Ford Tailgate History

Print this articleFord was a leader in station wagon design and innovations, including the power window tailgate and dual-way tailgate. Ford’s woodie station wagons in the 1940s are pop culture icons popularized by early 1960s surf music, but the wagon reached its zenith in sales with Baby Boomers attracted to features like faux wood paneling, larger window space in the rear, the sporty compact Futura and the high-end Country Squire.

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The station wagon derived from depot hacks dating before World War I, although bodies were custom built. Hacks had open bodies usually with a cargo space in the rear. Early station wagon designs can be found in custom-built Model Ts through 1927. After the redesigned Model A arrived in 1928, the ranch wagon began to emerge. The ranch wagon was a barebones vehicle with body-on-frame construction, wood-paneled sides and tailgate, and canvas roof.

The Woodie

Ford, like most automakers, farmed out its bodywork to custom houses to build its woodie station wagons. It wasn’t until 1941 that Ford built its V-8 DeLuxe woodie wagon in-house. Depending on the make, model and year, Ford used ash, maple, birch and mahogany to panel its station wagons. Ford began producing wood-bodied wagons in 1929. The tailgate featured a steel frame paneled in wood. It was a conventional fold-down tailgate with no window. Instead, it provided a canvas tarp fastened to the roof and unhooked at the top of the tailgate. By 1937, Ford employed all-steel construction on all closed bodied station wagons. The tailgate featured ash or maple wood paneling and had two latches to unhook and fold down. The transom lifted upwards and featured wide flat glass. As late as 1949, Ford kept the wood-paneled tailgate, But it turned to an all-steel tailgate and transom by 1951, the last year of the woodie.

1950s

The model year 1957 was a milestone year for tailgate design. Ford developed the spring-loaded transom for easy one-handed lifting. The window was wider, stretching 45.7 inches from rear pillar to pillar. Ford’s Mercury division offered as standard equipment on its Mercury station wagons an electric-controlled rear window operated by the turn of the key in the tailgate lock or by remote from the driver’s side. Standard on the regular Ford models was an “easy-opening” tailgate that the operator could open with one hand like the transom. Edsels used different sheet metal for its tailgates and special trim, including weatherstripping.

Later Years

Compact station wagons such as the Futura and Falcon dominated the 1960s with the Fairlane serving the mid-size market, and the Country Squire the full-size niche. An electric tailgate was available as an option on the Falcon, Fairlane and Futura. It cost $29.75, or $214 in 2010, although it was standard equipment on the Country Squire. The option price for the power tailgate rose to $32, or $218 in 2010 dollars in 1965. The tailgates were smart and understated with the model name stretched across the back with no other adornments. Buyers could order faux wood paneling. The big news, however, was Ford’s dual action tailgate introduced in 1966. The tailgate folded down as a conventional tailgate or it could swing open as a door. This made loading, unloading, and ingress and egress more manageable. The 1970s brought few changes to the tailgate with the exception of the hatchback styles found on the Taurus wagons. By the 1980s, station wagons fell out of favor and made way for minivans.

ReferencesStation Wagon: A Short History of Station Wagons in the USAPack Automotive Museum: FordPack Automotive Museum: FordOld Woodies: 1946 FordSmithsonian’s History Explorer: 1955 Ford Country Squire Station WagonGoogle Books: Popular Science, February 1957Hemmings: 1960 Ford Station WagonASWOA: History of the Ford Falcon Station WagonGoogle Books: American Station Wagons: The Golden Era 1950-1975 by Norm MortGoogle Books: Standard Catalog of Ford by John GunnellRead Next:

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