Wood replacement tips

[sburnette]

I have a 1928 f-28 4 door Oldsmobile. Does anyone have any tips or references for wood removal and replacment, specifically the lower sections that sit directly on the frame. I assume since it is a Fisher body it would be similar to a Chevy. 

[Guest]

You need the Fisher body manual and then patience.  I had a friend with a F-29 Olds and with very basic hand tools he replaced parts of his sills in a couple of weeks.  If you need more than a piece spliced in it becomes a bigger chore.  A band saw, planer, table saw, many clamps and lots of patience. Fisher bodies are all the same looking but they are not the same.  In fact often you cannot make a piece for one side and just flip it over for the other side of the body.  The curve of the sill and the side roof rail on my Pontiac is 3/8" different side to side and 1/4" different in length.  The sills are probably the easiest pieces to make as long as you duplicate the old one exactly.  The hard part is getting the pieces in and out which is the reason my friend spliced a couple of pieces rather than replace the whole sill.

Good luck. 

[Restorer32]

You will find that most if not all the fasteners are under the sheet metal. At the factory the wood was assembled first then the sheet metal was attached, usually by nails. We have been rewooding cars for 38 years. You can do it with basic tools but it isn't an easy or fast process. Many wood framed cars remain unrestored due to the difficulty (read cost) of replicating the wood. Remember, for the doors to open and close properly your woodwork has to be accurate to within 3/16" or so. Very challenging with a 4 door sedan. You will find the Fisher Body book to be interesting but of virtually no real use other than as a crude visual reference.

[Guest]

Restorer32 is absolutely correct. I did both roof railsand both sills in one month.  Then I did both windshield/door pillars and they took me four months.  I would do any mechanical or paint but would not rewood a fisher body even though I built a whole house 1300 sq ft by myself (from having the foundation poured to move in).

[chistech]

If the sill is in good enough condition, it can be reproduced pretty easily by some here on the AACA. I have duplicated about 85% of the wood in my 32' olds DCR by using the old wood. To remove the sills, the lower sheet metal has to be pulled away enough to remove the screws that hold the front hinge pillars to the sills. The metal braces have to be removed and the screws at the front of the lower cowl that go through the sills. While some find the task daunting, others, like myself enjoy the work. Is it time consuming, yes, especially if the front hinge pillars have to be replaced. I have done many piece replacements on sills and both upper and lower piecing on pillars.  I've put in rear roof bows, front bows, side bows, etc. all while the sheet metal is still on the car. Some will tell you that piecing will not hold up but with the amount these old cars are driven, good solid joinery and quality adhesives will yield excellent results that will be serviceable for the life of the car.