I know rods & customs aren't supposed to be practical but I keep losing interest in projects due to my need to be practical. If I want to haul the wife and all the dogs off for a weekend somewhere a two door sedan or El Camino wasn't going to cut it. Same if I want to road trip and just crash in the car along the way. So I keep circling back to wagons. Pretty sure that will be my next project, if I decide to take another on. Doesn't seem financially practical these days. Anywho, looking for inspiration and enablement for my next terrible decision.
Great to hear from you Ron! My brother finally sold his, but he did take it on a few long trips. New owner repainted it....and put it up for sale after a little while. Maybe something to do with how impractical old cars are, even if they have long roofs
Wagons are the best! I bought my Country Squire because a car seat couldn’t fit in a Mustang and I wanted to keep doing car stuff after having kids. One weekend I drove the Country Squire to the track, made some 1/4 mile p***es, towed my buddy’s car back to the pits when it broke and then slept in the car with the seats folded down. It was a road trip car, a racecar, a tow truck and an RV all in the same day It has a 292 Yblock, AOD transmission and power disk brakes, right now I’m installing vintage air and then a posi 8.8 because I’m doing a drag and drive event this summer Here’s the video of last year’s road trip!
Shortly after joining the Hamb I drug the old Ranch Wagon out of the barn where it had sat for quite a while, I have been a long time Deuce nut but since the Wagon was completed we have put a lot on miles on the odometer. If you drive them sometimes you have breakdowns of accidents, I am in the process of repairing the damage I did in a accident but the car will be back on the road within the next couple of months. HRP And a short video done by a local reporter.
That's the type of use case I'm talking about. The chances of my wife kicking me to the curb are low, but never zero.
The best advice I can give about buying a wagon is to make sure all the wagon specific parts are there and in good condition. My Country Squire is basically the same as any other ‘54 Ford from the front doors forward, so front sheet metal, gl*** and trim are obtainable. From the front doors back everything is wagon specific, Gl***, tailgate, fuel tank, seats, sheet metal and even the rear axle is different from a coupe or sedan. I once p***ed on buying a wagon because someone had left a bag of fertilizer on the tailgate and rotted it out. The tailgate would be nearly impossible to find a replacement.
My son's 57 Dodge. Modern Hemi with an OD auto trans, and a 373 8.8 limited slip rear, disc brakes all around. He has 2 kids (oldest now 20), been cruising this wagon for almost 10 years now. Still wins lots of trophies at car shows, even though its not perfect, he drives it a lot.
Picked up this Pontiac Safari last year. I was originally looking for a Ford Ranch Wagon to install my spare 292 Y-block in. I couldn't find a suitable one in my price range. Found the Pontiac with the original engine partially dis***embled and frozen. That gave me the motivation to buy it and finally build a 455 I had sitting in the shop for about 20 years. So the wagon is now running a 455/Th400 combo. It's a 4 door vs. the 2 door Ford, but one thing I like about it is that it's a bit rarer to see one of these Pontiacs out and about. Pics without the hood are from right after the 455 install, before putting it back on.
I totally agree, when buying a wagon use the buy the best most complete car you can find, those missing parts can be made of unobtanium,over the years wagons were not saved. Our wagon was a family piece and really wasn't worth restoring but it was a labor of love, the car has 113 patch panels, Brendas grandmother Jessie bought it new and used it as here daily driver and used it in her floral business, hauling buckets of water and fertilizer thus a lot of rot had to be cut out and replaced. HRP
I second the notion of buy the best you can afford. My 57 210 is a two door, complete and in reasonable condition. Funny thing is now it is more rare than a Nomad, because everyone took care of their Nomad but chewed up and spit out the 210's.
I had this really nice 64 Chevelle two door wagon in the early 70's, they were pretty low production numbered compared to the four doors, they have gotten quite collectable. The previous owner had put a 425 Olds engine and a Muncie four speed in it. I was just a kid and didn't know how to remedy that problem or I might still own it today, the Muncie was cool but that engine wasn't very impressive, a 454 would have been better.
I just got this Buick sport wagon. I'm putting a SBC and 200-4r in it with tubler front control arms and disk brakes. Haven't got it done yet but soon.
This is the only snapshot I have of my first car. My dad gave me the family "estate car" when he retired it from active service. He figured I couldn't get into mischief in a station wagon. I loved my father dearly, but he didn't always think things through. Air shocks, ETs, 'Stones, Craig 8 track, traded it for a POS Camaro. I have had 40 or so Camaros and T/As over the years, but only one long roof. Good times were had here.
Right give a high school kid with a girlfriend the keys to the wagon,what was mom thinking lol we had a white woodgrain hideaway headlights 351 Cleveland ,'70 torino I used to drive .
The only car I ever washed with a Brillo pad, lol. We drive it everywhere (and the wife likes it too).
I'm a big fan of them! Very versatile, useful and really somewhat practical. This is one I regret selling. Bought it from Aussie Steve (RIP). 292 Y-block 5-speed made it a great driver.
Mine was a 390, she could pick up her skirts and run as they say. I was barely 15 when I dis***embled the engine bay to give it a face lift and remove ten years of grime. I've always enjoyed a well detailed engine. I proudly lifted the hood to show my father and he simply replied "looks good, does it go any faster?". All I could afford at the time was the spray paint and turning the air cleaner lid upside down of course. But that one question would rob me of hundreds of thousands of dollars in my lifetime.
The flipped air cleaner lid improved the sound of any brand of vehicle that didn't have a performance air filter housing, especially at wide open throttle, even if it was not the fastest ride on the street. The sound of the motor ****ing in all the air it could had a pleasing effect.
I built this ugly kid 15 years ago. Painted flake roof, two tone blue flake tuck'n'roll seats and even the famous big inch 225cid slant six Virgil Exners crew must have been on mushroom diet when designing this 1962 Dodge Lancer, but it deserved to be saved.
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