I know station wagons were thought of as “your mama’s car”, but can one look good as a traditional mild custom? I want a nice custom car, but know I probably need something more versatile. I may go with a pickup truck. Why not a wagon? They used to use wagons as tow vehicles all the time. With some air shocks and a good hitch, I could tow my boat. I think the’57 Ford Ranch Wagon is a good looking car stock. Opinions? Photos? Photoshop?
Oh man where’s the thread on the Ford wagon that’s in the new hopup. The nomad ish one? And Brian’s building s cool Plymouth wagon right now I’ll find threads to link later. I’m always up for a cool wagon
In 1960 there was a Canadian Pontiac two door wagon, I've always thought it would be a great basis for a custom (Canadian Pontiacs used a Chevy frame, suspension and drivetrain.)
If you want a '57 Ford ranch wagon, look online for the wagon built by Steve Strope at Pure Vision Design (it isn't totally HAMB friendly so I won't post a picture, but it does have some nice design elements.)
These are some cool ones that I just saw over the weekend at the good guys car show in Puyallup Wa. They are very cool.
There are some in here but you will have to scroll backwards in the more recent ones. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/alllllll-the-longroofs-lets-see-em-boys.2240/
Al Twichell bought a brand new Ford Ranch Wagon in 1952 and built a custom that was featured on the cover of Rod & Custom in 1954, HRP
I'm personally a fan of the '55 Mercury wagon and I have one I'm intending on transplanting an FE block into. It uses the same body sheetmetal as '55 Ford but with the Mercury front sheetmetal (and the firewall is a couple inches deeper) and IMO the proportions look more proportional on the Mercury than the Ford with that extra length on the front end.
something I've been working on for a while...almost done If you want to see the build its here. https://skylark616263.forumotion.com/t308-what-i-m-starting-with
I thought my trophy wife would like it. She’s not too enthusiastic. Talk about a lack of imagination. Here’s a Winfield custom Ranch Wagon.
If you guys want to post pictures of wagons rather than customs, here are 154 pages: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/alllllll-the-longroofs-lets-see-em-boys.2240/
Hello, When I bought my first 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery in high school, it was an eye opening experience. It was a hot rod for myself and my friends. It opened up a whole experience of not just a hot rod, but it was freedom to go where I wanted and enjoy every minute of being behind the wheel. It was my first hot rod and it sure seemed to be a good fit for my skills and adventures. The sedan delivery took me every where with a reliable Flathead motor. Everywhere except for uphill climbs into the local mountains during ski season. The stock motor just did not have it to go uphill for a long distance, unless I felt like having the transmission in first gear. Not!!! Jnaki The experience of that Salmon Pink Sedan Delivery of my high school years came back to my wife and I a couple of years after we got married. The experience was wonderful as a teen and we were living a similar coastal lifestyle. So, we got another 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, but this time it had enough power to go anywhere at any time. A 327 SBC motor made is so… But after 1000s of miles of coastal cruIsing and wonderful road trips, we noticed that the blind right rear quarter panel was bothering us while driving in traffic. We were unable to see out of the small outside mirrors. Larger van and truck mirrors could have solved the problem, but those were not cool on a small 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. So we were up against a wall…literally. That darn rear quarter panel just blocked our vision of the surround cars or whatever that was near us in that section of the road. It got so bad that we quit driving the sedan delivery at night. The daytime was slightly better by not with a 4 inch mirror on the passenger side. So, we sold it to another young couple and got a different family daily driver. But, years later, the idea of making a small Ford Sedan Delivery into a station wagon with windows on both sides popped up. HAMB’s photoshop expert,@themoose was asked to do a rendition of making a smaller sedan delivery into a station wagon. The Moose rendition was “spot on” and now, I cannot get the idea out of my mind. When my wife saw the drawing, she said wow, our next old hot rod with windows. And of course, A/C. The rendition of the red 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery was perfectly finished. My wife said that looks like our old sedan delivery with some great views from the surrounding windows. The Photoshop drawing should have been an option for the sedan delivery from the Ford Factory, along side the panel delivery and the larger woody wagon. A friend had a 1940 Ford Woody and my version was to convert it to an all steel station wagon with suicide doors for easy rear access. With the larger rear window and opening door windows as well as the longer rear side windows, there it the ultimate greenhouse views all around the hot rod. No maintenance on the wood or oddball top. Plus, our granddaughter would have easier access to get in the back seat with the suicide doors. Or, our granddaughter could drive us old folks, sitting in the rear comfortable seats, as we get on in age and creaky bones. Ha! The “front opening doors” is a better name than “suicide doors” in this case. Custom Station Wagons, What a concept ! YRMV
I've had this wagon for over 30 years. I drive it a lot (300,000 miles a lot). Get one. Mrs Rand Man will learn to like it!
^^^^{ I LOVE your Nomad! }^^^^When I was growing up we were a two car family. Dad liked convertibles, and station wagons. The wagons were for work, and to pull our boat or camper. The convertibles were for Church, and Sunday drives in the country etc. Dad was not a car guy. But he was, and still is the best Dad ever! Back then, I hated station wagons. If it wasn't an old Hot Rod, or a Vette I wasn't interested. Then I had a family too. And now I love all them old wagons. I still Love Hot Rods, and Vettes. Lol But our wagon is alot more FUN! It's just a family driver. I've had ours for 20 plus years. Yeah it's a keeper for sure.
Love me a wagon. If you plan to tow, I’d recommend the Air Lift helper air springs. I think they ride better than the air shocks. Been around since the late 40s. Plus having an onboard compressor is handy.
Two of our first several longboards came from the Original Hobie Surfboards shop in Dana Point. From that point on, it was a place to stop for some local lore and great surf stories. Similar to hanging around a speed shop, like Reath Automotive on 10th and Cherry Avenue in Long Beach when we were in the throes of drag racing. The association went on until 1963, when I purchased my first Hobie, Phil Edwards Model at this shop. It was number 4. Hello, In our surfing adventures, my brother and I discussed our transportation choices many times. We started with the 58 Impala and two surfboards sticking out of the back trunk opening. That did not last long. Then we got a Flathead powered 40 Ford Sedan Delivery. That was very cool in the surfing community, not so in the normal cities and cruising spots. But, we did see some sporadic, woody wagons all over So Cal. Most were in “ratty” condition as they sat outside of their residences. They looked like a hurricane worked over the paint and wood at the last bashing during the summer. They were not the pristine custom woody wagons that we see today, cruising around to the car shows and events. If one was available sitting around and the cost was low, it showed up at our local beaches. The safety and security always was a hindering fact of those wooden wagons. The door panels were slightly bent due to weathering the heat and moisture of coastal incursions. The security of a “locked” woody was not the best around and easily broken into by some bad characters. 4 doors, wood to wood, material roof, and sliding windows would be a thing of the past. Jnaki So, one of our ideas was, if we wanted a woody wagon style surf transportation, keep the outline of the wood rails in place. But, to replace the locking mechanisms with steel panels and the skimpy wooden locking areas. Now, the “woody” would look like a real woody, but have some added security measures and weather protection like a steel roof and good drainage channels for run off. A modern look for an old wooden station wagon… It was similar to having a sedan delivery with solid wall side panels, but with the look of a woody wagon. Money and time were the deterrents to completing this build. It may have been a dream, but we thought it would be one of a kind safe/secure station wagon, and attract lots of attention. YRMV
I have owned 3 different wagons and on the look out for a 4th. They are a great driver. Just in case anyone wants to parts with a 59-60 GM let me know….
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