Neil Roach is the proud owner of a stylish 1951 Ford 2-door Woody wagon with some clever upgrades from its original platform.
For starters, the iconic ‘51 Ford station wagon has been modified to use a 1987 Lincoln powertrain and front subframe to upgrade its performance and drivability.
Jim Sutherland
Neil told MyStarCollectorCar his wife did not consider an ‘87 Lincoln to be that modern but, compared to the ‘51 Ford’s original powertrain, the Lincoln upgrade is much closer to modern automotive technology.
The ‘87 Lincoln was equipped with a 5.0-liter small block Ford engine that was also fuel-injected and connected to a 4-speed automatic overdrive transmission. The donor Lincoln was in immaculate condition and provided the perfect mechanical upgrades for the ‘51 Woody because the two vehicles shared similar size and weight dimensions, according to Neil.
Consequently, the swap was not easy, but not as difficult as it might have been with a less compatible donor vehicle. Neil’s main goal was a resto mod that “was reliable and could cruise all day”, in his words. He was not looking to build a hot rod and instead wanted a car that provided a cool retro look, along with the efficiency of a newer vehicle. Mission accomplished with his ‘51 Ford resto mod.
A testimony to the Ford’s durability was a long road trip to a California car show from his Alberta home where he won the Longest Distance award for his efforts. In fact, Neil has logged many miles on the road in his ‘51 Woody, with only a fuel pump failure along the way as a notable issue.
That road adventure teamed Neil with a local mobile mechanic to drop the gas tank in an auto parts store parking lot and replace the fuel pump. Happily, the entire process only took a few hours, according to Neil.
Closer inspection of the badges and hubcaps on Neil’s car appear to indicate it was a Meteor (Canadian-only Ford model), but it is indeed a Ford at heart. Meteor Woody wagons are very scarce, but Neil chose to honor their Canuck legacy with his build.
He also chose to put wide whitewalls on his Woody wagon because he liked the look, even though his investment in them was significant because the tires were radials. However, Neil cut the big price tag in half by telling his kids to buy two of them for his birthday. It was the perfect gift for him.
Neil was also able to replace the wood trim on his Woody wagon in a very cost-effective way when he purchased the replacement wood package at a deep discount from a going-out-of-business seller in Pennsylvania.
Neil admitted he had never really worked with wood but tackled the fitment challenge anyway and made it work, even though every Woody wagon body has its own unique wood configuration, according to him.
Other add-ons include a 1948 Mercury’s front seat and an adjustable coil suspension on all four corners to replace the air suspension from the 1987 Lincoln donor car. Neil wanted a better ride height and a less complicated suspension.
Neil intends to replace the aftermarket steering wheel because he wants a period-correct one, but until then Neil gets to enjoy time behind his current wheel and loves every minute of it. And who can blame him?
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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