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Hipster Hit: 1990 Ford Country Squire Woody Wagon

I miss the Ford Country Squire wagon of my childhood, so seeing the one found here on eBay certainly brought back lots of memories. The one in our family was a sixth generation 1968 beauty – white with a Naugahyde interior in a color of green not found in nature. Still, it was our nation’s first SUV in the truest sense of the word. It was a massive, seats 8 or 9, sports utility vehicle.

Like ours, this 1990 beauty (the second to last year before Ford phased this model out) has the Omni-important flip-up rear seats. In our house, you didn’t call “shotgun” when running to the wagon, you yelled “cannon seat!” to claim your stake in the back. That way you could whittle away the commute home making funny faces at passerby’s, or in my case – staring at Kelly Skibbiness, who was sporting the Farah Fawcett feathered haircut before anyone else.

Unlike those of us who grew up in the 1970’s – everything on this 45k survivor still works! The owner states it’s been a CA car its entire life, has passed the stringent CA smog inspection, and the AC still pumps out frosty air (in case you’ll be keeping it in the likes of California or Arizona). It’s still in remarkably good shape, with the tan interior and carpets all showing little wear, and no rust visible anywhere.

Since everything old is new again, and this is the wagon of another generations childhood memories, I can believe the seller when he posts that his son took this beast on a road trip with his band – and it was a big hit with clubs that they played. This woody, the last of the big metal, big engines, big fun era of car production – has all the elements needed to be a hipster hit!

Comments

  1. Avatar Aaron Crabtree Member

    Looks a lot like this one!
    https://barnfinds.com/survivor-wagon-1989-ford-ltd-country-squire/
    EDIT: But they are different cars!!

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  2. Avatar John M.

    The wagon looks real good with the Magnum style wheels mounted on the BF Goodrich rubber. Style with lots of utility. I like it.

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  3. Avatar Miguel

    Why did you call it a Country Squire Woody Wagon. That is redundant.

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  4. Avatar 68custom

    As John said the wheels really make this wagon look right. I could imagine building a 351 Windsor or a stroker version to make this hauler really haul! the condition of this one is amazing! of course I would retain the EFI.

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    • Avatar Graeme

      To my eye, Mag 500’s only look good on a 60’s or 70’s car.

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  5. Avatar Gene Parmesan

    I’m sure people are tired of me professing my love for the Squire every time one gets posted, but this is the second time I’ve seen one on this site that is almost identical to my car and you guessed it: I love it. I’m considering that magnum wheel and beefy BFG Radial tire combo for mine even though I vowed to leave it stock.

    Admittedly I’m a sort-of hipster-looking dude, and I can confirm that hipsters like the wagon, though honestly most people just like it because it’s a rare and silly sight.

    Here’s my ’91, “Vern”.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Bob

    That is an interesting, well kept, desirable car. I have an LTD station wagon from the mid 80s that I bought for the 460 and the running gear. The reason I find this car interesting, is that the seats on the models I have, a 71, 429 cu in LTD, and the mid 80s unit, both have the rear seat facing backwards. Was that an option that a person could order the side seating?
    I drove the mid 80s car, and aside from it being large, it was a very nice, comfortable car to drive.
    I would sure like those wheels for my 67 Caliente.
    Bob

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    • Avatar Miguel

      You have a mid ’80s car with a 460? Do you mean mid ’70s car? The 460 was long gone in the LTD by that time.

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    • Avatar Paul D Hudson

      I think that would have to be from the Mid=70’s if it has a 460. The smaller car like in this barn find had a 255, 302 or 351 small blocks only. They first came out in 1979. Our 1965 Colony Park had the rear facing seat while my Aunt’s 1965 Country Squire had the two facing rear seats. The 1971 and 1972 are my favorites. The 1967 and 1968 are sharp too. Actually you can’t go wrong with any. The last ones with the 5.0 and fuel injection got 20+ MPG on the road. I had a 1989 Crown Vic and it could get up to 25 MPG. The older models struggled to get 12-15 MPG.

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      • Avatar Bob

        I have an excuse for not knowing much about the year of the car, because I only bought it as a donor car.
        I am attempting to post a picture.
        Bob

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      • Avatar Miguel

        That is a ’75 – ’78.

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      • Avatar Bob

        Thanks for helping to identify the year.
        I have a use for the engine and rear end, or I would seriously think of selling it as a barn find. The interior was really nice when I parked it.
        Bob

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      • Avatar Miguel

        You can sell the interior on Ebay. I am sure somebody out there needs it.

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      • Avatar Bob

        I never thought anyone would be looking for the station wagon interior. It has been sitting in the weather for a few years, but I will have a look to see if it is still in a condition to put them up for sale.
        Bob.

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  7. Avatar Warren

    Currently doing a resto on my 67 Country Squire with a 428. Mine has the rear facing seats, air, power windows and power seat. I climbed into the rear facing seats to take a break and almost was not able to get out, as I am not that “kid size” anymore:). Wagons are a quirky area of the hobby and that is what I like. I think I may go the Magnum 500 route also while keeping all else as original as possible.

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    • Avatar Miguel

      I feel sorry for you having to deal with the power windows. What a screwed up system that was.

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      • Avatar Warren

        They were pretty rough as none worked but I figured them out and all are working now. Combo of shorted, badly spliced/rat nest attempt of re wiring, missing switches and frozen motors. Found the NOS switches I needed but not cheap. The window motors are cheap and plentiful though.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Miguel

        I hated the fact on my ’69 Mercury and my ’67 Continental that all of the switches have to be in working order and if one window doesn’t work, none of them do.

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    • Avatar Gene Parmesan

      Nice! Jealous of your older, cooler, big block car. But hey, us wagon folks gotta stick together! Agree with that rear seat sentiment. Even the side-facing seats in mine are miserable unless you’re around 4 feet tall. May your resto be swift so that another rad behemoth from bygone days graces our roads.

      Like 0
  8. Avatar CanuckCarGuy

    Growing up we had a ’79 Mercury Colony Park wagon…the sister car to this Ford. I still remember the electronic ignition module failing and the car stalling at the most inopportune times…. but it was a great car despite that. These are very hard to find, in any shape, here in Canada.

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    • Avatar 68custom

      Those variable venturi carburetors didn’t help much either!

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      • Avatar KKW

        The VV was actually a pretty good carburetor, a good theory of operation. Their enemy was their environment, dust, dirt, and rotten gas, keep them clean, and they worked quite well. The EEC III system was the real issue during that period, and thankfully it came to pass.

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  9. Avatar Madmatt

    Now that is a sweet family Truckster…😎…..
    Boy,….. have my kids been missing out……🤔
    Man….I need a wagon…..!!!😀

    Like 0
  10. Avatar dwise

    I bought an 82 colony park like this back in 1992 for 500 dollars .
    I was pretty much a kid at the time raising 4 kids.
    My ex-wife hated it and everyone thought it was the ugliest car ever but I got the most miles with very little trouble out of that car I have ever had out of any car.
    It had 80000 miles on it when I got it and the only thing I did to it was put a timing chain in it.
    After the timing chain that little 302 seamed to have way more power, and got better mileage. I usually got 20 to 25 mpg in it in MN and that thing was a tank that went through weather that some of my 4×4 trucks in the years past did no better.
    I remember one trip with all my kids in the back going up interstate 35 from Kansas City to MN with 6 plus inches of snow and getting worst the whole way, I stayed in the left lane moving on as watched many cars and trucks 2 and 4 wheel drive spin out and some roll, I made it back home to my ex-brother in laws 30th birthday party on time that day.

    That old car was still going strong at 170000 miles when I was just tired of it and wanted something different.
    I gave it to a friend of mines son for his 1st car and it made it to well over 200000 miles for him.

    That variable venturi carb never ever gave anything but good gas mileage in all that time

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  11. Avatar Adam T45 Staff

    I’ve never been a huge fan of the Woody Wagon, but this just ticks the boxes for me. What I find really interesting is that in spite of the cultural and motoring similarities between the US and Australia, the woody never took off down under. By the end of the 60s they were consigned to automotive history here. Funny old world.

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  12. Avatar Gray Wolf

    Are we running out of old barn finds ? Come on a 1990, when do we cut the line??

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Miguel

    I didn’t know I had to be a hipster to drive one of these. Can anybody tell me what a hipster is so I can drive one of these with no worries?

    Do I have to be a hipster if the one I am going to drive is wrapped up to be a police car? It is red right now so I could make it a fire chiefs car, but I like black and white better. I have a big ole light bar to go on the roof, just for fun.

    Here is a picture of the front and below the back. Can anybody tell me the difference between the car here in Mexico and the US version?

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Miguel

    Here is the rear. This car has the 351 so it has that going for it.

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    • Avatar KKW

      The back-end looks much different, never saw one like that.

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      • Avatar Miguel

        The rear end is from the Mercury brother to this wagon.

        Just like some other Fords, and other makes, Ford sold a half-breed that year. The sedan had Ford both front and back, but the wagon was Ford front and Mercury rear.

        Like 0

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