Unrestored Utility: 1946 Ford Super Deluxe Woodie Wagon – STILL $55,000

April 22, 2023 Update – The seller replace their now-expired Craigslist with a fresh listing.  The pictures, description, and already-lowered asking price of $55,000 all remain the same.

April 14, 2023 Update – With their latest Craigslist ad nearly thirty days old, the seller lowered their asking price by another ten grand, from the last ask of $65,000 to land at $55,000.

March 20, 2023 Update – Approximately four months following the expiration of their last listing, the seller posted a fresh Craigslist ad.  Using the same pictures and description, the seller continues to ask $65,000 for their unrestored Woodie Wagon.

December 27, 2022, Update – We confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” until we come across a replacement listing.

The use of wood is great for many things, but in the construction of automobiles, it meant the owners had to take very special care of their car’s bodies versus their steel counterparts. In the world of Woodie Wagons, the original use of wood in the forties often meant this body style’s only chance of survival long term is in dry climates. Just about any vintage woodie wagon we come across from outside of California likely means the body was restored in some way, shape, or form.

This survivor-quality, all-original, burgundy 1946 Ford Super Deluxe 79B Station Wagon for sale on Craigslist in Huntington Beach, California (Orange County), is a prime example of how well these wooden bodies lasted in the dry California coast climate.  The seller reports their three-seat Woodie features all-new tires as a rebuilt carburetor, starter, generator, and more.

Currently offered for $55,000 (the original ask was $65,000), Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is at the high end of the five-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for all body styles and trim levels of Ford cars produced between 1941 and 1948.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Super Deluxe Woodie featured here:

As a second data point, the  Collector Car Market Review Online Tool reveals the seller’s ask falls between this guide’s #2 Very Good” estimate of $53,500 and its #1 “Excellent” appraisal of $81,000.

With World War II over, Ford found itself re-tooling for post-war consumer production for the 1946 model year with many resources in short supply. Consequently, Ford retained the basic design of the 1942 model year for the 1946 model year. Ford changed the grille to a series of horizontal bars that covered the rectangular opening that housed the grille in 1942. Ford eliminated their low-priced Special sixes, which left them with six- and eight-cylinder DeLuxe and Super DeLuxe models. They introduced a second convertible model, called the Sportsman, which featured “woodie” designs similar to the Chrysler Town & Country. The convertible version of this car was the most expensive Ford offered that year, followed by the just as labor-intensive Station Wagon.

If you ever wondered what it takes to completely re-body a Ford Super Deluxe Woody Wagon, this video provides a great overview of how extensive a restoration of one of these cars can be:

It’s always better and much less expensive to find vintage Woody Wagons in original condition from the dry west. With all of its original body, chassis, and flathead V8 in place, this 1946 Ford Super Deluxe was a great example for sale. With prices of Wood-bodied wagons on the decline, buying a survivor-quality example makes even more sense today.

Here’s the seller’s description:

Show or go: What would you do with this unrestored 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe Woodie wagon for sale?  Please comment below and let us know!