodies for Plymouth while Chrysler built the bodies for Dodge, DeSoto
and Chrysler (the opposite of what I thought). Thus no Imperial ever had a
Briggs body, and neither did any 1950's Chrysler Imperial.
Chrysler built Dodge bodies at the Hamtramck plant and DeSoto and Chrysler
bodies at Kercheval until 1950 when DeSoto production was moved to the
former Graham plant on Warren Avenue. The Warren Avenue would built
Imperial cars from 1959 to 1961 Chrysler had opened its first stamping
plant. Nine Mile Press, in 1949. Chrysler also had a body building plant
in San Leandro which opened in late 1953.
Chrysler thus acquired from Briggs ten Detroit-area plants, an automotive
stamping plant in Youngstown, Ohio, and a body assembly plant in Evansville,
Indiana. The total floor space of these plants came to 6,544,584 square
feet on 193.5 acres of land. With the purchase of Briggs Chrysler became
the largest single employer in Detroit.
Briggs's defense work was not sold to Chrysler, with Briggs leasing part of
now-Chrysler's Mound Road and Outer Drive plants. Chrysler continued to
build bodies for Packard and trim materials for Hudson, at least for a
while.
Bill
Vancouver, BC
----- Original Message -----
From: ChiPieAlandPaula@xxxxxxx
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxx club.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 11:47 PM
Subject: IML: Quality Of 57 Imperials
Hello All,
I am offering this comment without sufficient data to back it up. I had
always heard that the reason for Chrysler's poor body quality had to do with
Chrysler's buying of The Briggs Company. In late 1954 Chrysler bought the
outside supplier of it's main body stampings. Prior to this, Chrysler had
bought main body assemblies from this fine old car body company. The first
year of corporate cars to be affected were the 57's. I lived in the upper
Midwest during this time. I vividly remember year old Chrysler products with
the headlights nearly falling out of the fenders!
As an aside, my family car was a 56 Imperial. At 200,000 miles it was traded
on a 59 Imperial. The coachwork of the 56 was exemplary. The drivetrain, and
all attendant systems still operated perfectly. The 59 was just the
opposite. I do remember it feeling newer but at a price in overall quality.
In my opinion, Chrysler never really was able to regain it's reputation for
a producer of high quality automobiles. Everyone that was bought down to the
last NYB had one problem after another. I hate to admit it, but GM really
had it all over Chrysler in overall workmanship.
Okay, I am ready for the "slings and arrows" of other IML members!
Allan from Billings,
Montana
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