Ford: Meteor Country Squire Custom Deluxe 2-door Woodie Station Wagon

OVERVIEW:
This is an extremely rare woodie wagon project. a good candidate worthy of restoration.
It is a very low production 1951 Ford Meteor Custom Deluxe Country Squire 2-door Station Wagon. one of only two existing that we are aware of after many years of ownership and research.
Exact production numbers by model are not available. but a total of only 23. 38 Meteors were built in 1951 in 9 different body styles. the wagon likely the lowest in number. and was the priciest model on the showroom floor.

The lead photo is a Ford factory promo shot and does not represent the present condition of this offering.

This auction is for a project car which was acquired several years ago. followed by much time. effort and dollars spent to compile good sheet metal and many other parts. both NOS and new repro woodie items.
All Meteor specific items are present and accounted for. including of course the all-important serial number and data tags.
All Meteor chrome items except the hubcaps have already been restored to the highest concours show quality.
The engine is a correct 239 ci. flathead V8 with low miles since having a Ford authorized rebuild. professionally inspected and found to be good to go. An original '51 overdrive goes with it.

This listing provides full details as you scroll thru. followed by a link to a photo album of over 210 pics.
The seller is a seasoned professional restorer and can provide accurate and honest details about any aspect of this viable project.
It is being offered with a very reasonable 4 digit reserve well below costs incurred to date to bring all the described elements together.

Meteors were introduced in June of 1948 by the Mercury Lincoln division of Ford Motor Company of Canada. Launched for the 1949 model year. they were exclusive to the Canadian market. similar to Monarch cars and Mercury trucks. and were distributed by Mercury and Lincoln dealers.
Meteors were essentially Fords. using Ford bodies. marketed with different model names. badge engineered for Ford Motor Company of Canada. This meant they were primarily differentiated from Fords by using different grilles and hood ornaments. trim details such as a four pointed star. Mercury styled hubcaps. and of course badging with the Meteor name.
For 1949-50. Meteors used the Mercury grille. but in 1951 Meteor got a grille of its own. South of the border. some enterprising Americans offered Meteor grilles in order to customize the '51 Fords.
Engines and drivetrains were identical to Fords.
Interiors were almost identical to Ford but used a Meteor medallion on the steering wheel.
On the showroom floor Meteors were priced slightly higher than a comparable Ford.

Meteor station wagon bodies were made in Ford's Iron Mountain factory in Michigan and were shipped to Windsor. Ontario. where they were mounted onto chassis and received Meteor trim etc. . so the bodies themselves were identical to the Ford wagons.

DRIVETRAIN:
The engine is a correct 239 ci. Ford flathead V8. It was removed from a nice running '52 Ford with only 39K original miles on the odometer. It has a Ford authorized rebuilders tag indicating a rebore of . 060. with mains and rods at . 010 under. The reason for it having been rebuilt with such low miles is unknown.
It was opened up and inspected by a retired professional mechanic with years of flathead experience and found to be in good condition requiring nothing and ready to be put into service again. It will require only cosmetics. and is complete with all peripheral components as shown.

The correct carburetor has been professionally and fully rebuilt. and there is the original air cleaner in nice condition.

The overdrive transmission was removed from a '51 Ford and is complete with all linkages. control cable and handle. brackets. governor. solenoid. etc…
There are an NOS mainshaft. NOS transmission mount. NOS OD kickdown switch. and NOS speedo cable included.
An NOS correct wagon driveshaft is still in the shipping tube.

The rear end presently in the car is an incorrect GM unit. A correct '51 Ford wagon rear end is included minus the brake drums. There is spare leaf spring and original lower shock mount plates are there.
There is also an NOS crown and pinion gear set. and a pair of correct wagon rebound bumpers.

CHASSIS:
The frame is totally solid and straight. no evidence of collision damage or rust problems whatsoever.
It still has its original front suspension and steering components. There are numerous NOS front end steering and suspension parts included.

The rad will require repair but the tanks are not dented.
There is a new master cylinder and an NOS brake lining kit.
Original handbrake rear cable and brackets are present.
The gas tank has been removed and is in the car. one minor dent in one corner. no soft spots but a few pin holes on one side.
There are 2 pairs of horns with brackets.

BODY & SHEET METAL:
The original Meteor wagon was acquired over 12 years ago in very rough condition. and soon determined to be too far gone to be resurrected. Both original body tags were removed along with whatever parts were salvageable. including the Meteor specific grille and trim.
An original '51 Ford wagon was located to be the body and frame donor for the Meteor project. Over the next few years additional solid sheet metal was acquired including a better original '51 Meteor hood. which is slightly different from Ford to accommodate the different grille. ornament and METEOR lettering.
The hood is nice and straight and the hinges are still attached to the body.
The body and all sheet metal are still in original paint and have never had any bodywork.

The original front end was missing on the wagon. the brown front clip came off a rust free '51 Ford sedan and lines up well. So you'll have a '51 Ford grille you can sell. along with the headlamp rings and fender emblems.
The front fenders are solid and rust free but have minor dents.
Nice inner fenders are straight and solid with no rust out.

The doors are rust free and solid. and not beat up.
Same goes for the spare set of '51 Ford wagon front doors in original blue paint.

Virtually all rust you see on the exterior sheet metal of this car is just light surface rust. With it all in original paint there is no evidence anywhere of any major collision damage. body repairs. or previous rust repairs. In other words what you're seeing is what you're getting.

Most metal on this car is quite solid. except for the floor pans underfoot of the front and middle seat passengers. The body mounts and seat mounts under the rusty floor pans are intact and for the most part appear solid. The left front mount will require some repair but it is not totally gone. Pan replacement is the main job as far as rust repair.
A 6-piece set of new Paul Bradley replacement floor pans is included for these repairs.

The rearmost floor and cargo pans are good and solid. The inner and outer rockers are not rusted. they're solid.

The roof is dent free and the drip rails are clean and rust free.
The lower rear quarters behind the rear wheels require some repair. metal straightening on the right. a patch for some rust out on the left.
The left quarter rear corner had a tail light mounted to the sheet metal which left behind 3 holes which will need to be welded shut.

There is also a complete set of new wagon body to frame rubber mounting pads and spacers along with instructions on their placement.

WOOD PANELS:
Being an early '51 model. this woodie came equipped with woodgrained metal side panels with real maple surrounds. There is only about half of the wood left and obviously it is beyond salvage and will need to be replaced. The wood for this car is available from several USA craftsmen who specialize in it.

All but 2 of the metal panels on this car are originals with remnants of the original woodgrain still displayed along now exposed edges. The original panels are not rusted and for the most part pretty straight. but the left upper quarter panel does have some dent damage at the rear.
The other 2 panels were fabricated new out of aluminum and primed flat black.

Another option for this project is to skip the metal woodgrained panels and install true mahogany inserts as were used on the '49 and early '50 models. The switch to woodgrained metal was a mid-1950 cost cutting measure by Ford. That's when they also changed to a full metal gate. initially body color in late '50. but then woodgrained for '51. The full metal gate can be converted to a wood gate by removing the outer skin and replacing it with wood as on the earlier models.

TAILGATE:
The woodgrained all metal tailgate is correct for the 1951 wagons and has the spare tire mount. The upper hatch and lower gate sections are straight and appear solid. however. a few small blisters are starting to appear along the bottom left of the tailgate.
The center swing panel below the tailgate is rusted out and will need to be replaced. CC Rods makes this piece along with many other quality repro pieces for these woodies.
The 2 outer side panels and the rear gravel pan are a bit rough but are repairable. no rot but a couple of metal tears. plus there is a spare of each of those.

All latch pieces are there and functional. The hatch has both lift arms. the right one works. the left one is seized and disconnected.
Inside tailgate stainless cargo rub strips are in place.
The hatch latch works but handle is not correct. There is a new interior handle and restored outside handle with key that are included. as well as a new spare tire lock and key.

The gate has the left side tail light bucket and cover shell with stainless trim. along with the swivel action license plate bracket. Included is a second tail light bucket and cover shell. arm and bracket base for an optional second tail light. New complete bucket assemblies with trim rings and lenses are inexpensive and available painted or in stainless.
There is a correct 2-piece spare tire cover in original paint. no rust. but a dent in the face plate.

CHROME & TRIM:
There are no missing Meteor trim pieces. All the Meteor specific chrome. including the horn ring. has been restored and plated to a very high caliber by one of Canada's most competent plating companies. particularly when it comes to pot metal. the Plating House of Concord. Ontario.
Thank you John!

There is a very nice original Meteor plastic horn ring insert with the Meteor star emblem in gold.

There are 7 Meteor hubcaps not yet been restored to choose from.
The front bumper and guards are in good original condition and still mounted to the bumper irons.
There is a 3-piece bumper on the car along with the left rear guard. There is a second 3-piece rear bumper along with the right rear guard included. The best bumper sections can be selected for restoration.

Original Country Squire scripts on both doors. 3 pieces very nice. one ‘Country' script is split but could be epoxied and you'd never know it. However. a set of 4 new reproduction pieces are included.

As it was a little fancier than its Ford counterpart. the Meteor wagon sported stainless outer windshield surround moldings. and a stainless hood center spear. all of which are included but not yet polished.
There is a new stainless outside windshield divider along with the inner retainer.

The outside door and quarter panel stainless beltline trim pieces are all present and in good original condition. not yet polished.
There is a pair of correct wagon exterior door handles.

New reproduction and stainless wagon parts include the quarter window pulls. locks. hatch striker plate. and various fasteners.

INTERIOR:
The interior is what is left of the original. There is basically no glass intact in the car. but is all flat so easily made from available patterns.
It has the original front and second seats. no third seat. The original material and padding was still on these seats just prior to these pics being taken. but due to its very poor and decayed condition most of it was removed and discarded. The frame and springs are restorable. All second seat hardware is there and the seat flips down as it should for a flat cargo floor.
Headliner is gone but all top bows are in place. as are the dome light. both sun visors. and original door sill plates.

Inside door and quarter panels are gone. easily made. They were woodgrained hardboard in '51. real mahogany on the earlier models.
The window regulators and door latches are still in the doors. and there is also a spare set of loose regulators. plus a third set in the spare doors. There are enough inside door and window handles. and both arm rests.
All inside garnish moldings are present. left and right windshield plus divider. both doors and rear quarters. rear hatch.

Complete new NOS lock set with all keys includes ignition. glove box. and both door locks.

Correct dash has never been cut and still houses speedometer. speaker grill. and has stainless trim. There is a spare set of stainless dash trim. and all the other knobs. switches and hood pull are present. along with another wagon correct used speedo.
Original steering wheel. column. shifter. and spare used wagon speedo.

There is a wagon correct NOS speedometer head as well as an NOS speedo housing and gauge cluster with NOS gauges. The gold face on the speedo was exclusive to the wagons. as was a gold face clock.
A correct original push button radio is included. unrestored.
There are new wiring harnesses from Dennis Carpenter as well which include the main dash and body harnesses.

There is a complete NOS Ford Magic Air Heating and Ventilating Equipment system. new. in the box. This includes everything to do with the heating system. both under the hood and under the dash. NOS. ready to install. complete.

Dennis Carpenter rubber items include vent sleeves. steering column floor grommet. gas. brake and clutch pedal pads.

SUMMARY:
In short this is a very worthy project. with many years and dollars spent bringing together the elements for a viable restoration of a very rare woodie. While not suggested for a first timer restoration project. anyone with the appropriate experience. skills and resources could certainly accomplish the build. If you have these you'll know what you're looking at.
A full complement of rare original and reproduced literature is included to support the task.

This project was put together by someone with years of experience and several body off restorations to their credit. so it's not a hodge-podge of junk.
While presently performing a full body-off restoration of an equally rare 1950 Monarch woodie. age. health concerns. plus a selection of other personally preferred vehicles requiring restoration have led to the decision to forego on this rare Meteor and pass it on to another enthusiast.

The desirability of woodies in general. the popularity of the shoebox Ford. and the rarity of this Meteor model will ensure its ongoing collectible status and secure your investment.
Availability of parts and resources for this vintage of Ford cars. including the wagons. makes this a far easier challenge than many less popular woodie wagons.
Recent sales for nicely restored or rodded examples of '49-51 Ford built woodies are in the $50-65K USD range. so please assess your skill level and budget and bid accordingly.
The rarity of a Meteor should no doubt command a greater interest and price accordingly when completed to a superior level.
You won't park next to another one at the next car show or woodie meet.

It is being offered with a very reasonable 4 digit reserve.

PAYMENT TERMS:

Please email ‘carsgoneby@telus. net' or phone Rick at (403)534-2222 for additional honest and accurate information from a professional auto restorer. Over 210 pics of the project and all parts are available for viewing at www. carsgoneby. com/PhotoAlbumsPro/1951Meteor . Additional specific pictures are available upon request. No warranties expressed or implied. Successful bidder to make a minimum payment of 50% of closing bid amount (US funds) within 5 days of auction closing. with the balance payable upon vehicle pick up within 21 days (international) or 14 days (US/Canada).
Payment must be in certifiable form such as cash or wire transfer. Other forms of payment only acceptable with time allowance for instrument to clear bank prior to vehicle being released. Any deviation from. or changes to the preceding terms must be reasonable. and should be requested. discussed. and agreed to prior to bidding and auction closing.

IMPORTANT OTHER:

Please submit all inquiries prior to bidding. and please only bid if you are able and willing to conclude the transaction should you be the winning bidder.
This vehicle is being sold with a Bill of Sale only. There are no issues regarding importation into the USA as US Customs does not require a title or registration document.
The car is located in Mossleigh. Alberta. Canada. about 3 hours north of the Montana border. Please be aware of your shipping costs before bidding. quotes can be provided upon request if necessary. We can help make this a smooth. hassle free experience by arranging all-inclusive international transportation and brokerage for you. References relating to similar transactions are available. Cars Gone By has sold and shipped numerous collector vehicles to the USA and worldwide. the majority through Ebay transactions.
Please do not ask us to disclose the reserve price. In fairness to all bidders we will not do so and request that you simply place a bid that is comfortable for you.
Thanks for looking!

Also published at eBay.ca

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