fixerupper
Well-known Member
I'm sitting here resting a bit so I thought I would show you the progress on the 1925 T coupe. This is what the roof wood looked like after I removed the canvas top and bows.
The top of the driver's side door post didn't look so good so I cut off the top 8" and made new top wood, doweling it into place.
After hours of removing old rotted wood and fitting new wood from a kit the owner bought this is where it sits now. The doors now close perfect where before they hit the door frame when they were shut because of the rotted roof structure. I'm VERY happy about the way they fit. The wood is partly screwed on and partly clamped together ready to be screwed together.
To back up a ways, all of the bottom wood was rotted, all the way from the back of the trunk to the front of the floor board. I removed it all and made new wood. It was a real guessing game as to how long some of the pieces were supposed to be because sections had fallen out.
This is not a very good picture but the shiny black wood outside of the frame and against the body panels is new wood I made.
These old cars with wooden body frames use plenty of wood screws. So far I have sourced #14X 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2", #12X 1", 1 1/2", 2 1/2", 3", and 31/2" wood screws. There are a bunch of smaller #6X1/2" and 3/4" screws I'm trying to save and reuse because of the rounded top on the heads.
Anyway, there is a long ways to go yet, he has a new trunk floor ordered if it ever shows up and the interior kit has to be installed but at least now the body is solid again. With the wood gone it was just floppy tin ready to collapse. I have a very helpful and talented neighbor helping me with the assembly as it is a real puzzle without a blueprint and dimensions to go by. The body has sagged over the last 93 years and it's reluctant to be brought back up to where it should be. Anyway, we've been making progress.
Oh, I should note, the owner is 80 years young and this is the first car he owned. He bought it in 1951 when he was 14 years old. He drove it to college and dated his wife in it, among a few others. It holds lots of memories. How many of us have the first car we owned and can still drive it? Not me.
The top of the driver's side door post didn't look so good so I cut off the top 8" and made new top wood, doweling it into place.
After hours of removing old rotted wood and fitting new wood from a kit the owner bought this is where it sits now. The doors now close perfect where before they hit the door frame when they were shut because of the rotted roof structure. I'm VERY happy about the way they fit. The wood is partly screwed on and partly clamped together ready to be screwed together.
To back up a ways, all of the bottom wood was rotted, all the way from the back of the trunk to the front of the floor board. I removed it all and made new wood. It was a real guessing game as to how long some of the pieces were supposed to be because sections had fallen out.
This is not a very good picture but the shiny black wood outside of the frame and against the body panels is new wood I made.
These old cars with wooden body frames use plenty of wood screws. So far I have sourced #14X 1", 1 1/4", 1 1/2", #12X 1", 1 1/2", 2 1/2", 3", and 31/2" wood screws. There are a bunch of smaller #6X1/2" and 3/4" screws I'm trying to save and reuse because of the rounded top on the heads.
Anyway, there is a long ways to go yet, he has a new trunk floor ordered if it ever shows up and the interior kit has to be installed but at least now the body is solid again. With the wood gone it was just floppy tin ready to collapse. I have a very helpful and talented neighbor helping me with the assembly as it is a real puzzle without a blueprint and dimensions to go by. The body has sagged over the last 93 years and it's reluctant to be brought back up to where it should be. Anyway, we've been making progress.
Oh, I should note, the owner is 80 years young and this is the first car he owned. He bought it in 1951 when he was 14 years old. He drove it to college and dated his wife in it, among a few others. It holds lots of memories. How many of us have the first car we owned and can still drive it? Not me.