Hello From Southern California

I am the fairly new (since November) owner of a 1977 Ford Country Squire which I purchased on Ebay. It's in really good shape. The title is in my husband's name (since I don't drive) but I've always wanted a wagon because my Dad (who recently passed away) had a wagon when I was a kid (I think it was an early '70's Buick). Anyway, glad I found this forum. I have questions about replacing the woodgrain on the sides, which has faded.
Does anyone know if this material is vinyl? I know for sure it isn't real wood.

 

While I'm on here, I'd like to ask: how do I go about replacing the "wood"? I saw pretty quickly that there is a business in LA called Wood4Wagons. Is that the best place? So if I order "wood" how do I go about finding a guy to replace what I've got? I live in Los Angeles County.

 

Welcome aboard Psych62. I'm glad to hear that you were able to fulfil your dream of wagon ownership. If you get a chance, post a photo of your Country Squire. We'd love to see it. In regards to your quesions about the wood grain there are a number of places on here to explore.

I'd start here:
Cosmetic & Restoration:
https://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/forums/cosmetic-restoration.9/

There is a sub forum you can click on titles "woodgrain"
https://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/forums/woodgrain.28/

There is a plethora of information available there. I hope that helps.
Good luck! I'm looking forward to seeing how this project progresses.

 

Thank you Orthmann. I'm excited to become a member of this Forum, almost as excited as being the actual owner of a wagon. Looking forward to connecting with other wagon fans. Thank you about the guidance toward replacing my vinyl wood. I will post a photo of the squire shortly. It's not a showboat but a solid survivor with 83,000 miles on it. Straight, no rust, mechanically sound and complete except the owner before the prior one, for some odd reason, removed the compressor and we're in the process of replacing it. Need working AC living where we are at!
Most recently, replaced the AM/FM radio (the FM didn't work) with a correct radio that isn't NOS but working and in very good shape (better than the original). Also had the driver's side seat restored in perfectly matching vinyl (Jack's Auto Interiors in Tarzana, specializes in vintage cars and hard-to-find interior material). Came out great, the stitching is amazing! Paint is very good, there is "fading" by the roof rack where I think luggage got rubbed on the exterior. Debating as to whether or not I want to paint it. I probably will if I replace the wood.
The wagon, even though not a showboat, gets a lot of "thumbs up" and comments from people, particularly those from "our era" who remember these wagons when they were new. It's so much fun to ride in!

 

You're welcome. These vehicles are so much more than modes of transportation. It sounds like you and your husband are fully immersed in that. I'm really happy to hear it.

 

Thank you HotRodRacer! Happy to be a member of this wagon community!

BTW, am I the only woman on here? LOL. The wagon is in my husband's name and he is the one that drives it/works on it, but it was me that ponied up the money to buy it!

 

Welcome to the Station Wagon Forum, Psych62! You'll love it here. I'm going to to try to answer your questions in the order posted.....

1. The 'wood' material on the side of your Country Squire is (was) made by the 3M company. It's called 'Di-Noc'. These days, they don't make it anymore for automotive applications, but for other things such as 'wrapping' buildings.....

2. Mick at 'Woodgrain 4 Wagons' is an excellent source for re-doing your woodgrain. He can do the outer trim rails, as well. Another good thing is that he is local to you, being in the Lakewood area. He also (I think) sells the material if you want to D.I.Y. the project. Be patient with letting him get back to you, because I believe this is a side business for him. He might have a regular 9-5 job.

- By the way, what area do you live in? I grew up on the west side of L.A. in the 50's and 60's, lived in Orange County from '81 to '09, and now live in Springfield, Oregon.

3. No, you are NOT the only woman on this forum. The one that posts the most should show up shortly. Her name in Jennifer. She lives in Nova Scotia, has a 1968 Pontiac Beaumont wagon (a Chevy Chevelle Malibu here in the states, but with slightly different trim. It's currently under major restoration by her husband...) Her 'handle' here on the forum is 'Fannie' (I think that's what she named her wagon...) I'll message her and ask her to drop by...

Again, WELCOME!

Marshall

 

There are a couple left. Passat Mama and Fannie of whom the latter is the more active of the two, lately

 

Hi Marshall! Thanks for the welcoming response and information. I'm still debating whether or not to do the wood and the paint. Although it looks cleaner in the photos than it does in real life, the paint is decent, and the wood has a "patina" that cleaned up nicely with the Mothers VLR and really doesn't look that bad. I realize it's only going to be original once and won't be able to be matched exactly, so I need to keep that in mind. I did send Mick a message yesterday, however, I would like to see a sample of what the vinyl would look like for the Squire. I also e-mailed Henry's about the AC support bracket and rear brace. I'm hoping that if he doesn't have them he can point me in the right direction to someone else who might. I'm really concerned about getting our compressor in there and secure. Summers in the west San Fernando Valley (where we live) can be brutal.

And thanks to you and Doghead for the info about the females here. Hopefully one or both will drop by or message me.

 

to the wagon train, Psych62!

 

Thanks, Steve!

 

BTW, I just got off the phone with my brother; he remembers going to the showroom with my Dad to pick up the family wagon in 1967. It was a Buick, it was all brown (no wood) and it was a Sport Wagon. Kind of looked like the one in the attached picture, but no wood.

 

Tried to find pics on the interwebs of a brown (or even beige) 1967 Buick Sportwagon, without the 'wood' on it. Found one in red, in silver, maybe one in white, but no beige or brown.......

Usually, I am successful at these things.......

 

I wish there was a photo of the family wagon! Unfortunately there are none.