I'm asking a question that has probably been asked a hundred times? I have woodworking equipment and I want to make my own interior wood for my 1929 Tudor Sedan. Does anyone have the dimensions/layout for the wood for my car? I'm not interested in reproducing these items for resale or selling design CAD layouts just wanting to use a better wood than original. Contact: [email protected]
I have owned and been playing with Model A's since around 1970 and can't recall ever seeing what you are looking for. I think a complete wood kit for a '29 Tudor is about $300 bucks, so between purchasing the wood and your labor it might be simpler to buy it. There are a lot of pieces in a Tudor kit, I installed on in my '29 about 15 years ago.
when i did my `28 Tudor over 20 years ago top and body wood kits were relatively inexpensive , flash forward to last winter when i was working on my `30 coupe i was shocked how expensive wood kits have become. i can see why you would want to do your own i just checked Snyder's website.....body wood for a `29 Tudor is $428 and top wood is $609...over a thousand bucks! if you have the equipment maybe you should consider getting into the business. when i got my wood from Snyder's this past winter they told me sources for wood kits are drying up. people in the business are getting old and non one is replacing them. Fordwood in Utah has been spotty for years i have been told. i called and emailed them and it took over three weeks to get a response...by then i had got it from Snyder's since they had it in stock. many of the Model A parts suppliers did not actually have them in stock
https://www.google.com/search?q=1929+Model+A+ford+wood+patterns+&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 Lots of discussion on wood pattern sets but no pattern sets up for sale that I can find. I've got a 31 Victoria that takes three different wood kits to get all of the wood in it if I don't change a bunch of it out to metal.
The Henry Ford will sell you individual drawings of the wood patterns, as I understand it. Due to the number of drawings it can get expensive to obtain a full set. On my 1929 Ford cabriolet I purchased reproduction wood, the spent hundreds of hours to properly fit it. For a Tudor, there is significantly less wood and complexity in the fitting. If one knew wood working and had the proper tools, I think the easiest way would be to get good photos showing all the wood pieces in their positions on the body, and then just making the pieces without a kit, based on what you see and measurements you can take. I found the kit wood to be just a starting point, and almost every piece needed significant fitting. Thus my conclusion. The Ford Barn, also one of our host's sites, is a source for more information.
I have a large assortment of leftover mahogany and that's what I would like to use! It comes down to I want to make them just to see if I can! I went to FordWood but can't get in.
Try Brattons in Maryland, just got a new header from them. Mahogany is kind of soft, oak or ash would give it more strength. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Must have been replaced during a earlier stock restoration cause other than the header, the wood is in excellent shaped Except for this: Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wood kits are insanely priced-you can buy the header separately for around $120. bucks. If you have something to make a pattern off of, make your own. I think mahogany would work fine; It's fairly easy to mill and water resistant. Original wood was ash, but I'm sure mahogany will outlast both of us! I made a header for a '31 coupe just to see how hard it would be- laminated three pieces of poplar together after taking measurements off one from a kit - cut some with a table saw ( front angle and rear groove that the windshield hinge screws into), sabre saw on the end notches where the side rails come in, then marked out the "sloping" cut on the ends that tie into the side rails over the doors. Rough cut with a skill saw, then shaped it with a 3 1/2 " Makita power plane. Fine tuned, drilled holes, painted with black Rustoleum for a little extra protection, and done. ( Then you can put on the header panel and nobody will see it anyway!!) Good luck with it. Mike B. ( retired woodpecker, Local 26, Boston, Mass.)
Thanks, that's very generous of you So did you chop yours ? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Nice job Mike, I should have asked you to make one for me.! What kind of wood did you use ? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Interesting post, Mike! My high school bud and I built a Model A Coupe in 7 months, channeled, '38 Ford 'X' member, 21 stud V8, '37 box, Model A rear. Car was running, so we decided to replace the wood header...Bud was overzealous on removing the header, he shredded it to slivers. (Big ones!) I was a Model Airplane builder, so when I got over there, I explained that we needed a pattern... We whittled that header out of a 2 X 4 piece of Douglas Fir (!) and carved, notched, and sanded it to fit. Covered it with thick Naugahyde, everybody said it looked 'Top Shop Perfect'! Blind men and liars. One and all.
Many Thanks, Mike! I have access to a cabinet mill so I can build anything wood it's just getting the measurements? Looks Great!
Poplar- it's got good grain, is fairly easy to work, and is not expensive ( the stock I used cost about $20. bucks). Plus it's a semi-hard wood and holds up well ( it's used on cabinets a lot) I used Gorilla glue to laminate the pieces, with lots of clamps. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One thing to remember with the mahogany is to check the specs on any glue you use. Mahogany has a lot of natural oil in it , that's why it holds up to moisture so well and is used in a lot of boat building ( "brightwork") above deck. I used to use an epoxy glue that came in a powdered form and was designed for oily hardwoods- can't think of the name right now ( been a while!) I'm sure there's info on the internet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there's a woodpecker flying around the forest and he sees an ash tree . He flies over to it and starts pecking away. When he's done he exclaims "That's the best piece of ash I've ever stuck my pecker in!" Old wood workers joke - guess you had to be there.
LOL I get it, Mike ! I made custom furniture for years ! An old wood pecker myself ! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I was able to buy specific Model A parts from Bert's Model A in Denver and fabricated the rest out of white oak.
I have a 37 Cadillac that has a lot of wood in the body, wood that you cannot buy. I made what I needed, I'm sure you can also. If you have any wood working ability at all and take your time you will be OK
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