... Car by Ford Motor company. (Thanks to Redoverfarm for sending me this, copied from an email, copied from the web)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford1.jpg)
One of only six said to have been made per year in the mid-'30s at the Ford plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to an article on this car in a 1993 "Old Cars" magazine article.. Very few others--perhaps none--remain on the road, and certainly not in such amazing original condition.
When discovered in a garage (under a heavy cover) in Northern Minnesota in August 2001, she had only 19,000 miles, and the owner's manual was actually still the glove box in like-new condition! She had always been garaged and treated with much TLC as a collector vehicle.
The interior, all wood lined, was still the way it appeared in the '30s and '40s, complete with framed photos of the original owner on his travels (mainly to Florida) and his cabin in the North Woods, plus other memorabilia from the era.
Built on the '37 Ford Pickup frame and cowling (powered by a 60-hp flathead V8 with aluminum heads), the rear framing is all wood, with the metal skin wrapped around it. The roof structure, too, is all wood, over which the heavy, waterproofed canvas top is still very securely fitted. The structure of the body is solid, appearing from underneath to be all oak, and still in a remarkably unaltered, undamaged condition. The door frames are thick, solid oak, and oak is visible around the window openings (as on the four side windows in back) -- though it is painted over.
She was a big hit at this campground once we got that great old flattie V8 hummin'! Note her expanding roof and the original dark green color, which had been repainted. I figure the canvas roof was originally painted in reflective silver to keep it from getting too hot inside.. All four side windows open, while the back one tilts out to three positions. The windshield also tilts open at the bottom for natural AC while driving.
Here are a few shots of her in August 2001, out on the road in the Chippewa National Forest north of Grand Rapids, MN practicing for her next adventure: "Destination Wavecrest 2001."
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford2.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford3.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford4.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford5.jpg)
A peek inside: a slice right out of the 1930s...just as the original owner left it. All the windows open, with curtains on the four side ones and pull-down shades on the back window, as well as on the driver's and passenger door windows. A wide storage cabinet is located under the bed.
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford6.jpg)
The wood headliner, with vent and canvas expanding portion visible. Four wood pieces hold it securely in the up position, while clamps hold it down while driving.
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford7.jpg)
More interior views... note the cedar branches hanging in the corners for that north woods aroma. Cabinets and aluminum sink (with a wood cover insert) are visible on the left. All the antiques stuck away inside, as well as those hanging on the walls, came along for the ride. Also note the table behind the driver's seat, which folds down.
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford8.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford9.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford10.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford11.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford12.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/1937Ford13.jpg)
Very nice! Thanks for posting
Classy!
This is as close as I ever got. (Also a pop-top).
(https://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/countryplans/camper.jpg)
Cool !
This was quite an extravagance considering 1937 was during the height of The Great Depression. . .
You may also want to check out . . .
http://www.oldwoodies.com/gallery-rv.htm (http://www.oldwoodies.com/gallery-rv.htm)
/.
I love this post MD. Thanks for sharing!
It looks like much of the interior is sheathed with clear veneer plywood. That must have been a pretty new material at the time.
Very well kept historic vehicle.
It seems like times of economic retrenchment give inventive people the time and inspiration for coming up with new (inexpensive) ways of living. It is happening now with the one-person Tiny House projects built on a trailer bed.
I've forgotten where it was but I ran across a site that had pics of early plywood "cabins" that were knock down. Some neat designs.
I lived in one old trailer built just after WWII by an aircraft company, looked much like a shiny Airstream, the interior was beautiful maple ply that looked very similar.
The frame wood they have called oak in the article would more than likely have been ash, which was the commonly used frame stock for autos up until all steel frames replaced them. In the pictures I can't tell for sure which it is, they are both ring porous woods and the varnish has added alot of color. In the archive publications on the forest products labs website is one paper from the period where they are discussing the possible depletion of the ash supply from this use and results of testing other woods. Just like in baseball bats now, they came up with maple as the second choice.
Dodge switched to that same style grill about then.
Quote from: Don_P on September 03, 2010, 10:16:52 PM
The frame wood they have called oak in the article would more than likely have been ash,
Good point Don. I had forgotten about that. I have a friend who is a Morgan car nut. Years ago I helped with creating replacement pieces. Morgans to this day are framed in ash. The word frame might need clarification. In automotive use "ash framed" means a wooden framework is built up for the metal (hand formed aluminum in the case of Morgans) to be shaped over. The cars have a steel chassis.
Interesting trivia, Morgan ash came from Belgium. After WWII is was scarce and frequently destroyed tools as metal bits and blades encountered WWII shrapnel.
Wood frames in the Morgan factory...
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/800px-MorganWoodDoorFrame.jpg)
(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/vehicles/Morganfactory026.jpg)