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Guest Don_Brill

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Guest Don_Brill

I'm new to this forum. I hang out in a machine shop with a friend named Zip of Zips or Phase 3 water pumps so I kinda know my way around hot rods. I used to be a truck mechanic so Building the bottom of a car is no trouble. Now, the body is another story.

I'm not bad with carpentry and wood. Money is somewhat limited so, it seems to me a woodie is in order.

I have a 34 Ford truck frame that I can cut and weld as I see fit. I have a 34 truck cow section and a friend wants to take a piece out below the windshield to drop the windshield a little closer to the cowl. I'm using a flat head. Offenhouser heads and 2 carb Edelbrock intake with a BW T-5 5 speed trans and the rear end is still up in the air. I have many to choose from. Four bar front and rear with an I beam in the front. Front wheels are std. width 15 inch Ford spokes but the rear wheels he have are widened quite a bit. Also 15 inch Ford spokes.

My plans are to build a custom 34 Ford Woodie. Two door with a back seat. If I go to a show, I want to take some friends and ofcoarse a 2 inch receiver in the back for a trailer. What good is going to a swap meet if you can't bring something home.

As of right now, I have the cowl on the frame and I am trying to design a wooden door. I want to use the original door hinges as I have been told piano hinge seuiside doors are to hard to get in and out of the car with. I have a few ideas drawn up but it would help if there were some plans out there I could buy. Once I come up with a good door, the rest of it should be down hill from there. Riiiiiiight!

The first door I build will be pine. Cheap, easy to work with and I can easily change or replace my bo bo's. Once I like that door, then it's time for hard wood, but what kind?

I need a lot of help and guidence here guys Thank You!

Any ideas or help will be welcome.

Edited by Don_Brill (see edit history)
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Original Ford woodies used Maple as the framing wood.

Most other manufacturers used white ash.

The panel inserts were generally mahogany.

So it depends on your choice(s) as to what wood you want to use.

Oak is another hardwood but not used (often, if at all) on woodies.

Joe

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Guest Don_Brill
Ash is probably the easier wood to work with. Not as hard as maple nor as heavy. Oak is way too stringy.

Thanks guys, That is a big help.

Last night I built my first Pine door frame. I've had a lot of ideas and designs running through my head and last night proved and disproved a few of them. The first frame has shown me where I need to tweek a few things and gave me a lot of new ideas for the door. I've pretty much decided the original door hinger will probibly not work so I will design and make my own.

I will most likely make about 4 or 5 New doors before I get this door frame thing resolved. Thats why I like pine.....It's cheap!

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Don, the National Woodie Club offers plans for Model A Ford woodies. I know there is a big difference between '34s and Model As but they might be helpful. The plans are $20 for members and $40 for non members. You might want to join the NWC,sometimes there are "phantom" woodies in the magazine you will get with your membership. Check out McMaster-Carr for hinges, they have a huge selection of stainless piano hinges as well as other types you may find useful.

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Don, the National Woodie Club offers plans for Model A Ford woodies. I know there is a big difference between '34s and Model As but they might be helpful. The plans are $20 for members and $40 for non members. You might want to join the NWC,sometimes there are "phantom" woodies in the magazine you will get with your membership. Check out McMaster-Carr for hinges, they have a huge selection of stainless piano hinges as well as other types you may find useful.

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Guest Don_Brill

At the stage I am at right now, 2x4's and 1x? will get the job done. I cut it. I screw it together. I study it and tear it apart again. If something gets beat up or cracks I just get another piece of pine. Like I said, I'm no cabinet maker. I'm just a shmo with a lot of ideas and a little knowledge. Once I like what the pine looks like then it will serve as a pattern for the good wood. That is when stuff gets glued not srcewed.

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I am a HUGE fan of 2 inch foam insulation panels from the home centers.

as seen here..

post-88268-143142441072_thumb.jpg

I've made quite a few trial pieces

The last Ash I bought was $2.25 bd/ft for 8/4 select, and $3.00 for 10/4. Picked up some select Poplar for $1.55. Hard Maple is a little more pricey, I just got a truck load of 12/4 for $5.50 bd/ft.
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Guest Don_Brill

OK, Got the wood cut and fit for the sub floor. Got the cab on the frame and Built the driver's door frame out of pine. I got the angles about right on the front and back of the door and figured out how I want to set up the basic car. I traced the front of the cowl on a 2x4 then cut it out on the band saw. I want the door curve to match the cowl. The back of the door will be flat and the bottom of the door will make the transition from curved to square. I'm going to use a 7 inch piece of wood to go from the window line to the bottom of the belt line. I'll cut the curve for the bottom of the window where you rest your arm and put the belt line on top of the 7 inch board as a separate piece of wood and run it all the way around the car.

The plywood or skin will be inserted from the inside of the door into a notch of the door frame. Before I assemble the door. I will use a router and table to cut the L shape into the support structures. Some glue, clamps and small screws should make for a good tight fit.

All of this will be done with cheap pine and plywood before I make a decision on which hard woods to work with for the good doors.

I've started taking pictures and will post a few as things progress.

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Guest Nomosnow

As soon as I get my 55 Nomad on the road,I will be doing what you are doing now. The only thing that REALLY scares me is finger joints. I've never done any.

What kinda tools will I need to do them?

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You will need a finger joint set, available at several specialty woodworker supply shops and a MONSTER router and table. You will also have to fabricate some sort of jigs to hold the wood you are jointing, you will never be able to hold it without them. I don't think you will be able to get the same dimension finger joints Ford used, but several others are available. I read once about someone hand cutting finger joints but that must take more patience than I have!

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