| skeets | -- 08-06-2011 @ 11:15 PM |
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Hello - As one with limited (if any) knowledge of station wagons, I'd like to know: 1) If the 1937 Ford ever came with individual tudor-like folding seats, rather than a bench seat, for the middle row (see pic), and 2) If the rear seat offered no more legroom than that afforded by having the seat cushion attached to the floor (see pic again). Thanks!
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| supereal | -- 08-07-2011 @ 11:11 AM |
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A treasure of information about Ford woodies is a book by the late Lorin Sorensen titled "Famous Ford Woodies". The '37 section contains a dozen pages on the '37 wagons, alone. The photos show folding center seats, and the third (back) seat was placed on a riser to provide leg room. An interesting fact is that the wagons were actually available with whitewall tires as an optional accessory, together with a spotlight, heater and defroster, locking gas cap, and chrome wheel trim. I don't know if the book is still available, but it is a must for all woodie fanciers. This message was edited by supereal on 8-7-11 @ 12:05 PM
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| ford38v8 | -- 08-07-2011 @ 11:33 AM |
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The book is available. Original publisher was Silverado Publishing, reprints by Ten Speed Press. Prices start below $30. Alan
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| MG | -- 08-07-2011 @ 3:14 PM |
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Available from Amazon. Click on this link: http://www.amazon.com/Famous-Ford-Woodies-Americas-Favorite/dp/1580085482
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| Stroker | -- 08-07-2011 @ 3:44 PM |
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The rear seat in a 37-38-39 IS pretty close to the floor, and like the center seat, was removable by simply tipping it forward and lifting it out. The photo shows a number of "modifications" besides the seats, such as the wooden floor covering, exposed metal back on the front seat frame, one piece rear door windows, missing rear and door window latches and a wooden rear window frame. I assume the pictured car was built using available wood kits, with quite a bit of license taken for missing parts. If you raised the rear seat much, you would have a headroom issue, as the raised rear portion of the floor puts the stock seat at about maximum height. The proper center seat only seats two, and has a walk past gap on the passenger side. It is however possible to install the rear seat in place of the center seat, as there were two sets of floor sockets to accommodate either one. This allows 3-wide seating in the center seat, and leaves the area behind it available for luggage/cargo. The "creative" wood rear window frame is kind of understandable though, as the proper metal frame is only available from one supplier, and the going price is a Grand for just the frame. The middle seats are hard to come by, as many wagon owners used the aforementioned full rear seat in the middle, and left the little center seat in the garage. These were often separated from the car, and lost. My 38 lost it's center seat in a fire while out of the car, and I ended up buying another 38 (a rotten hulk) in the 50's, just to get the rare center seat. That donor car paid off a couple of years later when I had a very bad accident with my wagon. This message was edited by Stroker on 8-7-11 @ 4:22 PM
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| skeets | -- 08-07-2011 @ 10:16 PM |
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Thanks for all the info - it's really helpful. I'll be checking out the Sorenson book, but it doesn't look like folding seats for the middle row was a factory (or dealer) option - although later used as a substitute for missing two-seat benches. It appears I've been looking at a listing for a car which has been made to look pretty, but where the term "restoration" was used rather loosely.
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| trjford8 | -- 08-09-2011 @ 8:32 AM |
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That happens a lot and doing your homework before buying a car will save you a lot of $ down the road.
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| Stroker | -- 08-09-2011 @ 2:27 PM |
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Skeets: None of the early woodies had folding center seats, but the center and rear seats were easily configurable to suit the task at hand. One minor caveat on the Sorensen book. Many of the photo's are factory views of prototypes which may have some detail differences from production wagons. Other than that, it is a wonderful resource book on Ford wagons. If you are shopping for various years,and want good views of correctly restored wagons; check out the R&M Auction photo's from the Nick Alexander Collection sale in 2009. Most of these wagons were almost like new when he acquired them, and his very professional staff corrected any "rough edges" without deviating from "As Henry Built Them". Good luck in your quest, and when you find the wagon of your dreams, by all means join the National Woodie Club.
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| Stroker | -- 08-09-2011 @ 3:25 PM |
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Skeets: I went on the St. Louis Car "Museum" and sales website, and that 37, while nicely executed, has many historical "issues". The designer, E.T. Gregory would vomit at the placement of the stringers, and treatment of the bottoms of the front doors. I don't understand the right-hand only tail light, (since it is a left-hand drive Ford), All three seats are "bogus", and the fixed panel above the rear window is about 6-inches taller than it should be. In short; it has been "constructed" from very few original parts, and not much research regarding what is correct. It is "glossy", and very well detailed, but it is wrong!
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| 42wagon | -- 08-10-2011 @ 3:15 AM |
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Skeets Just looked at the St Louis Museum and Sales web site. I won't get into what is wrong with that car because Stroker has already hit the high points. All I can say is that hopefully whoever buys it has his eyes open and knows what he is getting is a "phantom", a car that never existed in the Ford line up. Beautifully done but a Phantom none the less.
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| TomO | -- 08-10-2011 @ 7:45 AM |
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The roof doesn't have the nice lines of a Ford Station Wagon. It looks like the header from a later convertible was used to form the header on the St Luis Museum wagon. Tom
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