Hi. It has been a while since I have been here. I am still in the process of finding everything so that I can build a woodie. I bought plans from the National Woodie Club. They are ok, but leave alot out. Does anyone know where I can get plans??, or is there anyone here that has one?? I have pictures of what I want to do, but there are a few questions that need to be answered. Like how is the roof attached to the winshield?? or in the front on most of the rods there is a 1x4 mounted to the cowel. What does it look like inside the car?? I have some outside pictures, but only a few inside. As for engines.. I think I might go with a flathead. I can get an adapter from Advanced Adapters that would give me the 4-speed automatic. I will just have to read up on flatheads now. If not a flathead a V-6, or a 4. I want to retain the Model A frame. Even if I have to box it. In the wagon I want to add a riser behind the the seats so that it will be more like a Sedan Delivery, only that I hope to install a set of those stow away seats, and an area at the back that is hinged and hides a dougnut spare, and some tools. I am going to build the body out of ash, with baltic birtch plywood. I just need to talk with someone that owns one that will answer my questions insted of saying: Are you going to build a Street Rod?? If you say yes, then you are a Oh, one of them.. Then your questions go on deaf ears.. Thanks.. Al
Some good questions, hope you get answers as I plan to start building one at the end of summer (when it cools down some)
Contact Kirk Duquette at this site... http://www.woodieworks.net/ww/ Loads of pictures on his site, and he should be able to answer any questions you have. Mutt
Thanks. I have hit most of the sites, but there is always more room for information.. Still my big question is.. Is there anyone on the site that has a 28-31 Ford Woodie that they have Rodded?? With the plans that you get from the National Woodie Club they are making a mainly stock body. The walls, and the doors arn't very thick. One guy said to make the door using 3/4" maple plywood. If I wanted a stock door I would do it that way, but I am going to install electric windows, and electric bumps to the doors. I am going to buy all of my wood for the frame work from a mill just outside of town. I am going to get roughsawn ash. I will plain down my own boards. Granted there is more upkeep with a woodie over something else, but you can spray the whole works with a good clear poly. It works better than just using a varnish. I am going to have mine more like a sedan delivery, and not have the usual tailgate. Al
If you are going to put windows in yours, just make the doors thicker. Build and outer piece and an inner piece with a perimeter of about a 1/2" or less to allow glass. If you are attempting this, you must have some wood working skills to begin with...
Yes I have been around woodworking for a number of years now. About the only tools I have to buy now is a 6" bench joiner, and a mortizer. So that I can do all of the mortise and tendon joints in the doors and frame. If possiable I would like to keep the stock frame.. I am on a budget for this car, though after a few years I will probably have to much money in it like with my other cars.. I am still looking for plans on building a woodie.. Anyone know of any other besides the set from the National Woodie Club??
The early Ford Woody bodies were rather rudimentary, thin bulkheads, no glass, simple door hinges and latches, etc. What you are planning to do is pretty much a custom, basically one off piece. Unless you can find someone who has already done about what you want to do and has well documented their efforts, your'e not likely to find any plans out there that are even close to what you want. Your best bet may be to get the standard plans and use them for reference as to overall size and shape, then do all of the melon scratchin' to fit the features that you want inside that envelope.
Al, what year woody are you going after here? How would you feel about a 49 Mercury 2 dr woody project? Complete but pretty rough. Not mine but a local car. Ok now that I got my half assed sales pitch in there....I have some friends that belong to an "antique" auto club locally that have a couple of early woodies. (late 20s early 30s) They are restored cars. I could probably get you some pics if theyre what your looking for.
Al , you need to go and look at one in person and take inside pictures and sketches of what need to be done. i assume it will be a model A...what are you using for a cowl? i believe a woodie cowl is unique , so how things would be done will be different than if you used a sedan/coupe cowl stock model A: pictures were taken at Wavecrest 2006....you should think about going this a a kit you can buy that i believe you use a closed car cowl
ah... how to build a big box... well... it is not that hard really..and picking a A model is the right choice being the easiest woodie to build... First of let me introduce myself to all you HAMB members..I been lurking for quite some time..and really enjoying the site.. you guys are a great bunch of Hotrodders..and plan to get involved here allot more... I been building woodies for some time now..which I am sure you seen a few of them around the Mags and events.. The Woodie Works is one of the things I do..besides being a graphic artist and sell flame masking kits and hotrod shirts..but My first love are these wooden cars..so I will explain a little how I do them... first is the design.. and to me the most important part of the whole project..getting the right look is No.1...you can be the best woodworker in the world, but if it dont look right...well, ( we all seen our share of homemade woodies and it is not the workmaship but the design which kills the car..) I first do a ton of drawings of your car..what I do is draw the side view of the car without the wood part.. get the right rake..and make a ton of copies...then pencil in the wood design until you get the look you want.. then get yourself alot of large cardboard..and project your image full size on the using this as your plan...prop it up on the car and make sure it looks right..a full size version sometimes still does look right...so work the full size view to you liking...proportions are everything ... Here is where I cant help you.. I dont make plans..lol...every car I just build as I go..but stick with the full size drawings... OK.here is where I tell you ....my woodies are really not true wood cars...yup...I build them with hidden steel structures... makes it easier to build plus a heck of a lot stronger..I even put steel crash bars within the doors...makes you feel a little safer.. The steel is in the doors as well which latched with tri-mark bearclaw latches with hidden outstide handles..making a secure door and tailgate..(and of course power windows ) and sealed with rubber seals (which hides the steel) for a waterproof fit.. I have built fixtures for the many years body styles that speed up the process of building the steel structure...once you have the steel in place.. you make your wood sections to fit the steel...I start with the roof (oh NEVER make the roof Flat) making all the outer sections of the roof..I add the top bows and header...I dont shape the roof or add the slats till later.. the basic formula I use on thickness is on all vertical pieces.. (B-Post) I use 1 1/4 inch thick while all horizontal pieces i use 1 inch thick (beltline ).. any thinner an it just looks cheap and not real...width of wood is different on any car you build..beltlie can go 4 to 7 inches...so stick with your full size artwork.. when build you can mortise and tendon joints or lap joints.. whatever.. BUT just DONT glue it together...otherwise you going to have a car that makes so much noise.. of wood cracking and creaking.. just screw together joints and let them float.. your steel structure will hold keep it strong.. i do the rear section first.. then fit the tailgate and doors to that... The model A is the easiest because of the straight doors...and a really easy hinge.. I used the original hinges on the cowl .. (the easy way is) make wooden or steel plates mounted on the cowl like above image and a straight piano hinge.. really I can on and on..but I answer what I can.. when you get started..and I can also post pics... anyone can build one of these things..and heck..they are the coolest rides ever.. everybody loves a woodie... woodguy.. http://www.woodieworks.net
Woodguy, I've e-mailed several times requesting info on having you build a woodie body with no replies back - any chance you could throw up some pricing, time frames, what you need to start (i.e. cowl, chassis, etc.)? Thanks, Steve
hello Steve....sorry I dont know if I got any of your emails.. I get request to build all the time.. too many.. mostly fishing..lol but to tell ya the truth i stopped costumer based cars...seem the more I did the more I got ripped off.. the bigger the boys the worst it was...Takes the fun right out of the build..it is a hobby right..or a way of Life.. If I build one for someone it has to be special...something I wood Want to build...something different and exciting...I done so many 37 2dr slantbacks that it is getting old... It has to be a hotrod and I have to have the right connection with the person I wood work with.. just call me crazy...my own cars are kind of off the wall..weird...and heck different...(wait to ya see my new build...speaking of far out..weird wood..) ..but if you got a killer idea...then we can make it work sorry again if I missed your mails...it may of been the time that I was down .. had a pretty bad event destroying my right hand..making it useless... (roboHand...got more screws and plates in there...lol) involving an 80 year old driver and a garage door... kind of sucks for an artist guy..cant draw anymore.... woodguy
Hi.... can you post some more info on the metal structure , and how you hide the structure with wood , I have had a few original ones without a steel "frame" and they were falling apart , parly from age but also nothing holding them togethjer but termites ! Also what other hardwoods can you use,,, thanks for sharing Beaulieu
Al - I'm west of you in Roseau and in the middle of scratch building a woodie. My car of choice is a 37 Lincoln Zephyr - formerly a 4 door. I'm going with a steel roof, made from 2 sedan front roof halves welded back to back. The rear hatch is from a PT cruiser and will be skinned with Maple veneer. I intend to finish most everything on the car by this summer, then spend all of next winter on the wood. In the pictures, you can see my first attempt to mock up the rear corner pillar, which will be cut from a Maple 8x12. I used welding wire to frame up the shape, then covered it with cardboard and tape. I will then fiberglass it and use it for a pattern. I still haven't figured out how I'll make a mirror image copy for the other side. Searching the Hamb tonight, I found the following: The current issue of Hemmings Classic Car is centered on woodies. It has an article by HAMBer "Foul" illustrating the use of finger joints in fabricating parts for the later woodies with complex bends & curves. Check it out, it really shows how involved you'd need to get when building something beyond a Model T depot hack body. This was posted on 07027-2005. Should be good reading.<!-- / message --><!-- sig --> Also, "Sawsall" on the HAMB know his stuff on woodies too. Finally, there is a fellow in Glyndon Mn that has his Chev woodie at Back to the 50's every year. He did the wood himself. Maybe you can track him down. Good luck!
Glad to see ya posting Kirk. Still by far the most talented person I have ever met! Will have to send ya some pix of what me and the old man got going.
That article was from a while back, when I visited Chip Kussmaul at Cincinnati Woodworks. Appeared in the September 2005 issue of Hemmings Classic Car. You can order back issues at http://www.hemmings.com/store/backissues.html?publication=HCC To tell the truth, I'm fascinated by woodworking, but I'm not that experienced in it, so I ended up learning quite a bit that day. Chip's a freaking master and seems like he's willing to step outside his typical product line. Worth speaking to, at the very least: http://www.cincinnatiwoodworks.com/ dan
Did anyone happen to take a look at when this thread was posted? I don't think Al has been on the board in a while. Great information though! Thanks, -Rich
Yeah, I kind of brought it back. Figured it was interesting, and would bring out the Woodie folks. ~Jason
model A 2dr slantback, curved doors (murray cowl with slanted post) with steel structure and wood mounted...give ya an idea.. wood
Sorry to hear about the injury - losing the ability to create would be devastating - hope you find another outlet to use your creativity. I wasn't looking for anything off the wall - I'd really like to pursue only two different woodie projects - a stockish '28/'29 Model A four door wagon (stockish meaning smoothed wood without the fussy rails and stiles (sp?)) and a radically swoopy '33 based on a laidback steel '33 cowl. If you're no longer building any customer cars do you have any suggestions who to go to? Steve
like this...lol...hemisteve... been making a lot of music lately...its been my thing and therapy...my main music site is down have over 375 songs there.. http://www.icompositions.com/ but I got a bunch here... surf music meets bladerunner.. wood muzak http://www.macjams.com/artist/woodguy32 woodguy
it wood be tough to place steel in a stocker and hide it..but on a one off custom built it is the easiest way to build one... I use white clear hard maple on most of my bodies..also used ash and oak on earlier year bodies.. wood
thanks for bringing this thread back up.. i've lost track of a number of people who have emailed or pm'ed me about woodie wagons i know there are several hambers out there building them.. woodguy, I think i met you at one of the nsra shows in columbus in the 80's or 90's, I recall one of your first 37 ford wagons and how trick it was the way you hid all the wood inside the structure of the car. you were certainly an inspiration for the process made here: http://public.fotki.com/sawzallshop/woodie_wagon_progress/ my goal was to hide everything inside the wood.. I still think it is possible.. however the recent purchase of another woodie project has put this at a standstill.. to the original posters question, I too made numerous sketches drawings of different parts of the car, I designed and built my own finger joint cutter, and router duplicator. now I am thinking I need to do more woodwork to make all this work worth it.. all in time...
No problem. There's a lot of woodie folks out there, and I thought this would offer 'em a chance to meet. Y'all make me want to take my '41 IHC and make it into a wagon... ~Jason
this is cool to ... little size wood things... Figure it wood happen sometime... 1/64 Hot Wheels by Mattel of Not One but Two, Woodie Works Bodies designed and built by woodguy ....haha.. isnt it cute..... Hot Wheels.. ultra detail series.. The copper one is available at almost any store..where they sell Hot Wheels... ...the second is a limited Hot Wheel Convention car.(under 3000 made). just for the collectors..and was modeled after the black car.. woodguy32.
is there any sources to get old used wood for building a woody ? I like the idea (and maybe price) of getting used wood and recycling it into something else there is a 48 Packaed woodie I can get but all the wood is dead.....
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