VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 32 chevy floor board and roof

When I look at the pic of the 32 I have, the floor board section where the tranny is does not have anything there. Is that section made up of wood? Where can I get pics on this? Also, on the 32 chevy, why is there a wood frame with cross pieces, and the top designed with a hole. What is the material that covers that? How is the material held on to the roof. The one I have is all complete, but I can not figure out why they manufactured a vehicle like that. Just courious. Thanks

carey64racing,

Yes there is a wood floor board that is above the trans. The piece fits appoximately in the opening from the bottom of the wooden toe board (pedal location) and extends back to the first metal cossmember that holds the front lip of the underseat tool compartment. The sides of this board are supported by the wood sill plates.

I suggest you get the shop and body manuals. The Filling Station has them. Those manuals will answer some of your questions about the wood bracing used in a 32. The 32 roof was not designed to have a "hole" in it. Rather think of it as "bracing" that the interior headliner is tacked to and exterior top fabric is supported by. The exterior vinyl top material is nailed along it's edge thru slots in the metal body and into the outside wooden rim of this frame. The edge of the material is then covered by a solid metal trim piece and sealed.

Hopes this help you a little. Please continue to ask all the questions you need answered.

The basic reason to manufacture a car with a "hole" in the roof was the lack of a large enough metal press to make the roof in a single piece. Once a press and dies were available then 'turret top' Chevrolets were built.

turret top in 34, all steel in 37, all part of Fisher Body's evolution from horse drawn carriages.

several venders sell the floorboards. or you can make your own from plywood

The top material was not vinyl (it wasn't invented yet), but rather it was "leatherette".

You can get a floor board and any other wood pieces that you need from Auto Wood Restoration in Hanna, Indiana.

Thanks, that's a big help. It makes sense now. I keep looking at the pics I have of the car and just could not figure it out. I will have to check with the previous owner and see if he still has the wood. Is this the section that comes out so you can get to the battery? If not then I will have to get them made. When I get done with the sand pit and come home, I will have to start taking it a-part to get a fresh coat of paint on it. Is the top material hard to come off? Can I re-use it over? It appears to be in good shape. Im guessing that if I take it off, it will start to shrink. Not sure if I can get around that or not. Thanks

The floor board is the piece that has the metal battery inspection cover. You can purchase the floor board already made.

Don't reuse the top material. However, if the material and the body wood under it is in good shape you might want to leave the top alone because once you remove it you are opening up a can of worms.

the battery inspection cover is there to check the electrolyte level. to remove the battery the entire floorboard has to be removed.

Like the JYD says, leave the top (whatever that material is) alone if it's in good shape. You can damage the metal trim real easy and nobody on this site has been able to find a good replacement. You can add more padding to the top before installing a new headliner.

If you cut a new floor board yourself, you can make it so it comes out easy to replace the battery.

A visit to Bill Barker's sites, 1932chevrolet.com and 1931chevrolet.com may prove helpful. There are lots of pictures of bodies and wood.
Sid

i still have the stock floor board for my 30 coach which is still in good shape. i don`t know if its the same for a 32.
but if it is and you want it. your welcome to it. the only thing. you would have to pay shipping and i would like it back.
so you would have to pay shipping both ways.

Thanks. I should be back in the states on leave in a few weeks. I will check with the previous owner and see if he has them laying around. I sure appreaciate the offer. I did go to the 32 chevrolet site to check things out. I did not see the section where they had a lot of the photo's. I will have to go back into it later and see. Thanks again.

There are more photos on the 31 site, and the two bodies are very similar.
Sid

Thanks, I will go back and check it out. I sure appreaciate all the help. I am sure once I get home and start into working on the car, I will have all kinds of questions. My goal is to keep history rolling and keep it all stock. Thanks again.

i do have the other piece of wood that comes right off the metal fire wall. if i remember right. you have to mount that piece of wood first than the wood than goes over the trans is next. the rest of my floor boards were in bad shape and not good enought for templates. FYI. i used 3/4 inch oak for my floor.

Thanks. I should find out in three weeks if the previous owner has any of wood parts around. Is the one piece over the tranny a one piece with a hole in it? If the pieces of wood is not tongue and groove style then I should be able to make them. The toe board is still in place. I just want to make sure it goes back the way it came out of the factory. Just curious, what goes over the wood? Is it covered by a rubber mat or carpet?

Both the toe board (piece that covers the space between the flat floor board and firewall) and floor board are made from 3/4" plywood. The toe board fits the profile of the firewall except at the pedals, where it is covered by two sheet metal pieces. The floor board has three holes, one for the transmission and other for the emergency brake handle. The bottom side at the transmission is partially cut away to clear the top of the transmission cover. The hole for the emergency brake lever is a rectangular slot, just big enough to allow the lever to slide through. The final hole is a rectangular hole above the battery cell covers. The front side is cut at an angle to accommodate a metal cover that wedges and snaps in place. Some floor boards also have a finger hole in the rear center but most don't. I don't know why some do and others don't.

A rubber mat covers both the toe board and floor board.

hey chipper
now that i think about it. my stock trans wood floor board had the finger hole in it

Here's a pic of the boards offered by a guy on eBay. I'm not saying they are correct, but the pic gives you an idea of what's supposed to be there. The emergency brake handle hole is rectangular and I don't know what that metal is in the center.

I'll include pics of the metal battery cover and another general picture.

Thanks, That's a big help. I will send him the pics so that he can start looking for them. I sure appreaciate all the info sent. I will have to see if he has the battery cover now.

The battery box cover has been reproduced so you can probably purchase one of those brand new. Same is true for the toe and floor boards as well.

I have a 1932 floorboard and toe board that I can't use.
If you would like to make me an offer I think it's what you need.
If you can use them that would be great.

Thanks, I should be out of this sand pit and on leave in a couple weeks. As soon as I get home, I will check with the previous owner and make sure he does not have the pieces laying around. I will get back with you when I find out. I sure appreaciate it. Thanks