As automobile-obsessed Americans, we deal with fender benders regularly, mostly involving late-model vehicles.  However, sometimes disaster strikes the collectible and classic cars that we love.  What happens to those vehicles when the damage is not easy to repair at the average body shop?  We have seen numerous cars featured on Barn Finds that have been sent off to Copart and other damaged vehicle auctions when the insurance company simply wrote a check and the owner moved on.  For this 1933 Ford woody wagon, we do not know how it ended up with the seller after it was totaled by the insurance appraiser.  What we do know is that it will need a lot of work to bring it back to its pre-accident glory.  Would you be interested in taking on this project?

The story on this Ford is that it was being hauled by an uninsured truck, perhaps one of those low-cost car haulers we see advertised from time to time.  While being towed, the transporter ran a red light and plowed into a semi.  The next part is a bit fuzzy.  From what the seller wrote, it seems that this car broke free from the trailer and was hit by the car being hauled behind it.  That impact caused this poor Ford to tip over on its side.

Assessing the damage, the seller tells us that the frame is bent on the right front side.  The front end is also heavily damaged, as is some of the wood due to the tip-over.  There is also damage on the passenger rear, which we assume to be where the car behind it struck.  In one of the pictures, we see a ripped nylon safety strap.  Working on the theory that the car was strapped up at all four corners, straps of this size in good condition should have held the car in place.  Either the impact force was incredible, which is not likely due to the limited damage to the rear of the car, or the car only had a few straps securing it.  There is also the possibility that the straps had decayed over time.

The sad part is that the car was in great shape prior to the accident.  In the ad, the seller has placed a video link showing the car’s condition before the unfortunate incident.  The good news is that the pictures reveal nothing that cannot be repaired.  The front end, frame, and chassis are the same on every car Ford produced in 1933, and nearly all of those parts were used on the 1934 Ford automobile as well.  This is a subtle way of saying that parts for 1933 Fords are out there.  While not plentiful, you can get a complete front end if you look in the right places.  One of those places would be in the V-8 Times magazine published by The Early Ford V-8 Club of America.  Perhaps the new owner could put out an ad in the magazine’s wanted section.

Straightening the frame and repairing the minimal damage to the wood should also be straightforward.  Body-on-frame automobiles used to be the norm before unibody construction came about.  While the restoration of this Ford will cost some serious money if farmed out, the overall cost of repairs added to the winning bid will potentially be far less than purchasing another 1933 Ford wagon.  Hopefully, it is brought back to life and not parted out.  It would be a shame for the car to survive this long only to be taken out by an irresponsible individual.

If you have always been a fan of wood-bodied American classics, but your budget is a little too light for a pristine example and you are good with repairs, then this 1933 Ford woody wagon for sale on eBay in Lake Village, Indiana may be your golden opportunity.  With just one day left in the auction, this poor Ford has received no interest with the starting bid set at $5,000.