BUYER BEWARE
Photos and text by
Gary Rosier
Meet Ron Rogers and his wife Joy from Ponce Inlet, Fl. They own this gorgeous 1939 Ford Standard “Woody” Station wagon. In the early days, “Woody” (pre-mid 30’s) originated as a variant of the “body-on-frame” construction in that the passenger compartment portion of the car was made in hardwood. Woodies were very popular and were produced over the years as station wagons, convertibles and sedans from basic models to luxury.
Ron had been looking for a Woody for a while both online and in person, when he heard about this car located in Central Florida, not far from where he lived. Ron decided to check it out and a deal was struck, a deposit made and the Rogers' eagerly awaited its delivery to Ponce Inlet. This is where things really got interesting.
Once the car was delivered, Ron took the car out for a ride and a few miles down the road it was running, but smoking, so he pulled over and found virtually no oil in the crankcase! He quickly remedied the issue, and then they were on their way once again. But as they crossed over a bridge, he noticed that the body seemed like it was coming right off the chassis! Needless to say, more and more issues cropped up and Ron had enough!
He called the previous owner, furious about the condition and they reached an agreement to correct a few of the issues with some quality Chassis Engineering Suspension parts and more sent up to Ron’s residence. Ron really liked the car overall and he was not going to be deterred (much to the initial chagrin of his wife who wondered if the vehicle was fixable).
Ron ordered up a new crate motor from Jon Hall Chevrolet in Daytona Beach, had the transmission rebuilt by Earl's Transmission as well as a new custom radiator from Griffin Radiators. Ron was on his way, doing much of the work himself. As the car was now running ok, it was time to get the paint, Nissan “Miami Blue,” up to the show quality he was after. While the vehicle had plenty of paint cover its surfaces, it needed a thorough sanding, buffing and touch ups to get the finish just right. The wood itself was brought back by Ron as he had restored old clocks as a hobby for 25 years previously so wasn’t afraid to tackle that part of it. Six more coats of varnish finished it off nicely after a lot of elbow grease!
The interior was upgraded with several layers of Dynamat, all new upholstery was installed (Tony Chandler of Edgewater, FL), and a new front seat by Glide Engineering was put in as the old one was too wide for Ron’s tall frame (6’4”) to comfortably sit back in the car. The ’39 with a 350/350 combo features a Mallory ignition, a polished aluminum Eldebrock manifold with a 650 carb, and PS, PB, PW and an Ididit tilt column with all new welting around the windows keeps it quiet, free of leaks and modern.
The exhaust is handled by stainless 2.5 inch pipes installed by A&W Mufflers. It gets pretty warm here in Florida so next up was a Vintage A/C unit. It also features Painless wiring throughout as well as Dolphin gauges and LED taillights. It rolls on 15’s (R165’s ft, 235R’s out back) as well as mustang discs and drums on an 8in Ford (3:73 gears). A 3-inch drop in the rear as well as removing a couple of springs up front dropped the stance “just right” Ron says.
Ron and his wife Joy now can load up their wagon, cruise to their favorite location with peace of mind and comfort. They say that after 50 years of marriage, it’s all about compromising but after all is said and done it’s about sharing the passion and enjoying the ride. Buyer Beware for sure Ron says, but luckily in this case, a ride that provided the end result to a dream only matched by their 50 plus years of marriage together! Sweet ride Ron – Surfin USA; you betcha!