31 Cabriolet wood - replace?

Waorani

Waorani

Member
The wood on my 31 Cabriolet looks pretty rough to me but I don't have much reference. Soft in places and looks like past attempts to slop filler on it. Is it worth trying to save this or should it be replaced. And if replaced is there a good source for the wood? I'd rather buy even if I have to fine tune it. I could probably cut myself but more likely to get done quicker if I can decent pieces.


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Ive seen far worse. I wood keep most of it, unless the rot is integral. would only replace minimally. Doesnt look that bad. There are epoxies for minor repairs.
 
it is VERY important that the sills are in good condition on the Cabriolets, or you will have a hard time keeping the body lined up. Classic wood out of North Carolina 336 691 1344
 
My Cabriolet does not have the metal floor board support for the rear of the floor board right in front of the seat rails in your pictures. Does anyone know if this is original or available anywhere? The only pictures I have found they look more like basic angle iron.
I would keep most of the wood you have to answer your question.
 
I too have a cabriolet with bad wood. I had enough good right side wood to copy for the left side. I said to myself, replace what was bad. It helped a lot when reassembling and adjusting the fit of everything. Replacing is your best bet. IMO.
 
Y-Blockhead said:
Has anyone used JB Weld Wood Restore https://www.amazon.com/J-B-Weld-Original-40001-Hardener-16/dp/B005493J1E/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1TC52L5EZQBHB&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nDhCac4F9wMF1E1r2hA-iSBrQl75CM2ePNjIOV63T7I7tHIrBaC7_ZRSSF26FImg_YyfAXTqMABxA8xZ6ZY9Dh1J9EtVTV6unbY-PRx8tWxaRPwotsERMZ8xB4zdY8Ts2KznBSyu3UAtSM66sRPNLLe0JdSNC-hnRMQBqoAXiMXUwpLaFRDO5DVlI6hmP_XOATjJvbYezx87REj4fNJFhyEr6-favONh9RHq3lxgIT_tSVvh8vhl4MKBKpiYjmMbFYZz3Ou9hxvjlaV8UV-KjsROMq-_bvkxnmGAGloQ2hcHcerIUeqG_B_qa2UDYRiGszxAKEzH3WSajiQdrbMykiNDWWA3HrHgWAJHWmTF1Tl5cKCxlqv6TPd9p_CBDkb2oF4r7tJxIgoTU_gDlcnaJG9bGyxewXP5Pn2AkHt0X58Z6z15ASgE4O2ZqG7AenlS.A27yS4RBm4gxJGt3X0XBEyyP6LUhxAzqcHfpXu_cd58&dib_tag=se&keywords=wood%2Bhardener&qid=1738123941&sprefix=wood%2Bhardener%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-5&th=1 or Minwax wood hardener https://www.amazon.com/Minwax-41700000-High-Performance-Hardener/dp/B000BPINKS/?tag=atomicindus08-20 on soft wood?

I have used it (not on my Model A) on dry roted wood around the house Works good, it penetrates the wood and makes it hard when dry.
Click to expand...
I believe these products are sort of like superglue, harden by absorbing water vapor from the air. Good for stabilizing something that already has a fibrous structure, but not the first choice to build bulk. I've had some experience working on wooden boats, and I typically use West Systems epoxy. Heat the resin a bit before adding catalyst to thin it out to flow better. No filler if I want the epoxy to penetrate. You can use their fillers if you are after building up bulk. For cracks I'll often drill holes along the crack and use a syringe with a long nose to inject the epoxy.

The sill (pic 6) looks a bit iffy to me, but I'd be tempted to restore the other pieces using epoxy and fillers.
 
regarding the main sills- lat time I priced them around 1300. from snyders.
I make my own from 2 pieces of straight ash. The ones in my car were all pieced together from whatever Henry had laying around.


dont over think it.
 
The wood is super important.
Seeing small areas of your wood, you may be able to scab in some wood. Cutting back to solid wood.
Not preferred but depends on budget. Also, I found purchased wood to be acceptable when tweaked.
 
Thanks guys. I'm leaning towards replacing just based what I can see but need to get it lifted and see how much solid wood is left. Budget isn't a big issue. I just want it to be right.
 
Do it right, do it once. I'd bight the bullet and replace but that is easy for me to say. It is your money and your time.
 
Volume 6 of the Restorer "How To" series of books has a lot of info on the 68C with factory photos of body parts that includes wood. Like others mention, the sills have to be good and solid since they hold braces and skin in place. It's the foundation of the whole body so it's not a bad idea to either replace them or make yourself drawings of the dimensions while the car is under restoration. A good wood worker with the right tooling can fabricate them but a person needs good patterns to work with to get them right.

The 68C is a challenge but it's likely not as difficult as the station wagon, the travelers wagon. or the special delivery bodies which were mostly all wood.
 
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