JD Massey’s 1955 Ford Ranch Wagon
All photos by Mark Kawakami
In the car scene, fads come and go. Billet, pro street, mono-colored, and neon excess throw-up from the 80s and early 90s has been replaced by the equally as gaudy so-called rat rod/rockabilly car scene that’s as tired as a firestone wide white. Bucking all trends, JD Massey’s 1955 Ford Ranch Wagon stays on the constant vein of traditionalism that feeds the heart and soul of classics.
“I try to keep my rides as close to the period and era they’re from,” Massey said.
Previous to his wagon, Massey owned a mild kustom 1949 two door Ford Sedan and a 1953 Ford Club Coupe. 
“I owned my ‘53 for 17 years,” he said. “In 1992, I was in a car club called the “the Blacktop Bombers, we were a club from all over LA.”
Massey bought his Wagon after searching for quite some time in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
“I had a good friend who flies for free take the trip to Albuquerque,” he said. “I met him in Arizona and we drove it home.”
After a conversion from 6 volt to 12 volt, a rebuilt carb, a new fuel pump, some wide whites, and a lowered stance, Massey’s wagon was ready to hit the beach. 
“Man, I get torn between wrenching and going surfing. It’s a battle with myself,” he said. “That happened all the time with my ‘53. My wagon combines my passions.”
With no gnarly break down stories, Massey enjoys cruising the coast to Malibu and Rincon or the foothills of LA with a whole crew of other hot rodders and kustom car advocates.
“She’s pretty dependable,” he said. “Besides maybe a paint job with a new color or a Larry Watson inspired paint scheme, the original 272 and three-on-the-tree can get me anywhere.” DZ 
