I  would never have had a clue that anything like this ever existed.
Wouldn't it be great to find one?!

 ON THE ROAD  AGAIN!



1937 Ford House  Car

One of only six said to have been made per year in  the mid-'30s at the Ford plant in St. Paul, Minnesota,  according to an article on this car in a 1993 "Old Cars"  magazine article..  Very few others--perhaps none--remain  on the road, and certainly not in such amazing original  condition.  (The only other known example that I heard of  was supposedly housed in the Henry Ford Museum inDearborn,   Michigan .  But that turned out to be an early 1920s Model  T conversion, the curator told me.  He said he'd never  seen anything like this '37!)

When discovered in a  garage (under a heavy cover) in Northern Minnesota in August  2001, she had only 19,000 miles, and the owner's manual was  actually still the glove box in like-new condition!  She  had always been garaged and treated with much TLC as a  collector vehicle.

The interior, all wood lined, was  still the way it appeared in the '30s and '40s, complete with  framed photos of the original owner on his travels (mainly to  Florida) and his cabin in the North Woods, plus other  memorabilia from the era.

Built on the '37 Ford Pickup  frame and cowling (powered by a 60-hp flathead V8 with  aluminum heads), the rear framing is all wood, with the metal  skin wrapped around it.  The roof structure, too, is all  wood, over which the heavy, waterproofed canvas top is still  very securely fitted.  The structure of the body is  solid, appearing from underneath to be all oak, and still in a  remarkably unaltered, undamaged condition.  The door  frames are thick, solid oak, and oak is visible around the  window openings (as on the four side windows in back) --  though it is painted over.



She was a big  hit at this campground once we got that great old flattie V8  hummin'!  Note her expanding roof and the original dark  green color, which had been repainted. I figure the canvas  roof was originally painted in reflective silver to keep it  from getting too hot inside.. All four side windows open,  while the back one tilts out to three positions.  The  windshield also tilts open at the bottom for natural AC while  driving.

Here are a few shots of her in August 2001,  out on the road in theChippewa National Forest north of Grand  Rapids , MN practicing for her next adventure: "Destination  Wavecrest 2001."












A peek  inside: a slice right out of the 1930s...just as the original  owner left it.  All the windows open, with curtains on  the four side ones and pull-down shades on the back window, as  well as on the driver's and passenger door windows.  A  wide storage cabinet is located under the  bed.



The wood  headliner, with vent and canvas expanding portion visible.  Four wood pieces hold it securely in the up position, while  clamps hold it down while driving.




More interior  views...  note the cedar branches hanging in the corners  for that north woods aroma.  Cabinets and aluminum sink  (with a wood cover insert) are visible on the left.  All  the antiques stuck away inside, as well as those hanging on  the walls, came along for the ride.  Also note the table  behind the driver's seat, which folds  down.