The first Woody meet of the season in our area,Woodies in the Valley, was this past weekend in the Central California area. The threat of rain kept the attendance down but those who attended had a great time. As I have stated several times over the years, the Woody shows are the most relaxing and have the nicest people of any events I attend. The camaraderie  of the group is always on a high note which makes the day enjoyable. Driving your Woody on the highway is another experience that you won’t soon forget. The creaking and whistling air from the wooden body will stay with you throughout the entire trip. The many thumbs up you receive from passer-bys will put a large smile on your face. There is something that makes you feel proud to own a Woody that you can’t share — you must experience the feeling yourself. I have been fortunate to have experienced that feeling in the past and look forward to having that opportunity in the future.
Buying or building a Woody is not for everyone. You need to realize that they take special care, more so than your Hot Rod, in order to keep the wood in excellent condition. Sun can play havoc with the varnish and wood if not well varnished and cleaned regularly. Wood dents easier than metal so care must be taken when storing the car or working on it. Items such as corner braces and screws loosen up and need to be inspected after each trip to maintain the rigidity of the wooden structure. I used to carry a special wrench to tighten them as needed. There is nothing more distracting on a Woody than wood that has be neglected. These small maintenance items will make sure you wood stays in place. Door sag is another problem that you may have to look after. The heavy wooden doors tend to sag after some long road trips and need adjustment to keep the gaps consistent so gouging doesn’t damage the wood. Rubbing panels can often be cured with shims. If you are comfortable with doing a little maintenance and have the finances to purchase one, I can think of no better way to enjoy the many events held in our great California climate.
Could there be a Woody in your future?
Stay Tooned!
Lynn
The 33 woodies that showed up had the prime parking spots in town. See the HAMB for more photos.
Wavecrest is the largest event on the West Coast and well attended.
Santa Barbara offers more space to set up camp and enjoy the day with other enthusiasts.
 The scenery of the Pacific is always present at most events and brings dreams to many of us who love woodies.
A surf band adds to the mood of the event. Dancing is encouraged and the street fills up with people having fun.
No Bad Days!
 
The Deuce Woody is a rare sight but this one is a regular at Wavecrest.
Powered by a beautiful dressed flathead and high end detailing. Gary is a Deuce guy all the way.
Another regular is Jim Lattin’s  flathead equipped Deuce Woody.
My friend Walt is the new owner of this project and has some nice ideas to make it a winner.
Sid, of upholstery fame, built this one a few years ago and it wowed the crowds in the 90’s.
If you like the Model 40 then Hercules can build you a brand new one.
The 1934 Fords are popular Woodies with a lot of people.
I like the 1935 model also. The Cordoba Tan looks good with the wood
Walt has a custom 1937 Woody that I called Curvy for the side wood design.
This photo shows the different front ends on a 1937 versus the 1940 Ford.
The 1938 and 1939 Woodies can be sometimes hard to distinguish. This is the 1938 Deluxe model built by Dave.
Here is an example of the 1939 standard model Woody that needs a little work. The fellow is explaining to his wife that he can make it look like new for a few bucks — LOL!
The finished product can look like this with lots of time and dollars.
The 1939 Deluxe is another favorite of Woody lovers.
Beverly Hills owner, Andy, has owned his 1940 Woody for over 40 years and just redid it for the third time. He is making a deal on his phone.
One of the latest high end 1940’s was owned by the Chandler family and featured many unique items such as this Ford modular engine.
Yes, they squeezed this engine in the tinny engine compartment and made it look factory. No small task.
The stock looking dash had many features including hidden A/C ducts, GPS screen and controls. Woodgrained dash was not standard but I like it.
The high end of the Wooden food chain is the Sportsman as shown above. They command big dollars and the wood is very expensive to reproduce.
Probably the most popular are the 1946-48 Ford Woodies.
Jim has been driving his up and down the coast for many years and is an employee of Brizio’s. I favor these as they are very rooming and the 114″ wb rides like a new car.
Our group has a couple of the also popular 1949-1951 Ford Woodies.
The wood effect can be varied for a different look as this well traveled 1949 has. Stickers are popular with Woody owners.
Future Woody Projects on Pewsplace
Some people start with a project and  dream of making it a reality. It takes lots of time and dollars but the smile on the persons face tells it all.
Under the capable hands of Reed’s Rides, Jim’s delivery will be the next show stopper in the West Coast Woody World.
I am waiting for Rich and Val to step into the Woody World. He sure has the sickness that Woody lovers have. He also has the Deuce fever.