The Feature Car
The fine looking Woodie
featured in this article was restored by owner Gary Wright, of Danville, CA. Gary, a
native Southern Californian, found the car while attending college in North Carolina in
1974.
San Francisco:
"Woodie" is a Southern California Surfing term from the Sixties that made its
way into mainstream vocabulary after being introduced to pop culture through records and
radio by groups like The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean. These wood bodied station wagons
were originally expensive, hand-built cars that were favored by dude ranches, country
clubs and farm families. They were the "sport utilities" of their day.
By the early 1960s, they
had become the favored coastal transport for wave bound surfers. There seems to be some
sort of link between their wooden construction and the wood used to make early surfboards.
By the time Woodies became the rage, surfboards were made out of Fiberglass. Go figure. In
any case, if you have something as long as a surfboard to haul around, what better way
than a warm, wooded classic, oozing with rural American charm.
Since the Sixties, these
wagons have been coveted collectors items. They are of such demand that old cars with
splinters instead of wood are being lovingly restored. Custom made wooden bodies are
showing up on modified sedans and sports cars. This "Classic Drive" features a
very rare 1938 Ford Woodie that is all original, right down to the mechanical, rather than
hydraulic brakes and two speed Columbia differential.
A Little History
1938 was the worst year for
auto sales since 1933, when the country was still reeling from the depression. 1937 was a
pretty good year for Ford. A sleek streamlined front clip featuring Lincolnesque teardrop
headlamps and the availability of a new more economical 60 hp Flathead V8, helped turn
wishers into buyers. By 1938, people in the market for a new car had already purchased,
while the rest were waiting for the nation get back up to financial speed. The major
reason that one sees so few '38 Fords is that they didn't make all that many of them.
Though built on identical
chassis, there were actually two different 1938 Ford bodies. The Standard models were
quite similar to '37s, save for a body colored horizontal slat grille that extended down
the sides of the hood. Deluxe versions featured unusual dual kidney shaped front grille
openings that were sort of stylized versions of the contemporary Lincoln design. 1938 is
the only year that Ford would paint, rather than plate the Deluxe grille.
The station wagon, built on
a car chassis with Deluxe front end sheet metal, was still considered a commercial
vehicle. For the first time, the wooden body came standard with glass side windows and the
side detailing was far less fussy than in previous years. There still was a side-curtain
option, but few buyers ordered it and it was dropped for the next model year. This was one
of the few years that Ford chose to mount the spare tire on the inside of the wagon,
bolted to the rear of the drivers seat, rather than out back on the tailgate.
THE CLASSIC DRIVE
Once behind the wheel you
realize why this was considered a commercial vehicle. The wooden doors are solid, simple
and trimless, and much of the hardware is exposed. No wood grained dash or soft mohair
here - just lots of brown metal and tan leatherette. This baby was built to work - and
last.
Start it up and the
familiar Flathead V8 growl greets you. Slip that long, long shift lever into low gear, let
out the clutch, and away we go. As we run it through the gears all of those Flathead
memories come back in spades. For a low priced car, these Fords fly. The power range is in
just the right place and you have to get it up to unthinkable RPMs to even make it sound
uncomfortable.
We did this drive on a
number of two-lane canyon highways near Gary's home and could get the Woodie up to a
better than pretty good clip. This is where the archaic chassis and all of its soon-to
be-rectified deficiencies become quite apparent. The mechanical brakes are, at best,
dangerous at speed. Call me a wimp, or possibly inexperienced, but unless the brakes were
applied with just the right amount of pressure the car would just "do things" I
didn't like. While this braking system might have been OK on a model A, it is not
acceptable on a car with a Columbia two-speed rear end that is capable of a sustained 65
MPH!
All Woodies handle a bit
like rear-engined cars because of all of that heavy bodywork out back. It's intensified in
the Ford due to its "darty" feeling in the steering, produced by the I-beam
front end and lack of a front sway bar. Gary's wagon is better than most in the front end
department but in its totally stock configuration combined with those lovely looking
bias-ply whitewalls, it produced handling characteristics that require ones complete
attention. This car liked to find and follow all of the imperfections in the road and
squirm like a lizard on concrete highways grooved for rain and traction.
To be fair, the car was
generally great on the freeway and Gary had no apparent problem driving the wagon a full
15 MPH faster than I was willing to do. Now I understand why hot-rodding was almost
necessary on any early Ford V8 that was going to be driven hard. But hard driving is not
what this car is about. Everyone smiles and waves, even if you are driving a bit slow on a
winding canyon road. It's a cruiser - and what a cruiser. Everybody loves a Woodie. By
Rick Feibusch © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Byline: By Rick
Feibusch © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
Column Name: Everybody Loves a Woodie
Topic: '38 Ford Woodie Station Wagon
Word Count: 970
Photo Caption: '38 Ford Woodie Station Wagon - Owner: Gary Wright
Photo Credits: Rick Feibusch
Series #: 1999 - 25
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