Car interior woodwork/details - who has had experience replicating interior wood work

[a griffin]

As things are progressing on the Lincoln I am working on, one thing that has me a bit intrigued is the woodwork design and use on the interior of higher end cars. As most know, on later models, most woodgrain was faked either through paint techniques or appliqués. Earlier cars had actual wood with either nice grain patterns or what appears to be inlays.  

 

Attached are 2 examples of the "basic" wood work in a 33-34 Lincoln - each by a different coach builder. Note in these examples that the dash itself is a painted woodgrain, while there is actual woodwork across the top of the dash and along the door tops.

 

I would also like to know who has had experience replicating interior wood work and what materials did you use? It appears that the work going across the top of dash ashtray is some type of laminate.

[Tom Boehm]

Check out this guy, Jeff Hobgood of Newburgh/Evansville Indiana. www.therealwoodman.com. 

[Walt G]

The coach builders would order a chassis , most of the time it would have the four fenders, firewall ,hood and lamps as well as the dashboard that you see grained. The dash would be housing the factory gauges , the decorative but functional caps you mention in real wood would be created by the coach builder to harmonize and flow with the open or enclosed body that they were commissioned to build. There were several companies that supplied the coach builders directly with the fine and exotic woods, plus those that supplied the ash wood for the framework of the body that would be the basis to then tack the formed sheet metal to. Also suppliers for hardware, interior and exterior handles, knobs etc.

A story way to long to recount who and what here on the forums. More suitable for a print publication but there is scant room for that story in magazines like the AACA Antique Automobile because of lack of space.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Walt G
spelling error (see edit history)

[f.f.jones]

There are a number of tutorials on YouTube showing faux wood graining.

DIY tools and kits are available from Amazon and ebay. "How-to" books are also available from the same sources.

With a little practice and the right materials, a novice can do a very presentable job. Give it a try. 

[8E45E]

15 hours ago, Walt G said:

The coach builders would order a chassis , most of the time it would have the four fenders, firewall ,hood and lamps as well as the dashboard that you see grained. The dash would be housing the factory gauges , the decorative but functional caps you mention in real wood would be created by the coach builder to harmonize and flow with the open or enclosed body that they were commissioned to build. There were several companies that supplied the coach builders directly with the fine and exotic woods, plus those that supplied the ash wood for the framework of the body that would be the basis to then tack the formed sheet metal to. Also suppliers for hardware, interior and exterior handles, knobs etc.

A story way to log to recount who and what here on the forums. More suitable for a print publication but there is scant room for that story in magazines like the AACA Antique Automobile because of lack of space.

This concept still exists in the high end motorhome industry.  Marathon Coach, Newell, etc., purchase the chassis or a complete, unpainted 'blank canvas' shell from Freightliner, Prevost, MCI, etc., and their craftsmen hand-build the interior to customer specifications, using marble for the flooring, exotic hardwoods for the cabinetry, and leather for the upholstery inside.  And the choice of exterior color combinations is totally unlimited.  The purchaser's wallet is the limit as to how much one can cost.  Last I heard, (which would be about 15 years ago), MCI charged $625K for a bare shell with two slide-outs roughed in.

 

Just the vehicle to haul your Duesenberg to shows all around the counrty with:    https://www.newellcoach.com/--overview

 

Craig

Edited November 16, 2021 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[a griffin]

4 hours ago, f.f.jones said:

There are a number of tutorials on YouTube showing faux wood graining.

DIY tools and kits are available from Amazon and ebay. "How-to" books are also available from the same sources.

With a little practice and the right materials, a novice can do a very presentable job. Give it a try. 

The process of faux woodgraining is something I'm familiar with. My comment and inquisition was based more towards the actual woodwork. I may not have expressed that clearly.

[a griffin]

16 hours ago, Walt G said:

The coach builders would order a chassis , most of the time it would have the four fenders, firewall ,hood and lamps as well as the dashboard that you see grained. The dash would be housing the factory gauges , the decorative but functional caps you mention in real wood would be created by the coach builder to harmonize and flow with the open or enclosed body that they were commissioned to build. There were several companies that supplied the coach builders directly with the fine and exotic woods, plus those that supplied the ash wood for the framework of the body that would be the basis to then tack the formed sheet metal to. Also suppliers for hardware, interior and exterior handles, knobs etc.

A story way to log to recount who and what here on the forums. More suitable for a print publication but there is scant room for that story in magazines like the AACA Antique Automobile because of lack of space.

And will, unfortunately, be lost to time eventually.

 

Amazing to think about all of the back stories in the history of automobile making.

[Walt G]

Mr. Griffin, Thank you. The back stories I find fascinating and a major part of the understanding and appreciation of how the vehicles we love were made. Who made the seat springs?- how did they get to the coach builders?, were there books, promotion people who visited factories to show what was available, how were "bare" chassis delivered? This was in an era where there was absolutely no instant means of communication - telegraph communication or letter etc was mostly it for details , telephones - well sort of.  what was the time line and products to go from hand brush painted bodies on cars to spray paint, what machines were used and work conditions used in spraying, what and who developed the paint etc.

the whole story is there if yo have the resources to look at the period material and know where to look, There were a number of trade publications for the industry only that were not on the news stand for the normal car buying public. Add to the build of the cars the test drivers - what did they experience? how were the cars they were testing equipped to give the true feel of a car with a full load of passengers?

This is a major story/stories that has not been covered in any detail really and would be a much better view of what it was really like. It goes beyond the major names associated with the cars, body builders, and perhaps not by individual name recognizes what the era, conditions etc were like. Lots of unanswered questions , but many I asked 50 years ago of the people or their immediate family who were around when all of this was going on , First Person interviews and research - something highly stressed and encouraged in the field of historic preservation beyond the topic of motor cars.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Walt G (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

Interesting.  Back in 1987 we restored a car built here in York. PA.   We were contacted by an elderly lady who had worked in the factory doing upholstery.  We interviewed her and it was fascinating.  There were separate entrances to the factory for men and women and the start and stop times were staggered so the women did not come into contact with male workers.  She said she would virtually never see a male other than the manager of her department. We also met the Son of the last man to leave the factory when they went out of business in 1920 or so.  His Dad told him to bring his little red wagon to the front door of the factory at quitting time, which he did.  His Dad loaded his tools on the wagon, shut and locked the door and away they went, pulling the wagon home.

[Walt G]

THANK YOU this is the kind of information that "gets lost" as Mr. Griffin mentioned, but is there anyone else reading this that finds it absolutely fascinating to read about?  What a huge part of the story - plus a comment on the social (and economic  etc)  ways of the era; not just automotive history but history in general. It sets the tone, most people walked to work, brought their own lunch in a tin lunch box/pail. Masonry buildings could be cold in winter, hot in summer etc. Just look at the back ground behind the vehicles in the "Period Images" photographs, observe the entire scene. Try to appreciate and take in the whole picture not just a snapshot . And yes all of this information is being lost

[Restorer32]

Just as fascinating to me were the inventory lists prepared by the auctioneer for the dispersal auction.  The factory was a 4 story bldg.  Cars were built on 1, 2 and 3 and upholstery was done on 4.  Such listings as "12 bales of horsehair",  "10 rolls of leatherette",  "17 sets of top bows",  " 6 sewing machines", "25 sets of wood wheels",  "2 drums black paint".  You could literally, in your mind, attend the auction and follow the auctioneer from floor to floor. 

[Walt G]

I have the original auction catalog for the contents of Brewster & Co. when they "disappeared" in the late 1930s. Multi page catalog, amazing stuff, including about 15 + cars that were either complete and ready to go or partially apart. Not just R-R's either, more modest transportation like a two door coach.  The late great Bruce Lane of NJ saw his father work at the Brewster & Co. plant . Even Bruce's recollection of what his father said was incredible. All this information needs to be formed into a possible series of accurate ( not guessed at as in 'revisionist history') stories and then in print  publications to support the reports and coverage of the current cars that exist and are proudly and rightly displayed at car shows, concurs de elegance, and possibly other fancy events that for the majority of all have not taken place for 2 years due to the virus. But that is for the Editor's and Publication committee's to decide if it is worthy enough to find a place in print.

[John Kelso]

On my Lincoln the base wood for the molding is mahogany, the lighter panel appears to be maple vernier.

[Walt G]

Walnut was also a very very popular wood to use for finish trim and surfaces.

[8E45E]

Keep in mind, one of the special presses for making the material for fabric-bodied cars was found in a building being demolished in England about 6 or 7 years ago.

Craig

[Alex D.]

About 45+ years ago I stopped to see a friend on Thanksgiving Day. The whole family was there including his 95-year-old grandfather. A conversation was started on my 1930 Buick, which led to him telling me about when he worked for an automobile manufacturer in Hagerstown Maryland. The car was called a Dagmar. He was a sheet metal mechanic and helped build the bodies for the Dagmar. A very interesting fellow and sharp as a pin. I wish I would have spent more time with him listening to his stories. History is lost.

 

Back to the OP. The interior wood work looks to be Walnut with an Elm or Maple burl veneer. The window garnish molding in my 32 Cadillac is walnut that is steam bent. I sure would like to know the process the manufacture used to produce such garnish moldings on a mass produces automobile.