Source for dome light wood???

[Marshall V. Daut]

I am looking for a source that can supply wood for mounting the Murray Town Sedan's oval dome light, which is different from the Briggs pattern. The distance between the top wood bows is different = different size wood. Most vendors carry wood for the round dome light (Coupes and Fordor Sedans), but only Mike's has wood for the oval dome light. Unfortunately, they only list Briggs wood and they cannot even get that anymore! I have checked numerous vendors' websites and cannot seem to find wood for the Murray body Town Sedan. I know the design is a simple piece of flat wood with an oval cutout for the dome light and wire, but I don't have measurements, thickness or woodworking tools (jigsaw) to make my own, and I need TWO them for a special application.
Can anyone here either supply these wooden pieces ready to mount, provide measurements and pattern or suggest a source to buy this simple item? I can't begin installing the new headliner until the dome light wood has been inserted between the back top wood bows.
Thanks in advance.
Marshall

[Bob Bidonde]

Hi Marshall. Does the wood in the pictures look like the piece of wood you need? If so, the pictures are of the dome light in my 190A Victoria which is a Murray car.

[Marshall V. Daut]

Unfortunately, Bob, I don't know exactly what the pattern is supposed to look like for my 1929 Murray Town Sedan. I see your pattern shown on Mike's website, but it is listed for the 1931 models like yours and it is different from the one shown for the 1929 Briggs Town Sedan. I just measured the distance between the rear bows in my Town Sedan where the block is mounted and it is 8". Since the oval dome light is the same size 1929-31, I assume that the cutout area for mounting it inside the wood would be the same as in your Victoria.
Marshall

[Marshall V. Daut]

By the way, Bob, what is the distance between the two bows, where dome light wood is located? If it's 8", then the wood from your year and body style will also work. But Mike's doesn't seem to stock these wood pieces anymore.
I have contacted Classic Wood in Greensboro, NC and hope they have this part and be willing to sell it separately from a full wood kit.
Marshall

[Bob Bidonde]

Hi Marshall! My Victoria has upholstery, so I could not get an exact measurement. However, using a tape measure over the upholstery headliner, it appears the distance is approximately 8" between the bows at the dome light block.

[Marshall V. Daut]

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Thanks for answering my questions, Bob. Mike's "A" Ford-able still has these wooden blocks for sale on his website, but as I was told yesterday on the phone with them, they can't get them anymore. Jeez. How hard can it be to make these things? I'm going to buy a cheap jigsaw today and make my own dome light blocks, as I need two for a special application. This isn't rocket science; it's cutting a hole in a piece of wood. Even I should be able to handle that! I'll probably never use the jigsaw again, though. Or maybe if I do a good job, I can make several of these blocks for a Murray Town Sedan to help others, who likewise can't purchase them ready to install.
Marshall

[JayJay]

Marshall - brain flatus yesterday, sorry. My unmolested '30 Murray Town Sedan is all apart and I can measure up the dome light mounting today. See pix attached, these are looking aft so the right side of the car is on the left of the pictures.. Hope this helps.

If you'll PM me with an email addy I can send you larger files.

JayJay

[Marshall V. Daut]

JayJay -
Thanks for the photos. They help. How thick is the mounting block? I am assuming it is the same thickness as the top bows where it attaches.
Marshall

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by Marshall V. Daut

JayJay -
Thanks for the photos. They help. How thick is the mounting block? I am assuming it is the same thickness as the top bows where it attaches.
Marshall

I'll be at the shop in a few hours. will let you know then.

[Marshall V. Daut]

I just measured my bows and they appear to be 1" thick. A friend just dropped off a jig saw, so all I need now is a scrap piece of 1" thick wood, probably pine. I'll wing the hole pattern, checking the inside fit with the dome light itself.
Marshall

[JayJay]

Marshall: the bows are 1" thick, and the mounting plate is 3/4" plywood. The plate is screwed into the bows from the back (I felt the screws), but unless you have the metal skin off your wood frame I don't see how that can be accomplished. I would probably fashion some mounting brackets from sheet metal and screw them into the faces of the bows and the mounting plate.

Attached are a side view picture of the mounting plate, and dimensioned drawings for you. The notch on the right (passenger) side of the opening fits the sloped bulb bracket housing, you'll need to fiddle with that to fit your lamp.

If you decide to use solid wood I would advise against pine. Pine does not hold wood screws too well. I'd suggest a stable hardwood like birch or maple.

[Marshall V. Daut]

SUPER, JayJay! Thank you so much for these diagrams. They will save me re-inventing the wheel and making lots of mistakes. I see that according to your drawings, the mounting board goes into the narrow space at the very back of the top bows. I thought it went into the first pair of bows from the rear with an 8" distance between them. I stand corrected. Just in time, too! For the forward dome light over the driver's seat in this custom installation, I will need to make the board bigger. The drawing of the light's outline will be very beneficial when making both boards.
Thanks again to JayJay and Bob for their invaluable input. I have been fretting for months about how to solve this problem, given the ever-shrinking availability of repo parts I need. This was one part NO vendor seemed to offer. Maybe there isn't a great demand for Murray Town Sedan dome light mounting blocks? But when you need one, you NEED one! I need TWO!!!
Marshall