Paul Wood

Woody's first car was a mildly customized 1941 Chevrolet Coupe with a partial dechroming, fender skirts, a two-tone black and red paint job, and a modified 6-cylinder engine​1​. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

A photo of Paul with his second car, a 1950 Chevrolet Convertible that was essentially stock​. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

Restyled around 1958, Woody’s Merc was built in the street in, in front of his girlfriend's house. Bausert recalled that Woody had acetylene and oxygen tanks in the trunk of the car that he would roll out whenever he was working on the car. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

A more powerful 1951 Cadillac engine and 4-speed automatic transmission eventually found its way into Paul Wood's 1949 Mercury, replacing the old flathead engine. “The Caddy mill ran with trips or dual-quads at various times,” Ken Bausert recalled. Olds and Cadillac engines were popular engines to install in your hot rod or custom in New York back then. Photo from The Ken Bausert Collection.

An early photo of Woody's 1953 Ford Convertible developed in July of 1959. Photo from The Ken Bausert Collection.

A photo of Woody and Sal Consiglio in front of Woody’s 1953 Ford. “Back in the day, Woody had no garage and often worked on the car in the street. This was shot on 116th Street, just north of Liberty Avenue, in Richmond Hill, around 1961,” Ken Bausert told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama. Photo courtesy of Ken Bausert.

An in-progress photo of Phil Turano's 1954 Mercury Convertible taken after Woody had grafted Packard taillights onto the quarter panels on the car. The photo was taken in front of Ken Bausert's parents house in Richmond Hill around 1961 or 1962. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

An in-progress, later incarnation of Woody’s 1953 Ford featuring scooped and canted quad headlights, a new grille cavity, and a pancaked hood. Taken in 1962, this version did also run a 1955 Buick engine. Photo from The Ken Bausert Collection.

Sal Consiglio's 1955 Ford of New York City, New York. Sal lived in the Richmond Hill neighborhood. He was a member of the 1320 Crusaders car club, and his Ford was restyled in 1962. Woody did the welding and fabrication on the car before Sal finished it off. The build was sold before it was completed. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

A rear end shot of Sal Consiglio's 1955 Ford taken in 1962. The rolled pan and license plate treatment were all Woody's welding and fabrication. Other modifications include a shaved deck lid and 1955 - 1956 Mercury station wagon taillights with custom lenses. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

Ken Bausert with the second incarnation of the "Mint Julep" in 1962. “After an accident involving some damage to the front end, I began remodeling the car again. Twin radio antennas were mounted in a two-inch deep recessed oval on the right door. The '57 Merc Cruiser skirts were welded to the body & molded in. A radiused opening to match the front wheel opening was cut into the skirts to access the rear wheels. A scoop was cut in the front edge of the skirts and a slim piece of chrome molding extended into the opening of the scoop. The rear of the Cruiser skirt was extended and wrapped around into a rear grille cavity on each side of the license plate. 1962 Pontiac Bonneville tail light assemblies were installed in each rear cavity.” Woody did all the welding on this incarnation of the car. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

After a period of lost contact, Bausert reconnected with Wood, who was still building cars in his shop in Farmingville, Long Island. One of his projects during this period was a 1965 Chevy G10 Van, into which he installed a late-model Chevy 350/350 engine and transmission. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

Woody made significant structural modifications to the van, including rolling front and rear pans, eliminating the rear doors, installing custom glass, reworking tail lights, and fabricating an L-shaped seating arrangement for the rear compartment. The body was also shortened by ten inches, and the front doors were reworked to fit. This vehicle served as Wood's daily commute from Farmingville to Jamaica, Queens. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

Woody's collection of vehicles evolved over time, and a 1933 Ford Pick Up served as his daily driver for several years. The pick up had a supercharged small block Chevy engine under its hood. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

Woody's show car, a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe. Woody installed a Chevy 383 cubic-inch stroker with a B+M 671 Blower at one point. The transmission was a beefed-up 350 Turbo-Hydro. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

All of Woody's cars have factory sheet metal bodies. No fiberglass. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

A 1939 Ford Coupe that Woody built before he retired and moved to Florida in the late 1990s. The Ford body was mounted to a Monte Carlo chassis, maintaining the Chevy driveline to make the car easier to service if needed on a long trip. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

The top on Woody's Ford was chopped two inches and extended six inches to provide more room in the back seat area. Once again, Woody created a hardtop out of a coupe by removing the door and rear window pillars. Custom-made skirts were also added. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

In the late 1990s, Woody retired to Florida. Before he moved, he sold the truck and a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe that he had built. He brought a 1939 Ford custom along that he kept for a while before replacing it with a customized golf cart. Bausert, who back in the day created a photo album featuring pictures of his friends' cars from the 1950s, received several old photos from Wood to add to his collection. These images can now be found on Bausert's blog and on Kustomrama. Photo from The Ken Bausert Photo Collection.

Remembering the Legends

Paul "Woody" Wood was a custom car and hot rod enthusiast from the Richmond Hill neighborhood of Queens, New York, known for his creative spirit and willingness to help others with their custom car projects.

First Car and Custom Job

Woody's first car was a mildly customized 1941 Chevrolet Coupe with a partial dechroming, fender skirts, a two-tone black and red paint job, and a modified 6-cylinder engine​1​. He then owned a 1950 Chevrolet Convertible that was essentially stock​.

Friendship with Ken Bausert

Ken Bausert, a neighbor of Woody's girlfriend, Carol, developed a strong interest in custom cars and hot rods around 1958. The same year he purchased his first Custom Cars Magazine, and he began noticing a distinctive '49 Mercury Coupe in his Richmond Hill neighborhood, which captivated him due to its evolving modifications. Bausert eventually met Paul, who worked on the vehicle during his leave from the Navy. The two became friends, and Woody assisted Bausert with his own projects after leaving the Navy and settling in the area with his wife, Carol​.

The Merc and Naval Career

The '49 Mercury that first intrigued Bausert underwent extensive modifications. The headlights were tunneled, the hood and deck were shaved, and the outside door handles were replaced with electric solenoids. Cruiser skirts were added, and the car was lowered. The coupe was transformed into a hardtop by removing the vertical posts on the doors and front of the rear side windows, with new glass cut to fit. Under the hood, the original flathead Mercury engine was replaced with a 1951 Cadillac engine and 4-speed automatic transmission.

Paul's 1953 Ford Convertible

Wood's subsequent project was a '53 Ford Convertible that featured tunneled headlights, moulded scoops in the rear quarter panels, added skirts, and a dechromed body. The rear fenders were extended to flank a Continental Kit in the back, a Carson-type padded top was installed, and louvers were punched into the hood. Notably, all these modifications were done in the street, as Woody didn't have a garage at that time. The hood was pancaked, and the front end was revamped with canted quad headlights flowing into a new grille cavity over a rolled front splash pan. A 1955 Buick engine was installed under the louvered hood.

The Move

After a period of lost contact, Bausert reconnected with Wood, who was still building cars in his shop in Farmingville, Long Island. One of his projects during this period was a 1965 Chevy G10 Van, into which he installed a late-model Chevy 350/350 engine and transmission. He made significant structural modifications to the van, including rolling front and rear pans, eliminating the rear doors, installing custom glass, reworking tail lights, and fabricating an L-shaped seating arrangement for the rear compartment. The body was also shortened by ten inches, and the front doors were reworked to fit. This vehicle served as Wood's daily commute from Farmingville to Jamaica, Queens.

Woody's collection of vehicles evolved over time, and a 1933 Ford Pick Up served as his daily driver for several years. In the late 1990s, Woody retired to Florida. Before he moved, he sold the truck and a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe that he had built. He brought a 1939 Ford custom along that he kept for a while before replacing it with a customized golf cart. Bausert, who back in the day created a photo album featuring pictures of his friends' cars from the 1950s, received several old photos from Wood to add to his collection. These images can be found on Bausert's blog and on Kustomrama.

Passing of Paul "Woody" Wood

Paul "Woody" Wood passed away on July 12, 2024, in Ocala, Florida, at the age of 84, due to complications from lung cancer. A beloved figure in the custom car community, Woody was known not only for his creative and skillful builds but also for his generosity in helping others with their projects. His passion for custom cars and hot rods, along with his spirit of camaraderie, will be fondly remembered by those who knew him and those who admired his work from afar.

Paul Wood's Cars

Paul Wood's 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe
Paul Wood's 1933 Ford Pick-Up
Paul Wood's 1941 Chevrolet Coupe
Paul Wood's 1949 Mercury Coupe
Paul Wood's 1953 Ford Convertible
Paul Wood's 1965 Chevrolet G10 Van

Cars Restyled by Paul Wood

Ken Bausert's 1950 Mercury Convertible
Phil Turano's 1954 Mercury Convertible
Sal Consiglio's 1955 Ford