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Another Woodie Story

My Woodie story started back in 2001…I was looking for a Woodie (wife’s maiden name is Wood…as if I really needed an excuse?) to build.

At a family gathering my nephew mentioned the best man at his wedding had one that his Grandfather bought new and gave to him in his will after he had passed away. I immediately had delusions of grandeur thinking this would be a cherished family heirloom tucked in the back of the garage and covered with blankets, only needing change of oil, a little gas, and some clean-up to drive home.

After spending months trying to get a hold of the “Best Man” (He’s single and travels all over the world) I called his mother (your Mother always knows where you are and what you’re doing!) and she gave him the message.

…Finally!

The conversation when something like this…I understand you have a 1950 Ford Woodie and you may be interested in selling it?
…Yes, my grandfather bought it new and gave it to me a few years ago (there go the chills up my spine). It’s on my stepbrother’s farm in the barn now and he would like me to move it because he needs the room (Oh, Oh…it went from a nice warm garage covered with blankets to a barn, and little pigeon stuff…but I’m still OK & excited!)
…Do you have an idea how much you want for it?
…Well a guy looked at it a couple years ago and said it was worth about $750.00 (Oh boy, there goes the chills and driving it home!).
…I see…either he was trying to steal it from you or it’s really, really rough. I’d still like to meet you and take a look at it, when is a good time?

So we met at the farm in February of 2002 (about 2 degrees above 0, this is in Minnesota, remember!) see the photo’s.

The guy wasn’t trying to steal it, it was a mess, the stepbrother had pushed it into the cow pasture a few years before and it was up to the rocker panels (what was left of them!) in frozen manure. The cows had been using it to chew and rub on, the wood was punched full of holes. The floor, rockers, and I found out later the frame was rusted, full of holes, it was to thin to use, GONE!

As you guessed like so many car nut, wacko’s I bought it anyway. Some how justifying it by seeing beyond the holes, rust and missing parts to what it once was and what it could be again!

After taking inventory…I bought another Woodie out of a bone yard, totally trashed, I think a tree fell on it years ago, the guy in the junk yard couldn’t believe I wanted it. Remember the rusty frame from the cow pasture…that’s why I needed this one.
Very good friends of mine, Bert Rogers, with help from Butch Nelson & I (you find out who your real friends are when rusty metal and possible tetanus is involved) set out to build/rebuild the frame, while another friend Tom Fritz started replacing some of the sheet metal.

Not so fast forward…the new frame is done, waiting for paint. With a Fatman Mustang II front-end w/tubular upper and lower control arms, new reinforced center cross member w/under the floor power brakes. A 9” Ford rear-end from a “58 Ford found two miles from Bert’s house (Murphy’s law, after looking high and low all over Minnesota for months, I find one two miles from home!) It now sits w/3:50 gears and Trac-lock on new Posies springs.

The new frame is currently under the car, as a true master of sheet metal; Tom Fritz @ Customs Classics and Rods is re-making and fitting the new firewall, floor; floor bracing, rocker panels, basically the bottom 1/3rd of the car.

I found a nice ’50 blue four door that I drove for a couple years before it gave up it’s front clip for the Woodie, and it’s nice running flathead V-8 & transmission was put in a Rat Rod ’23 T that Bert & I build in our spare time!

Wood is good,

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IN THE BEGINING…It Was Junk!

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