real wood or no wood?

[Guest DanTheMan]

I am wondering what everyone's thoughts are on using wood appearing vinyl on a '49 Town & Country.

The car had vinyl looking wood frames by the real stuff. I can go either way on restoring it.

I have seen photos of these cars done either way and there are merits to either approach.

First of all the curves in the door sheet metal would lead anyone who has ever worked with wood to know it isn't the real thing.

But if it is wood shouldn't it all be wood?!

Tin Woodie Chevy's don't do it for me.

Everyone is welcome to post their thoughts. Value versus aesthetics and of course Patina are all factors.

Thanks

[Matt Harwood]

I'm of the opinion that it's hard to go wrong putting it back the way the factory did it. In '49, they used DyNoc instead of real mahogany veneers, and it does look cheesy. But, that is indeed how the factory did it. There's a sound argument to be made that real wood would look better, but it would not be correct. Whenever you stray from the factory recipe, you risk making your car less valuable (even if the "upgrade" is more expensive). Everyone can agree that the way the factory did it is the right way to restore it. Anything else is a matter of taste.

That said, it's your car, do what you want and enjoy it. Let the future take care of itself.

[Joe Cocuzza]

If your car is a late 1949 model then the inserts should be painted body color.

If an early 49 then Di-Noc vinyl woodgrain should be used.

Me being a purist would do the car the way it came from the factory

but it's your car and you can do whatever floats your boat.

Joe

[Guest DanTheMan]

Do you know where I can find the cutoff VIN separating old from new?

[Joe Cocuzza]

DantheMan,

I suggest joining www.townandcountrywoodies.com

The club is dedicated to the Town and Country only.

You'll find EVERYTHING you need to know about your car and the guys there are not only experts

but very enthusiastic about helping other T & C owners.

BTW I (believe) that 3M sells the correct DiNoc vinyl for your car

Joe

[Rusty_OToole]

I would be tempted to paint the woodgrain on.

[Joe Cocuzza]

I would be tempted to paint the woodgrain on.

NOOOOOOOOOOO Rusty........................Not that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[auburnseeker]

I would be tempted to paint the woodgrain on.

I would be tempted to try that but only with a kit like grain it sells in the correct grains and colors. You can get some pretty impressive results. I was wondering if you did the real wood insert and then someone complained it wasn't authentic so you decided to make it original, couldn't you put the correct material over the wood? It doesn't sound permanent either way and could be changed without redoing the whole car. Only my 2 cents of course.

[Rusty_OToole]

Have you seen the way they paint the wood grain for old cars that had that type of dash and window surrounds? I doubt you can still buy the original pattern 1949 Dinoc. But with a little practice you could duplicate it with paint then clear coat.

[Restorer32]

Yes, you can buy the original pattern Dinoc. It's more difficult to apply than you might think.

[Stu Lyman]

I'm new to this forum and I know this is an old thread but I was interested in the reference to GrainIt Technologies method in a post above.

I do faux wood graining using GrainIt Tech method and materials. The Chrysler in the photo WAS a 47 Windsor that a client turned into a Town and Country replica. The frames are real wood attached to the body and the paneling I did in the proper Mahogany grain. It was done for a vineyard and resort owner to take guests around and for branding. 

[Restorer32]

At a customer's request we woodgrained  a '55 Cadillac Station Wagon. Came out beautifully and will probably last longer than the original Dinoc but still I would encourage you to restore your car as it was originally. 

[R Walling]

 A friend of mine decided to put real wood mouldings on his car.

 He is a cabinet maker and after several tries to conform the wood to the car he gave up. It would have been too tedious of a job although the first pieces looked pretty good.

[46 woodie]

I gotta agree with Joe. Woodgraining looks easy but if you aren't a professional chances are you might regret doing it yourself. I have a 3M Di-Noc catalog and you can get very close to the T&C original pattern, but as Joe states you need to know what you are doing to apply it. You might want to bite the bullet and talk to a professional about what to do  with your car. If you log onto the T&C website there is contact info.