VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 what type of wood is used for framing a1928

Hello,
I spent the weekend tearing down my 28. I have noticed some of the wood is cracked and dry rotting. what is a good replacement wood to make her sound.

The majority of replacement wood today is white ash. Some use oak where strength is needed like main sills and door posts. Originally Chevrolet and Fisher Body used an assortment of wood with some like poplar in non-critical areas. They used finger joints and laminates to provide the necessary strength and stability. That allowed lower strength wood in some less critical places.

Hello Chevgoat

Do not use red oak. It has a fair amount of tannin that will make it acidic and rust the sheet metal sooner than it should. Like Chip said ash is a good stable candidate, and readily available in dimensional sizes. My pretty original '29 coupe has quite a mix of wood. Some of it looks like alder, some of it looks like ash, some poplar, the plywood floorboards are definitely Pacific NW fir.

Art

As mentioned ash would be best as replacement. Red oak is not recommended due to it propensity to shiver into splinters. White oak is good though. Many times factories would use locally available wood. Several cars I have seen built in Oshawa, Canada used mostly maple.

I have found red oak originally in the main sills and occasionally door posts or other parts. Often on main sills it is two pieces glued together. That might have been to use the strength but minimize the splitting.

I understand the reluctance using currently available hardwood. A significant factor is the method used to dry the wood. Drying too quickly can result in more splitting. Wear on wood working tools can be a factor oaks can dull tools much faster that other wood species.

Thank you, I am far from a wood-worker. I know I can fabricate the door posts, however I believe the quarter panel upper wood pieces are most likely out of my league. Any recommendations on where to get those pieces?