I am building a car, it is all steel frame & suspension, with 1928 chevy grill,hood,cowl and fenders. The body will be all wood. Last year, I built a boat like a cedar strip canoe, but I used Sapele. cut in 1/4" x 1" strips glued and the covered inside and out with epoxy and glass.and with a transom for a small motor. I think I will use Maple for the frame of the body with Marine ply/dark veneer for the panels. A lot of my friends ask if I will build a steel frame for the body but I don't feel any reason to. Also, the Body man that I know recommends a 3M glue that will glue steel or wood like it was welded.
Hey, Tom; Which glue? Did you use more than one layer of strips? & alternated angles? Did you need to steam or soak the 1/4" strips to prevent cracking/splitting? The strips I've seen were only ~ 1/8" thick. Have seen both canoes & speedster bodies done that way. Curious how you did yours, & how it came out. Both canoe & to-be-body. Hope you post pics of process & finished result(s) here. TIA. Marcus...
fusor makes a glue you can use on wood....fusor127 i think...have used thier glues in bodywork...plastics...smc..etc...thought of using it to glue my internal wood on whippet
OK here area few pics, the Boat and the woodie that's almost ready to start on the Body. 3M "Scotch Weld" has quite a few formulas.
i called fusor once..they told me fusor #127....i planned to glue all wood solid to my door skins to tighten body...lot of wood inside my whippet....much same as chev..
I like the fact there are some open minded people still left in this world and on this site . My plan is to use West System Epoxy when I start my project but I am going to look into the other glues suggested . Good luck the others with their projects. Rob
Been a while since I have submitted a post . An elderly Mom and life seems to interupt my on line goings on . Just wondering if any of you have any more input to my quest of a wooden frame build?
It's a fascinating idea. I'm wondering if the study of composites like carbon fiber in racing car construction could yield some design techniques for using wood in car frames?
speaking of morgans... http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/2014/11/06/video-inside-the-morgan-motor-company-factory/
Here are some detail pics of my wood framed car project https://flickr.com/photos/55288722@N00/sets/72157649331368818 Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Another long spell of being away but not far from thoughts of the HAMB .UKAde that is a sweet looking expression of talent wish I could see it in person . Was in my back yard today clearing and area to make a shelter to start my project ,with any luck it will be soon.
Another long spell of being away but not far from thoughts of the HAMB .UKAde that is a sweet looking expression of talent wish I could see it in person . Was in my back yard today clearing and area to make a shelter to start my project ,with any luck it will be soon.
Someone else mentioned that wood was used in old aircraft... Well, it's still very much used now, albeit largely in older designs. However, there are some incredible high-speed aeroplane designs that are completely wooden. Take the Falco, for example -- a really beautiful, fast, strong plane. Many planes use Sitka spruce for their structure, in conjunction with plywood for stiffness, ash for mounting points, balsa wood for filling voids and making composite sandwiches... and there are an awful lot of really excellent construction techniques that would be useful for automotive construction too: lamination, scarfing, steaming, etc. You don't need many tools either. I recently built a two-seat aeroplane made largely from spruce and okoume (gaboon) plywood. This is a really lovely flexible, short-grain wood that makes for very light, thick plywood that's very stiff. It's great for lightweight panelling. Birch ply was also used here and there for extra strength. As mentioned, ash was also used for mounting points for undercarriage, engine, seat belt mounts, etc etc. There are also really excellent wood adhesives from the aviation world: Aerolite and Aerodux being prevalent. They'll give you a join that's much stronger than the wood. Add to that some of the aviation varnishes, such as PolyFiber EV400, and you can make a strong, lightweight structure that will last for decades. If you're based in the US & Canada, you're spoilt because you have really excellent quality spruce in superb lengths at good prices right on your doorstep. As for stiffness, a decent design (and again, you could take your cues from the aviation world) will give you a structure that is stiff over a distance of 20+ feet. The aeroplane fuselage had literally no flex. I could pick up the front corner by a fraction of an inch... and the tail would immediately move the same. Wood is an amazing medium. But then, it would have to be. How else would the mighty oak or the noble Sitka handle all that nature throws at them? FWIW, James - pondering a wooden sports car with electric drive
Thanks James, Google Bugatti airplane for more info on all wood airplane construction. Its restored now and on display in Ohskos. Sure wish I kept more of the original fabric. Bob
I love this thread. I've been thinking of a wooden-framed Speedster for decades. I have designed it mentally dozens of times. Maybe some day for real.
The Jalopy Journal
