Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday – Three Post War 2-Door Wagons from the Big Three

Jim Brennan

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Welcome to another edition of Hooniverse Wagon Wednesday. The 2-Door Wagon seems to be popular with the Hoons here at Hooniverse, so I thought I would do a Wagon Wednesday Showdown between three different 2-Door wagons of 1949-1953 vintage. So which one will prove to be the one that tugs on your want-o-meter? The 1949 Plymouth DeLuxe Suburban, or the 1949 Mercury 2-Door Woodie, or the Resto-Mod 1953 Chevrolet 2-Door Longroof.


Lets start out with the Plymouth Suburban, and according to the Listing:

2 Door Wagon Second Series, New paint, Tan cloth interior–all new, Flathead 6 cylinder, 3 speed manual transmission, VERY LOW PRODUCTION!!! A frame up restoration of a rust free western car approximately 2 years ago (no we do not have the receipts–you just have to look at the car and see all that was done). Engine and transmission rebuilt, new brakes, new paint, new interior, chrome and stainless redone. The windshield canopy is stainless steel.


As of this writing, the top bid for this Wagon is $14,001, and the bidding will be done by the time you read this post. So, how much should this car command? Read to eBay listing here.

The Plymouth is beautiful, but this Mercury is absolutely mind blowing. There is something special about these Ford 2-Door Woodies that make them so lustworthy. According to the listing:

WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER THIS RARE 1949 MERCURY WOODIE WAGON. IT RETAINS ITS ORIGINAL FLATHEAD V-8 AND A THREE SPEED ON THE COLUM WITH OVERDRIVE. THE BODY WAS BEAD BLASTED DOWN TO BARE METAL, PRIMED, BASE COAT CLEAR COAT 2 STAGE BLACK PAINT. A NEW INTERIOR WAS INSTALLED AS WELL, ALL NEW CHROME. THIS WOODIE WAS CONVERTED TO A 12 VOLT SYSTEM. A LARGE CUSOM RADIATOR WAS ADDED. THIS IS AN INVESTMENT QUALITY 49 IT WOULD MAKE A GREAT ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION OR IT IS SET UP TO DRIVE AND ENJOY.


The Buy-it-Now price for this investment grade Wagon is a heart-stopping $71,400!!!!! Is this Mercury worth the asking price? See the eBay listing here.

The third wagon of this posting is the youngest of the three, though any vehicle that is 58 years old is anything but young. This is a 1953 Chevrolet 2-Door Steel Top (Wood Look) Wagon that has been modified. I will be the first to tell you that “Resto-Mods” are really not my thing, though this one is rather well done. According to the listing:

This custom built 1953 Chevrolet wagon has been equipped with a Heidt’s independent front end with power disc brakes and power rack and pinion steering. The engine is a 350 V8 backed by a turbo 350 automatic transmission and the rear axle is a chevy 10 bolt. The body is nice and straight and the paint looks beautiful. All chrome and stainless look new and all glass and weatherstripping have been replaced with new. The interior has been finished in a very nice white vinyl with yellow piping. The dash looks great with new VDO gauges, alpine CD player and all new chrome. This car also features tilt wheel, air conditioning, cruise control, electric wipers, and new white wall radial tires.


The current bid for this wagon is $25,000, with an unmet reserve. What do you think it will take to mark this car sold? See the eBay listing here.

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Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

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  1. muthalovin Avatar
    muthalovin

    I had to go with the brown Plymouth Suburban. Not only is it the affordabliliest, its also the browniest, and I loves me some brown cars.

    Reply
  2. Jim-Bob Avatar
    Jim-Bob

    I went with the Chevy. I'm not really interested in driving a car with 100% early 50's technology and slowness. The Small Block would be easier to get parts for and keep up with modern traffic better than either of the flat head wagons. Plus, as it is modified, I could also consider a more modern engine swap for better fuel economy in the future.

    Reply
  3. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    The Mercury looks wonderful, but new-Lexus money is a lot to ask plus that wood is going to require regular care and a lot of elbow grease to keep in shape.
    The seller of the Plymouth is stretching things a bit – 19,200 examples in 1949 is not "very low production". Proceed with caution. Also it will be an utter snooze to drive.
    The Chevy is a bit overpriced since it's neither all-original not custom/hot rod, but it would be the nicest driver of the three.

    Reply
  4. facelvega Avatar
    facelvega

    The Mercury is completely desirable, and completely not worth seventy grand. The Chevy has the nicest interior and for sure would drive the best, but somehow it just smells of vulgarity, a little bit from the original design cues and a little bit more from the character of the restoration– it looks like it should have the logo of a bar or sporting good store on the side. So for me the staid Plymouth wins, but only by default, and mainly on the virtue of the nonmetallic brown.

    Reply
  5. OA5599 Avatar
    OA5599

    $14K didn't meet reserve on the Plymouth, but the dealer lists it on the web page at a $16,900 asking price. http://www.autocollectorsgarage.com/inventory/194…

    Reply
  6. Tomsk Avatar
    Tomsk

    The Merc is neat but too predictable (plus the price is a major turnoff), the Plymouth is cool and the right color but not much of a driver, so the Chevy it is. However, just to be different, I'd yank the Small Block and drop in a Vortec Atlas six dressed to resemble the stock Blue Flame (with the exception of EFI disguised as a mechanical Hillborn setup) and back it up with a TKO 5-speed (It's already got the hole for a floor shifter.).

    Reply
  7. Black Steelies Avatar
    Black Steelies

    I'd opt for the Chevy. It would be the easiest to drive and I wouldn't worry about taking it anywhere. I like the other two for being in great stock condition but I just wouldn't go for a turd brown wagon of that vintage or an uber-'spensive 1:1 model. In the end there are probably other wagons from that vintage I would rather have than any of these.

    Reply
  8. Carl Wilson Avatar
    Carl Wilson

    No mention of a chopped top on the Chev, or are my eyes deceiving me? But i like it!!

    Reply
  9. Mad_Hungarian Avatar
    Mad_Hungarian

    @Carl — Not a chopped top, but the Chevy started life as a four door. No two door Chevy wagons were produced prior to '55. Because the sedan-length front doors were not intended to provide access to the back seat, they don't. It's obviously a very awkward climb to get back there. Also, it seems to me that very often when a door opening is filled in like that, there is a risk that over time cracks and/or rust develop where the gap was filled in. The more the car is used, the more likely that seems to be, I suppose because the body flexes over road irregularities and the door may flex differently from the rest of the body, putting stress on the filled in seam.

    Reply
  10. Carl Wilson Avatar
    Carl Wilson

    Beg your pardon Mr. Mad but if you go to the Remarkable Cars site you will see this car with a full description including a slight 2" top chop. I couldn't believe my eyes were that bad.

    Reply