Redwood Roadster Has A Solid Wood Body

1991 - Volume #15, Issue #3, Page #18

[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story | Read this issue]

A 1968 Ford Mustang rebuilt with a solid redwood body gets a lot of second looks when Merlyn Zubrod of Templeton, Iowa, takes it on the road.
Zubrod has driven his "redwood roadster" in parades all over westem Iowa where it has won a number of first-place ribbons for best parade entry. He's also driven it in several weddings.
"It rides like a million bucks. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it to California and back," says Zubrod, who farms and does wood-working as a hobby. "I lad made wood cabinets before, but I had never tried any-thing like this. It took six months to build and I didn't have any written plans to follow. My only guide was a memory of a wooden car I'd seen on television once years ago. It looks like a convertible, but I don't have a top for it so I can drive it only when the weather is good. I don't take it to car shows because they don't have a class for wooden cars. There's about $700 worth of redwood on the car. I used redwood because it's easy to work with and doesn't dry out or warp. I had a lot of help building the car from my local pastor, Father (Eugene) Schumacher, who helped finish the wood. We sanded it, stained it, and then sprayed it with four coats of boat varnish. The finish has stood up - the car's redwood surface has proved impervious to weather."
Zubrod stripped the metal body from the chassis, leaving the seats, dash, and wind-shield in place. He used ordinary shop tools to cut and fit the wood and screwed it onto the body framework from the inside. He mounted 12-in. wide fenders over each wheel and added 4-in. wide running boards. He removed the original tires and replaced them • with 15-in. wide white sidewalls. He equipped the car with a front grille salvaged from a 1968 Mercury car and a rear luggage rack from an old Chevrolet station wagon. A "space-saver" wheel mounts at the rear. The door hinges are off an old meat cooler and the door handles are off a tractor cab. Tail lights were removed from a Dodge Coronet.
Contact; FARM SHOW Followup, Merlyn Zubrod, Rt. 1, Box 3, Templeton, Iowa 51463 (ph 712 669-3528).

Click here to download page story appeared in.

Click here to read entire issue

Redwood Roadster has a solid wood body AG WORLD Ag World 15-3-18 A 1968 Ford Mustang rebuilt with a solid redwood body gets a lot of second looks when Merlyn Zubrod of Templeton, Iowa, takes it on the road. Zubrod has driven his "redwood roadster" in parades all over westem Iowa where it has won a number of first-place ribbons for best parade entry. He's also driven it in several weddings. "It rides like a million bucks. I wouldn't hesitate to drive it to California and back," says Zubrod, who farms and does wood-working as a hobby. "I lad made wood cabinets before, but I had never tried any-thing like this. It took six months to build and I didn't have any written plans to follow. My only guide was a memory of a wooden car I'd seen on television once years ago. It looks like a convertible, but I don't have a top for it so I can drive it only when the weather is good. I don't take it to car shows because they don't have a class for wooden cars. There's about $700 worth of redwood on the car. I used redwood because it's easy to work with and doesn't dry out or warp. I had a lot of help building the car from my local pastor, Father (Eugene) Schumacher, who helped finish the wood. We sanded it, stained it, and then sprayed it with four coats of boat varnish. The finish has stood up - the car's redwood surface has proved impervious to weather." Zubrod stripped the metal body from the chassis, leaving the seats, dash, and wind-shield in place. He used ordinary shop tools to cut and fit the wood and screwed it onto the body framework from the inside. He mounted 12-in. wide fenders over each wheel and added 4-in. wide running boards. He removed the original tires and replaced them • with 15-in. wide white sidewalls. He equipped the car with a front grille salvaged from a 1968 Mercury car and a rear luggage rack from an old Chevrolet station wagon. A "space-saver" wheel mounts at the rear. The door hinges are off an old meat cooler and the door handles are off a tractor cab. Tail lights were removed from a Dodge Coronet. Contact; FARM SHOW Followup, Merlyn Zubrod, Rt. 1, Box 3, Templeton, Iowa 51463 (ph 712 669-3528).

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.

SUBSCRIBE OR RENEW NOW