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We have a new member who has a long wheelbase 1952 sedan and he would like to know if it is a carry all or just a 8 passenger sedan.
It has 2 jumper seats that fold out from behind the front bench seat.
One way he might be able to identify it is based on the wheelbase. According to the information on the club website ( https://www.desoto.org/1952-2), the 8-passenger would be a longer wheelbase (139.5" vs 125.5").
Hopefully, someone with more knowledge on the seat configuration and the different body styles can chime in.
Going by memory and institutional knowledge, a Carry-All was a standard wheelbase sedan with a fold down rear seat that created a long loading floor behind the front seat, similar to a station wagon. The "trunk lid" laid down like a tailgate in a station wagon, with special lighting that rotated so that stop and tail lights would be visible with the tail gate down. The Carry-All had no jump seats.
As David indicated, the 8-passenger sedan had a longer wheelbase with suicide-style rear doors allowing better access to the rear passenger compartment. There were two folding jump seats immediately aft of the front seat, allowing 3 passengers up front and in back and two more on the jump seats.
Please feel free to correct any of this information.
I spoke to Mark Waite and he says it's an easy answer. He said to open the trunk. The 8 passenger sedan has a metal X brace behind the rear seat in the trunk. If there is no X brace, then it is a Carry All.
