Wagons in vintage Street scenes

The Story of Woodrow the Li'l Tin Woody

Post # 3906 is my photo it goes with a story I wrote about my '51 Chevy wagon.

The Story of Woodrow the Li'l Tin Woody




Hello everyone my name is “Woodrow”, I’m a little tin woody, but I’m really made of steel. (tin woody is a nickname) I was made in Cleveland, Ohio in 1951, well part of me was, my body.
One day I got to ride on one of those great big transport carriers to a place called an assembly plant where my frame, engine, transmission and everything else was in Janesville, Wisconsin.
They put me on something called an assembly line that’s the place where they put me all together, they gave me a brand new coat of green paint which the men called Fathom Green #458, and other parts were made to look like real wood, and inside they trimmed me out in #202 imitation leather with a pig skin texture, and they gave me something called options like a push-button radio, fender mounted antenna, cigarette lighter,clock and a lot more nice things and when they were all done I looked so pretty, shiny and new, and then a man got inside me and turned my key and it started my engine and I thought I sounded pretty good if I do say so myself, and it felt so good, then the man drove me off the assembly line and outside of the building and right up the ramp of another great big transport carrier with a load of my friends and I was at the very front hanging over the truck driver, and as we drove down the road I felt so safe in fact I felt like I was king of the world, the driver took us to a place they call an automobile dealership where people would come and take us for test rides and kick our tires, and that hurts.
One day a man, woman, small boy and a little girl bought me and their name was Mr.& Mrs. Smith my original owners, and they took such good care of me always taking me to the car wash and cleaning me up and giving me wax jobs.
The Smith family kept me for many years and we used to take trips all the time once we went to a big hole in the ground the man called it “The Grand Canyon” I didn’t see what was so grand about it just a big hole with a lot of dirt.
But one day Mr. Smith came outside and said “Hi pal your going to a new home today” I didn’t quite know what that meant, but Mr. Smith kept waiting outside with me until another man was dropped off by a taxi cab and the men talked for a while and the new man gave Mr. Smith some money and the new man climbed inside started my engine and just before he drove away he told my Mr. Smith don’t worry I’ll take really good care of him but he didn’t, he broke his promise to the man and his family, I remember when I drove away the children were crying, and I was very sad.
The next day the mailman came to the house and handed my new owner his mail then said “Have a nice day Mr. Jones” we’ll he took me out of the garage and down to the car wash for a bath and wax job, he had me looking almost new again. We drove up and down the streets waving to everyone. He took me all over town showing me off to his neighbors, friends his doctor, the butcher and even Johnny the paperboy.
But that didn’t last long as I got older he stopped parking me in the garage, and in my place he put a little red sports car.
I would see the man coming and going everyday in his little red sports car as I sat out in the rain, sun and snow year after year, Wisconsin wasn’t very nice to me, there was salt all over the road in the winter and it was eating my body up, then one day the man sold me to Johnny the paperboy except Johnny was much older now and he didn’t use me for his paper route, the paperboy I’m mean Johnny turned me into a hot rod.
We’ll the life of a hot rod isn’t very glamorous I would stay out late and Johnny would let his friends sit all over me and scratch my paint, and Johnny would squeal and burn the rubber off my tires, he didn’t change my oil very often and my engine started to puff smoke out my tailpipe, and I was leaking oil everywhere and then one day Johnny put me next to his garage where I sat for over a year until one day a man came to Johnny’s house and inquired if I was for sale and Johnny said “For $150 bucks he’s all yours” so the new man bought me and I had another owner who wanted to drive me to his home in South Dakota.
We’ll it was a long trip to South Dakota for me, I was coughing and spitting a lot of smoke out my tailpipe even worse than before but I made the trip for the man but because Johnny didn’t take care of me my engine just stopped a block from the man’s house, the man was so mad that he got out slammed my door and walked home.
The next day a tow truck came to the man’s house and hooked me up and drove me away to his auto mechanic named Hank. Now Hank looked me all over plugging wires into me checking me with gauges putting me up in the air. All he kept doing was shaking his head and saying “This is Not Good” we’ll Hank went into his office and called my new owner and said “This will cost you $500 dollars for a New Engine” We’ll I was so happy because I was going to get a new engine, and then I could go on trips again.
Hank pushed me outside next to the garage and said “You’ll be safe here until your owner comes for you”, we’ll I sat outside for several days and finally one day a tow truck backed in front of me and hooked me up to his truck and drove me away, he took me way outside of town to a field with hundreds of old rusting cars and trucks and I said “What am I doing out here I’m suppose to get a new engine”, and then I saw my owner talking to a man named Junk Yard Jake and he gave my owner $75.00 for me and then he said “He’s all yours”, Junk Yard Jake turned to the tow truck driver and said “Drop him anywhere”.
By the looks of some of these old cars and trucks they look like they’ve been here a long time so I guess I wasn’t going to get my new engine after all.
The junk yard is a cold and scary place it’s where you go when nobody wants you, I guess this is where I’ll have to spend the rest of my life, we’ll at least I’m surrounded by all my new friends.
One day a tow truck brought an almost brand new car in to the junk yard but it was so smashed I couldn’t see what kind of car it was but I did notice he had a 2009 license tag on his rear plate, that means I have been sitting for thirty nine years, ever since 1970, and no one ever drove me again. I have been sitting in this cold wet field year after year for so long that my bottom has rusted away and a family of field mice and wasps were now living inside of me.
Well one day I heard some men come and they opened up my hood and I thought they were going to fix me up and drive me to a new home but alas all they did was take my head off and walk away.
So here I sit again, and I got pretty good at doing that, but the days came and went for many months until one day after the rain stopped and the sun started peaking through the silvery clouds, “And oh how the sun feels on my top” I said, then off
in the distance came a funny looking machine and it came closer and closer until it stopped right in front of me, I heard the man on the ground say “Hey Lou lift the front up with the forklift”and then Lou said “Hey Carl is that far enough” and Carl gave Lou a nod and Carl started putting old wheels and tires on me and then Carl said “We’ll old boy it looks like your going on a trip” “a Trip” I said I heard that word before every time my owner Mr. Smith would take me out driving, but I knew I couldn’t drive anymore because those men took parts off my engine along time ago.
We’ll the night sky started to darken and I heard Lou say “Come on Carl it’s getting to dark, lets go” so they both left and a couple of weeks went by and I thought those men changed their minds and didn’t want me anymore, but then I heard a noise coming over the hill, it was Lou and Carl and there coming back for me, they were driving a truck and towing a trailer, they stopped near by hooked a cable around my bumper and started pulling me up on the trailer, then Carl said “Hey old boy your going to a new home in California”, I was so happy because I remember a sign that read “Welcome To California” once when my Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the children took me on a trip, I remember it was so warm and no rain, “Yipee”, I said I’m going to love California, and all of sudden I came to a screeching halt and I was surrounded by buildings and people and cars and I was so confused, this didn’t look like California, our trip wasn’t long enough and right then the ground started to shake and the light was turning dark and I was getting scared then I saw what was causing it, It was another great big beautiful transport carrier coming to take me to California, to my new home.
Oh I’m the happiest li’l tin woody in the world.
gene w. newton
p.s. parts of this story is based on real events….....to be cont’d

 

Post #3932 Can anyone tell me about this '57 wagon, I've never
seen this last side window treatment before. Was it perhaps a
sedan delivery converted to a family vehicle and the windows added.
The last glass window has a rear slant cut to it and if it were a window
from the factory it would be extended in to the last panel area.
It just doesn't look to be something the factory would have done.

 

Dazed & Confused

Post #3932
Can anyone tell me about this '57 wagon, I've never
seen this last side window treatment before. Was it perhaps a
sedan delivery converted to a family vehicle and the windows
added, the small panel looks to be stamped and part of the body.
This is the most confusing part.
The last glass window has a rear slant cut to it and if it were a
window from the factory it would be extended in to the last panel
area and the other side window slides like my '51 Chevy wagon.
It just doesn't look to be something the factory would have done.
Maybe some aftermarket company made available some retrofit kit.

 

#3962
R.I.P. Annette Funicello October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013

 

Mystery Accident

Post #3992
Someone posted this photo from a reverse view.
No one in the vehicles and some people standing
on the curb. I can't remember what page number it was.
I didn't see any damage to the rear of the Ford wagon
and from this front view I don't see any damage either
only to the other
one.

 

Gemnewt: Are you posting pictures with your comments? If so, they are not coming through to some of us, me for example. As a result, it is very difficult to keep track of what you are talking about. If you are adding pictures, please try to have them as part of the body of your post, not attachments. Thanks.

 

Boy, you've got me on this one. At first I was going to say it was an Australian Chevy, but it's got LHD, so....I dunno.