This ash-trimmed Chrysler… wait, ash-trimmed? Aren’t those the trees that are being cut down now because of the emerald ash borer disease? Why not refer to this car as a woodie wagon? That would be another approach, other than the only real wood is the ash trim that you see falling apart here. The seller has this rare 1949 Chrysler Royal Station Wagon posted here on craigslist in beautiful Santa Ana, California, and they’re asking $15,950. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Gunter K. for sending in this tip!
This car is very rare in station wagon form, only around 850 examples were made in 1949 and reports say that around a dozen or so are left. They regularly sell for close to and often times over six figures when restored. The ’49 Royal was Chrysler’s entry-level car and was their first really new post-war design. As with the upper-end Town and Country wagon, most of the “wood” was actually painted metal panels, which ended up being revised by Chrysler with an early Di-Noc-like material with a mahogany look. Only the ash trim was real wood. You can see that that wood trim has seen better days on this car.
1949 was Chrysler’s 25th anniversary and for the Royal Station Wagon, the one-year-only spare tire compartment was built into the rear hatch. That’s probably the easiest way to tell the ’49s from the 1950 model, which was the last year for the Royal. The seller says that this car has “rust and damage”, but it’s hard to tell. It looks pretty good to me, metal-wise, it’s that ash trim that needs help.
The photos are a bit of a jumble inside, but you can see that more work is needed inside this partial woodie wagon. The seller lists it as having an automatic, which would have been Chrysler’s optional Fluid-Drive semi-automatic transmission, so you still see a clutch pedal. A three-speed manual would have been standard. As a nine-passenger wagon, this car had a lot of room despite riding on the smaller wheelbase for this line of cars, at 125.5 inches. The longer 139.5-inch wheelbase was reserved for the eight-passenger sedan. The seats all look good whether they’re the original style or material or not. Both rear seats can be removed if a person really needed to haul a lot back there.
The seller lists the engine as an eight-cylinder, but the only engine available would have been Chrysler’s 250.6-cu.in. L-head six, which would have had 116 horsepower and 208 lb-ft of torque when new. They say that it “runs maybe”, and it looks cleaner than I thought it would, although the engine compartment is a different color than the body panels. At a little over two tons, with unassisted drum brakes at all corners and no power steering, this car would be a chore for daily driver duties, but it would look great restored.
Great writeup. To add some, the term “woodie” was more of a slang word, not many car makers used that term, these were simply station wagons. This was a transition era, as all metal wagons, like the Willys were coming in, and wood, which all station wagons were made of previously, were on the way out. People still wanted the wood look, and this was it. The wagon, usually was the highest priced vehicle, with only a convertible next. They were very expensive and time consuming to make. A stamped metal panel that LOOKED like wood, eliminated all that. Obviously, you aren’t going to drive a car like this with an anemic flattie 6, and you can bet your sweet bippy what will replace it and that’s okay too. Just no clown wheels and puffy interiors, PLEASE. Neat find of a very rare car.
Thank you, sir! It’s a heck of a car and it doesn’t look that bad to me, other than the boing’d wood trim that’s popping off. Restored cars have sold for well over $100,000 so that asking price doesn’t seem too unreasonable if a person wanted to gamble on restoring it. Or, gasp, adding a modern drivetrain to make it a nicer driver.
Almost all the wood has beed replaced wqith icorrect pieces so there is nothing left for patterns.
Looks like the Griswalds Family Truckster
With a rebuild, I think you could liven up that flathead a bit to make it an adequate driver. Might have to add an over/under after the tranny if you want highway speeds. Electric power steering is a relatively easy and invisible upgrade these days that doesn’t require any new belts or pulleys. Just might have to go to 12V, and there are alternators available that are made to look like the old generators. I hope this one is worth saving.
Or just save all the headache and go buy a Hyundai and leave this car to an enthusiast to save instead of destroy.
My 49 Plymouth steering went 7 1/2 turns lock to lock.
The steering wheel was huuuge.
Full on driver power.
You must have had the optional Armstrong Power Steering (often came with the 2-40 Air Conditioning)
It looks like someone with no woodworking skill attempted to replace a lot of the trim, the right side doors and back hatch in particular. This is going to compound the restoration effort, as the original trim pieces won’t be available to use as a pattern.
Are we sure this car left the factory as a woody? It looks suspiciously like some goofball tried to create a homemade woody. Clearly, he didn’t know his ash from a hole in the ground.
LOL! Comment of the year!
All seriousness aside though, it looks terrible.
It blows my mind, that sellers can list a car. And not know how many cylinders the engine has. Quit having your teenage daughter write up your cars.
Why are you insulting the teenage daughter? I’ll bet that she could count the 6 sparkplugs. 😉
I will try, “Things I wouldn’t touch” for $500 Alex…
I like the “runs maybe” comment in the ad. Should of said complete and if it’s locked up or not but didn’t attempt to get it running. This car is a really cool and rare …money pit imo. Like someone else here said now that some bozo went to home depot and tried using off the shelf lumber to fix it the old ones for templates are gone. You’ll sink 6 figures in this car easy.
With the publishing of this hideous looking vehicle, henceforth, any complaints about the looks of an early 60s Dodge Dart or 1950s Nash are invalid.
I doubt any of us will see this lumbering down the road anytime soon.
Clearly the previous “restorer” lacked the skills to build a picnic table much less this hardwood hardtop…
A “lumbering” woody!
Most excellent bon mot.
Looks like a Plywoody to me!
I was thinking more along the lines of “Woody the Wood Pecker”.
On the plus side the tires hold air. I’m going to go out on a limb here and profess that Chrysler Corporation didn’t install the ash at the factory. I’ve built decks with more precision. So as other readers have pointed out; the original trim is MIA and the opportunity for using it as a template is no longer available. Still, there are craftsmen out there who could reproduce the trim. I’m not one of them although I was pretty fair wood butcher back in the day. This could be a good deal for someone with wood working skill. The rest of the car is mostly all there and not a hard restoration. Done right this would push six digits. I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody plucks this one.
Looking at the overall condition of this one, It’s going to take a heck of a lot of labor to restore. Sellers comment it runs “maybe”? Turns me off, big pass on this one.
I wonder it it’s priced by the car or by the cord.
No, not all cars had stamped metal panels as he said.
Ford used a decal for the darker wood look on the door skin, and a fiberglass trim for the “wood”.
My Dad had a ’57’ country squire, and I later helped prep for repairs on station wagons with my Uncle at the body shop.
If there are truly only a dozen or so left, unless someone is playing “Musical Chairs” with them, I find it highly doubtful that “They regularly sell for close to and often times over six figures when restored.” What constitutes “regularly” with a population of 12?
Yeah, it’s a mess as for the patterns. I worked in an old body shop ions ago. At the time one of my daily rides was a 58 Caballero which were custom done from Century 4 door hardtop by Iona Coach. But prior to wood fading from wagons Iona furniture made all the wood panels for those cars. We had an old crash book that contained all the wood pieces, car makes, diagrams of wood parts and measurements of the various pieces and prices. So diagrams, photos and other info exist to bring this back.
This car has generated allot of interest. Old Chrysler’s always do.
The owner could find someone with some heart and sell it for 5K and hope it gets rebuilt, not restored. Most probable will become a parts car. And save several cars instead. Sometimes for the greater good sacrifices need to be made.