Wooden Frames

I agree with the part about not covering it, except of course for local attachments and brackets, like the GN car we are all coveting on this thread.

I like the look of weathered/oiled wood. Also the look of varnished wood.

I have some unopened varnish I stashed away before they changed the VOC formulation. I wonder if perhaps that would be a suitable coating. Oil the wood to give it some character, varnish it, let it turn a golden dark amber.

 

Old style woven fabric sleeves to cover the wires. Press off the V pulleys and find/fabricate some to accept flat belt, leather or web. Cover up the alternator, see picture.

 

Yes, I have some Spar Varnish from my aircraft wood working days, the stuff you get now has the name, but is actually urathane If one doen's mind the upkeep, common linseed oil will hold up in weather for about a year, and looks toot-sweet, when freshly applide.

 

Gotcha. I would definitely use a generator. Trash the bypass oil filter.

If you go Chevy 4 I wonder if you could use a Model A distributor, or maybe a Model T points setup. Actually, no reason I couldn't do that with my 6, right? 6 fabric covered plug wires going to the firewall with coil box(es) behind. Brass thumbscrews on the plugs.

 

I've used common 2X4's to "fine tune" my chassis design before I wasted a ton of square tubing.

 

LOL - your mockup is our finished product.

 

Nothing wrong with a spring linseed oiling to freshen it up, and a repeat in the fall before putting it away. Smells good too.

 

Keep the filter, but mount it on the firewall.
Polished copper tubing with anti-fatigue coils and polished brass fittings.
Maybe put a polished brass drain-cock in the bottom of the filter housing.

 

Sounds like an interesting project. I read all 7 pages and I dont think anyone has brought up the idea of using a 2x3 or 2x4 steel frame and cladding it in wood. I know its cheating, but you would have some peace of mind, and still achieve the look.

 

That could work. Must also use nothing but antique fittings. Nothing from ACE!

 

Yes, but that would to me be like making a fiberglass car look like metal. Well, almost. I have no doubts about the strength at all, and anyway if designed and built well would not be likely to fail catastrophically.

Heck, look at Harleys. Everything always vibrating loose, falling off or cracking. On a damn MOTORCYCLE LOL. So maybe something might occasionally loosen up. I don't think a frame rail would be capable of failing (note: I would not be building this thing for minimum weight or to push the envelope, as you might on a race car).

Look again at that GN car. Wooden rails, steel fittings, no need to cheat and quite frankly the frame rails on that car are less massive than what I am envisioning.

 

Thats a J.A.P. aero engine ..... I know one like it powered a dirigible around 1910...... it may have powered winged aircraft as well. http://gasballoon.com/V8JAP.htm

 

Mechanics Illustrated magazine had plans for a little roadster with a wood frame. It used a motorcycle engine with chain drive to the wheels. It had a wood body also. The wood to use would be white ash. I am not sure you could title a car with a wood frame

 

The BRUSH automobile used wood for both the front and rear axles. They were chain drive, with sprockets on both sides. Bob

 

My 64 Morgan had wood inside the channel frame. Saw a Frankilin a couple of months ago done the same way.

 

Even most of the Early cars I have worked on used a basic angle iron frame with the wood. Several of these old brass cars were very heavy cars when finished. I think that the first cars were mainly buggies with the then very heavy cast iron stationary engines mounted on many of them. Ford was not nearly first to come up with a car. Even those buggies and taxi cabs (including George Washingtons used the angle iron framework that was riveted together which held up better with road shocks to the chassis back then as there were hardly NO roads then. Wood was also present with these frames!! Kind of a hold over from the wagon days which, by the way, were still being built up into the first years of the 1900's believe it or not. Look at your International Harvester (cars and trucks) machines that were built up into the 1910ish era. White oak and red Oak (straight grain) was the choice usually. Ford used a lot of popular, red Oak, and some ash. Many (most) of Fords bodies were NOT made by his company!!! Sounds strainge but they were outsourced mainly. This is why I have trouble restoring original bodies!!! I use to get hollared at all of the time "That's NOT original!". for the car. It was on one of those manufacturers but not on many of the others. I am talking about prior to 1912-13. There is a fellow who has made entire cars out of wood and I have seen his work. Fascinating but very unpractical as a daily driver and that is what we want as hot rods today. Good luck on doing your hot rod (I guess) The early British (?) Racer shown here is very unique and seemingly RARE.

 

Pre War MGs had wooden frames. I worked in a body shop in the '60s and a customer brought in one with a V8-60 in it and the oil leaks had destroyed the front frame. You could shake the cowl and oil would squirt out of the frame cracks.

 

Try this one out. Take a Model T frame, and flip the rails so that the inside is facing the outside. Then insert wood to fill in the cavaty.

 

That's a really good idea.

 

You gentleman need to get over to the cyclecar thread.There Ade and Chuxx are each building cars qwith wooden frames.

Ade is building a replica of a car called the "Japic".He is using laminated side rails.The pics are of the car that looks like a cigar.

Chuxx is a little less complex.

Bob

 

More of Ade's JAPIC recreation...

 

Marcos has already been mentioned, they used a monocoque construction of plywood.

Franklin used wood frame rails in thousands of cars from 1904 to the early 30s. Their frame rails were 7" deep and 3 1/2" thick, each rail made of 7 ash boards 1/2" thick laminated together. The Franklin club has the factory blueprints, members make their own replacement frame rails by buying the wood, gluing it together and drilling the bolt holes.

If you wanted a fun thing like a go kart there were wooden little cars called Auto Red Bug back around 1913.

The first King Midget car (1946) was a single seater with a little 1 lung engine and an oak frame.

Wood can be very strong, tough and flexible if used right. I can see building a little putt putt car for laughs.

 

I think some of those references are talking about the bodywork having wood frames and reinforcement just like early American iron.
http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/images/galleries/factory/the_factory_(8).jpg

Morgan motor cars still does that today.
Picture 13 here -
http://www.morgan-motor.co.uk/about_morgan/the_manufacturer/the_manufacturer/the_manufacturer.html#

 

Ade's progress and the original JAPIC..

 

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/build-your-own-mahogany-sports-car/
Mechanix Illustrated Speedball Specail 1958.
I almost built one years ago, but I ended up selling the motorcycle engine I had to a guy.

 

1946 King Midget Model 1 with wooden frame. I don't see why you couldn't build one at home. Lots of guys did (using the King Midget kit) in the forties.

http://www.kingmidgetcarclub.org/model1.html

 

I used to work w/this designer, wood was his matl of choice. 48' and carbon reinforced. A Newick was always design to be reckoned with.

 

I don't know if this is the same boat as you'rs,but I was taken with the picture.

 

That looks like a Brit or French design, His often have wing-like single compound curved aka-beams. They look like they're soaring when underway.
Here's a close double aka model. Meanwhile back to our regularly scheduled...

 

I'll say this much...if you get a crack on the head with a 2x4 made out of hickory, you'll wish they'd used steel...