Projects When building the early Fords & GM's are you keeping the wood or replacing it with steel?

The complete top was removed begore it came to use, it was going to be a dirt track car.

We fabricated all the structure for installing a solid top.

 

If I build another Ford in the future and they offer a wood kit I will probably buy it, it takes me a lot more time to fab up parts and I am no spring chicken, I don't want to waste time on something I don't have to.

 

I took the wood out. I replaced it with steel. Here are two pictures of my 1933 Chevy 5 window coupe.
The top will be fitted with aluminum

 

That's the way it should have been done with the Chevy's, Henry used a lot of wood but by 1933 there was much more steel in the Fords.

 

I kept the wood in this.

 

This thread has got me thinking. I’m not good at metal work. I’m also not great and wood working but when I last took a break from my project I did some refurbishment of some really rough gun stocks. I think they did turn out well. I do enjoy that much more than the pie cutting and welding tubing I was doing. The bracing would always warp before I was done. If I can find an affordable source for hardwood, that’s probably what I’ll use. Just epoxy the joints together and hang the panels off it. What wood is mostly used?

 

Over on the Ford barn I have heard red oak,white oak, maple,Douglas fir,popular and ash, I don't have a clue as to what was originally used. HRP

 

Used the wood kits in my T coupe but since I chopped the top, the wood needed to be tweaked also. When I eventually get to my Austin Ruby, I will probably go with steel unless I can find a reasonable source from the UK.

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The wood kit I got for my ‘31 Pontiac was made from white oak and ash, same as GM used originally. I’m told that they are the least likely to warp and twist.

 

Pics of my ‘31 Pontiac. Wood kit from Jim Rodman.

 

Wow, that is some absolutely beautiful work by you and Jim. HRP

 

A little O/T here, but I am building a "T" Tub with a fiberglass body. The majority part of the body frame is steel. However, the four uprights on each side are white oak, since I plan on bonding them to the fiberglass body. We'll see how this works out.

 

Jim made all of the wood. I coated each piece with System 3 clear epoxy to eliminate expansion and contraction due to changes of humidity levels in the wood. End grain especially wicks moisture like a sponge. I then assembled the wood structure and nailed the sheet metal to it.

 

Looks like you could make a woody coupe. lol Nice work

 

It's almost a shame to hide that woodworking craftsmanship.

 

For the Roof opening on my 33 C400, I first used 5/8" square steel tube welded to the perimeter, then Formed . 1 & 1/4" Sq. steel Tube where the Original wood above the Doors used to be . then cut the top out of the 5/8" tubing for the weatherstrip to fit down into .

 

I was blown awat the first time I saw this car, it still is a impressive build. HRP

 

I have never seen one of these, is it a one off?

 

Sometimes you just gotta show it off. HRP

 

I miss that car.

 

Did two 36 Chevy's. Replaced some of the wood, not a big deal. However my wife and I once built a 1500 sq. ft. house by ourselves.

 

id go for ash

 

would not like the battery in the footwell HRP.WHAT ABOUT HERSELF

 

1 off, as Dave built it out of a old 4 door.

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Great question. As I went through mine in the years of rebuilding, I did wonder what others out there were doing. My ford being an hot rod car built in the mid 50's from stock still had the wood and it was in excellent shape. Truthfully in my ignorance I never knew cars had so much wood in them back then.
Since I live strongly by the rule, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", all that original wood is still living where it was put by Henry's boys. I spent half my life as a steel (sheet metal and shapes) fabricator, never working with wood, so I was and am able to replace and wood that was needed, but it was all in excellent shape since the car had been first built into show/go 34 in the mid 50's and had mostly been a show piece for over half its life, spending only about 20 years as everyday transportation.
I took the body off the frame when I retired in 2003, the first time it had been off the frame, again since Henry's boys mated them together and found just a small amount of rust in the rear sheet metal right under the trunk handle.

 

When I traded my Red '32 Sedan for the hiboy the first thing I was going to do is move the battery, but repositioning the front seat so I could drive the car and then I had to rework the brake pedal and I started driving the car, after a while it didn't bother ether one of us.

It was easy to get to and out of the way so it stayed there, I don't know if Jim has re positioned the battery since we traded but that was a darn nice and well built car. HRP

 

Here is the Build Thread for my 33 C400 Vicky >https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/one-of-a-kind-1933-ford.570915/

 

Thank you for the link, how long did it take to do all the fab work?

hrp, do you know?