Wanting a woody wagon

Discussion in 'The Welcome Wagon' started by Mandy Sinclair, Jun 5, 2014.

  1. Mandy Sinclair

    Mandy Sinclair New Member

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    Hi, I am wanting to buy a woody wagon but just not quite sure which one I want. Love the town and country 50's shape, really like the wood surf board on the roof look. We don't see many down here in NZ. I would also love one that came with a V8. Would rather keep it original and not put a v8 in a car that only came with a 6 cylinder. any suggestions? The 3 row wagons are cool too will help me take all my family and friends.
     
  2. Jim 68cuda

    Jim 68cuda Well-Known Member

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    If you're looking for a woody with real wood, the only Chrysler woody wagons after WWII were the 49 and 50 models. After 1950, all the Chrysler wagons were steel bodied. Personally, I like the looks of the 1940-1948 Plymouth woody wagons better, but Plymouth didn't have a V-8 till 1955 (long after the days of real wood).
    If you want real wood and 8 cylinders, then your best option is probably the Ford and Mercury woody wagons. 1951 was the last year for the Ford and Mercury woody wagons (though the 52 Country Squire had a little bit of wood trim added onto the steel body. Some of the GM wagons used a little bit of real wood up through the 53 model year. The 53 Buick woody wagon has an 8 cylinder under the hood and is a beautiful wagon, but extremely expensive.
    If wood like (not real wood) trim is acceptable, only Ford and Mercury used wood-like trim on their top wagon models once real wood was considered obsolete. Chrysler and GM didn't add fake wood to the sides of wagons until 1965 (Dodge 880 wagon) and 1966 (Chevy Caprice wagon).
    Chrysler and Plymouth got fake wood in 68 and Buick Olds and Pontiac got fake wood in 67.
     
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2014
  3. AK27

    AK27 Well-Known Member

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    Welcome Mandy! Good luck with your wagon search.
     
  4. Stormin' Norman

    Stormin' Norman Well-Known Member

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    Jim, you're full of surprises! You need a woody too. That kind of historical knowledge is rare just off the cuff like that! Kudos!

    Welcome Mandy. California is the best place to look for real wood replacement kits, if you find one you like.

    My other hobby is woodworking. I'm hoping to restore my aluminum trim on my Fairmont Squire, without the plastic woodgrain, but years ago, I owned a clock factory, and bought real wood veneers for our lines. We would prototype our designs using top quality wood veneers with an all weather adhesive backing. If you get a model you like, you might want to research that. There's only a handful of those self-adhesive veneer firms, but it is an outstanding product. Any major exotic lumber dealer can give you sources, and most of them can send you free samples to test your finishes on them.:wave:
     
  5. ModelT1

    ModelT1 Still Lost in the 50's

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    Welcome Mandy and good luck finding your woody wagon, real or modern vinyl. :Welcome:
    Jim that was some great information. :thumbs2:

    Quoted by Stormin Norman---->Jim, you're full of surprises! You need a woody too.------------- It's true, we all do now and then.:banana:
     
  6. Stormin' Norman

    Stormin' Norman Well-Known Member

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    Ah, woodies, yes, I recall those ones too!:rofl2:
     
  7. Jim 68cuda

    Jim 68cuda Well-Known Member

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    I'm not quite sure how to respond to that on a family friendly forum. I guess I could just say I don't need another "woody" unless you're referring to a steel bodied Country Squire. But that's not a real "woody". Still, I wouldn't mind a 66 Country Squire or a 63 Colony Park, or a 66 Monaco woody wagon. But I need to finish my current projects first and move to a home with a bigger garage before I start thinking about another wagon.
     
  8. fannie

    fannie Well-Known Member

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    Impressive and useful info...not sure why the others are so surprised by your wealth of information...not me I knew you were right smart...:D


    :Welcome:to our group Mandy hope you find that wagon soon.
     
  9. Mandy Sinclair

    Mandy Sinclair New Member

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  10. Mandy Sinclair

    Mandy Sinclair New Member

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    Hi Jim, thanks for your information, you've helped me realise that if im going to have a woodie it may as well be made of real solid wood. Def liking the pre 49 ones. So many though to pick from, well not that many for sale, and at an affordable price, but what a choice for model. My father in law is nearly finished building a cuda with a hemi(of course) to race over in nz in our historic muscle car class - a Dan Gurney replica, so maybe a Plymouth will be in keeping with that. I race a v8 so might be quite nice to drive a cool car and enjoy the scenery in a 6 cylinder. nothing wrong with that. Great info thanks Jim.
     
  11. Jim 68cuda

    Jim 68cuda Well-Known Member

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    Plymouth made some very nice looking woody wagons in the 40's. There was little to no visual difference between the 46-48 model years. The 46-48 Plymouth woody wagon like this pretty maroon '47 has always been my favorite woody wagon. This one showed up at a local car show four years ago. It wasn't for sale.

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  12. Jim 68cuda

    Jim 68cuda Well-Known Member

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    The pre-war Plymouth woody wagons aren't bad looking wagons either. This 41 showed up at a local show on Sunday ( the same show the 47 was at four years ago). This 41 was not for sale either.
    Any real wood bodied wagon you find will be expensive. If you find one that needs restoration, be aware that you will likely need a master cabinet maker as well as a body shop and mechanic. Try to find one that doesn't have wood rot or termites.

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  13. Jim 68cuda

    Jim 68cuda Well-Known Member

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    Just noticed that other thread about the blue Plymouth woody for sale. You may have noticed that the paneling on that wagon is a lighter shade than the paneling on the maroon 47 Plymouth wagon I posted pictures of. That doesn't necessarily mean one of them is incorrect. The 46-48 Plymouth Deluxe station wagon was available with a choice of Mahogany or Light Maple panels.
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