Wood

[studeboy]

I tried to find the original thread where this was discussed but failed. I just ran across this brochure for sale on eBay. There was some discussion and I believe some literature that said wood was southern yellow pine. This brochure probably from another year clearly says the wood at the time of this advertisement was kiln dried northeastern ash. I guess Studebaker changed with what ever was cheaper or more readily available. The brochure did not appear to have a date attached to it.

[37S2de]

I would be shocked if any Southern Yellow Pine was used in car bodies.  By the time Studebaker got into the car business they had many years experience building wagons and carriages. They knew how to season wood and which hardwoods would endure.  Even the Model A's I've owned had oak and ash structural members.  My '47 Hudson pickup had white oak as pickup box flooring. My understanding is that ash was the wood of choice because of its durability and the ability to "hold" tacks.

 

While there were still hardwood forests in the north, the raw wood may not have been more expensive at first.  Now, of course, it takes longer to grow a harvestable ash or oak than a pine.  The hardwoods were certainly more easily "machined" than softwoods.

 

Tom

[29jester]

I think something was said that the running boards were southern pine.

[danoz]

the 27 i'm working on the previous owner had the sills and firewall supports replaced that was red oak, the upper wood which is original definitely looks like oak but its primed when i prep for paint will know more on that. i coach built morgan english sportscars for 7 years and all the wood was northern ash mostly from maine, they had depleted their supply by the 50's in europe of any hardwood occasionally we would get a pre war car to restore and we would find shaved bullets from the sawmill in the wood this was a good indication the wood was definitely from europe lot of lead flying with two world wars in those woods. i remember the morgan factory rep once told us a story how he was horrified when he learned from his supplier in maine that ash was also one of his favorite woods to burn in his woodstove...haha. you dont appreciate what you got till its gone.

[Stude Light]

My 1923 Light Six Touring Car was the first year for an all metal body but the original floor boards and running boards are both yellow pine.

Scott

Edited June 5, 2017 by Stude Light (see edit history)

[Cowtown Commander]

Last year I when I was in South Bend we were able to get a private tour of building 84.  They were pulling up the wood floors and sellling the wood ( except 3rd floor which had high lead levels ).  They indicated that when this wood was installed when the plant was built in the mid twenties it was obtained from extensive forest interests that Studebaker owned in upper Michigan.