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.