Station wagons with real wood bodies became somewhat popular in the 1930s, but interest died off in the early 1950s as they were expensive to build and maintain. Ford continued the “woodie” look by instead using fiberglass strips and decals attached to the metal, like on this 1954 Mercury Monterey. It’s one of three wagons that the seller has for sale in Stanton, Nebraska. It may or may not be complete but would look way cool when restored. It’s available here on Facebook Marketplace for $4,000. Thanks for the nifty tip, NW Iowa Kevin!
Ford Motor Co. needed to fill a void between its Ford and Lincoln-Zephyr products and developed the medium-priced Mercury line in 1939. That move would prove successful and the Mercury would live on until 2011 when economic conditions brought about a consolidation in the market. During the heyday of the “woodie” wagons, both Ford and Mercury offered them, and Henry Ford had his own tree farm to serve as the source for wood bodies. But 1951 would be the last year for that design, and from 1952 forward all of the company’s wagons used all-steel bodies for these people movers.
But the look of the lodge delivery units still appealed to buyers, so Ford (and others) went with the appearance of wood without actually using wood which was hard to keep fresh. Fiberglass strips with decals began to appear on the sides and tailgates of these wagons, prompting Ford to continue using the name Country Squire for many years to come. The seller’s 1954 Monterey is one of more than 11,600 “woodies” built that year. The seller references having three wagons for sale, the other two being from both 1953 and 1954. This trio can be purchased as a package deal for $6,500, but the photos largely depict the primary one advertised.
Having had at least three owners, this ’54 Monterey should have Mercury’s Y-block V8 engine under the hood, paired with a 3-speed automatic transmission. We understand these were more powerful than their flathead predecessors. This vehicle hasn’t likely run in some time, witness the missing radiator cap. The fiberglass “wood” pieces are off the car but seem to be stacked up in and around it. So, we assume it’s fairly complete to launch a full-blown restoration. If you took the other two wagons, perhaps they’d serve as donor vehicles for parts.
These look amazing when restored. Top of the line here, almost like a Lincoln. It’s going to take a lot of work to bring this one back, but results will be worth it. And 6500 for all 3 is a fair price. I hope somebody steps up.
Nice FOMOCO wagon!
And a little different that your average ford find being a mercury.
A bit of work to get it back into shape as a driver. But for me I’d sell off all the fake woody bits to someone who cares. I’ve never been a fan of country squires.
Price seems right as long as the rust is minimal and the parts are all there.
This could easily be upgrade with factory parts to be a nice daily driver.
Bottom line a wagon with a difference being a merc.
Nice FOMOCO wagon!
And a little different that your average ford find being a mercury.
A bit of work to get it back into shape as a driver. But for me I’d sell off all the fake woody bits to someone who cares. I’ve never been a fan of country squires.
Price seems right as long as the rust is minimal and the parts are all there.
This could easily be upgrade with factory parts to be a nice daily driver.
Bottom line a wagon with a difference being a merc.
Surfin’ Safari!
54 Merc has a real special place in my life as I was chauffeured around in a Merc 54 Park Lane as a baby. The old man got a new Merc every year from his work but kept the 54 for my ma. She was all of 5 feet and about 100 pounds but could throw that 3 on the tree barge around with no PS or brakes through Chicago winters like a pro.
Had one, it had real wood trim.
My dad;s other car , which is the first “stick shift” I learned to drive at about 14 years old, was a 51 Ford “woodie” the body was steel but the wooden panels were wood, not fiberglass. It seemed like dad spent a lot of time every year scraping and re-varnishing the wood. It would have been much easier to deal with had we a garage to keep it in.
Not after `51 you didn’t. Yours must have been an older model.
It may have been a 1050, now that I rethink it.
Thanks Will Fox, it was black with auto, ps, pb, deluxe interior including radio. it had metal patterned as wood grain and around the edges of the patterned metal, actual wood that was slowly rotting away and mom always said to be careful when me and my brother waxed it. Wide whites and awesome wheel covers with the god of mercury i think they were, on the center of each hubcap. I rest.
Hello
1950
In 1970 when I was in high school I had a 1954 Merc Monterey 9 passenger wagon with fold down middle seats, 70/30 split bench, and full width third seat. Had a three on the tree with overdrive selector under the dash. Had the 256 OHV V8, manual steering and brakes. You got a real work out trying to maneuver at slow speeds. We had a lot of fun in that tank back in the day.
The first car I remember and have a picture of is a turquoise ’54 Mercury two door.. We had it until 1959 when the addition of a couple of kids made the postwar father unit buy a grey Plymouth wagon. Nothing but dull grey or black cars from Plymouths to Chevies to Buicks to Chryslers from then on, No more two doors . no more fun :)
This would be a heavy lift given it’s condition.On the plus side you just need din noc sheeting and some fibrglass imitation framing to give the illusion it was a real woodie.