VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION New User Forum 1931 5 window coupe wood kit problems

I bought a totally disassembled '31 chev five window coupe. The purchase included a wood kit which was made in Georgia some fifteen years ago. There are only the standard type of pictures and no measurements with the kit. The two side sills have two notches each for both the "front hinge pillar assembly" and the "body lock pillar assembly"

Because I have already found problems with this kit and have had to do some adjusting to get the cowl to fit I am worried about the space between the pillars and if the door will or will not fit. Can anyone advise or tell me what the measurement should be between the pillars? I'm talking about the space allotted for the door

Hi There and welcome to Chevy Chatter II!

Since your wood kit was made in Georgia it was probably made by Fiberglass and Wood, which is now out of business.....thank God! Their wood kits were absolutely horrible! To save yourself a lot of grief, the best thing you can do with that kit is burn it for firewood and then purchase a quality wood kit from one of the manufacturers that make the wood kits. The kits that are available today are a real pleasure to work with.

Good luck with your project.

:) :grin:

Thanks for your input! I'm going to keep trying to make it work a little longer before I burn it. I still do hope to hear from someone out there who knows the exact width from wood pillar to wood pillar that is required for the door opening.

Hi vehc,

Welcome aboard. If you look to the right you'll see VCCA Home. Click on that and when that comes up click on Favorite Links on the left and then Bill's 1931 Site. A whole lot of information there. Also consider joining the VCCA as there is a lot of help here. Couldn't of restored my '31 5 window coupe without their help. Don't know the exact measurements but someone will come through. Good luck.

Thanks for your input! I did go to VCCA home and found Bill's site and saw Sal Orlando's wonderful and amazing woodwork .... and am grateful of some of the details I was able to glean from his pictures ... especially the steel braces in the back two corners I had them but didn't know where they went!

I would certainly be happy to get my measurement answered by Sal ..... or anyone else!

vehc, Welcome to the chat site and good luck with your project. I would be willing to give you more pictures and some finished measurements but I am out of commission right now. I had both of my feet operated on last Thursday and just can not get around in my garage with a wheel chair. I should be getting the pins removed in a couple of weeks and then possibly be able to get out their for some measurements. I will keep an eye on the chat site.

It appears to me that you are a person who likes to jump into things with both feet! ..... kidding aside ... I hope that you will be up and around better than ever!

I saw a hot link that connected me to KC Wood Manufacturing. I was able to talk a gentleman there and he told me that he did not have the exact measurement between the pillars at his finger tips. He went on to tell me that if I was prepared to pay for about two hours of shop time at $45.00 per hour he would partially assemble a kit to get the measurement I was looking for. At this time I'm hoping to save my $90.00.

I was VERY impressed with the quality of the wood kit you used and also the quality of your own craftsmanship in the assembly..... NICE WORK!

Where did your kit come from?

My project is on hold for about a month, so I'm hoping that by then you will be up and around enough to be able to do that measurement for me.

Thanx for your contact and take care of yourself!

Bill

Are your doors intact? If so you can use them to gage the opening dimensions. I don't have the gap dimension handy but should be able to get it off another body style.

Yes Bill, I did jump in with both feet. :grin: I am moving around better each day so in a month hopefully I will be able to get you some measurements. My kit came from Dennis Rodman in Hanna, Indiana. If you have the complete door you can use those measurements like Chipper mentioned and allow for the trim pieces and the gap on both sides. When I am able to get upstairs to the main computer I will look at the pictures that I have and email them to you. Right now I am on my wife's laptop down stairs. At least I can get on the chat site.

I did gingerly place the right hand side door into the space, it looked like it was going to be a very tight fit ....... that's when paranoia set in ...... I need the measurement between the pillars or at the very least the actual gaps on both sides of the door ----- measurements taken from a completed car. If you are able to give me those gaps it would go a long way to help me with my confidence problem.

Thanx for your contact!

Dennis Rodman? Did you mean Jim Rodman instead?

:) :grin:

OK vehc, If you can cast spell over my feet I will be in the garage in the moring. Also with a big smile on my face. I go to the doc's in the morning and I will see what he has to say. It will be just six days since surgery.

You must be somethin' special to be able to use your wife's computer!

Tried to find Dennis Rodman on Google and found that basketball guy and some of his quotes .... one of which is .."for five years I've felt like the best prostitute in a high class whorehouse".

I changed my search and found James Rodman at Auto Wood Restorations. I'm confident that's who you were referring to and intend on phoning him in the morning!

Bill

I may have gotten my wires crossed and you may have received a response intended for Chipper ( the person who suggested that I use a door to check pillar clearances)

Sal, please do not put yourself at any risk for me. Like I said earlier, I'm basically in a holding pattern for about a month ....til I can make a few extra dollars to spend on the car.

Regards,
Bill

vehc, You are correct. James Rodman is the guy. Sorry for leading you astray. I will get out there when I can and it will not be a problem. I will see what the doc has to say today.

Talked to James Rodman this morning and found him to be a wonderful individual who is prepared to share his knowledge immediately ..... and his prices appear to be better than elsewhere.

He has already given me a couple of invaluable tips:

1.The rocker under the door dictates the space between the
pillars

2.After mounting the cowl to the wood and before mounting the rear metal you are to mount the doors to get a good fit ....he went on to say that the weight of the doors will tend to pull the cowl towards the back of the car, so it is necessary to use a come-a-long connected to the top header bar and front bumper to keep the cowl square to the sills!

He said I could call him anytime for help .... I can see why you made a decision to by your kit from him! -- let alone his quality!

Bill

Looks like your are on the right track. I also got mine from Jim Rodman and found him very helpful.

Hey Bill, That is great. I went to the doc's this morning and he going to pull the stitches next week. Then after that the pins will come out. So far so good.

Nice to hear you are coming along with no infections/complications!

I've also been looking for a close up picture of a top front corner where the roof meets the hinge pillar on a completed car .... to see how the roof vinyl material marries to the metal.

Hi ho hi ho it's off to work I go ......

Bill

Hi Sal!
I hope you are doing fine and had no set backs with your recovery.
Did you/were you able to measure the distance between the pillars for me? Another two measurements I would appreciate is the height of both the hinge pillar and the lock pillar ..... the measurement taken from top surface of the sill to the top of each pillar.

Thanx,
Bill

vehc, I am going to send you a PM with the measurements.