1940 Ford V8 DeLuxe Woodie
Mention a Woodie to someone and most people will instantly
visualize endless summers, surfboards and bikini-clad damsels while Beach
Boys tunes echo in their minds. The Woodie Wagon (regardless of year, make
or model) holds a special place in the heart of Americana. Woodie fans all
have their favorites, but in the end, it's all about the wood - and the
more of it, the better. Wood evokes warmth. Warmth means summer. Summer
means beaches. Beaches mean surf and surfers and surfer girls (at least
to those who grew up in the 50's and 60's). And all of the above is enough
to set one to daydreaming and visualizing themselves behind the the wheel
of a classic like this '40 Ford Beauty. Not even the Beach Boys had a ride
this sweet.
Woodies were the first Station Wagons. And for those of you
who don't know where that term came from, it goes back to the days when
almost everyone travelled by train, if they travelled at all. Cars of the
time were specially modified (at first individually by their owners, and
later by the makers), to carry passengers and luggage to and from the train
stations and their homes. The term stuck and has been used ever since to
denote cars with extra space for passengers and luggage.
Of course, to accommodate the extra interior space, you need
a larger body, and in the early days metal was more expensive than wood
as a manufacturing material. Until the late 30's and early 40's most all
cars and trucks used wood in body construction (some more, some less). Even
when you couldn't see it, it was there, adding strength and rigidity to
the body. In the case of early wagons, it was decided to save money and
make the bulk of the body out of wood and to let it all show. Besides, there
were a lot of out-of-work, horse-drawn carraige makers that needed employment
and knew how to apply their skills to the horseless versions. Since woodies
were work vehicles made for short hauls, many early models did not come
with glass windows because they were not considered worth the expense.
As we know, Henry Ford came up with quite a few innovations
that revolutionized auto manufacturing. He was always looking for ways to
cut manufacturing costs in oder to stay ahead of the competition. In 1929
he opened a lumber mill in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and began milling the
wood used in the construction of Ford bodies. He broke further ground by
being the first manufacturer to offer Woodie bodies as a regular catalog
item for buyers to choose from. By the late 30's he was not only processing
the wood, but also making his own bodies (the only manufacturer ever to
do so).
By the late 30's, wooden construction costs surpassed that
of metal construction and the old Station Wagon went from being a work vehicle
to a toy for the rich, or vehicle for sportsmen (grandpa's SUV). They went
from being called "station wagons" and "depot hacks"
to "Estate Wagons", and began receiving things like glass windows,
heaters and other amenities. After the war, GI's returning home to start
families recognized the utilitarian value of these vehicles and began snapping
them up, which prompted auto makers to make the station wagon the family
car of choice for the next several decades. The sales of woodies peaked
in the 50's, by which time much of the "wood" was simulated and
the bodies nearly all metal. Soon, if real wood was used at all, it was
an "accent" bolted to the body's exterior.
Many classic car officianados consider '39-'40 Ford body styling
to be best that Henry ever produced. Take that basic fender, hood and grill
styling and then add a varnished wood body, and you have one of the most
elegent and eye-catching vehicles you'll ever lay eyes on.
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Hot Rods & Custom Stuff, 2324 Auto Park Way, Escondido, CA.,
1-800-HOT-ROD-5.
Hot Rods & Custom Stuff - builds, restores, paints, services
and sells parts for classic autos, cars, trucks and street rods.
1940, Ford, Woodie, woody, v8, deluxe,
surfboards, bikini, wagon, 40, beaches