The term ‘woodie” (or “woody”) was coined to refer to the wood-bodied station wagons of the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1950s, they were gone as building and maintaining these vehicles had become cost-prohibitive except for the wealthy. The last true Ford Woodie was produced in 1948. With the production redesign in 1949, the panels were now affixed to the all-new steel bodies. The seller’s 1949 Ford Custom has been in storage for the past 58 years and will need a restoration. Kudos to Barn Finder T.J. for directing us to this old Ford!
The station wagon concept – along with the Woodie — evolved simultaneously after the Great Depression as they were marketed to shuttle well-to-do patrons to resorts, country clubs, and other fancy locations. Of the ones with bodies made of wood, the process of creating the intricate panels was time-consuming and expensive. Ford Motor Co. invested in its own forests to supply the wood for these transports. But all the hand labor that this involved would eventually make the production of these vehicles a money-losing proposition.
The beginning of the end for Ford’s Woodie came after World War II was over. From 1945 to 1948, their vehicles were warmed over 1942s, so the Woodie remained in production. However, with the redesign of its cars in 1949, Ford realized it needed to cut costs, and the Woodie was gradually replaced by the all-steel wagon. The 1951 editions would be the last where any real wood was used. The Country Squires of the 1950s – 1970s used fake wood applications.
We’re told this 1949 Ford has been in hibernation since 1966. Perhaps that was because of mechanical issues at 99,000 miles as both the “flathead” V8 engine and manual transmission have been removed. Their condition is unknown, but the buyer can have them if he/she wants (no photos). The seller says the wood is in decent shape (except for one of the doors), but that could be the most expensive part of the restoration. The interior is said to be original, too. Located in Castro Valley, California, this last of a dying breed is available here on craigslist for $14,500.
Ahhhh…wood from the beautiful town of and near Kingsford Michigan- right up here in God’s Country- The U.P. of Michigan. Ford had quite the thousands of acres of wood so that Henry wouldn’t have to depend on an outside source. The camps were rebuilt and the water tower with the Ford logo is standing proud. A great place to visit and relive the good old days..
Edsel is correct. The towns of Alberta, Pequaming and, I believe L’anse (and countless others) all had Ford sawmills. Pequaming still has a large brick structure and the water tower with Ford script and Alberta still has the sawmill standing. It is a beautiful area for a Fall color tour.
Yup and ole Henry ever the entrepreneur started Kingsford charcoal company with all the wood scraps!
Yes, some millionaire please buy and fix.
This is to nice to let go.
The “woodie” became the classic surfer’s car for a couple of reasons. The first is that you could throw your surfboard in the back (boards were around nine and a half feet long in those days) and let it hang out the back window and you didn’t need a surf rack and you could lock the board in your car. The other and the most important reason is that woodies were cheap and surfers didn’t have any money. They were cheap in the early 60’s because they rotted and to keep them up was a pain, and nobody wanted them. While the passenger side wood isn’t bad, almost all the wood in the drivers side is going to require replacement. Unless you really have some serious wood working skills and want to use them it’s best left alone.
Didn’t the “Mod Squad”have an episode end with their beloved woodie buying it
Yes, but the “Mod Squad” woodie was a Mercury.
I’ve always been puzzled why wood station wagons held on so long, especially at the lower end of the market. All steel sedans were around since the 20s, and Chevy/GM came out with all steel wagons on their pickup chassis in 1935. The first SUV I guess.
Because wood is beautiful, especially oak.
Looks like the entire tailgate wood is gone, along with one tail light. Easy enough to replicate the bigger, thicker pieces, though wondering if the thin flat pieces are plywood or just one kind of wood milled down. The longer, thicker piece for the door can be replicated by steam bending and doing a lap joint under the vertical pieces. What concerns me the overall condition of the existing wood. It may need a lot of effort to have it accept a finish.
Just saw a fully updated one sell for a hair less than $40K, and that was with a updated mechanicals. Might be interested in this one at $7K to bring it alive again.
I traded a 12 gauge pump shotgun even for a 1950 ford woody’ in 1963sold it to a friend who had a large family for 125.00$ Sorry ever since!
Was once a beauty, now a lot of work. Patina? Maybe see what kind of scraps are out in the barn.
Nice this one survived the beach…..looks good to go – with a new driveline.
seems like a decent # for it. would nice redone
The asking price seems OK, but that is just the tip of the ice berg. The restoration of the wood could start at 10 K if you’re lucky. To do it from scratch could be 10 times that number. I had a woody and I absolutely loved it, it was more fun to drive, everybody was just all smiles when they saw it. It seems the prices of woody’s have gone down a lot in recent years. I think if you really want one you could find a better example and save money in the long run
This 49 Woody was part of my Dad’s collection. He passed away last December. The body is solid and in good shape and there is only minor surface rust. There is no rust in the floor. The garage where it was stored did leak a bit and unfortunately that is how the drivers door wood got ruined.
The price is negotiable. Ken
We did find a local buyer and sold my Dad’s woody for 12k
Ken, Congratulations, I think that could be a good deal for you and the buyer, depending on how talented he is, if he can do most of the work.