Is maple a good wood for exterior use?

Very nice work. I love the styling, showing some level of restraint over the ostentaion that adorned some vehicles, yet maintaining a high level of detail.

Too bad about having to use a non-matching piece on the long upper hood rail where it ends on the trunkline, but I'm just being picky. Thankfully for me, I don't always look at my work that closely, or I'd never get anything done.

Pat, I don't think that wood specie suitability for exterior work was a consideration in restoring this vehicle, as I would guess that this vehicle seldom, if ever, is exposed to the elements. Perhaps the occasional sunny, 85 degree day.

TonyF

A restorer I talked to years ago told me Ash was preferred for its ability to absorb shocks. Same reason it is is used for baseball bats. The makers of the woodies were substituting a plastic wood grain for the darker panels. Getting away from the Mahogany that was common in the earlier autos.

Ash is also used in Morgan cars - hand built throwbacks. See photo.

I disagree with the 'sunny day' use of the cars. The originals were "Station" wagons - meant to go to the train station and pick up passengers and luggage. Truck chassis, rudimentary body and the known science of wood frames/bodies combined to make efficient people haulers.

Most importantly, remember these cars are direct descendants of wooden carriages. The carriage trade was huge - wooden framed vehicles pulled by horses and drug over gawd-forsaken roads, in all kinds of weather. The construction of, repair of and maintenance of so many vehicles kept the better woodworkers employed for decades.

I can hear those old guys on lunch in 1890 or so...."young ones don't care. The whole trade is headed for the toilet... Can't get decent help, and if you did, they'd want too much money...."

Morgan sports cars?

Whoops never mind

Are exterior doors made from Ash?

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David:

I didn't mean the woody cars in general, I meant that restored Studebaker car in particular as a probable "fair weather car". It looks like it's more for show than for go.

TonyF

If you take a look at that article I referenced you'll see this actually isn't a "restored" 1951 Studebaker. It is a project car that used the 51 as a starting point. Studebaker never had a 51 woody.

BH Davis

That is beautiful workmanship, but I think whomever chose to paint the rest GREEN missed the mark.

Tony - I agree. That Studebaker was not destined to have the kids and dog pile in for daily commutes.

When I considered making wood panels, I was concerned about the inside kink in the door panel/fender extension, and the compound curve in the barrel-back trunk door. I threw a lot of time into my estimate (no quote on this one), trying to cover what I might run into.

Eventually the customer decided to keep the car original and leave the metal/plastic panels. A better decision for the car's value, and I had to find something else to worry about.

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David:

I remember your posting about the possibility for creating veneered panels for a '47 or '48 Chrysler, if memory serves, that had a panel feature similar to the door panel on the red Chrysler Town and Country in the photo.

The crease would have been a larger concern than some of the compound curves for me, especially having the crease die smoothly into the flat veneer panel. (Although I'll bet that the upper rear door panels and rear fender panels on that car in the bottom photo would be quite the challenge - is that a Chrysler Town and Country as well?)

Never got to do a car exterior, only some interior work. Looks like it would be fun if you didn't have to remake it too many times.

TonyF

The "hand built" cars still use wooden forms or body molds so the panel beaters know what shape is needed.

When I looked at the broad, indulgent landscape of woodwork careers, making wooden Ferraris was not on the radar. Unfortunately.

Curiously, when I was 12, I got seriously into slot racing, and was building my own cars in no time. I carved in Balsa wood - light and soft. And occasionally carved into Sochar - also light and soft. Using dead dull x-acto blades, when they slipped, they could do some damage. I remember carving the Lotus D-6, a Maserati birdcage, A Ford F-40 and the Ferrari P-40-. Lots of fun.

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