Re-wooding question

[Erndog]

I am in the process of doing a total re-wooding of my 1930 Buick four door sedan. I have an issue regarding the Rear Quarter Belt Bars, that piece of wood which goes along the bottom of the rear quarter windows. Evidently, the sheet metal forming the window was rolled down over the wood after the metal was attached to the wood structure. The bar is screwed on from the outside edge, so it must be installed prior to the metal skin going on. With the wood pre-assembled it is impossible to mate the metal and wood without bending the hell out of the metal. Can anyone tell me the right way to do this?? I am trying to figure out a way to assemble the wood from the inside, but haven't come up with one yet.

[Coley]

The wood frame was assembled and then the sheet metal was installed, as you suspect.

Some of the best body welds were "BUTT" welded and you need to remove the wood in sections, to get it out.

My shop rewooded a 1930s Lincoln town car a few years ago and it was a JOB!!

Luckily, I employed a master wood worker and he did a really nice job.

You will have to reverse engineer the pieces and install with good epoxy glue and lots of screws.

[Erndog]

I have been doing a 100% re-wooding of this car for many years with intermittent stoppages. The only items left to make are the roof slats/crosspieces and rear roof rails. I am entering the fit-up stage of the game finally. That is why this issue reared its ugly head again. I realized the issue ten years ago when I disassembled it, but forgot. Yesterday I attached the rear quarter belt bars to the rear body hinge pillars and test fitted the to the metal. That's when I remembered it is impossible. The old pieces are totally rotted away at the ends, so that is not a possibility. Of course, I would still have the same issue. I am thinking about attaching some kind of scabbing blocks from the inside, but not sure yet how much room there is to play with.

I know somebody must have solved this over the years because there are a lot of re-wooded vehicles out there!

[Coley]

Years ago, I spotted a "repair " for rotted wood that was hard to get at.

The idea was to drill 1/4" holes at an angle into the rotted wood sections, (but not clear through).

Using tape or plaster of paris to seal, the sides of the portion to be repaired.

Mix up and pour a urethane plastic into the holes.

You should let it set for a day or so and then it could support screws etc.

Door jamb posts were one of the items repaired this way. A metal plate could be added to make the repair stronger

I made new wood for my 1933 3 window std Chevy, but was able to make a joint behind other supporting members.

Good joints are time consuming, but rewarding when done.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Coley (see edit history)