Got back into the body shop at school this semester and dragged in my '32 to start the De-Wooding process. The biggest problem I have is nothing is really lining up in door/pillar/panel alignment with 1/3 original wood and 2/3 home built replacement wood from oak tables found at yard sales (second previous owner). Some of it is a real hack job, I found door shims made from broken paint sticks. I was able to square the roof today and got that braced up, working on removing 87 yr old stuck screws to pull the doors but it looks like the steel A pillar faces are coming without a fight. Does anyone know where I can find body measurements and dimensions for a 1932 Chevy Confederate Five window coupe? It would go a lot faster if I did not have to guess at how to fit everything back together.
cool car, wish i could be of some help, using opposing diagonal measurements is how you find if somethings square, maybe start there?
I have an all steel 34 Master coupe that I learned a few things about wood replacing. You can buy tubing in all shapes and thickness but will have to order some of the rectangular sizes needed. For gentle bends I used a heavy round brass rod and two railroad tracks set at various distance apart. For tight corners I plasma cut two 11g plates to fit and then boxed with the right width strap. A trick I come up with (maybe old hat) was to space the strap off the plate with 1/8" gas welding rod and make a pass with the mig set to fill the gap without burning the edges. Once filled a second filler pass would let one grind the corners "pretty" without weakening the joint. I had to make a couple tries to get the deck lid hinge mounts just right but they work great. I used two right to left pillar square tubes plus two short vertical tubes to mount the factory dash to all steel. The top insert is from a GMC van that has square ribs to match the body style. The factory frame was boxed, a "K" member added and then strong 2x3x3/16 square tubing was used to make outriggers for the body mounts. By having these rigid the body could be pulled into place to get the gaps right. I can't give the engine/trans/rear selection or show pictures because it is all Hamb unfriendly. Careful measuring, lots of cardboard cut for templates, and realizing it's not a weekend job will get you there. Good luck.
IMO - Remove all wood !!!!!! I’ve done it recently on a Confederate Coach, and the body alignment turned out perfect. I don’t have time to write in detail, but if you search, I’ve posted details on a couple of threads. Warning : Fabricate main sills first ! Without them as a base, you’ll go in circles trying to get items to align. Send me a PM if you want, and I’ll share a few hundred detailed build photos. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Can't help you with the measurements but I am feeling quite triggered by that nasty "confederate" word
You could also try AACA.ORG for advice if you haven't tried that site already. There is a specific chevy section. People there were able to help me with my '28 Pontiac. Bruce
I'm just making fun of the people that try to be offended by everything who can't even handle reruns of the Dukes of Hazzard being on tv
I was gonna get my feelings hurt, being a Southern Boy I identify with the term Confederate & Rebel. HRP
Not a bowtie guy... but '33-'34 ford three windows had a lot of wood in the bodies... I replaced the wood with 1" x 2" tubing, but I recessed the steel about 3/8" from the inside measurements... This let me drill, tap and countersink screw on 3/8" hardwood moldings from "lowes" to the steel, this lets the upholsterer drive his tacks into the molding to anchor the material... my $0.02.
I'm always impressed by people who re-wood those old cars by copying the remnants of the original wood. I have a '25 fordor model t that luckily a lot of the wood was redone on already when I bought it. Even so, it's a pain getting everything to fit properly and I assume the new wood was probably bought as a kit too. I can't say that I blame you one bit for going the steel route especially with the prior hack work on the wood. Your best bet is probably to try to find someone with a finished car to pull whatever measurements you need. Even for my T, I couldn't find any dimensioned drawings for the wood on the interwebs and it seems like that would be one of the easiest cars to find info on. Good luck
The Jalopy Journal
