Restored with Love, a Town & Country Wagon Takes This Couple Way Back

Diran and Joyce Yazejian are enjoying their senior years in a Metro Detroit suburb about 20 miles north of the city where they were born. They’re car folk, and like many Detroiters of a certain age, they were made that way.  Cars, driving, more cars, and car shows are a big part of their life, and they own a number of interesting automobiles, including the pictured ’54 Chrysler New Yorker Town & Country Wagon. While the big, luxurious Chrysler is among their favorite modes of transportation, it’s not the only classic steed in their stable. In addition, they own a ’34 Dodge convertible coupe, a ’57 Dodge with a dual-quad Hemi under the hood, and a ’40 Mercury convertible powered by a 327 Chevy. 

The Merc is Diran’s second ’40 convertible. He was driving a similar car in the early ‘50s when he met Joyce Adamson while working at an ice cream parlor on Detroit’s Joy Road. He was a student at Wayne State University; she was a senior at Northwestern High School. Diran probably looked good to most young ladies behind the wheel of that Mercury, a car he had bought as soon as he turned 16—that’s what young guys in Detroit did back then. Joyce was a lover of things automotive as well, having grown up in a home where automobiles were held in high regard. Romance ensued, but Uncle Sam called and Darin served a couple of years in Korea, mopping up after the end of hostilities.

With Diran home from Korea, the couple tied the knot in October 1955—nearly 69 years ago. Soon thereafter, they were off to California, where Diran continued his education at L.A.’s Art Center College of Design. If you hope to style cars for a living, Art Center has long been a solid step on the road to success. And it proved exactly that for Diran, who was hired as a Chrysler designer in 1959.

His work at Chrysler took him in many different directions: Desoto exteriors, the turbine car, the heralded ’68-70 Dodge Chargers, the K-Cars, and many other design projects. He wrapped up his time at Chrysler as a studio manager in the ’90s, but his fondness for the brands never faded. That love for things born in the Highland Park design studios made it hard to say no some 20 years ago when a friend, whose efforts to restore a ’54 Chrysler Town & Country had become a burden, asked him to buy the basket-case automobile.

A Chrysler Corporation guy to the core, Diran knew the top-of-the-line New Yorker wagon—just one of 1,100 built—was something special. Priced at $4,023 (approximately $47,000 today), it was an expensive automobile. With Chrysler’s 195-horsepower, 331-cu.in. Hemi under the hood, Airtemp air conditioning, power brakes and steering, and a beautiful wood and chrome paneled cargo area, it was and is a delightful machine.

Like most basket case cars, the wagon was missing some of its parts; most critically, the tailgate. But given the contacts Diran had established through many years of Mopar restorations, he was able to track down everything he needed, including some obscure pieces necessary to return the air conditioning system to working order. Speaking of that air conditioning system, the compressor is a huge 4-cylinder behemoth that is not clutched and is driven continuously, so it does nothing for fuel economy. It was designed to use R-22 refrigerant, like early home and business AC systems. That refrigerant will be banned for all uses after 2030, so at some point in the future, the wagon’s AC system may not be rechargeable. Diran is not worried.

While a pro rebuilt the two-speed Powerflite automatic trans, Diran, who is a skilled mechanic, rebuilt the engine. Topped with a Carter four-barrel carb, it starts readily and runs smoothly. With a ‘50s era/bad gas compression ratio of 7.5:1, the engine develops only 195 horsepower. Thus, the 4,250-lb. wagon is no performance machine, but it does lumber along respectably. It’s more than quick enough for an automobile that was meant to be a luxurious land yacht. 

As is common to some other cars of the era, the power steering pump is driven off the back of the generator. That could require an expensive repair should either unit fail, but so far it hasn’t been a problem. However, keeping that system original means relying on a 6-volt electrical system that is compatible with the generator.

Like many other classic car owners, Diran installed radial tires on the wagon rather than original-equipment-type bias ply boots. The radials are mounted on wire wheels that are a near perfect match for those that Chrysler had offered as an option in ’54. Radial tires are usually the best way to go with an older classic that will be driven frequently. But Diran is a stickler for authenticity and regrets his decision to install the modern tires.

Diran and Joyce obviously have a nice collection of automobiles from which to choose when they want to go on the road. They’re drivers, not collectors, so the road is quite often where they can be found, and the big, luxurious New Yorker Town & Country is frequently their ride of choice.