The heyday of the wood-bodied station wagons was the late 1930s and early 1940s. Ford specifically had gone all in by having its own acreage to provide wood for their wares. As the 1940s moved into the 1950s the Woodies had become increasingly expensive to produce and maintain, so the industry moved to all steel-bodied wagons after 1951. This 1949 Ford Custom, one of a few thousand Woodies built that year, is in rough shape. It’s going to need lots of work and comes with a bunch of parts, including an extra engine!
Ford rolled out a redesigned product in 1949, its first before automobile production was shuttered due to the war effort (World War II) in 1942. When car manufacturing resumed in 1946, Ford and the others could only offer warmed-over versions of their pre-war cars. The 1949 Ford didn’t have new power, as the 239 cubic inch “flathead” V8 was still being employed with a 3-speed manual transmission.
The seller doesn’t provide too many details about this Ford wagon. It looks like it’s been sitting for quite some time and probably does not run. He/she does say that the paltry 33,000 miles on the odometer are original (as opposed to 137,000). The exterior finish is said to be green, though that’s not apparent today. The wood panels are in bad shape and will likely be the most expensive part of the vehicle to restore.
Inside the wagon are boxes and boxes of parts which may or may not add up to a complete vehicle. A second engine comes with the deal, though we don’t know if it’s another flathead. A new interior will also follow the car, likely in some of the boxes. Rust may not be a huge problem as termites would be a more likely adversary. Located in Antelope Valley, California, this Woodie is available here on craigslist for $15,000 OBO. Our thanks to Barn Finder Zappenduster for this tip.
Already gone. At least here in Florida
.The last time I saw one in the flesh
was 1960 or maybe ’62. I was very
young back then and thought they were awesome until Dad told me how
much it costs to keep one in good repair. And then along came Mod Squad! I fell in love with them all over
again! If you could ever have a car
crush, this wagon would be mine.
Being from California, I’m surprised that some surfer hasn’t snarfed it up
yet. Either way, nice to see there’s
still a few out there to be had by the
right person. I’m that person, but can’t afford it!
Seats 6 humans and 6,000,000 termites.
I doubt it sold. You can buy a nicely restored one for under $40,000, and the wood alone to redo this one is over $25,000.
You’re right boxy, $25K doesn’t even
cover the cost of hiring an installer to
put it in for you. Even if you were to
3D print everything, it wood still set you back a princely sum indeed. Might make a print of this one as I
can always find one on Google to use
as a pattern to make it. Only problem
would be the correct shade of green
amongst my art supplies to match
this one. Mercury also made a really
stylish wagon that year too. First time I ever saw an early wagon with
fender skirts.
As I get older, I find that I would like to get a Woodie.This one is a little too used up, though.
Pretty sure it’s been for sale before and if it’s one already maybe the wife was pushing to sell it.
I think the cement mixer was one of the accessories that year