She has been setting a long time ,sheet metal is all there but the wood has long gone and it is coming apart at the seams. My problem is I can work with steel a lot better than wood. Hiring it done is not an option . Is replacing the wood with square tubing an option ? ,Good or bad ? Can a rookie woodworker do a decent job with a precut wood kit ? thanks for the help.
I replaced the top wood in my '31 with a kit from Fordwood. It is not a straight bolt in, but with a little common sense AND A BELTSANDER it can be done. If I didn't have the 18" benchtop beltsander I do, it would not have come out as well as it did. I'm at the point where I'm fine tuning the header wood for a better fit with the visor, but that's just a matter of using a block plane. The advantage to me of wood over steel is upholstery. I'm making a headliner and replacing the welt around the doors and tacking them to wood is far easier than trying to do it with steel. Your plans may make steel a better option.
There are Model A clubs in Iowa. Contact them for help. I have made some replacement wood using paper patterns as a guide. I don't remember where they came from but they didn't cost much.
You should be able to do it either way. On my 30 coupe and on my 30 sedan i chose the wood. If i remember right you have to figure out which piece goes in before the other. But not difficult.
I don't put any more wood back in them than I have to. I weld in a steel roof and stitch it all together well enough that it doesn't need the wood. I nail a couple 2 x 4's together to put under the visor to screw the windshield hinge into and leave out the rest.
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