46 woodie

I would guess it's a combination of things. Remember every car came with 5 wheels. When you restore a car you might look for a better wheel, but you keep the old wheels. Hot rodders remove the wheels and put on custom wheels. Sometimes you change from 14" to 15"and keep the old ones. As we get older and downsize we clean out the garage and the wheels are the first to go. They made about 5 million Model A Fords, each came with 5 wheels, thats 25 million wheels not counting dealership stock. I think every vendor at Hershey has at least one wheel for sale. I have three wheels in my garage as we speak, one '34 Chevy and 2 Model A's. Just a suggestion.

Dwight, just to clarify something. When you say "wheels" are you talking about cars or wheels. People have posted answers to both.

What was the cause of vibration. The car had to be driven before this accident. Did something break to cause the vibration issue? What a shame, looks like a beautiful car. Hope it was insured by a company that knows antique cars. Happy Thanksgiving to the driver with only minor scrapes, could have been much worse.

Jeff, I think what you need to do is make friends with people in your area that have the same interests that you have. I have a group of guy's and their wives and we all travel to shows together. Sometimes we all go out to dinner but no one is under any obligation to do so, we are all flexible. We all park our cars next to each other and whats in my cooler and picnic basket is open to everybody and theirs is open in return. It's nice to travel in a group in case of a breakdown or other issue. As for the trailer issue it is just a fact of life when it comes to antique cars. I won't single out which club it was, but last year we went to the show that started on Monday and ran thru Friday. The concours and judging was to be held on Wednesday. Wednesday was the only day that you could see the vast majority of cars, the other days they were hidden away in the trailers and the minute the judging was over they were returned. I call them "Dracula Cars" they only appear for a short time and then disappear, it's almost like the sun is going to melt them. I can also understand both sides of the trailer issue, but it is more complex than it seems. If you would like, we could start another topic on the trailer issue.

Jeff, I don't think you are going to find a "once size fit's all" car club. The AACA strives, as it should, to preserve antique cars as they came from the factory. All the other clubs mentioned, CCCA, HCCA, VMCCA also do the same. As for NSRA and Goodguys they cater to "hot rods" and customs. Your car may feel out of place in ether situation, depending how modified it is. Let's face it, do you think your car would fit in at a CCCA event, it's sort of like bringing a Corvette to a Mustang show. As stated many AACA Reigon's welcome cars that have been modified, but are only for display and not eligible for any awards. The V-8 Ford Club now welcomes modified cars in their display class. I have friends in Ohio and they tell me that there dozens of car shows held every week. Why not just enjoy your car and attend local shows. If you enjoy reading the club publications that you get now, why quit.

I can also add another health related issue involving welders. The issue I had was TIG welding while wearing hearing aids. After I finished welding an aluminum part I noticed a hissing sound that I couldn't locate. At first I thought an air line was leaking somewhere in my garage. After a couple of minutes looking around, I removed the hearing aid in my left ear and the sound was gone. When it came back from repair I talked to a technician from the company and told him what I was doing when it happened and he told me the high frequency probably was the cause. When ever I weld now I remove them and disconnect the batteries.

I agree that it is a great product but I do have one complaint. I purchased a can when I went to Hershey and could not get the top off the can. I literally had to destroy the top to get it off and had to purchase another empty can at a paint store.

Thanks Dick, yes, the quotes that I have received from chrome shops are between $50 and $60 to remove the chrome. Not worth the price of the silver dollar, the sad part is that it was in very nice condition to start with. Only the face is plated and the reverse is what I would grade as MS-60. I have a couple hundred silver dollars in my collection and a couple have condition issues that I would have gladly given to who ever plated it, rather than this coin.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Of course I know never to clean or polish coins. I got this coin in a box that I purchased at a garage sale and I just hate it when anybody does stuff like this. There were dozens of coins and the first 4 I looked at were worth more than the seller was asking, so I purchased the box. I was hoping a professional chrome shop could remove the chrome without altering the finish and a couple said they could, but the cost of removal was twice what the coin is worth. Oh well!

Totally unrelated to antique cars, but can anyone suggest a method for chrome removal. I purchased a bunch of old coins and in the box was a 1896 silver dollar that someone used on a pendant or belt buckle and had it chrome plated. It's worth about $30, not rare but worthless like it is. Someone suggested Easy Off oven cleaner?

Your question is a little vague. Are the tires hitting on the tread or the sidewalls. If it's the sidewalls, Paul has the answer, if the treads are rubbing you have spring or other suspension issues.

Yes all "Woodie" station wagons are fairly rare. Mother nature was very unkind to them. Wood and most of the elements do not play well together. The UV rays from the sun breaks down the varnish finish and the rain and snow destroy the wood. Station Wagons were also a low production model. They cost more than Coupes and Sedans and required a lot of maintenance. As far as the Sportsman brochure. If it is just about the Sportsman it is rare and you should have no problem selling it to a Sportsman owner. If it the one featured in the 1946 brochure that covers all the models, it is fairly common.

Perhaps you could contact an AACA or other club member and ask if they could look over the car for you. I would not ask them to do a complete inspection, but if they say the car looks ok, then I would plan a trip to inspect the car myself. They might save you the cost of a trip if the car is not what it is advertised as.

I have sen this in the past but couldn't find any info on them. I saw an ad in the recent Woodie Times about a 1948 Ford "Tin Roof" Woodie. I also saw a '48 with a tin roof in a movie I saw on the Turner Network. Anyone know if tin roof's were an option. Were they available from Ford like that. I thought all Ford wagons up until '49 had fabric tops. Any info?

I think pictures are a must. Yes, California tops were available and many customs had them in the 50's ,but the top he is describing could just be some homemade plywood and canvas contraption someone installed on the car because the original folding top was missing.

Wow, I have been attending Hershey since 1968 and didn't think about theft at the flea market. On friday morning I overheard a vendor tell someone that when he took off the cover on one of his tables almost everything was gone. What's happening to our hobby?

I used a non exotic stripper that I purchased from Lowes on my '46 and it worked fine. As for the varnish make sure you use the one with the highest UV protection you can find. I don't know where you are located but there is a boating supply called West Marine and in their catalog all the varnish they sell has the UV listing.

My wife and I drove our '46 Ford "woodie" from New York to Wavecrest in 2010 and we had a ball. I can't wait to do it again. I am so jealous of you guy's. Have a great trip.

Matt, what a nice car! I agree that at $60 K you could not build this car. Anyone that is looking for a Woodie can't go wrong with this Buick. If I had room, I would be interested.

For those of you that like antique surfing decals for your Woodies, I found a cool company that sells them, www.coupecustoms.com. They also have a large selection of other car related decals.

Ed, The Early Ford Club has a chapter in the UK. E-Mail is, cksv8@btinternet.com

Remember, that new saturday May 16th, is "National Drive Your Woodie Day". Anybody have a trip planned?

I don't know what model body they call your car. It is very different than the car style body. It looks like it in decent shape and very restorable. When it's done you will have a unique vehicle. Where are you located? Are you planing on doing your own woodwork? If not we can give you recommendations on people that specialize on "Woodies".

The rear fender and door hinges are going to be tough, but not impossible, to locate. If you are not a member of the National Woodie Club I would suggest joining, www.nationalwoodieclub.com. With your membership you will receive a monthly copy of the "Woodie Times" and that will give you access to the want ads. Sounds like a real survivor car, good luck with your project and keep us posted on your progress!

Kind of a tough question to answer. If you can show some pictures it would be helpful. What exactly do you mean by "restorable" condition. Are the floors intact, any rust thru? Is the body wood intact or badly rotted or missing? A total re-body is very expensive. How about the mechanicals, engine trans, brakes etc. Parts for Chevys are harder to come by than Ford parts.