Re: Truck based woody
 

OK, I tried a piece of 45 mil EDPM roofing membrane. The piece was cleaned with lacquer thinner before it was coated with a texture. It looked good but after it was dry I could scrap the texture off of the membrane. I think with the quality of your wood working you need to bite the bullet and go with something that you know will last.

Re: Truck based woody
 

Here is a pic of the upper right rear pillar steel bracket. You'll note it ties in the rear header, upper right roof rail as well as the upper rear side window rail. Make sense? It reduces any lateral movement by tying in the rear upper header. Bill

Re: Truck based woody
 

Hmmmm, well it was a good idea and a really generous offer from Mark, but it looks like it makes sense to buy the real thing. I probably won't buy it until spring as the overhead lights in my shop add just some extra light through the roof for now and it will stay indoors anyway. Thanks for taking the time to do the experiment, that was very nice of you.

Re: Truck based woody
 

With my design there isn't room for the lower loop, but I will for sure add the strap across to the rear header. Thanks for the picture! This is gonna seem odd, but I have never really even looked at a ford woodie before I started (or since). I have been dreaming of going to the Lemay antique car museum in Tacoma Wa. and am hoping they have one there. With the ferry and travel time it would be a 2 day trip. Meanwhile I just put away an 8ba that was on my run stand. After repeated running it has better and more even compression numbers. Turns out it's not quite good enough for the woodie, but would be great for the junkyard dog wrecker I want to build from one of the engineless tonners I have. My plan for the woodie is to build up a 59ab with the 3 1/16" bore block I have. It's the one I showed the pictures of the .060 war surplus pistons in cosmoline. Ok, now down to the shop to finish the gussets in the B pillar bracket and add some ears onto the rear one. Thanks all of you for the help, kind words and encouragement.

Re: Truck based woody
 

Least I could do. Some day I may be asking you for help. I have always thought a custom woody would be a unique, fun project. Sure wish you weren't so far away from me.

Re: Truck based woody
 

One year and 3 weeks ago I tried to drive to Parkers Prairie Minnesota to pick up my tonner panel truck. It was dead of winter and hair brained scheme seein's on how I had just went through open heart surgery 3 months before. I turned around half way in Bozeman, but I almost got to your neighborhood. I had it hauled by a trucker instead. He had to deal with your Minnesota winter, but he was a Montana gu and used to it. Got a lot done on the brackets, but then company stopped by and I had to quit and be sociable.

Re: Truck based woody
 

Well Bill, I tied the rear header in. I'm glad I'm not trying to build an exact '47 station wagon replica as those rear corner brackets would be a tough job. The knee braces were hard enough.... All I could find around here for 1/4" plate was diamond plate so I ground off the tread pattern. Right now the brackets are just stuck on with some drywall screws, but there will be large oval head wood screws and some thru-bolts with blind nuts as well.

Re: Truck based woody
 

Well Mark, Your rubber roof samples arrived today. Thanks so very much. I have a couple of things I want to try with them such as black sikaflex polyurethane marine sealant as a texture. There is very little that stuff won't adhere to with a death grip. Haven't done much on the wood body because the weather is dry for a while and I'm working on an engine outdoors. Back onto the woodwork when the rain returns.

Re: Truck based woody
 

Your welcome. If you decide you want to use it let me know. The suggestion of the Lebaron Bonney stuff may make the job easier. But it doesn't seem like you take the easy way out....LOL.... Im gonna keep watching the progress...... Mark

Re: Truck based woody
 

Is this slotted slider the stock piece for holding up the rear window? It looks like a Model A windshield piece. Does it have the model A's notch?

Re: Truck based woody
 

Is this slotted slider the stock piece for holding up the rear window? It looks like a Model A windshield piece. Does it have the model A's notch? Upon further inspection I see no notch, so if this is the correct holder, then maybe finding a couple model A pieces would be even better. Who knows, maybe gravity would drop them into place.....

Re: Truck based woody
 

Those are the stock supports and similar to Model A. I think C&G of Escondido Ca. repro them. Actually if you check their online catalogue they stock a lot of woodie related stuff. Good people to deal with. Check it out! I see you are still leaning toward an upper and lower tailgate. Actually the access to the rear area of a woodie is awkward thru the upper/lower tailgate configuration, ask the man who owns one! Reconsider making a hatch. Millions of minivans later it's the way to go but don't let me tell you what to do it's your baby... :) Bill

Re: Truck based woody
 

Bill, I DO see the problem. The tailgate is really tall and when down it's a lot to reach across. Leaning towards mechanical and sheet metal work for a while so I will have time to work up some mock-ups and decide.

Re: Truck based woody
 

GB, been following from the start and am in awe of your nerve and skills. I vote for double doors on the rear, (like your panel), after all it is a truck. Keep up the great work.

Re: Truck based woody
 

Maybe you could come up with a 2 way tailgate like those 60s wagons. Did you decide on top material? How about using tyvek or typar and coating it with that stuff they sell on late night tv where they put a screen bottom in a boat

Re: Truck based woody
 

I record all these ideas in my brain for when I get back to working on the truck's body. I should be excited that we now have 11 jobs at one stage or another in the wood shop. 2 are big cabinet jobs with contractors schedules involved, another job we have means two more trips to Seattle, rest are tables, desks and other furniture. Sheesh, how's a guy gonna sneak away to work on his own projects?

Re: Truck based woody
 

Glad you are busy at your day job even if it gets in the way of your passion! Found a couple of pics of barn doors on a '52 panel woodie makeover at Wavecrest a few years ago. The truck is gorgeous! To keep the pot stirred a one piece hatch will minimize the exhaust fumes that find their way into the cab when you are driving. Their is no cat converter or O-2 sensor to scrub the fumes and the typical tailgate allows lots of fumes in as the stock weatherstrips are marginal at best. I find any time I go for a daytrip I have a headache and bloodshot eyes by days end! Doesn't stop me from going though!! Now go back to work and watch yer fingers...Bill

Re: Truck based woody
 

I have a few fumers myself. Very obnoxious. The finger injuries are part of the elusive charm of woodworking. This was a few years back, but it helped me to get to know the nurse who became my wife. Sorry if you're eating breakfast....

Re: Truck based woody
 

Ouch!

Re: Truck based woody
 

Well it's been a while. Today marks the beginning of high school baseball practice. My employee of 16 years is a coach and he leaves work at 2 in the spring time. After he's gone, I do a few things around the shop and gravity seems to take me down the hill to the 'lower shop' where the woodie is. In celebration I cleaned out the floor, which was a total mess, and built a temporary shelf to set stuff on so I can work towards door sills and flooring for the rear cargo and back seat area. Since my business centers around the use of salvaged and reclaimed lumber I have saved out a quantity of 1x4 douglas fir t&g flooring from an old school to use as the rear floor. I grabbed a couple of short pieces to see how it joined up to the rear tail pan (tail plank)...To plane it clean it will be about 5/8" thick. On the outside edge of the flooring, scribed around the fenders will be a 7/8" thick border piece down each side. This will be routed out underneath to cover the 3/8" steel angle brackets at the posts. After that I will construct thin plywood panels inside the body's sides which hide the screws and irregularities holding the panels in the woodie's framework. Stay tuned for tomorrow's after 2:00 report. The plan is to finish up the body sans doors and lift it off the chassis, install running gear and drivetrain, set it back on and shim permanently, then build and fit the wood doors and tailgate assemblies.