Reference Photos for Revell's New '49 Mercury Woody Wagon

[ChrisBcritter]

Here's something different. Found this on a Cuban car site (caristas.blogspot.com); '49 Ford wagon reskinned with metal - pretty nice work considering the source (mods please pull this if it's not OK):

Edited January 8, 2014 by Casey

[Greg Myers]

I think there will be a V8 in this kit.

[Art Anderson]

For what it is worth: Ford's Iron Mountain wood-product factory used two types of wood on 49-51 Ford and Mercury woodie station wagon body panels: Hard maple for the framing, and Honduran Mahogany for the molded plywood "panels". The Mahogany has a fairly straight grain, typical of most tropical hardwoods, that is fairly visible even in 1/25 scale. The maple used for the framing, on the other hand, is a very close-grained wood, meaning that the grain isn't all that visible even in 1:1 scale, due also to its being a very "blond" wood, without much color to it. While maple grain can be made to show by staining it, when finished blond with a clear varnish (which is what Ford used throughout the years of their woody station wagon production (1929-51), they did not stain it. Over the years, many restorers and street rodders have built reproduction woodie body shells, and intent on "effect", they've stained the wood; some have used curly grained maple (which Ford did not use) while others built their replacement framing from oak, which was almost never used in wooden station wagon construction, maple being by far and away the industry standard back in the day.

While Ford woodies, from their introduction in 1929 through the 1948 model run, were built using cabinet-making construction and techniques, the '49-'51 station wagon bodies, due to their now rounded, curved body panels, were made by laminating thin strips of maple in molding presses to give them the required curvatures to match the shapes of the molded plywood (birch with a mahogany veneer on the outer surface) panels. This meant that there was virtually no milling done, except at the ends of some framing sections that would have exposed the end of the grain. Thus the grain of the maple, on a new '49-'51 Mercury or Ford station wagon was not readily visible, and in 1/25 scale would be nigh to invisible. The Mahogany grain would have been seen though, but it would be fairly straight, with virtually no knots or burling present.

The pic that Casey Littman put up is actually quite accurate: You can see the subtle mahogany grain, but barely a hint of the grain in the maple framing.

Art

Edited December 17, 2013 by Art Anderson

[SoCalCarCulture]

Here's a few examples of what these guys are doing with the real ones these days...

[SoCalCarCulture]

...more...

[Rob Hall]

I think I've actually seen the yellow one w/ no bumper and the blue one in Dave's first post in So Cal a few years ago...saw a bunch of woodies in San Clemente one Saturday when over there for a long weekend.

[SoCalCarCulture]

[SoCalCarCulture]

[SoCalCarCulture]

[mrknowetall]

Your images are extraordinary, as usual!

Edited December 17, 2013 by mrknowetall

[SoCalCarCulture]

Thanks Don - if it helps just one it was worth it!

[Rob Hall]

They are all interesting, I really like that last one in the gray-blue...

[mrknowetall]

Thanks Don - if it helps just one it was worth it!

Many will. It's the wood grain panels that are troublesome for a few of us. Those pics will help me with my project.

[mrknowetall]

For what it is worth: Ford's Iron Mountain wood-product factory used two types of wood on 49-51 Ford and Mercury woodie station wagon body panels: Hard maple for the framing, and Honduran Mahogany for the molded plywood "panels". The Mahogany has a fairly straight grain, typical of most tropical hardwoods, that is fairly visible even in 1/25 scale. The maple used for the framing, on the other hand, is a very close-grained wood, meaning that the grain isn't all that visible even in 1:1 scale, due also to its being a very "blond" wood, without much color to it. While maple grain can be made to show by staining it, when finished blond with a clear varnish (which is what Ford used throughout the years of their woody station wagon production (1929-51), they did not stain it. Over the years, many restorers and street rodders have built reproduction woodie body shells, and intent on "effect", they've stained the wood; some have used curly grained maple (which Ford did not use) while others built their replacement framing from oak, which was almost never used in wooden station wagon construction, maple being by far and away the industry standard back in the day.

While Ford woodies, from their introduction in 1929 through the 1948 model run, were built using cabinet-making construction and techniques, the '49-'51 station wagon bodies, due to their now rounded, curved body panels, were made by laminating thin strips of maple in molding presses to give them the required curvatures to match the shapes of the molded plywood (birch with a mahogany veneer on the outer surface) panels. This meant that there was virtually no milling done, except at the ends of some framing sections that would have exposed the end of the grain. Thus the grain of the maple, on a new '49-'51 Mercury or Ford station wagon was not readily visible, and in 1/25 scale would be nigh to invisible. The Mahogany grain would have been seen though, but it would be fairly straight, with virtually no knots or burling present.

The pic that Casey Littman put up is actually quite accurate: You can see the subtle mahogany grain, but barely a hint of the grain in the maple framing.

Art

" For what it is worth: Ford's Iron Mountain wood-product factory used two types of wood on 49-51 Ford and Mercury woodie station wagon body panels: Hard maple for the framing, and Honduran Mahogany for the molded plywood "panels". The Mahogany has a fairly straight grain, typical of most tropical hardwoods, that is fairly visible even in 1/25 scale. The maple used for the framing, on the other hand, is a very close-grained wood, meaning that the grain isn't all that visible even in 1:1 scale."

I've noticed that, and it'll make life easier when I start to "woodgrain" the framed portion of the wagon. Thanks for your observations on the woody's!

[Brett Barrow]

There's some good reference pics at boldride.com and rmauctions.com, including interior and underhood shots.

I'll post links later, right now I'm on a work computer with IE and I can't get it to paste text or links...

[Edsel-Dan]

I like that blue one too

Those "Red's" on the front are interesting

Firefighter?

or Police??

Sure would make a Nice Stealth Speed enforcer!!!

[tim boyd]

Great pictures, Dave. thanks!

Also...the new (Feb 2014) issue of Vintage Trucks (I buy my copy at Barnes and Noble) has a neat four page full color article on a stock restored '50 Merc - it's gorgeous! Lotaa detail shots too.

TIM

[Brett Barrow]

Linkies:

http://www.rmauctions.com/results/result.cfm?feature=No&category=All&sort=year&view=list&SaleCode=&fromYear=1949&toYear=1949&lot=&make=mercury&model1=wagon&submit=Search

http://www.boldride.com/ride/1949/mercury-woodie-station-wagon

Doing the two-tone woodgrained dash is going to be sooooooo much fun!

[Erik Smith]

I love white steering wheels on a dark interior.

The horn ring doesn't look too hard to replicate either.

The roofline on the front, above the windshield, looks so homely on these cars…never really paid attention to it before - like a bald, sad guy head.

[SoCalCarCulture]

I like that blue one too

Those "Red's" on the front are interesting

Firefighter?

or Police??

Sure would make a Nice Stealth Speed enforcer!!!

They're amber foglights - check your monitor/video card - might be time for an update - lol.

[Ron Hamilton]

This is what I want to do with one of mine when I get it.

[peekay]

The roofline on the front, above the windshield, looks so homely on these carsnever really paid attention to it before - like a bald, sad guy head.

I can see that too, now you mention it.

[mrknowetall]

This is what I want to do with one of mine when I get it.

Hmmmm. That'll be a challenge. Look at the doors on The Merc woody, and at the doors on your Ford posted above.

[Brett Barrow]

This is what I want to do with one of mine when I get it.

Hmmmm. That'll be a challenge. Look at the doors on The Merc woody, and at the doors on your Ford posted above.

Yeah, the 49 Mercurys were a bit bigger than the Fords. Wheelbase is 118" for the Merc and 114" for the Ford. A Merc is about 5" wider. Looks like the roof might be the same, though.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Brett Barrow

[Edsel-Dan]

I don't have a separate video card in this DELL.

And not sure how to color test the monitor.

Oh well.