After remaining a part of the same family for the past 53-years, the time has come for this 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe Woody to head off to a new home. This is a car that is said to be completely original and unrestored and has no immediate or urgent needs. Barn Finder Ikey H spotted this great old Ford for us, so thank you so much for that Ikey. The Woody is located in Banks, Oregon, and has been listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner is asking $49,950 for this post-war classic.
As I understand it from the listing, the Dynamic Maroon paint, along with all of the timberwork, trim, and glass, is all said to be original. The car has remained in the same family since around 1966, and the original owners were known to the current family. The first thing to note is the fact that the timber all seems to be in good condition, with no signs of warping or rot. Its finish is starting to deteriorate, and I would probably fix this to prevent timber rot. The body itself also looks quite sturdy, and its cause has no doubt been helped by the fact that the car has always been garage-kept. The paint is beginning to look tired, but it certainly remains presentable if the next owner is insistent on retaining as much originality as possible. The owner makes no mention of the state of the floors or frame, but given the car’s history and external state, I would actually be quite confident about how solid these areas are.
The generally clean and tidy presentation is carried over inside the Ford, and if anything, the interior appears to be even better than the exterior. The preservation of all of the internal timber is very impressive, and the painted surfaces, while not perfect, still look very good. The upholstered surfaces present well, and apart from the hula doll on the dash, it doesn’t look like there have been any aftermarket additions to the interior.
Powering the Ford is the 239ci flathead V8 engine, producing 100hp. It is backed by a 3-speed manual transmission, which sends the engine’s power to the rear wheels. With the war having ended the previous year, manufacturers such as Ford and GM were now free to return to the production of civilian vehicles. They found themselves in an enviable situation where they simply couldn’t produce their cars fast enough, so great was the public demand. Because civilian vehicle development had stopped during the war, manufacturers had little choice other than to reintroduce their pre-war models slightly modified. However, these still sold in substantial numbers. For instance, in 1941 Ford managed to sell 9,485 Super DeLuxe Woody Wagons. In 1946, Ford was essentially offering the public the same vehicle with minor upgrades. Did the buying public hesitate? No, because Ford managed to sell 16,960 Woody Wagons in that year. The owner says that this Woody starts right up, and that it runs and drives really well.
Choosing to part with a classic car after so many years must be a tough decision, but that’s the decision that this family has made. While it isn’t perfect, this Ford Super DeLuxe Woody is an original survivor, and to me, that makes it better than a pristine restoration. The car remains in good condition, but every little mark and scratch tells part of the car’s story. It gives the car character, and that is something that you simply can not fake.
I’d keep it as close to this condition as I could, even the old snow tires for shows and perhaps another set of wheels with new tires for the road trip. Hard to find an original woodie in that condition so they might get the money.
Banks, Oregon is my hometown!! Population 500 in the early 90’s, never saw this around, wish I had!
I’ve never seen an unrestored one so nice. That’s dreamy.
Just keep the woodpeckers away from this baby.
Original for sure; hard to duplicate. A thorough cleaning by a competent professional would make this a “stunning’ survivor. Probably a great story to accompany but 7 photos doesn’t help sell this car. Some observations – not to be critical- but potential buyer needs be provided some decent close up photos of wood finger joints throughout; inside and outside photos of “D'” pillars[particularly near roof] ; photos of all doors [opened/closed] with some photos showing condition of interior door panels. Several “underneath” photos would not hurt in building some confidence.
Although the 7 photos provided could be better, (as could my eyes), it appears something might be going on near edge of roof and back window; right rear fender is different color? ; cover missing on spare; aerial looks unusual; can’t tell if 3rd seat present/available.
Thankfully all barnfind brothers and sisters have refrained from “woodie” humor thus far. GLWTA
Be still my heart.
Be closed my wallet. I love it but can’t afford it.
Part of the reason woodies stopped being produced, in addition to the labor involved, was that they got rattled apart after miles of rougher roads. Remember that all roads weren’t paved when this was new. Given its age and the number of miles undoubtedly traveled, and with fading paint that probably wouldn’t be quite as “patinaed” if it had been stored indoors its whole life, Id want to look deeply for water seepage in loose joints and cracked varnish for rot. As beautiful as these are, they can still be quite of bit of work just keeping up with the wood. With all that said, this has been at the top of my list of desired vehicles for fifty years. I’d take this one in a heartbeat. I just cant swing the price.
Forgive my ignorance, but is that a canvas roof, laid over wood slats? Was it done to save steel, or just for aesthetics?
Oh boy! I can look all I want but can’t touch.
That (the roof) is the way it was done, on the real wood wagons of the time
All it needs is a couple surf boards sticking out of the back and your ready to go to the beach!! Such an iconic car from that era!! I’m glad examples of these have survived!!
Oh boy I get to play Howard A here………He says……..(in an august tone) . Well……..first off I think the price is on the low side. ( of course I have a restored ’47 Super Deluxe so my interests are obvious).
That said, I would say this seller is not very involved in the Woodie community because no one there would refer to a wood bodied vehicle as a “woody, though not all that important. Given that observation, original is always the best ( says the owner of a restored one) but……….restoration of the wood bits could run you as high as 20 K depending on the extent of the rot. Or hopefully the absence of same,
The engine block ought to be dark blue…perhaps the light, but the block looks like a metallic blue. The roof came from the factory black, often changed as they deteriorated. It is padded vinyl.
The ’46 and ’47 Ford wagons ( and all Fords for that matter) have numerous differences most prominent among them the placement and shape of the parking lamps on the front end. The ’46 has rectangular lights on either side of the headlights with red striping on the chrome grill pieces. The ’47 had a round parking lights under the headlights and no red striping on the chrome. The interiors dash instruments were also different. in face size and paint colors.
There’s really not enough info in the ad to go on other than long term ownership which normally is a plus. I’m guessing it doesn’t have a Columbia 2 speed rear end. That alone can cost you up to 4-5 K and a necessity for freeway driving.
All in all pending an inspection with a wood bodied restorer, a decent place to start if you have the money to buy it. But it’s going to take half again as much to get it to where the average car nut would want it to be. Happy to see a woodie on BF
THIS car has “patina” (not that sand off the paint, leave it in the rain for three months and then clear-coat it nonsense)! If it were mine, I think I’d want to track down the exact original formula of the varnish used on the exterior wood, and maybe some DuPont DULUX or DUCO paint for the right rear fender, but that would be the extent of my “restoration” (more like conservation/preservation).
Only thing is, I’m currently about $47k shy of the asking price, so it ain’t gonna happen for me. But I hope someone might treat it similarly….
Iconic Wagon.
It was an eye opener to research prices.
Average condition accord to NADA is 75 grand. Pristine condition is over 100 grand.
Looks like this one at this price is not out of line. Of course check your Wood first.