History How many of you grew up riding in the back of a station wagon?

62 Ford Ranch Wagon! Seating was by age so my little brother and I were way in the back with no 3rd row seat. 10 miles of dirt roads where ever we went and the dust would poor in around the back glass. No heat in the rear and the car had no A/C. You need to be tough in Gosper County Nebraska!
Walter

 

Not quite a wagon but we rode around, unrestrained, in the back of utes and panel vans; Ozzie equivalents of your small pickups, Rancheros and El Caminos. Panel vans were the equivalent of your sedan deliveries, not the larger panel trucks..

 

The last wagon my dad owned was a 74 caprice estate wagon,same color with the wood grain,everything power and a 454 engine,dad loved that car and drove it until he passed away. HRP

 

My Dad bought this '56 Monterey new in Dec 1955. Our family traveled pretty much the whole USA with it during the next 12 years. At about 85,000 miles he had the 312 re-built. In went a WCFB and Thunderbird cam ( 4000# + hot rod ? ). The image was taken on my senior prom night. In spring of 1967 Pop replaced the "Woodie" with a 63 Caddy. Fresh out of high school, i bought the wagon from him. At 135,000 miles I wrecked the car one night just before entering the USAF in Feb 68' Sure wish I still had that car.

 

56 chevy nomad was my ride when I was 2 or 3 years old. I just now figured out why I love wagons.

 

No wagons, but we did ride around in the back of my dad's 55 Chevy 2nd edition pickup.

 

No doubt about it you were a "Dapper" young man in that photo! HRP

 

Best one was a '73 Plymouth Satellite station wagon my friend used to borrow from another friend of his. Just a 318 auto in it, but it was built like a tank! We were doing donuts in the supermarket parking lot one night with the headlights off - went zooming across the parking lot at 50 mph, turned on the lights, and there was a shopping cart right in front of us. Didn't do a thing to the car, although I'm sure the shopping cart suffered a bit of damage...

Dad had a '74 Subaru wagon that rusted away to nothing, but you couldn't kill it. Then he traded it in on an '82 Escort wagon. My brothers and I took it out one night to see how fast it would go. We tried, but couldn't get it to top 72 mph.

Had a '95 Saturn SW2 ("The War Wagon") that was pretty quick and always returned high 30s mpg. My son has it now; has 385k on it, never been apart. He drives it like he stole it, too!

 

My mom and dad had a 1958 Ford Country squire wagon. That car took us every where from home to the Jersey shore and also to the Poconos every summer. Dad finally traded it in on a 1967 Ford Fairlane wagon. It was beautiful until some drunk rearended me and my date one night. We were ok but the wagon was totaled. No more wagons after that.

 

I've posted this pic before of my Dad's '55 Chevy station wagon...I remember driving to Fontana Lake in the mountains to go fishing when I was about 5...
Dad's on the left

 

I was with my dad when he bought a new 59 Ford Wagon, one of 4 Wagons
He had over the years. He used a wagon for his business, what would be now called a 7-11 with a lunch counter and ice-cream. None had air. most were 6 pass.

 

I was with my dad when he bought a new 59 Ford Wagon, one of 4 Wagons
He had over the years. He used a wagon for his business, what would be now called a 7-11 with a lunch counter and ice-cream. None had air. most were 6 pass.

 

What was air. conditioning back then???? ., an open vent window, or the back window down. lol.Bruce.

 

We had a 57 Pontiac wagon ,salmon and gray color , 60 Oldsmobile, gold color and the last wagon 64 Pontiac Catalina green in color with a/c , no car seat for us kids and we rode in the back , played with toy cars and trucks Good times I was about 10 when we got our first wagon. All of them used. Dad liked big gm cars He never owned a Chevy. We had Cadillac, Pontiac , Oldsmobile all nice big cars. Thank for the post a good trip down memory lane for me.

 

Yeah we did just about the same thing in a '79 F-250

 

Dad ordered a new 1961 Chevy Nomad wagon, white with red accents, third row rear facing seat. Went on many long trips in that car facing backwards with the power tailgate window rolled down a bit for "fresh air" from the dual exhausts. Usually listening to Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons on the am radio and smelling exhaust and Red pack Marlboros. I threw up in that car a lot too. To this day, I hate riding in trains facing backwards and wonder how much smarter I'd be without all those dead brain cells.

 

We always rode in the back of pickups. I remember laying in the bed of a 64 F100 stepside with my father and listening to the coon hounds run. That old truck would go anywhere. This was before people thought they had to have a 4wd to get off road.

My father grew up with wagons. He and my grandfather camped and fished out of a 59 Ford country squire.
Before the 59 my grandparents had a 46 Ford Woody. They had some of the wood replaced and when it rained my grandmother would have to pull the latch and bump the door with her shoulder to get the door to unlatch, then lie down in the seat and kick the door open.

 

My Dad Work For the Ford Motor Company Dallas, Texas Assembly Plant on East Grand. The Plant was Built in 1925, it had Moved from the
Plant at 1900 Main Street & Commerce Street. Which was Built in
1914. The East Grand Plant is still in
Use as Commerical Contractor Warehousing. The 1914 Plant Building is also being used as Commerical Offices. It's know as the Adams Hat Factory Building. While Working at FoMoCo on East Grand.
My Family Bought 3 New Station Wagons. 1St was a 1960 Green 4-Door Wagon with a 390 Automatic
Starliner Trim, on each from fender, there was a Jet Gun Sight Cross Hair
Chrome Bezel. 2nd was 1965 White & red interior, Country Squire Woody
Side Panel & Trim. It had a 390 Auto-
Matic, the Tailgate had fold down gate & a Door gate. All built into One.
This was a (Ford's Better Idea) & Patent by FoMoCo. That Wagon was
Beautiful & Fast. The last was a 1971
Green Ford Country Squire with a Big Block 429 & Automatic, same TailGate Option. My Dad work in the
Cushion Dept. & on the 65 Squire, he
Over done the Packing of the 2 Back
Facing seats. When you folded the seats down, you couldn't Close & Lock the Seats. The Line Inspector Red Tag the Car. But, my Dad told
The inspector it was his Car, & he pack the seats that way. Because us
Kids, had Broken down the seats Springs in the 1960's Wagon. By Jumping up & Down. He Work there
From the Late 1940's till it Closed in
Late February 1970. They were making 1971 Model Cars & Trucks. So, he worked & Help Build all 3 wagons, every Year we went on Vacations to the LongHorn Caverns,
Galveston Beach, Brownville, Old Mexico, the Alamo (we Saw out Great, Great Great Uncle Name Below Crockett Statue, Issac Millsaps, Carlsbad Caverns, Santa Fe, Pueblo Indian Reservation, White
Sands, Fort Bliss, Big Bend, San Marcos Water Gardens, China Gardens, New Orleans, Johnson Space Center, AstroWorld 1965, Big
Thicket, Huntsville Prison Rodeo, Marfa Lights, Fort Sam Houston, Monterrey Mexico, Ozark Mountains,
Rockies Las Vegas N.M, El Paso, Judge Roy Bean, Pecos, Tx. Kilgore,
Oil museum, Jefferson Tx, Dealey Plaza, ford Plant Tour, all three Wagons had a Decal with a Larriet Rope with Saying ( Built in Texas by
Texans) long before the GM Plant in
Arlington Tx. My dad has Passed, but I've got hundreds of memory's of
Him. The best was bring your son to
Work Day, if your father had a Job, that didn't interfere with his Job Duty's. you could Stand By & Watch.
His Duty's on the Line was to put Seat Coats on the Seat Frames & Hog Ring the Covers on., or install
The seats into the Cars, repair any
Problems with seats, etc. there was a old timer who was a Navy aircraft Carrier Seamstress, who would go down to the Army/Navy Store on East Grand. He'd Buy Salior Caps, Die them Black, Cut Pie Wedge's in the Brims, ( Like JugHead in Archie's Comice Strip$ Use Gold Thread & Write the Boy's Name on the Cap. At
Lunch time, you'd go into the FoMoCo Caferteria. They had Stainless steel Trays, With Ford Script Embossed & Lazy Side V/8's stamped into the Tray's. Ford Script
Spoons, Knives & Forks. Ford Script
Creamer Jars, Butter Dishes, Plate's,
Coffee Cups, all in Ford Dearborn Blue Script. It was a Thrill to go to the Caferteria! An I haven't even Mentioned going thru the Factory Tour. From the 4 Grade to the 6 Grade, my dad would tell us about him setting with my school for the
Open House Tour. Anyway, it's something I'll never Forget & one of the Reasons. I'm Ford Crazy' as, We
Always had a Ole Ford Car, Pickup,
Farm Truck, or Tractor. Sometimes,
My Dad had to work overtime on Saturdays in the Car/ Truck Storage
Yard. He work Write up's to Repair Car/ Truck Interiors Problems, so at
Lunch my mother & I would take him a Brown Lunch Bag. So, I got to stay
With him the Rest of day! I spent my
Time Setting in Cars, pickup's & F-250/F-350 Trucks. I'll never Forget Just How Well cars/ Trucks were Built with Chrome Bright Emblems,
Stainless Trim, beautiful interiors, &
Quality Finishes. An the Ford Police
Interceptors. What a Boy's Life &
Memory's 50 Years ago! BigDTexasKid



Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I guess I can not imagine growing up any other way . . .

 

my folks had a 52 Ford ranch wagon 2 door which my dad customized (made the cover of Rod and custom October 1954.) next wagon was a 1957 Fiat 600 multipla. then a 59 thames window van ( English), 62 Corvair Greenbrier then a 57 Chevy four-door Belair wagon ( for a week) and then a 56 Pontiac safari. I won't talk about the beautiful 40 Ford Woody that he almost bought in 1965 for $750 instead of the 56 Pontiac safari. after 1967 no more wagons until his beloved ford escort and then an HHR.
as for me I bought back the 56 Pontiac Safari in 1968... sold it in 1969, had a 66 Caprice wagon, two 1968 Impala wagons ( still have one) 1959 Hillman , And a rough 1952 Chrysler town and country wagon (which I still have). +3 suburbans 1973 to 1991. oh yeah... had a 1969 GMC suburban too for a while.

 

I grew up in the UK, where cars were mostly small and mostly 4 cylinders. When I was 15 my family moved to New Zealand. Best thing we ever did.
We needed a car, and NZ had Holdens. Big 6cylinder Aussie tanks. Dad bought a '72 Holden HQ Kingswood station wagon with a 202 ci six. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. I kept pestering Dad to let me paint it up, but he wanted to keep it plain, even if it was what he referred to as "Shithouse Brown".
Big bench seats, 3 speed column shift, and on trips we used to put a mattress in the back for my little sister to ride on.
Oh, how the world has changed. Letting your kids ride unrestrained in the back of the car now would almost land you in the slammer.

 

Carefree times. Yep, aussie XP Falcon wagon too. Dad ,on a whim, loaded us in the back & drove 500 miles thru the night to the big smoke of Melbourne. Just for fun.

 

1960 Plymouth with a big v-8 (383??) 4brl, really moved fora big car

 

My dad was a huge VW guy and from early 60s till 87 he always had a VW Van.Had to have something for all five kids. My grandfather always had a Ford wagon with wood "trim' or panels,stickon, from 50s till 80s. We spent all our summers going to Canada camping in either one or going to the stockcar races in these two rides.I wish i had one of my grandfathers wagons still,they were cool. The busses were just kind of weird to me and you froze your butt off in the winter.

 

LOL I loved taking a wagon on dates, but most girls folks didn't appreciate it too much.

On my first date with the wife, I picked her up on my old Norton. I had a '55 Ranch Wagon until Tuesday that week and it got sold to pay the bills and help support my racing addiction. Her dad didn't know that and when I pulled up he just said, "Well at least he isn't in that old wagon." Two things come to mind on that, one is that I was never really as fast as my reputation and the other was he didn't notice the blanket that was permanently affixed to my handle bars. He's gone now and I still miss that old man. Good people.

Damn we were just talking about pickups and riding in the bed the other day. My Uncle Wells had a '62 Short wide when I was little until I was mid teens. I used to ride in the back with my cousins, but I was little and couldn't sit on the bed rails like the big kids, I had to sit in the bed floor or the fender bump. My Uncle told me I could ride on the bed rails when I was 12 (told me that on the 7th Birthday). I was staying with them on my 12th Birthday and when I woke up I got dressed and ran out and jumped in the bed of the truck and sat on the bed rail. He came out and said, "hey you mutton head what are you doing." I just said, "I'm 12." He laughed and took me to town for a milk shake for my birthday.

 

As kids in the early '70s we loved riding in the third seat of my mom's Chevrolet Kingswood Estate station wagon. What fun memories.

 

Through the late 50's, into the early '60s, our family had two '56 Chev wagons. Dad's was a red & white NINE pass. Belair w/ Pwr. Pak option (Co. car, believe it or not). He drove it for about 10 yrs. Mom's was a white 210, repainted from black, w/ turquoise interior. (They traded a '55 Crown Vic for it, which really pissed me off, as I was looking forward to driving the Vicky after just getting my driver's license, and making the occasional pass through the neighborhood w/ the lakes pipes open!)
The attached photos were pulled from the Net, but I'm sure they will strike memory chords with the rest of you old farts too.

 

Rode 1000's of miles in this one going to races all over the country.

 

1959........My folks didn't do wagons but the next door neighbor rolled in a green and white 56 Pontiac 4 door wagon with the sweetest dual pipes and glasspacs ever! I rode many miles in that car and loved it.
Fast forward to 2002 or so when I had an opportunity to swap my primered, wavy 50 chevy delivery for a freshly painted, upholstered 55 Pontiac wagon with all replated chrome and new glass! I did the trade and left the 80 Pontiac 301 motor all stock...lowered the car front and back and loved it as much as the neighbor's 56 over 40 years previous.

 

The first car I remember as a kid was our 1954 Ford Country Sedan (4 door sw) with a 239 y-block and 3 on the tree. It was tu tone, black with white around the windows and wide whites and full wheel covers. I think it had the factory skirts too. The interior was red and white vinyl and some prickly woven seat inserts. I was the youngest so I was relegated to way in the back. The combo of all that red and Pall Mall smoke ensured I would get car sick.
In December of 59, my dad got a wild hair and traded it on a new, white 60 Ford Fairlane 4 door, 292 Cruise-O. It had to be the ugliest Ford ever made. My mom wouldn't speak to dad for a month.