VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - GENERAL Body - Sheet Metal, Paint & Wood WOOD USED IN CHEVY CARS

I HAVE THE WOOD KIT FROM JIM RODMAN, WHICH IS IN MY OPINION THE VERY BEST. I KNOW THE TYPE OF WOOD USED IS OAK AND ASH, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IS WERE THERE OTHER HARDWOODS USED BESIDES THOSE TWO. THANKS

Hey Donald! I agree with you that the wood kits from Jim Rodman are also the best. It definitely is a high quality kit! I think that Jim told me once that Birch was also used as well.

Chevrolet used all hard woods Oak,Ash,Birch ect in their bodies. Usually the type of wood was based on what was avail at the time and in which part of the country the frames were constructed. The price of the wood avail was also a large factor. Softer wood were not used due to the fact that the open grain allowed water to be asorbed by the wood causing warping and rotting to occur at a faster rate. And the tighter grained hard woods were just stronger and provided a stiffer structure to attach the body sheetmetal to.

WHEN I GOT MY WOOD FROM JIM RODMAN, I SEALED THE WOOD VERY GOOD AND THEN PAINTED IT BLACK, WHICH I WAS TOLD CHEVROLET DONE.IM NOT SURE THAT IS WHAT WAS DONE ALL THE TIME, MAYBE ONE FACTORY TO ANOTHER DID NOT PAINT THE WOOD. ANY COMMENTS ON THE PAINTING OF THE WOOD????? THANKS

Don, When I removed the old wood on my 32 it was not painted. I asked Jim Rodman and he said to seal it, which I did with zip guard. When I asked about the friction tape between the metal and the wood, he said to use clear RTV and it worked well.
He kept saying SWING THE DOORS and now I understand what he was talking about. Once the doors are ligned up the rest goes pretty good...

Later ..Leo :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

For the purists, Fisher Body advertised "Hardwood" which is any tree that looses its leaves in the winter. This includes the popular Oak as well as ash, burch, maple, any any other hardwood they could find. But, they also used white pine, long-leaf pine, fir and other "Softwoods" (trees that do not loose their leaves). :confused: So you can't completely believe what you read, even in official Chevrolet and/or GM literature :(

I WONDER IF SOME OF YOU GUYS FOUND THE WOOD PAINTED BLACK. I HAVE SEEN ONE EARLY CHEVY THAT WAS NEVER TOUCHED AND THE WOOD WAS PAINTED BLACK. MAYBE IT DEPENDED ON WHICH FACTORY DONE THAT. WHEN I REPLACED THE WOOD ON MY CAR, I HAD A FEW PIECES OF THE OLD WOOD, THAT WERE A SOFTER WOOD THAN OAK AND ASH. I AGREE WITH CHEVY CHIP THAT MANY DIFFERENT WOODS WERE USED. IT PROBABLY DEPENDED ON WHERE THE FISHER BODY PLANTS GOT THEIR WOOD FROM. :eek: :eek:

I just went out and looked at the wood on my '31 1/2 ton'd cab... I'm quite certain that it is original. The interior side of the wood on the doors appears to have reminants of black paint, but from looking at other places, it might just be blackend from rotting. The areas that are covered and protected from direct exposure are bare. I'm betting that the wood on this vehicle was not painted, but it's hard to say for sure since I've not torn into it yet. I can't read the VIN tag yet, but the registration papers say the engine number is 2608342. :arrow:

The wood in my 31 standard sedan is original and still like new and it is black .Dont know if it is paint or some kind of sealer,but it is all black . The car was made in Buffalo NY.

WOODY I JUST THINK THAT AFTER THE METAL WAS PUT ON THE THE WOOD SHELL, THAT DEPENDING ON THE FACTORY, THEY SPRAYED THE WHOLE INSIDE BLACK. DOING THAT, THE METAL AND WOOD WOULD BE SEALED AND PROTECTED. THIS IS MY GUESS AS TO WHAT THE FACTORIES DID????? :) :) :) :)

My 27 Sports cabriolet was built in Oakland CA in January of 27. I have replaced only one piece of wood. The hinge plate for the rumble seat. This car has been inside since 38. The wood is black, but the inside of the body panels are unpainted. Dale

I have had all the wood out of my 29 coach and it is all painted black and I intend to paint and seal all the new wood as it goes in. This helps prevent moisture from getting into the wood and causing rot and swelling. and it just looks better where the wood is exposed also.

IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO SEAL AND PAINT THE WOOD AS YOU SAY 29 CHEVY. I THINK THE SWELLING OF THE WOOD,ESPECIALLY IF THE CARS ARE IN A UNHEATED GARAGE,OUTSIDE OR IN A DAMP INVIROMENT THAT THE CHANCE OF SWELLING OR DECAYING OF THE WOOD IS GREATLY REDUCED.

As I just got in from pumping up the tires on my 31 coupe to move into the shop and start on the motor I'll be in contact with you guys when I get to the point of restoring the body such as is it best to tear everything apart, do the body work and then rebuild around the wood or what? It will be a slow process but I will be back. This is a great site and I check it out every day.
Jerry in Minnesota

Jerry, a suggestion before you start to tear things apart take as many pictures from as many angles of every part and section of the car as you possibly can. When I purchased my 29 it had already been tore down and some of the parts were mis labeled and some were gone altogather. So when you start the re assembley the job will go much eaiser if you have a picture to refer to. Also it will allow you to document the restoration process. Best of luck with the restoration.

Thanks 29chevy, will do.
Jerry

I looked the inside of my 31 over again real close this time .the sheet metal is not painted and the wood looks more like a sealer,you san see the grain through rhe black on the wood.

No one has posted what factory their car was made in, which could have a bearing on the question about painted wood. Okay...this will screw a few things up.....the wood on my 1930 coupe was green! That's right....green. My 1930 coupe was made in the Kansas City factory, and the green coating is actually a preservative that was sprayed on the wood to protect it. However, on my 1932 Special Sedan (which is an all original car by the way....and I purchased the car from the original owner) the wood was definitely painted black. Looks like only one coat was applied since the woodgrain shows through as Woody mentioned. And, this car was made in the Oakland factory. On both the 1930 coupe and the 1932 Special Sedan, none of the sheet metal was painted underneath. :eek: :confused:

Hey JYD the slats in the roof are green I forgot to mention that.

my 31 was made in Buffalo NY

JYD My 29 coach was made at the Oakland Plant. The black paint as noted maybe the same type of sealer used on the wood beds of the early trucks it is more of a wash coat sealer than a real paint coating.

Thanks for th update guys....that is all very interesting. The black preservative that is on my 1932 Special Sedan looks more like black nitrocellulose lacquer paint than a sealer because it is definitely porous and it has all of the characteristics of paint. :confused: :eek: :confused:

How do you find out where your car was made? Thanks, Jerry :confused: :rolleyes:

By the cowl tag on the firewall. As part of the Body Number, the first digit (letter) of the number indicates the factory. For example, "K" means Kansas City, "O" (that is not a zero) means Oakland, "F" means Flint and so on. Also, the first number on the VIN plate indicates the factory as well. "5" is Kansas City, "6" would be Oakland, and "1" would be Flint...... :eek:

Jerry, the first #'s of the vin indicate at which plant your car was assembled ie. 6=Oakland, 12=Buffalo N.Y., 21=Janesville, WI. ect the #9 could be either Oshawa Ontario or Norwood Ohio. The Oshawa plant was in business from Nov. 1915 - Dec 1924 and the Norwood plant opened Sept. 1, 1923 so there is some overlap in in the prefixes.