Wood-bodied sedans and station wagons came into their own in the 1930s, though they date back even further. They were a thing of beauty when maintained, but doing so as well as building them was an expensive process. So, they disappeared in the early 1950s. The seller bought this 1947 Dodge “woodie” about 10 years ago and has since disassembled it for restoration. And that’s where things lie. Located in Berlin, Massachusetts, this labor of love awaits a second (or third) chance and is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $5.000.
Ford was perhaps the most invested in the wood-body wagons as Ole Henry owned his own tree farm to supply the lumber. Dodge, it seems, outsourced their bodywork and had a contract with J.T. Cantrell & Co. to affix the wood bodies on a chassis supplied by Dodge. Estimates are that Cantrell produced about 200 of these wagons through the end of the 1940s. After that, the industry and Dodge moved to all steel in their wagons because it was more cost-effective. Perhaps Cantrell built this wagon nearly 80 years ago.
The seller of this 1947 Woodie had plans to return it to its original glory, but got to the point where his woodworking skills weren’t up to the job. Redoing one of these wood bodies requires specific skills and a decent-sized bankbook. The photos show it on a trailer when the seller no doubt acquired it, while others show it in bits and pieces. Everything is apart except for the engine, which used to turn freely. The seller has a supply of ash plywood that may suffice for the project.
We’re told the frame is all set and ready to go. And the seller has a machine to reproduce the running boards as the originals were shot. Most of the sundry pieces have survived, like the front seat, glass, and various trim pieces. Depending on where you are, the seller may be able to load it all up and bring it to you. Do you have the resources to bring this classic back to life? Kudos to “Zappenduster” for this termite’s delight of a tip!
Unfortunately this is a puzzle that will likely never be pieced back together. There aren’t many craftsmen left that can take on the wood aspect of this car. There was a feature on Barn Find Hunters several years ago of a shop that only did woodwork and restorations on these old Woodies, he had accumulated templates for many makes and models, then his shop was lost to a fire. That probably doomed many restorable Woodies. As mentioned, this will be a labor of love, which likely won’t find its match, it has too much going against it.
Steve R
Boooo…..if the left side doors look like the right – it doesn’t look that bad…..yep the as found trashy pics look forlorn but it’s buildable, The roof and back doors look like the challenge – a good woodsman will knock it out.
Wow. Considering this `47 Dodge is a truck-based woodie and not car-based, that alone makes this an interesting restoration project for the right buyer! How many of these can possibly be left? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these.
GLWTA!
I don’t know as for my knowledge of shops out there the only one i would trust to restore it properly is FantomWorks in Norfolk, VA but i would not be able to afford to have it done however i know they would do it right
I would think that Fantom Works would charge about half a million dollars and five years effort to restore this car to their specs.
ALL these projects sure do come apart easily!
It’s that “Putin Em Back Together” part that is a real expensive, time consuming and a never accomplished PITA!
this guy ripped it apart realized he did not have the mad skills to put back together so he is bailing out. so typical.
Yeah, but at least he tried, and now he’s learned something. No way to know unless you start the project, and maybe the next one he takes on he’ll complete. Gotta give him kudos for effort…better than sitting on one’s hands wondering.
I sure wouldn’t kick this one out of my shop. Mechanicals wouldn’t be a problem at all but the wood part might be a challenge.
Even though I’ve never taken on a woodie restoration project, I wouldn’t turn one down. As long as you’ve got the pieces to use for templates, or access to the blueprints, and took your time, anyone with a decent set of woodworking tools and some grit could do this.
The completed project is always worthwhile.
I met a guy, a CPA in his main occupation, at an air show some years ago. He found a wrecked 1933 WACO cabin biplane out in the boonies. After bringing the hulk home, he got hold of the Smithsonian and was able to access the blueprints to the airframe. It took him five years but he did an excellent job duplicating all the wood, repairing the metal frame and then covering with fabric and dope. The restoration was even featured in an aviation magazine, and he flies it regularly.
After seeing what this guy started out with, nothing scares me…
Great story. What’s the woody in the background?
I wish I knew what that truck was. A friend of mine sent me that pic. I’m planning to take in “Woodies on the Wharf” next year. Hopefully some of those trucks make it back…
That’s the later Dodge 1949-1956 style cab – the one in the back ground looks like a Power Wagon based.
The dimension lumber is the key here. Needs to be sourced and kiln dried. Doing the surface planing and creating the templates and jigs for the curved pieces is just time consuming. Steam bending isn’t hard and it appears that not much is needed. I used to restore antique furniture, so I have an eye for this. Though at my age, I’d rather devote my time to my grandkids.
If I were restoring this woody, the first thing I’d do is install this steering wheel, because I could.
Sadly someone took this thing apart prior to putting it up for sale. Any restorer, even a novice knows this complicates things. If you take it apart yourself, you have a better understanding of the issues, and putting the puzzle back together. Dependent on your skill level, access to tools, and a large work space – reassembly is possible. Considering that most filler panels are flat, and furniture quality sheets of speciality/species are correct and available, this aspect is do-able, other aspects would be more challenging. Conversions to wood bodies are often done, so not impossible.
Taking something like this apart gives one an invaluable knowledge of how to put it back together.That ship has sailed. At this point the project will require someone who is genuinely experienced in this specific type of restoration. I suspect that these folks are sadly now few and far between. It would be really nice if this could be returned to being a viable vehicle. The seller will need to connect with someone who has specific skill sets, plenty of time and deep pockets. Truly, GLWTS.
Any restoration starts with picture taking, sometimes a couple hundred. Wonder if that was done before the seller started this train wreck. Just the wood frame work on any 1920s or 30s steel car is a project as it is, often taking many months. Unless they have the shop , equipment, and experience for this work, the only knocking that’s going to be done is the potential buyers head against the wall.