1949 Ford Custom Series Station Wagon

Ford was the first of the Big Three automakers to introduce an all-new postwar car to the market in 1949. They beat Chevrolet by six months and Plymouth by nine months. Ford's all-new 1949 models were in production and ready for delivery by June 1948. During the extended 16-month selling period, Ford achieved a 300 percent increase over the 1948 sales.

Ford had 31,412 deliveries of the new Station Wagon which used a steel frame and roof, and its wood parts were bonded together by a microwave process that squeezed a mixture of phenolic resin-coated wood pieces together to form a frame blank. The body panels were formed by a layer of maple over an inner layer of ash.

The station wagon was offered in the higher-priced Custom Series as a two-door model built from 1949 to 1951.

This 1949 Ford Custom Station Wagon is a late-model example equipped with a 302 cubic-inch small-block V8 engine. This modern drivetrain has an Edelbrock aluminum intake, Rochester four-barrel carburetor, auxiliary fan, and dual exhaust. There is an automatic transmission with floor shifter, power steering and power front disc brakes, air conditioning, and auxiliary gauges.

The exterior is finished in Coronation Red over a brown and tan interior. There is a windshield visor, a wood-grained dash with a clock, sliding rear windows, and a rear-mounted spare with metal cover.

By Daniel Vaughan | Feb 2025