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willys woodies
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Wow, I'd really like to see one of these restored. This was a common practice
on a lot of early luxury sedans. I've seen it on Rolls Royce and Packards, but never on a Willys. Anyone have any info on if this was factory or an aftermarket customizing job? In a message dated 6/25/99 7:55:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time, ben.griffiths@... writes: Willys folks: my '53 model 685 (2wd) wagon had a funky variation onfeel to it. Of course, the material on the side panels has long sinceVern Heywood Laguna Hills, CA '49 Station Wagon |
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Ben GRIFFITHS
Willys folks: my '53 model 685 (2wd) wagon had a funky variation on
the woody theme - the indented panels on the side had some sort of wicker cane design (an octagonal pattern like you see on old caned chairs). Combined with a headliner and interior trim made out of a cane-like material (like you see in a straw hat), it had a safari feel to it. Of course, the material on the side panels has long since disappeared leaving only the faint pattern behind, and the headliner and interior trim has long since decomposed leaving only crumbling tidbits, but it must have looked darn cool coming off the assembly line! While we're on the woody theme, I bought my willys from a guy in Little Suamico, Wisconsin (just up the road from Titletown, hey). He had a ramshackle series of sheds filled up with all sorts of old cars that he was restoring. I am hoping that he needed some cash for his other projects, which is why he sold me the willys, but maybe he knew of some hidden defect which I am yet to find! Anyway, his main gig was restoring woodies. He had 4 or 5 of them spanning a 25 year period, but the most awesome of them was a mid-30's Packard limo which was reportedly owned by a Chicago mobster. He had bought it from the widow of the caretaker of the mobster's northern wisconsin getaway. It had something like 30,000 miles on it, the original paint, wood panels, and leather interior were still in great condition, and it still had WWII gas ration stamps on the windshield. It essentially had not been driven since the '50s. Other than a Willys, it is the coolest vehicle I have ever seen. I guess the point is that a willys fetish leads one in strange and interesting directions. Ben in Madison, WI '53 model 685 "deluxe" wagon (with new wiring!) need to get my tailgate welded on, fix the brakes, put on a new exhaust pipe, add seatbelts for the wife, and I'm ready to go. So close, yet so far. |
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Jerry Stoper
Ben
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My 47 wagon has remnants of the wicker around the headliner. It's been rattle can painted so I can't tell what the outside looked like. Jerry (AR) Ben GRIFFITHS wrote: From: "Ben GRIFFITHS"<ben.griffiths@...> |
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Morris G. Hill
I saw one of these wagons in 1965 -- this one was a 1954 6-85, and the cane
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body inserts looked exactly like the woven cane bottom you see on chairs. The headliner was a different material -- it was the "woven paper" coarse weave stuff that came on all Willys wagons, at least all the ones I saw from the 1940's and 1950's. I tried to find the headliner stuff about 12 years ago, because the original headliner in my 1956 wagon was beyond reasonable salvage, but lots of calls later I had managed to learn only that this "woven paper" as they called it in the trade (1) had been cheap and not very durable; (2) hadn't been made in years, and (3) besides Willys, had only been used by Ford in their woodies around the 1940 period. I test-drove the 1954 6-85 wagon and it ran and looked good, but I couldn't afford the $175 the owner wanted for it. -----Original Message-----
From: RockyRdAdv@... <RockyRdAdv@...> To: WillysTech@... <WillysTech@...> Date: Friday, June 25, 1999 12:38 PM Subject: Re: [WT] willys woodies From: RockyRdAdv@...practice on a lot of early luxury sedans. I've seen it on Rolls Royce and Packards,headliner and interior trim has long since decomposed leaving only crumblingVern Heywood |
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Reed Cary
Great story, Morris.
The fish that got away. I'm sure we all have stories like that, just at the moment when one is cash poor. Off-topic, so don't look:(I have an Aston Martin story, w/$800 sign on it) I relish each of your posts and wish you would tell us more about what W-O vehicles you own/have owned. Reed (CA) --- "Morris G. Hill" <mgh@...> wrote: From: "Morris G. Hill" <mgh@...>=== _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at |
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Kendal Jackson
At 09:19 AM 6/26/99 -0700, you wrote:
From: "Morris G. Hill" <mgh@...>Cool! this is what appears to be the headliner in my Wagon and it is in excellent condition. It is very dirty however. Anyone have any ideas on now to clean it and not destroy it in the process? I test-drove the1954 6-85 wagon and it ran and looked good, but I couldn'tafford the >$175 the owner wanted for it. DOH!! Kendal Jackson --It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy-- |
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Morris G. Hill
Except for dusting, I'd leave it alone. The fabric is likely to be fragile,
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and the thread stitches holding it to the bows are probably rotten. It's probably not as dirty as it looks, but rather is faded and yellowed from age. -----Original Message-----
From: Kendal Jackson <jacksoti@...> To: WillysTech@... <WillysTech@...> Date: Sunday, June 27, 1999 2:27 AM Subject: Re: [WT] willys woodies From: Kendal Jackson <jacksoti@...>from verythe 1940's and 1950's. I tried to find the headliner stuff about 12 years durable; (2) hadn't been made in years, and (3) besides Willys, had onlyCool! this is what appears to be the headliner in my Wagon and it is in |
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Kendal Jackson
At 10:52 PM 6/27/99 -0700, you wrote:
From: "Morris G. Hill" <mgh@...>Thats the amazing thing, it isn't rotten at all nor even very fragile. The windlace is in much worse shape. I do not really understand why it is still so "intact" but everyone who sees Hugh their first reaction usually is "wow, nice headliner!". It is yellowed, this is true, but it is very dirty as well. Stains, nicotine, etc... Nates wife suggested a vegetable based cleaner but have not tried it yet. I am a little afraid to do much to it. Kendal Jackson --It might look like I'm doing nothing, but at the cellular level I'm really quite busy-- |
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