Edward Hurst

I have a 1929 Buick 29-27 4 door sedan. The body is amazing but the wood is terrible. When I purchased this car from a man in Fort Myers, FL, I was told the car had been restored just 6 6 months before and had been used in things like parades. It had a Chevrolet inline 6 engine that was not running and a Chevrolet Powerglide transmission. I made the deal and paid for the car and began loading it on my trailer. On my way back to Indiana, in my rear view mirror I noticed something flying from the car. I stopped when I could and went to look at the car. The passenger door was hanging loose and I could see exposed wood. I tied the door closed and continued my trip home. After unloading the car I looked at the door. ALL of the wood in the passenger side "A" Pillar was gone with just a few rotted wood splinters left. Searching for replacement wood, I found that there were no replacement wood kits available for a Buick, just Ford and an occasional Chevrolet. After removing the interior I found that almost all of the wood was gone around the rear window and apparently the trip from Florida to Indiana did a real job on what was let of the inner structure. The reveal moldings were hanging loose and I could rock the body from side-to-side with a slight push of my hand. I could pull the nails out with my fingers. I probably should have contact the seller but I figured it was no use and besides that, I wanted the car. I have had the car sitting in my garage several years.. I am somewhat disillusioned with the car. I am not a woodworker by any means. I can could just about anything I want from steel but with wood I am like a lost ball in high weeds. The car was too far gone to even consider putting back original so I started working on things that I had the skills to do. I counted up all I had spent on the car. It came to about $30,000. I had all the Crome done, new suspension, drive line, AC, instruments. It is still sitting there and I don't know what to do. I was hoping to remove the wood from one side and replicate it for the other side. I just read an article that it won't work because Both sides are a bit different. I keep hoping that someone will come across with an idea of how to do this. The only thing that is still fairly decent is the wood in the doors. I need serious help!

It's been a while since I was on thins forum and it would not accept my login information anymore, so I had to change it. I was never able to do anything to my 29 Buick because I was trying to help build a 1938 Chevrolet truck and a 1937 Cadillac 70-19, Both of the owners said they would help me on mine, Didn't happen and should have known better. I wish I could find someone that was doing the "Skeleton" work that had pictures as he/she progressed. I am getting up in age and really don't feel like working on the old Buick. I can do fine and long as I have someone working with me but seems like I can't get going on my own. Even if it was just someone sitting watching, or talking to. I see there has been a couple of posts on this topic since I was on here, sorry that I hadn't replied. As anyone that read my first post might have picked up on, I am not putting this car back original. When I purchased it there was a Chevrolet 6 cylinder engine with automatic transmission in it. I pulled all the suspension out from under it and and gave it to a friend in Canada, as wells the interior and wheels. I wish I had kept it now, but I had no where to keep it. I replaced the complete front suspension with a new independent front suspension with coiler springs. I replaced the rear differential with a late (at the time) model 9" Ford rear end. I figured it up the other day and to the best of my recollection, I have about $30,000 tied up in it, not including the fuel injected engine and 4 speed automatic transmission. I know this goes against the grain of some restorers but there was already too much missing from the car to put it back original. The body is almost in excellent condition with only one rust place in the left front cowl about the size of a silver dollar. The paint is almost good enough to buff out without painting. If completed, the car will have all the necessities of a late model car including air conditioning.. If anyone within a reasonable distance is attempting wood replacement in a Buick of the era and would not mind I would like to come and see your process. Thanks, Ed