From earlier posts of mine, many have probably reached the logical conclusion that finding old American cars in the open is difficult in Central America. Not impossible, as there are a few and they clearly stand out from the sea of newer Asian machinery that clog our streets. But in general, they’re rare –if eventful– sightings.
But for the most part, vintage American iron is usually stored away, safely secluded. Or so I gather from browsing local vintage car sales, as there are more around than I ever imagined. And in those ads, one can see that they come in two flavors: either dubious restorations or abandoned heaps in need of full makeovers. Today’s post will cover both, thanks to two Dearborn wagons that showed up on my feed.
We’ll start with the “dubious” restoration, as the two-tone of this ’53 Ranch Wagon is a curious one. (Nope, I ain’t fond of the color surround on the headlight bezels). The respray is certainly local, as well as the rest of the car’s restoration. Not to standards that will please fans of “factory spec” precision… But the wagon is alive, and around. And more or less close to stock, which is a rarity over here as some of you know from previous posts of mine.
Old wagons aren’t quite what local collectors look for however, and this old 2-door has been for sale for quite a while with no takers. It does have one very powerful attraction though: The original flathead V8 still under its hood. Last year this legendary Ford Wonder was available in the market, by then with 239cid displacement and 110hp.
I grant that had this wagon been up north, this old flathead would have most likely ended up in some hot rod project. Or so I feel.
Another positive in this region, rust ain’t as prevalent as one would think. Local (expensive) reupholstery aside, the wagon’s interior looks pretty clean, with not too much noticeable rot around that dashboard.
How these Detroit survivors came to be around here can be traced to a few speculative scenarios. But all sustained by basic local realities; mainly, these old cars were beyond the reach of most Salvadorians when new. So they were all purchased by some affluent local family when Detroit iron was the desirable norm. Their later fate depended on family luck; if fortunes were sustained, they were preciously preserved. Like a ’47 Cadillac I came across last year, or a recent ’65 Dart. If luck was adverse, they withered in storage but kept around as a “valuable” object.
(We do keep all kinds of “valuables” in these nations of limited resources. From broken TVs to ruined Oster blenders, because in the words of the elderly: “You never know when you’ll need something!”)
So we can safely guess this ’53 was kept around by a family of not-too-dwindling means. With the recent refurbishing done by a younger family member who’s now looking to use it as collateral for a newer vehicle, or so the sales ad implied.
(“‘Pops! The girls don’t care about old Ford wagons! Why didn’t you buy a BMW or a Benz back in the day?”)
If you find there’s much done to your disliking in the ’53, here’s your chance to do it “your way”. This ’56 Country Squire also stayed for sale on my feed for months, apparently needing just about everything. Though once again, its body looked pretty straight.
Price for this was $6,000 and I’ll admit I was actually tempted. Did I need an old Ford wagon with dubious resale possibilities in this region? Not at all! But the things the brain of the auto enthusiast does when looking at ads…
The ’56 also has that “powerful” sales pitch, a seemingly original V8 mill. No displacement mentioned, however –over here “V8” is all that buyers of American iron care to hear. So I’ll just let Dearborn experts illuminate us in the comments section on the exact mill seen here.
Do I see some original door panels? Also, all the instrumentation is there, along with an annoying Hawaiian dancer figurine and fuzzy dice. Duh… how cliché… but at least they’re removable.
And yes, this Country Squire does come with three of the tree.
So that does it today for this brief visit to Ford wagons for sale in Central America. Should you care to know, the ’56 apparently finally sold last time I checked. Meanwhile, the 2-door ’53 is still around. Back in that year, Ford’s most popular wagon, with at least one sample reaching these distant lands. About 67K units of these were built for ’53. Nice figures, but how many can there still be of these “utilitarian” Fords?
In the odd case you think of buying it and wish to bother with the hassle of Salvadorian customs, the ad is HERE.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1953 Ford Crestline Victoria – The End Of The Road For The Flathead V8
Curbside Classic: 1953 Ford – You’ll Never Guess What’s Under The Hood
Curbside Classic: 1956 Ford Fairlane – Beautiful, But Still The Bridesmaid
I am with you in preferring the 56 – it is a really original looking wagon! I checked a brochure site, and it appears that the Ford wagon buyer had a choice between the six and a 292 V8. That dash shot looks to me like there might be a handle underneath to the left of the steering wheel that might indicate that the 3 speed transmission comes with OD, which makes one more reason to like the car.
I will confess that I still have a teeny thing for the later Ford flathead V8, so the 53 you found has that going for it.
I don’t think the first one is that dubious of a restoration. Sure the color combo isn’t factory but it all goes together well, the only issue I have is the color of the headlight rings. Otherwise it looks great under the hood and the body under that paint seems good.
I also don’t think that the second one is an old heap that needs everything. It does appear to still have all of the equipment it left the factory with with a straight relatively rust free body. It looks like it should run with a battery and a little tinkering, full brake inspection/replacement, fresh fluids, tires and you’ve got a driver. To me the body and interior are fine as is.