Wood to Steel Conversion 32 Chevy Example

[EDNY]

A walk through example of replacing Chevy wood with steel.

Thanks to Rattiac for finding it.


http://www.streetrodsnclassics.com/32-chevy-sedan.html

[Rattiac]

Im glad you guys liked it. 

[Rattiac]

Lets talk about tools to complete a project like this.

Id like to get a bandsaw to create the arches in square tubing but they are huge and cost alot . Ive thought about a Harbor freight verticle/horizontal but could it cut like a bigger horizontal (as in straight on both ends)  OR maybe convert a wood unit with a metal blade if thats possible .
Anyway its a good place to start a disscusion, sharing ideas .

[sammons]

Rattiac, you might cruise craigslist or similar site, local trade ad weekly,  garage sales to find a bandsaw. You can change blade from wood to metal, but you may need to reduce rpm's. We have a couple big stand ups and they both are rpm adjustible by changing belt to diffrent pulley (internal down below). The tool I use the most for this is a metal chop saw, less expensive (specially a used one) and my little 3" hand held cut off wheel (air or electric). Then the bench grinder to fine tune or notch a bit. Last an adjustable angle square.

I also use a lot of cheap 1/2" conduit for making patterns for any tough cuts/bends.
Saves on costly mistakes to expensive steel tubing. 

14" cut off saw $80- Air cut off wheel $50-60- angle sq $8

[chopper526]

I guess I could have put a metal cutting blade on my compound miter saw, but I just used my angle grinder with a cut-off wheel, the smaller air cut-off wheel and a combination square. Almost every cut I made had to be relatively square. For the few radius cuts I needed, most of them I pie-cut the tubing, bent it to shape and filled the cuts with the MIG welder. I don't believe it is really a tough job and I would recommend it to anyone who has little or no wood left. I am no welder or fabricator, so if I can do it, anyone can.

[chopper526]

Here are a few pics of what I had to work with and what I did. I thought I had better examples, but I can't find them.

[sixball]

Replacing the wood in my roadster is my biggest worry of the build. It's something I have never done and I want to come out right. I'd even like to leave some that is solid like in the doors and deck lid.

[vette59jdwl]

Sixball I* have a few ideas for you.If you would like to retain some or most of your wood in your roadster. Please drop me a line at vette59jfwl@yahoo.com and please drop me a pic of your car and please dont laugh when i send you a picture of mine  lol lol  vette59jdwl@yahoo.com

[vette59jdwl]

One of the tools that i could not afford and had a great time building was a copier / duplicator Gust google it . I was also interested in building custom gun stocks so it served a few purposes.Someone on here a few years back showed how they build their main frame rails out of composite layers of plywood. Since i was in the process of taking my quarters off. I have decided to go with composite layers of plywood to do the rear supports also the door supports and the windshield supports. I have all the wood working tools and few welding tools or the experience. I purchased the drivers door wood from Don Beals on here and duplicated that door in reverse for a passengers door that i did not have. I had the skins. Now i have a copy of that as well as a copy of the main rails.I am working on the seat surround. and filling it in with buckets or a bench seat. If memory serves right i have heard than many were using the third seat from a dodge full size van. Please correct me if i am wrong.

[madmike3434]

yup you got the standard of LOTS OF WOOD in your roadster framework.

The trunk lid wood is actually a rumble seat wood framework.  Same as on my 35 roadster, except I am converting it from a rumble seat to a trunk lid.

mike

[chopper526]

Here's a few pictures of my subframe rails. I used a 2x4 as a template.

[chopper526]

I'll bore you with a few more.

[sixball]

Here is a link to pictures of my '26 roadster body.
https://picasaweb.google.com/sixpics/26ChevyRoadster?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMGrn5aTjqyueQ&feat=directlink

[Rattiac]

I got a hookup on a new HF Horizontal/Vertical bandsaw for dirt cheap ($20) . I'll give it a shot. Its cheap enuf i can modify it without hurting my wallet . Plus my boss has a huge H/V that he just found the lil table for vertical cuts , he said I can use if I buy a new blade.

[vette59jdwl]

Sixball   Your wood is 90 percent better than mine.The only thing that I would do and I am doing in the 32 roadster is putting in extra cross brace in the door.You will have no problem Just make sure that you assemble all the wood frame before you place all the metal on it then put cross braces in the body usually behind the doors just under the deck behind the seat and just below the trunk lid or rumble seat lid. In my car they used 3/8 inch rod with a turnbuckle in the middle and huge square nuts on the outside of the frame. I have a design pattern for the frame rails for the 32 roadster and many other parts for the 32  vette59jdwl@yahoo.com