1952 Chevrolet Station Wagon: The Image of Wood
The 1952 Chevy Wagon Only Looks Like It's a Woodie
After World War II, Chevrolet resumed production of civilian vehicles by updating its 1942 range and introducing it for 1946. There was nothing wrong with that, as the result looked good and it was the best way to meet the demand that had built during the conflict.
Nearly all American manufacturers began with that approach and then, after one to three model years, unveiled new designs as the market was satisfied. Chevrolet’s modern postwar cars appeared in 1949 and with one exception, were not radically different from those they succeeded.
The 1949 Chevy Woodie Is a Transition
Chevy station wagons had been listed in the catalogue only since 1939; before that, customers could have them built by any of the shops that regularly supplied wagon bodies for various manufacturers’ chasses. While Chevrolet’s addition of wagons as regular models changed that, the cars themselves were all but identical in concept to those that custom shops had produced.
As did virtually all manufacturers’ wagons from the earliest, the new Chevrolet station wagon used a body constructed of wood from just behind the windshield and cowl back to the tailgate. The gate, like the quarter panels and the doors, was built of wood while the roof wore canvas tacked to a framework of wood below. The only major components of metal were the fenders.
That layout remained the standard at Chevrolet through 1948, but the next year saw a very different woodie as much of its wood had been replaced by metal. The most obvious change was the steel roof, but anything beyond a quick glance at the car revealed more. Doors wore metal skins almost up to the beltline and the Body by Fisher Station Wagon 1949 Service and Construction Manual described it as a “composite type body.”
The end of the line for woodies was very near.
The Chevrolet All-Steel Wagon Arrives
Before the model year was over, the Chevrolet woodie was joined by an all-steel counterpart. Like the woodie, the new wagon used a body built by Fisher, which accounted for their similar appearances. In fact, Fisher made sure that the Chevrolet all-steel wagon wasn’t a clean break from the woodie.
In addition to interior wood panels, there were stampings in the side panels and tailgate to give the appearance of wood components and in case that was too subtle, simulated woodgrain was added with Di-Noc transfers. If that seems like a lot of trouble, consider the station wagon’s history to that point.
What had begun as a utilitarian vehicle before World War I had by the 1930s taken on an additional role; while many still carried passenger to and from railroad stations or worked as light-duty commercial vehicles, others served solely as personal transportation. From a Ford or Chevy woodie at the affordable end of the spectrum to a Packard or Cadillac at the top, a woodie came to mark the owner’s station in life by implying that he could afford to own a more conventional car, as well.
Besides the status (for those who cared), there was also the visual appeal of the natural wood, but that came with drawbacks. Wood bodies required refinishing and adjusting, generally once a year, and few were actually free of squeaks and noises. Accident damage was costly and difficult to repair.
The Chevy Woodie, Like Others, Fades Away
To those who appreciated woodies’ charm, the all-steel Chevrolet was disheartening and they feared the worst for the older design. They were soon proven right, as Chevrolet had sold just over 10,000 of its last traditional woodies in 1948, followed by about 3300 woodies and 2700 steel wagons in 1949, but 167,000 steel wagons in 1950. Another 24,000 were sold in 1951 and just under 13,000 in 1952, the final year for the style introduced in 1949.
From a business sense, it was the right decision. One by one, other General Motors divisions, Ford and Chrysler confirmed that and by 1953, Buick offered the last American production woodie.
Chevrolet's first steel wagons looked like woodies
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