M body wagon found

slant6billy · May 30, 2015

I just got a lead on a wagon. I'll be making a 45 minute drive tomorrow to check it out. Could be a rust bucket or could be a real jem. I'm low on funds, but this is a non running wagon. So that means I have to get the trailer and drag it home if the price comes down. If it is not bastardized and it is complete, then I may have to take the plunge and get it put into the stable. I'll post pics and if I pass on it, I'll ask the owner if I can repost his info here to get it moving to a desired new home.

Blackbirdsrt78 · May 30, 2015

I don't care how rusty. If the price is right I'd snag one. I've always liked wagons. Take pics man I want to see it!!!

brotherGood · May 30, 2015

X2. We've got a 383 searching for a car..lol

slant6billy · May 31, 2015

I'll take you along for the test drive. It drove like new. New rubber all around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfJ5l3QZV2A&feature=youtu.be

slant6billy · May 31, 2015

So I got him down to 1200 from 1600. It ain't pretty, but it is solid and runs excellent. I'm really at my max with the 1200 Interior is 10 out of 10 no rips or anything. The dash cover is fitted. All gauges work. Tyrap on blinker stalk- cruise control button? Missing the one spoke hub cap. Doesn't smoke had passed inspection 3 years ago

Sorry for the camera bungling

slant6billy · May 31, 2015

Just the rust hole above the gas cap and AC is 134 and blows cold

9secRR · May 31, 2015

does this mean you got a ''WOODY''

Jack Meoff · May 31, 2015

It means he's getting a woody. :smileinbox:

slant6billy · Jun 1, 2015

So it looks like I'll have just enough funds. The other variable is, I'll need to store it at a friends place until roadrunninmark's B body gets off my property to make room for this.

slant6billy · Jun 1, 2015

So far so good. My budy is going to ride shotgun when we trailer it. It is his trailer anyway. He also is letting me store it at his place. I still ain't told the wife. I'll wait for the right moment........ like when she screws up so bad, I have 4 aces in my sleeve.

As for the WOODY.............I was thinking Foghat since the 1BBL slant is slow for a slow ride. Lets just shorten it from Lebaron Woody Wagon to the Le'Wood

slant6billy · Jun 1, 2015

Just found a supplier of vinyl wood adhesive film

Bruceynz · Jun 1, 2015

Just out of interest whats the attraction to a woody, that trend never made it down under and looks kind of odd to me to have half a tree on the outside of your car.

Jack Meoff · Jun 1, 2015

slant6billy said:
So far so good. My budy is going to ride shotgun when we trailer it. It is his trailer anyway. He also is letting me store it at his place. I still ain't told the wife. I'll wait for the right moment........ like when she screws up so bad, I have 4 aces in my sleeve.

As for the WOODY.............I was thinking Foghat since the 1BBL slant is slow for a slow ride. Lets just shorten it from Lebaron Woody Wagon to the Le'Wood

Le Wood....I like it.

Bruceynz said:
Just out of interest whats the attraction to a woody, that trend never made it down under and looks kind of odd to me to have half a tree on the outside of your car.

I suspect a lot of guys on here grew up around woodies.
There were very cool in their own right.

The 70's ones were the absolute behemoth of a car.
Quote remarkable to see wood paneled yacht on i love them.

kkritsilas · Jun 1, 2015

Bruceynz said:
Just out of interest whats the attraction to a woody, that trend never made it down under and looks kind of odd to me to have half a tree on the outside of your car.

The trend started in the 1920s/1930s, where the wood was real trees, not petroleum derivative/byproduct. They sort of died off for a while, and in the 1950s/1960s, the surf craze started in California, which spread through movies and television shows (surf music, too (see Dick Dale, the Surfaris, the Beach Boys, etc.), but back then, you could only hear the surf music, no videos like today). Surfers started using them because they had long roofs (handy for strapping surf boards to), had a lot of room inside (for all the sturf related stuff), and were cheap, as nobody else tha the time wanted them. American car makers got wind of the trend, and started applying wood grained plastic to the exerior of their higher trim station wagons. The outer parts/frames are some sort of lighter wood grain (say maple or ash), with darker wood grain (like walnut) being applied by vinyl sheets inside the frames. The sheets are very similar to some plastic/vinyl sheeting that used to be sold to line kitchen cabinets, which was called MacTac. Often, the lower trim car lines had just a painted metal surface, no fake wood.

Bruceynz · Jun 1, 2015

And the woody was born! I have never had a woody, I think some little English cars may have had some wood trim like the Morris 1000, but that is about as much woody I have ever seen, NZ is an odd place with its English roots but after WWII has had a lot of USA influence. I guess in the 1950/60/70s the USA was always looked at as the happening place, lots of wealth, where everything was big! But times have changed now and I think USA has lost that shine now. Still I love it, I like the old cars, USA cars are awesome!!!

slant6billy · Jun 2, 2015

Plus, this m body is a very optioned car- except the 1 bbl slant of course. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan on killing the slant, just might go for the 4bbl manifold & carb swap. Mopar killed the wagon in the early 80s to make way for their minivan. So with the exception of the magnum wagon of the 2005-2008 era, this m body wagon was the last of the wagons.

slant6billy · Jun 2, 2015

Now, the slant6billy plans never stay within the lines. I'm thinking of removing the headlight assemblies. I want to see about a single round head light either side frenched in. Mid/ late 70s Cordoba headlight bezels...... ?? Just thinking

Jack Meoff · Jun 2, 2015

kkritsilas · Jun 2, 2015

For something a little closer to the originals, see below. The second picture is the type of wood sided car that helped start the craze during the surfer years. The "real" woodie wagons bring some very large prices at the collector car auctions. I think 9and I could be off) that the first ones were Fords, but eventually, all the manufacturers had woodie wagons (assuming they made station wagons). More of the best ones were from Chrylser. Something a lot of people don't consider is that, in addition to a regular restoration, you need a pretty skilled woodworker to restore the wood properly (like a genuine cabinetmaker), and that the original wood can be either hard to get, or unavailable in some cases (mahogany panels, as an example).