What To Do With All That Wood

[TFoch]

Having worked for the past 5 years replacing the wood in my 33 I figured the forum needed a thread to share ideas on how to replace wood in all our Chevys.  Some may want to replace it with new wood while others like myself may decide to replace it with steel.  If you have any pictures of what you did that might help others show us your ideas.  Here are a few pictures of the "skeleton" I fabricated to replace the wood in mine.

[EDNY]

Tom

That is a unique way of framing up the car...looks like a lot planning, measuring, cutting and welding! Very professional looking!

I have my 33 chopped (5) window framed up with 1" (.095) tubing from the floor, up through the A pillar, over the door frame to the B pillar. Plan to run the 1" tube down through the B pillar to the floor. The dash is boxed in with 1" tubing (top & bottom) plan on running the 1" across the roof between A pillars above windshield and across above the rear window.  Using gussets wherever I can weld them so I wind up with something like a roll cage built inside the body panels.

Ed.

[TFoch]

The A & B pillar were made by copying the original wood.  I used 1/8" thick sheet metal to fabricate a copy of the original wood.  The rest was done with 1" square tubing.  When you don't have any blue prints you try to be creative and make it the best way you know.

[ghost28]

Usually on most of my builds the wood is long gone and I decided a long time ago wood working  is not in my expert area. I usually use 1 inch  by 2 inch steel along the sub floor and for the interior I use 3/4 inch and 1/2 inch steel square tubing for all the support pieces including the door support . I usually can bend most of the steel using my vise and body weight. So far it's worked on numerous early chevrolet cars and hopefully on a few more. On most of my structures I box the original frame front to back and add new support and cross members.
The wood is good for the fire place.

Keep up the good work guys

[BIG-JIM]

I got lucky on the wife's 33 master. All the wood was replaced before I purchased it from a guys estate. I just have to do the doors. The floors were also all replaced with 16g steel. Damn car is built like a brick outhouse it is.

[chopper526]

My car had almost no wood left when I got it. I took a look at what some other guys did and asked some questions. Everyone was really helpful!! I made subframe rail templates out of 2X3 lumber. Then I transfered that to 2X3 steel tubing. I tacked them into the body according to how I wanted the body to sit on the frame. Then I threw in a couple crossmembers, and a subframe kick-up over the rear wheelwells and then just started building up from there with 1" square tubing. I put in plenty of cross supports and gussets, I think, and it is incedibly sturdy and much cheaper than the cost of new wood.

[chopper526]

Here's a couple more.

[EDNY]

Some great referenence stuff...wish I had it when I started my 33. 

BIG JIM... I need to build the reinforcement that wraps around the rear window and connects to the hinge support as yours is in the picture. The garnish will then connect to the reinforcement.  How did they construct that framework that wraps around the rear window? It kinda looks like a channel?

Thanks

Ed

[themoose]

Most of my wood was pretty good when I got the car but the wood for the rear panel below the deck lid was rotted and had to be  fabricated and replaced and the upper rear cab corners were also replaced. I have the Fisher body manuals for the 32 so I was able to use the drawings to create patterns for the new wood that I made for those areas. When I was finished with the wood replacement I used a two part wood hardener that soaks into the grain and strengthens the wood to treat the entire wood framing and then finished it with clear urethane.It's probably overkill but I never want to have to deal with it again!

[jocko]

I think the wood makes the Chevies unique so when I did the research I found out the original wood was Ash same as baseball bats. The main rails, rear window wood and top lattice was bad on my coupe so I found a guy in Indiana that reproduces most Chevy wood. His information is; Auto Wood Restoration-James Rodman-219-797-3775-Hanna, Indiana. Hope this helps someone.

[hrkhotrods]

I was fortunate enough to find a couple of guys that are in the process of restoring their 29' Chevy roadsters and I had them make paper patterns of their floor sills and A&B pillars for me. I was also able to obtain some flexible tape patterns of the door jamb area. I am going to replicate the wood in steel and am making hammer forms for the jambs and inner door. I will update with some pics when I actually have some progress to show. I have to make room in the garage before I can start anything...

[sixball]

Thanks to all of you for this. I didn't even know where to start. Now I have a plan.

[YBNORML]

Great info guys.

The wood in my coach is in fantastic condition. I really don't want to remove it. Any idea how it will hold up against a mildly built smallblock? I also plan on chopping the car about 4-5". I am a carpenter by trade so modifying the wood while chopping the roof won't be an issue.

I think the wood is part of what makes the car so unique against the sea of Model A's out there.

[EDNY]

My 34 three window is an 80's build 307/350THM and still has the original wood in the body and doors and holding up fine.

I have an original 1933 Chevrolet magazine ad that states..the cars are built with Fisher hardwood and steel contruction - "the strongest in use today".

Here is a neat link to an early Chevrolet souvenir book describing the "modern construction" techniques used to assemble the new Chevrolet.

http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/static/NA/Chevrolet/1933_Chevrolet/The_Making_of_a_Motor_Car_Booklet/dirindex.html

[sixball]

I don't have much Chevy wood experience but in another life I a few wooden station wagons. The wood it's self is strong enough if you can keep the joints tight. There are probably products that could help. I bet the wooden boat guys know how to keep good wood good. I want to keep some wood in my roadster. I have a friend here that owns a custom cabinet shop with a CNC machine.