MY 29 Nash Roadster project started as a rolled over Coupe body I found in the desert in Nevada, I cut off the mangled top and threw away what was left of the rotted out wood. I drew a grid patern on a 3/4 sheet of plywood, Lined up the quarters and cowl , then started bending tubing. I used my Harbor Freight pipe bender with the pipe dies and carefullu aligned the tubing square and started bending. I marked the tubing with chalk 1 inch apart and bend a little then move and bend until I had a match to my cardboard paterns.
My 29 A closed cab pickup will be steel framed but the roof will be all wood and exposed for the asthetics. I am doing a 30 A pickup at work and replacing all the wood with steel. Also flush fitting the doors and building a new door jamb for it. It will have the roof welded in and to the visor. I am making a structure to bolt in after all the seams are welded and metal finished. either way a person go's careful forethought into how it all is put together so you don't work yourself into a corner and the upholsterer has something to attach everything to.
I don't have any pictures but on my 34 Chevy which had no wood I started with 3" X 48" 18 gauge sheet metal and bent it 90* on the long side. I then hung the doors and used strips of metal tacked to the door and the body after I got the gaps right, this set the stage to begin. I used my shrinker/stretcher and made my curves in the angled strips, after welding everything in I cut the tack welded strips off of the doors, it made a very solid car.
so back in the day (30's, 40's, and 50's) did everyone just avoid GM and MoPar because of the wood? Did anyone replace wood back in the day?
down here, if the car was looked after the wood lasted, some still have original wood. If left out in a paddock they soon fall apart. There were some non Ford rods here in the 60's but Id guess the major stumbling block is the ease of fitting the Ford Flathead to a Ford as opposed to fitting the engine, a gearbox, diff and better brakes to non Ford. If the wood was gone you wouldnt bother as (pre '70's) there would be good ones around the corner.
So I read some of the posts I just picked up a 35 chevy 2 door sedan and it's way older then anything I've ever bought or owned I have a 49 chevy as well. Question is when I go buy wood to strengthen doors and such what size of wood so I buy is there a site or something that tells me where the original wood would of been.
You probably need to find a '35 Chevy to look at and measure if nobody sells wood or patterns. Here is just an example of what a wood door can look like. The wood goes all around the edge of this door and provide most of the structure for hinges, latches, and the window mechanism.
Old Mike chimed in saying 'my dad's 31 chevy 1 1/2 ton truck was rotted out, so he drew a complete set of plans figuring to replace it all. Then he had the body parts acid dipped, and put them in the 'room next to the shop'. Then he had a stroke. Passed on after 4 years. Mom went into the memory unit at a nursing home 4 years later. On breaking up Mom's house, brother got the body, figuring 'rat rod', but dint know of the plans. And he left the frame and running gear, eng, trans... all. Since he'll never do anything on it, I found a 67 chevy 1 ton rolling frame for $500. Now I get to try. I intend to steel frame it, maybe a wood suppliment or two but primarily steel. I wish us all the best of luck
My first hot rod was a termite colony disguised as a 33 Chevy. My dad showed me how to gas weld with a torch and coat hangers. I replaced all the wood with tubing and surprised myself that the doors still worked when I was done. It held up to a heavy footed 16 year old with a 324 Olds motor.
Have any of you priced a complete wood kit for a 33 3 window Chevrolet coupe ??? I could nearly buy a 32 ford 3 window body as cheap !!!!
probably easier to replace with steel, but it won't be better. i voted hybrid steel/wood as i believe there are areas where a steel reenforcement plates are needed to make things better. i ran a plate on the back sides of the wood around the hinge and latch post and over and under the windshield frame when i redid my car. do a little test, take a 3' piece of 1" square tubing and a 3' piece of 3"x4" piece of ash, then take a rock about the size of a softball and pitch it to yourself and try to hit the rock into left field using the steel tube, then the piece of ash. not only will the wood still be straight but it will absorb the shock. wood has the ability to absorb all kinds of road sounds and vibrations. before just replacing the wood, sit down in a comfy chair [framed in wood] that is sitting on a floor [wood] that is supported by joists [wood] surrounded by studs [wood] covered by rafters [wood] sheathed with wood and give some thought about how bad could it be.
I have a 29 GMC and really don't know how to put the body back together without a wood kit and there is none to be found. Without the wood structure I'm just not sure how everything is supposed to line up and fit together. I've ran across two different people restoring these and both times they responded quickly only to stop communicating shortly thereafter. One was having theirs restored by a shop. They still have all the wood in good condition but they're going to probably make art out of the original wood. I tried contacting the restoration shop to have them make an extra set of wood when they were doing the first but they would never respond. Tried emailing, phone and Facebook. Nothing. The other one I found simply replied to come take a look at it. They're quite a ways away. It was an old company truck for a lumber company and they built their own wood. I asked them if they'd be willing to build me a set and how much and that is when they stopped responding. It can be quite frustrating to get anywhere, especially with something so rare.
Although there is nothing wrong with a wood car if all the wood is good , I don't know how you can say it is better !!!! I have never seen an aluminium baseball bat break in half , lots of ash bats though !!! My father has told me stories of car accident with early chev cars where the occupants were impaled by the splintering wood from doors and jambs .
I wouldn't change the wood to steel tubing for the sake of it ,but when 50% or more is rotted or missing ,out it goes. I have done 4 33 34 chevs now and unfortunetly to much of the wood is damaged or missing in the cars I have bought . Once the windows were broken out of the cars, the wood deteriated fast . most sat in wreckers because nobody wanted them, because of the wood!!! been only the last 15 years or so that they have become desirable ,
i think you missed my point. STEEL to wood comparison on the batting experiment was about vibration and absorbing the impact. 1" steel tube to an ash plank. i doubt you could hold the steel on impact. i quess that an older wood framed door jamb might splinter and occupants could be impaled but i am also sure that in the same accident with a 1" square tubing doors and jambs they wouldn't have just walked away. hurt, is hurt. i fix a lot of pre war bodies, most provide little protection for the occupants. if the metal bodies are stronger it is only marginal and as i said in my post i added some metal where i thought the wood frame had those weaknesses. i feel the additional benefits of solid frame, sound deadening, ease of interior install, WHEN IT IS ALL RESTORED makes for a better body. for the long run? properly protected metal has the edge but then again as i sit in my 120 year old wooden house and think about the 84 year old wood that i repaired and how well most of it was and all the all metal bodies i have had to fix, i start to wonder........just how big of an edge?
the chevs sure are a lot quieter car to drive in ,than a 33 34 ford for sure. If I ever found one with good wood I would leave it for sure . all steel or wood , neither car is any safer , They weren't built with any safety in mind, Friend was T boned in a 57 chev by a Toyota passenger door was above the transmission tunnel . 1 inch tubing and thin wall to boot is not going to make the car any safer than the wood .
Old Mike again. Nice blast, tb33anda3rd, very well played. Just found storage for my project, will know way more by the time I get to start. Can't work on it there, but at least I'll have it. Wish i'd thought to get a pic Sunday when I went to my brother's- to visit the truck. Dad had always wanted to take his last ride on the back of it, hope he likes what I drive up to visit him.
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