Ever Scratch Built a Woodie??

See Gordon, with a little creative editing of someone else's words this is what you could have come up with, again, so to speak. Not that your joke wasn't bad, just a little sophomoric, kinda like this post.


(read this as friendly ribbing) Sorry Boones, it was just too good to pass up.

Yet another thread degenerates into juvenille bathroom humor... God I LOVE this place!!!!

 

Wood is nice looking- but steel is longer lasting!

FAKE IS COOL-Ha!.....I built the "wood" on this buick and it was then woodgrained by Ron Steward-turned out nice and wont warp...... didnt really smell like wood though.....thats a thing that is better about a real woody.

 

No, but I constantly scratch my head wondering why I ever sold the one I found.

The year was 1968. I was driving up and down the streets of Casa Grande, Arizona scrounging for old cars, preferably Model A's. Saw an open garage and something that caused me to hit the brakes. Staring at me was the back end of a '40 Ford Deluxe woody with a Columbia 2-speed rear end. It had been parked in the garage for over 15 years. Crazy old German guy wanted $100 for it. Yeah, one hundred bucks.

(How do I know he was crazy, besides the low price? His house was filled with cages he used to catch cats to skin and sell as rabbit fur for collars of coats. He tried to give me a cage so I could "get started in a thriving business.") I was never a cat fan, but that was too wierd.)

Anyway, I bought the woody, trailered it home, changed the plugs and oil, put in a new battery, towed it around the block in gear until the rings broke loose, it started, the rings seated and then I drove it to the beach in California the next week.

Best memory was sitting on the couch next to Al Jardine (Beachboys), showing him a photo of it and talking woodies.

GASSERGUY

 

nice work Kenny... pics are a little grainy tho...

sorry, couldnt resist

 

I restored a 34 Packard woody...the only one of it's kind. Body was either white oak or ash. Panels were birch. Most wood held up but some serious pieces needed replacement. You need to allow room for expansion/contraction. It will squeek. It may not rattle, but it will squeek. It's wood. If you have an idea draw it out. Just cut the wood to what you see. Not too hi-tech to do. The way you attach to the main floor of the car needs attn. The rest is as you say...cabinets and furniture. Go for it. Build your vision and it should be right.

 

I have a 54 Buick I plan to build like that,Ya kno-[FAKE] ... someday...If I live that long!
I believe a better pic of it is in Rod and Custom If I can remember the issue....

 

One of the best cabinet makers in my area has one under construction, 1937 Studebaker tin on a bagged S10 chassis. Guys that have seen the pine mockup say the finished Hard Maple body will be so swoopy that Posies car will look like a box.

 

There is a Woody cowl on Evilbay........the cowl is in New Jersey

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1932...ryZ39405QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

hey there ,i build chairs and furniture for a living and if there are any specific questions u have let me know..id start w/ two shts of 1/4 mdf and do full size drawings of plan (top ) and elevation (side)...once done you could use the cut outs for patterns... the best way to contour wood is to laminate thin strips or cut the shapes and join...the # of joins is determined by your stock size..the bigger the better for three d stuff...a bandsaw and edge sander will be your best friends

 

i've wanted to do that since i was 12 years old. i did'n have any money or metal working tools but dad had saws. it seemed simpler at the time and i wanted a hot rod like you would'nt believe. i used to draw pics and make plans of how i would build it. i even made a million drawings of how i would turn my VW into a woody hot rod when i was 13. i still have'nt built one but someday i likely will.

Jeem and i had discussed in great detail, a few years back, building a real cool woodie using the Alloway/Ratsglass cowl and front end. he even made some sketches. now i see in a recent magazine there is a drawing of that very thing that someone is currently building... we coulda done it first .

my father-in-law is a MASTER wood worker (as a hobby) and i thought it would be awesome to build one with him.

 

I didn't scratch build one, I did talk to Cecil @ Hercules a couple of times when he 1st started buiding these 34 Bodies. have a lot of steel in the structure & have a steel cowl. Dash is totally diferent from a 34 Ford.
He wanted like $7500.00 then,I just checked his website from a previous post here & a 4 dr is $19k. That was 1996/7. Whoa!
I lucked out though because around the corner from my house a guy had P-Woods old 34 that he had when he worked & lived behind Pete & Jakes.
This is an orignal Iron Mountain-Murray Built wood body. I have owned it about 8 yrs now. She sports Kelseys, a 21 stud flatty black seats=all of them there. stock windows in their slide rails/tracks. & plenty of patina. This wood is not perfect by any means, but no self respecting surfer in/from the 50's-60's would be seen in a fully restored woody.
I am now faced with a dilemma: I have the chance to sell her. This guy has made an offer, but I would like to know what she'd be worth on the open market.
If I sell her, Then I'll be the one wondering how to build a body from scratch.
Can you guys give me an idea of what you think she should bring, I've got mixed feelings about this whole deal. It would include a 50'-60's Triumph Bobber as part of the payment too, What is something like that worth?????

 

Hey Oldcar,

Go out and price white ash, maple,birch solid wood and mahogany plywood
in 2005 dollars. If ya think the price of steel and paint are on a street car
named desire, check this shit out.

The big dogs, here in So Cal, get 25K and up for woodie bodies on the
later 30s & 40s swoopy finger jointed styling of that era. That gets you
a stack of well fitted and trimmed lumber. You that halve to secure a date
with the painter/wood finsher.

 

I swear this will be my one and only ebay-post so let me show you this little "woodie":



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/32-M...4563900780QQcategoryZ6234QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

I've got a crazy idea for a woody. I've heard from woody owners that they are a pain in the ass. You have to keep them dry. They have to be refinnished every couple of years and other things that are a pain in the ass.

I'd like to build one out of fiberglass and paint the woodgraining on. I suck at woodworking but do know how to work with glass. The down side is sawdust doesn't itch
Clark

 

The 29 my neighbor had was a pain after driving it in the rain. You had to really push the doors open to get out, because the wood would swell up. He had several coats of sealer on it and it did not make any difference.
Do not even look at the price of a completed 34 from Hercules, it is ridiculous, but there is a lot of work involved in them and obviously there are people who will pay the price, he is still building them.

 

Not quite the same, I built a plywood bodied C cab pickup in Phoenix. Yes ,I heard all the termite jokes,figured it wouldnt sit still long enough for them to climb a board. A real experience to say the least. Jerry

 

Forgive the spelling, but I believe the guy's name is Kirk Duquette (maybe?!) and he has built at least a couple of really cool A based woody hot rods. Anybody have pics of this guys creations?

 

Well, yeah - that's the link I gave....

Mutt

 

Here's a metal-topped woody from the factory:


I dig these Morris Minor Travellers - they're neat little cars.

 

OOOPS! Yeah, that's them.

 

I never scratch built one but I had one once that a cat couldn't scratch.

Gawd that was a couple of lifetimes ago.

On a more serious note. I know where there is a burned up woodie (I think a 30s model) that has enough good wood left that we could pull templates off it. The guy (a world famouse pinstriper) is going to convert it to a fire truck and said I could come get the wood he doesn't use and or pull templates off it whenever.
If that'll help any I'm more than willing.

 

I am surprised no one has said that Extremeliner IS made out of fiberglass. They even airbrushed knot holes for "authenticity," which would be something you want to steer clear of in a "real" woody build.

These two aren't necessarily scratch built completely, BUT Pinkees Rod shop built a 30's 2dr Woody Sedan. And Bones Noteboom did "KnotBad" the woody Buick Sedanette. Those two are REAL wood.

I'd like to build one, but I can't weld wood back together!

Reverend Jake

 

Ive done alot of work with wood stairs, floors, and cabinets. The tools you would need would still make it pricy not to mention wood prices on the real hard woods like ash and walnut. It takes alot of patience, You should talk to this hamber talk a wood carving MF I'm in awe of this guys stuff.
http://www.finkosel.homestead.com/files/index.htm
I really dont know if you would end up spending the same amount or more than just going to have it done. Oh and start spending your saturdays watching "The New Yankee Workshop".

 

I am planning to build one as well i will be building off of a a bone cowl my plan is to build a fenderless 30 to 31 start with a steel structure so that the body wont move around make the doors work the rear door work and then hang the wood and build a fiberglass top insert as far as style goes there is a lot of linx in this thread about woodys to help design you own unique style
if you would let me know of any tips or tricks that you come up with to help me out with mine

Thanx!, Stude

 

I've got a set of plans that Mike Chiavetta sent me, when I was looking for info to build my Model A based woodie.. The same ones that the National Woodie Club has made available due to Mike's artwork. I made a post asking if there was any interest in them, but I can't find the posting. PM me and I'll see what it'll taake to copy them at Kinkos.

 

I agree, it doesnt matter who builts one, you still have to have taste

 

That Posies thing is super mega fugly, and not in any cool way.
I have never built a woody, but I have worked a few up before.........

 

I think im gonna just build one out of metal...................

a Bare Metal Woody!!!.................. I SAID IT FIRST!!!!!!!! lol